Quick Answer: What Is Dance of the Golden Snake?
Dance of the Golden Snake (Jin She Kuang Wu, 金蛇狂舞, Jīn Shé Kuáng Wǔ) is a Chinese instrumental ensemble piece that Nie Er (聂耳, Niè Ěr) adapted from the folk tune Dao Ba Ban (倒八板, Dào Bā Bǎn) in 1934.[2]
- Listen for: Shorter and shorter phrases that answer each other.[1]
- Festive sound: Gongs and drums reinforce the drive in orchestral versions.[5]
- Version: A string quartet arrangement preserves the tune in a different lineup.[2]
Follow the length of the phrases as well as the speed of the beat.
The excitement comes partly from how quickly one group answers another. Even if you lose track of which instrument is playing, you can still hear the gaps between those exchanges getting smaller.
The Folk Tune Behind Nie Er’s Version
The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra identifies Dao Ba Ban as a variant of another tune, Lao Liu Ban. Its program traces the opening of Dao Ba Ban to material developed from the older tune’s ending. Nie worked with already circulating material and gave his arrangement its present title.[1]
The 1934 arrangement belongs near works such as Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon when exploring recorded Chinese ensemble music of the period. The two pieces use contrasting rhythmic gestures and have separate histories.
Hear the Phrases Get Shorter
Program notes call the closing device luosijieding (螺蛳结顶, luósī jiédǐng). One phrase is answered by another. With each exchange, the phrases get shorter and the replies arrive closer together. The shrinking length can create momentum even before the listener notices any change in the beat.[1]
Try counting the beats in one long exchange near the start of the passage. Then count again as it approaches the end. The shortened phrases are easier to hear when you listen for the gap before the reply.
Percussion and the Festival Image
In a rehearsal score published by Huanggang Normal University, percussion opens the piece and the mixed ensemble enters with the theme. Use the clear percussion attacks to find the main pulse before the theme enters. The tanggu drum is one example of how a Chinese percussion instrument can give a strongly marked attack.[4]
The lively drive has been likened to a race at the Dragon Boat Festival. Another concert note treats the piece as a general expression of festivity without a fixed story.[1][4]
Identify the Later Arrangement
One Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra community program credits an arrangement by Ng Cheuk-yin based on Nie’s version. The Central Conservatory credits Zhou Hongde with a string quartet version. Compare which instruments carry the exchanges, since a quartet can maintain the momentum with bows rather than gongs and drums.[2][3]
A separate Hong Kong program places Step by Step Higher and Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix nearby. Their credits offer two other ways folk materials reached the concert stage.[1]
FAQs About Dance of the Golden Snake
Who created Dance of the Golden Snake?
Nie Er adapted the folk tune Dao Ba Ban into the piece known by this title in 1934.[2]
Does the music tell a fixed story?
Programs can evoke a dragon boat race or describe the music as festive without a specific plot.[1][4]
Do all versions have gongs and drums?
Gongs and drums feature in orchestral accounts. A documented string quartet arrangement uses a different group of instruments.[2][5]
Sources
[1] Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. Program Notes: Dance of the Golden Snake
[2] Central Conservatory of Music. The Voice of Youth: A Century of Strings
[3] Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. Music Integrates Community Concert, Tuen Mun
[4] Huanggang Normal University, Music College. Dance of the Golden Snake: Score and Rehearsal Notes
[5] Central Conservatory of Music. Affiliated School Concert Program