The Vocal Music of the Zhuang Nationality in Hongshui River Basin, Guangxi Province, China

Abstract

This dissertation deals with the study of the vocal music of the Zhuang nationality in the Hongshui River Basin, Guangxi Province, China. It is composed of seven chapters. It traces the origin of the vocal music of the Zhuang nationality from work theory, sacrificial worship theory, love theory, and Gexu theory. It further describes the development of Zhuang vocal music from the aspects of function, mode of transmisson, content of vocal text and the way of deduction. It classifies the different types of Zhuang vocal music according to five important classification criteria, such as dialect attribute, vocal part characteristics, vocal text content, melodic characteristics, and vocal text rhyming style. It analyzes the music of selected vocal forms based on musical form feature, melody, rhythm and singing. It offers an examination of the problems in transmission of vocal music of the Zhuang. Through field work and interviews in five counties in the Hongshui River Basin, the current status of the transmission of Zhuang vocal music is presented, describing some problems and finding some solutions. It concludes with the description of its development, and types and characteristics of Zhuang vocal music. Finally, it recommends the preservation of traditional culture requiring the joint efforts of institutions, organizations, education departments, and cultural departments at all levels to form a good concept to effectively transmit and promote Zhuang vocal music culture in the Hongshui River Basin in Guangxi, China.

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