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Arts & Communication Hybrid music and ethnicity in Quangang Beiguan

Japanese rendition. This explains why a delegation of Mengjiangnü Diao, and their variants, gradualism is
Okinawa Court Music Restoration Consortium, on hearing embodied. That is to say, the evolution of Beiguan
Sidajing, claimed that “Four Seasons” descends from experiences the streaming of foreign music from without,
Sidajing when the group visited Quangang in 1997 . subsequent to which a new music genre was born .”
18
21
In August 2014, at a symposium on Beiguan in Quangang, However, there are three main elements that lead to the
Quanzhou, Fujian, many scholars also verified the sources variations in qupai and repertoire — “the language of
of a number of melodies in Beiguan by comparing scores recital, common musical vocabulary, and musical
22
to illustrate that many of Beiguan’s melodies are identical or esthetics .” Therefore, it can be further confirmed that
similar to those of Jiangnan sizhu or folk songs in Jiangsu and even for those Beiguan pieces that are not created by local
Zhejiang. However, despite similar melodies, Beiguan, a local artists, they are influenced by local elements, thus amenable
music genre in Quangang, can be inscribed in the national to local recreation.
intangible cultural heritage protection list of China while Second, musical instruments. For instance, Jiangnan
distinguishing itself from traditional music in Jiangsu and sizhu instruments are integrated with Minnan instruments
Zhejiang. I believe that this is because musical instruments such as pipa (nanpa), ài-á (small suona), and self-made
from the Minnan region, Puxian and Guangdong music are instruments including shuangqing, chihu, and piaohu,
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integrated into Beiguan. The pronunciation of Mandarin by together with some Puxian instruments . A comparison
Minnan people and musicality of local performances is also of four types of instruments is illustrated in Table 1.
major contributing factors. It is noticeable that Beiguan utilizes the most
It can be concluded from the previous studies in this instruments among the four types of ensembles.
field that Beiguan is influenced by Minnan music in the Comparison of instruments used in different groups tell
following aspects: that Beiguan boasts speciality instruments which are
influenced by Minnan and Puxian music. Particularly,
First, the music per se. Local researchers have chihu and shuangqing, applicable to Puxian music, are also
investigated the source of Beiguan qupai and found that local instruments in Quangang, and they are a defining
“within over 220 Beiguan qu and pu compiled so far, the characteristic of Beiguan ensembles. Chihu can also be
majority of Beiguan qu come from Jianghuai xiaodiao divided into upper alto chihu, alto chihu and lower alto
since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, while most of Beiguan chihu. Tixian is jinghu, a northern musical instrument.
pu derive from Cantonese music, Jiangnan sizhu, and
Peking Opera qupai. Contributors also include Beiguan Third, the performance style. It adopts the vocal and
artists. For example, Chen Jinyuan wrote a Beiguan pu instrumental performance methods of Minnan and Puxian
entitled Er Jinban二锦板 .” As the compilation shows music.
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that native Minnan artists are also among creators of the As Beiguan became popularized, people tended to
more than 200 Beiguan qu and pu, it shows that the existing practice singing and playing using traditional methods
Beiguan accommodates contributions made by later local inherent in local folk music. Popular descriptions of early
creations. It can be seen from the previous research on the representative Beiguan artists, however, depict a different
origins of Beiguan that not only was alien music including picture. Apart from their musical prowess, these artists
famous tunes from the Qing Dynasty, Jiangnan sizhu, are recognized mainly because of their ability to integrate
Cantonese music and Peking Opera introduced, but it was foreign and local music, thus contributing to the hybrid
localized. In other words, local factors were creatively music of Beiguan. For example, Liu Huajin (1879– 1840)
added into the original forms. Wang Yaohua argues that studied under Liu Yonglai and other masters. Known
these variations symbolize how “Quangang people express as Master Amei, he was also from Fengwei. Since the
their ideas on music using their own musical esthetics and 13 year of the Republic of China, he was hired and began
th
common vocabulary of music .” “As Quangang Beiguan to teach Beiguan. He had 100 disciples, many of whom
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adopts and puts into application Xianhua Diao, later became celebrities in the field of Beiguan. As locals
evaluate his achievements, Liu Huajin “made considerable
18. See “Beiguan and “Four Seasons,” a Ryukyu court music contributions to the formation of Beiguan styles. Not only
chant” by Wang Yaohua. Fujian Arts, 2009, vol. 3, pp. 24-25. did he help Beiguan circulate, but he also fully integrated
19. From An Overview of Quanzhou Beiguan by Li Jiping and
Huang Jiahui, 2009, Xiamen University Press, p. 7. 21. Ibid.
20. See “The Application and Transformation of Xianhua Diao 22. Ibid.
and Mengjiangnü Diao by Quangang Beiguan Tunes and Its 23. See “Reflections: Beiguan, a Folk Music Resource in
Principles” by Wang Yaohua. Musicology in China, 2015, vol. Quanzhou” by Liang Jiajia. Song of the Yellow River, 2011,
1, pp. 82-92. vol. 13, pp. 58-61.

Volume 1 Issue 1 (2023) 6 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.419