The Study Of "Wudu Folk Songs"

Located in the transitional area of Gansu, Shanxi and Sichuan, Wudu has a great variety of ethnics in history, which fertilized its unique musical culture. Wudu Folk Songs, as one of the major forms of folk music in Wudu, has formed its specific melodic and lyrical characters after long time development and accumulation. While the geography of Wudu, which is characterized by deeply-incised valleys and high-relief mountains, has impeded the economical development of the area, it has contributed to the conservation of local music especially for Wudu Folk Songs. This paper conducted a comprehensive study on Wudu Folk Songs from four aspects:firstly, exploration and sorting up of the historical genesis of Wudu Folk Songs; secondly, demenstration of the survival conditions of Wudu Folk Songs based on feld investigations; thirdly, comprehensive analysis of the musical featrues of Wudu Folk Songs;lastly,anatomy of the folk connotation and social function of Wudu Folk Songs. The study was conducted based on the methodologies of Chinese traditional musical theory and ethnomusicology as well as field investigations, and was written by applying the writing styles of musical ethnography.