Research On The Bent-necked Pipa Storytelling Of Yanchang County Shanbei

The Pipa Story-telling of Shanbei is an ancient story-telling form distinguished from Three-String story-telling in Northern Shaanxi by the difference of instruments in performing usage.Study subject in this paper is Yanchang bent-necked Pipa Story-telling,named after Yanchang County in Northern Shaanxi.Relaying on civil-ritual activities,it was used to be played by blind player holding instruments like bent-necked Pipa,Shuaiban,Mazhazha,etcs.Yanchang County is the only place where Hard-string Pipa is populated,so Yanchang Bent-necked Pipa is also called “Hard String Pipa”.It can be certified that Yanchang Bent-necked Pipa has a long history in local area no matter from the point of Pipa and or the spreading record.This paper is based on spot work and collection of related information.Taking methodology on folk music as theory basis,and supported by points from geography,anthropology and folklore,this paper illustrates the geography,history and cultural environment of Yanchang Bent-necked Pipa Story-telling.Then this paper takes the inherited player of Yanchang Bent-necked Pipa Story-telling as main clue,and organizes the info of art form,inheritance and existing form,and civil-ritual activities.It means to research the relationship among “Pipa – People – Ritual”.As the continuous change of time and development of society,the identification of Pipa player is also changing,which breaks the phenomenon that inheritor is only exclusive to blind player in the past.Also in the rescue of “Intangible Cultural Heritage” activity,the performing of Pipa is no longer limited to folk ritual activities.It also goes to stage,instead.In order to meet social requirement,the players keep bettering themselves in challenge.When keeping pace with the time,they are carrying over the tradition of Pipa Story-telling.The reason that Yanchang Bent-necked Pipa Story-telling can be cycled in local area and can be relatively kept intact is that it is attached to folk faith among local people and performed as ritual activity.This paper records and analyzes Yanchang Bent-necked Pipa Story-telling by the form of home letter in peace letter,which is the most populated letter in folk letter.It will further research the inner relationship between ritual music and ritual function,to thoroughly understand the existing situation of Yanchang Bent-necked Pipa Story-telling in local area.