Research On The Southern Shaanxi Folk Songs

The unique features of Southern Shaanxi environment cultivate special characteristics of its inhabitants,and meanwhile give birth to the distinctive Southern Shaanxi folk songs.Since ancient times,Southern Shaanxi has been inheriting the custom of singing folk songs,but it has not been recorded systematically until modern times.By far,with abundant themes and diverse styles,the folk songs carry the profound developmental history and folk culture and reflect people’s living condition and emotional world of Southern Shaanxi.The theme of Southern Shaanxi folk songs is related to all aspects of people’s social and daily life.First is the theme of labor.This kind of folk songs describes the laborers tend to sing songs related to the work they engaged in.Workers in different vocations have created their own folk songs,including Haozi song(a work song sung to synchronize movements,with one person leading),field song,tea-leaves picking song,pastoral song,etc.Second is the theme of love which is an eternal topic in the folk songs.The theme of bashful and sweet first love,and the firmly and inseparably passionate love all reflect the beauty of love.Since love cannot always be smoothly,crazy love songs are produced to resist against obstacles.Also,there is immoral love violating morality and betraying the family just like the reality.Third is the ceremonial theme used in specific rites: funeral ceremony songs are presented in funerals;marriage songs are for wedding ceremonies;blessing songs are for festival ceremonies;and wizard songs are for expelling evil influences and curing disease.Fourth is the theme of education--songs which can give people lessons.It calls on younger generation to show filial piety to their parents and to be aspirant;women to be talented and virtuous and the public to be courtly.Southern Shaanxi folk song maintains a continuous developing and innovating along with the changing times.The tracking of its dynamics helps find out the changes of Southern Shaanxi people’s lives and thoughts from the old days to new China,which shows that folk song keeps pace with the times.First of all,it reveals the misery and helplessness of people inthe old society: they not only lived in deep poverty,but also suffered from the war;women were discriminated and thus suffered even more hardships.Secondly,the folk song expresses that miserable people ultimately welcomed their savior—the Red Army.They eulogized and appreciated the efforts of the Red Army.Finally,it extols the happy life in new China and shows gratitude to Chairman Mao who led them liberating themselves from miseries.Since then,people were more motivated in working and were able to fully experience the free marriage.Southern Shaanxi folk songs are diverse in style.On the one hand,the introverted but glowing emotions,mixed with softness and manliness,are partially related to immigrants and the north-south geographic transition position,which also shows the the geographical characteristic of Southern Shaanxi--the symbiotic relationship between mountains and water.On the other hand,its humorous language,penetrating with quantity of dialects and lining words,fully displays people’s optimistic attitude and local features.Besides,the frequent use of exaggeration,Bi and Xing make folk songs refreshing and impressive.Acoustically,the simple and natural style,and melodious and fair-sounding melody renders people a fresh and pleasant feeling.Up to now,some Southern Shaanxi folk songs have been recorded by writers,and some have been adapted into folk opera and film performed on the stage.Hence,Southern Shaanxi folk songs will usher in a more brilliant future.