Quick Answer: What Is Dance of the Yi People?
Dance of the Yi People (Yizu Wuqu, 彝族舞曲, Yízú Wǔqǔ) is a concert solo for pipa (琵琶, pípá) by Wang Huiran (王惠然, Wáng Huìrán), completed in 1960. It draws on Yi folk music from Yunnan.[1][2]
- Listen for: A lyrical opening and more sharply accented dance rhythms.[2]
- Folk sources: Accounts identify local singing and dance traditions in the material.[2]
- Versions: Programs credit the solo pipa, and a guitar recording uses the title Yi Dance.[5][7]
Follow the change of pulse and the return of the opening character near the close.
Listen first for a flowing line that leaves space between its attacks. As the accents become stronger, the same instrument suggests a new kind of movement. The contrast helps mark the shape of the work.
Wang Huiran’s Pipa Composition
Music scholarship dates the completed solo to 1960 and records a performance by Wang at Beijing Concert Hall in 1963. It has become part of the modern pipa repertoire. The Chinese Music Archive lists Wang as a player of his own work.[1][6]
The composer’s recording is a useful place to hear the change between the spacious and dance-like sections. Another pipa work such as Ambush from Ten Sides uses the same lute for a very different musical narrative.
Two Yunnan Traditions Behind the Work
Wenzhou-Kean University’s account identifies haicai qiang (海菜腔, hǎicài qiāng) singing and yanhe wu (烟盒舞, yānhé wǔ), the tobacco-box dance. The national heritage inventory has separate entries for these practices in Shiping County, Yunnan. One documents a vocal form among local Nisu Yi communities and the other describes a dance tradition.[2][3][4]
Wang’s solo transforms source material into a concert work. The Chinese folk songs guide places local singing practices in their wider regional context.
Hear the Dance Rhythm and Return
The slower material gives individual plucks room to resonate. In the livelier passages, listen for regular accents, shorter spaces and quicker changes of emphasis. A study of the score describes the resemblance between the beginning and closing sections, even though their details change.[1][2]
On a first hearing, recognize the mood change before trying to count sections. On a second hearing, compare the closing phrases with the opening.
Compare a Pipa and Guitar Rendition
The Aga Khan Music Programme lists Wu Man performing Wang’s solo on pipa. The Chinese Music Archive gives another pipa recording and separately lists Autumn Moon over the Han Palace in the same instrument collection.[5][6]
Xuefei Yang’s Si Ji (Four Seasons) labels Yi Dance as a guitar arrangement. Compare the attack of its strings with the pipa and see whether the returning character stays easy to recognize.[7]
The zhonghu guide discusses Dance of the Yao People, a separate orchestral piece that sometimes appears under a similarly translated title.
FAQs About Dance of the Yi People
Who composed Dance of the Yi People?
Wang Huiran completed the concert piece for solo pipa in 1960.[1]
Is the piece a recording of a Yi dance?
It is a composed pipa work inspired by Yunnan Yi music and dance. The underlying traditions have their own ways of performing.[2][3][4]
Is it the same as Dance of the Yao People?
They are separate works. Dance of the Yao People is by Liu Tieshan and Mao Yuan. Its orchestral parts can include zhonghu.[8]
出典
[1] IAWM Journal. Redefining Musical Creativity in the Pipa Repertoire
[2] Wenzhou-Kean University. Dance of the Yi People: Festival Report
[3] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Yi Tobacco-Box Dance
[4] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Yi Haicai Singing
[5] Aga Khan Music Programme and Dartmouth Hopkins Center. Aga Khan Master Musicians, Program Notes
[6] Chinese Music Archive. Pipa Audio Collection
[7] Apple Music. Si Ji (Four Seasons), Xuefei Yang
[8] Timbre and Orchestration Resource. Bowed Strings in the Chinese Orchestra