A Study Of The "SuoNa" Music Of Obsequies Ceremony In East Of Gansu

Qingyang city is located in the loess plateau in Gansu. It is the important birthplace of Chou dynasty and farming culture. The obsequies cermony here has passed on and inherited from the ceremony of Chou dynasty. This paper is based on the field work. The main threads of it is the process of obsequies ceremony. I describe and explain the living background, the social and culture function of obsequies ceremony in east of Gansu in the anthropology sight and using the way of styding EthnomusicologyThis paper is divided into five parts:The first part: the introduction. I outlines the historical tradition of obsequies ceremony and present condition of Suona music in east of Gansu.The second part: I identify narration with discussion in order to introduce the main process of obsequies ceremony.The third part: I describe and explain the Suona orchestra and music player by analyzing the main structure of the Suona orchestra ,the Suona players' composition pattern, the way of Suona players'inheritance, the Suona players' social status and financial condition.The fourth part: I analyze the history and evolution, instrments and compositions of obsequies ceremony in eastern Gansu.Finally, I analyse the relationship between folk obsequies ceremony and Suona music.