Shaanxi Folk Songs

Shaanxi Folk songs generally refers to folk rap music in regions in Shaanxi Province, which originated from the Book of Odes. In the book Qin Feng and Bin Feng are folk songs produced in Shaanxi. These ancient poems produced in Shaanxi account for about a half in the Book of Odes. Music styles in Shaanxi are different between the border of Qinling Mountains, and they have different personality characteristics in northern Shaanxi, mid-Shaanxi and southern Shaanxi. The melody of Northern Shaanxi folk Songs is concise and sprightly and has a distinct sense of space. These songs are rough, resounding and free; traits of feeling expressing and narration and a sense of drama are added to the rough and resounding style of mid-Shaanxi folk songs; folk songs in southern Shaanxi have a narrow range and mild and indirect melody.

Northern Shaanxi Folk Songs

Northern Shaanxi Folk Songs are commonly known as Mountain Tunes or Suan Qu, and mainly include over 20 types such as Xin Tian You, Minors, Drinking Songs, and Ditty etc. Northern Shaanxi Folk Songs are widely spread among Northern Shaanxi, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia and are local songs sung in the dialect of Northern Shaanxi. In June 2008, applied by Yulin and Yan’an of Shaanxi Province and approved by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, Northern Shaanxi Folk Songs were listed in the second batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Northern Shaanxi Folk Songs are rich in content. Popular Northern Shaanxi Folk Songs were produced between the end of 19th century and 1940s, of which some reflected social reform, some were songs of farm laborers reflecting local people who resisted feudal the ruling class. Especially there were revolutionary and historical folk songs and these are precious historical materials. However, these works are rare among more than 8,000 pieces of Northern Shaanxi Folk Songs. Most songs reflect common people and common things.

The American Journalist Edgar Snow signed in his book Red Star over China: “You will know what real Chinese national culture is only when you go to Northern Shaanxi.” Yes, only when we go to Northern Shaanxi, go to Northern Shaanxi Folk Songs and carefully taste her charm, it is not hard for us to find: isn’t it our national rhyme that we are looking forward to?

Southern Shaanxi Folk Songs

Southern Shaanxi consists of two mountains and a plain and is influenced by the Han Culture, the Shu Culture and the Culture of the Three Kingdoms. Therefore, its folk songs have the sense of beautiful mountains and clear water. As for singing styles, folk songs in southern Shaanxi seldom use falsetto and mainly use high-pitched tunes and even tunes, which are euphemistic and delicate, having a sense of fresh mountain wind. The singing method of these songs combines upward and downward gliding tunes and small trembling tunes, adding a bit of beauty and sentiments of chant.

Ziyang Folk Songs are the typical type of Folk songs in southern Shaanxi. Ziyang Folk Songs are divided into Mountain Songs, Minors, Custom Songs, Hua Gu Ba Cha, Hao Zi Xiao Ge and New Folk Songs etc. Music style of these songs has a sense of lyricism, narrativity and dance. And the music style is appropriate for performing the actions, expressing plots and reflecting complicated feelings of characters.

Mid-Shaanxi Folk Songs

Mid-Shaanxi folk general terms of songs that are popular in the region between the north of Qinling Mountain and the North Mountains which is called Eight Hundred Li Qin Chuan. Folk songs were formed early. They have a long history and plenty of types covering Boatmen Work Songs, Ramming Work Songs, carrier work songs and Porter Work Songs etc. Among them the most influential is Minor.