Naxi Classical
Music
The two sets of great
classical musical composition named "Baishaxili"
and "Dongjing Yingyue", which have been
passed down as the "Musical Legacy of the
Yuan Dynasty" and the Daoist music of the
Han people, are widely spread among Naxi people.
Some Western experts believe that they are "typical
Chinese classical music" and "symphonies
of Chinese style". Lui Ju, the president
of the Chinese Music Association, values them
as the "living fossils of music". They
have been presently systematized and published.
They are the cream of the research into the Naxi-Han
cultural exchange and the histories of musical
instrument and religion.
The Baisha Music consists of
24 "qupai" (music tunes), all antiquated,
simple and elegant in style, lofty and dynamic
in character. It is said that the music originated
from Kublai Khan's conquest of Yunnan when he
had crossed the Golden Sand River on leather rafts,
he got the help of Mailiang, the leader of the
Naxi people. On his departure, he left to him
half a band and the music score as a gift. This
music might also be traced back to the court music
of the Song Dynasty. Through the influence of
generations it contains some elements of the Naxi
musical language. The "sugudu", an ancient
Mongolian musical instrument, as used in the performance
of the Baisha music is a corrupted pronunciation
of the Mongolian musical instrument "hebusi".
At present Lijiang still keeps a "sugudu"
handed down from that time, while none of the
ancient "hebusi" can be found among
the Mongolians in the north.
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