This series explores China's rich and diverse musical heritage. The songs featured on this recording are folk songs of three of the minority ethnic groups of Yunnan province - Wa, Blang, and De'ang. As with Chinese traditional visual arts, the song titles explain their mood and origin. The Wa people developed a tradition that is more prolific in vocal music than in instrumental music. The indigenous Wa music employs pentatonic scales, as well as a low and narrow register. The melodic lines usually proceed without sharp fluctuations. The majority of Wa music is monophonic, while the music in the Cangyuan area presents the features of multiple-voices. Sharing the same cultural origins with the Wa and De'ang peoples, Blang music also employs pentatonic scales. The Blang people categorise their music into four types: shuo, zai, shengand shuai. Every music type refers to a group of tunes and specific performance forms. De'ang music is classified into the five categories. The first, guge meaning ancient songs, focuses on telling the history of the De'ang people. Ag u da leng lai biao, one of the guge, describes that the ancestors of the De'ang were originally leaves of a tea tree in the heaven; the second, the music performed for wedding rituals; the third, liturgical music sung for Theravada Buddhism; fourth, shange meaning folk music; and fifth, instrumental music.

Tracklist:

We are Family
A Wa Love Song
Lover Boy in My Heart
Building a New House
Sha Ran
A Wa Duet Love Song
The Song of Ban Bei
Deng La Jie
Ou De Bing 1
A Solo of Gugan 1
The Happy Blang 1
Dan Fo 1
Joyful Harvest 1
Praying for Happiness 1
A Zhuai Duet 1
Best Wishes 1
A Zaibeng Happy Song 1
A Blang Duet Love Song 1
Standing on the Mountain 2
A Breakup Song 2
Bai Gan Duo 2
A De'ang Duet Love Song 2
I Waited for You 2
Da Gu Da Leng Ge Lai Biao 2
A Welcome Song

UPC: 636943709023
Label: Naxos
Release Date: 11.8.19
Format: CD

Folk Music Of China 3 / Various - Folk Music of China 3 (CD)