Xianghe Song
A Han dynasty song form where voices answer silk-and-bamboo accompaniment
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Xianghe song is a Han dynasty song form. It grew from unaccompanied "tu ge" and from "dan ge", where one voice led and a group answered; later silk-and-bamboo instruments were added, and a singer holding a clapper led the ensemble — "silk and bamboo answer one another, the one with the clapper sings".
It covers both ordinary xianghe songs and the xianghe dage, a grand suite that adds instrumental sections and dance, with parts named yan, jie, qu and luan. Its three modes — pingdiao, qingdiao and sediao — became the qingshang repertory and the backbone of Han–Wei secular music. Xianghe is not one tune but a way of singing and playing.
Read deeper → Qingyue (Qing Music)
Sources
- 相和歌的徒歌但歌来源、丝竹相和与相和大曲结构，参《中国音乐词典》与 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "China" 相关条目；本文为原创表述
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