Types of Ga Lao’s big songs

Historically, the Dong area was divided into several "holes", and each "hole" governed a large area (several villages). With the development of history, it is no longer clear which area some holes generally refer to, but "six holes", "nine holes" and "ten holes" are still used to this day. The "six holes" are centered on Zhaoxing Pilin in Liping and the Longtu Guan Cave in Congjiang; the "nine holes" are centered on Zengchong and Xindi in Congjiang; the "ten holes" are centered on the rock caves and Xindong in Liping as the center. The Dong people's beheading is mainly popular in the "Liu Dong", "Nine Dong", "Ten Dong" areas and the adjacent areas or villages. The Miaolan, Zaidang and Jiasuo areas in Zaima Township, Rongjiang County, were within the scope of Jiudong in ancient times and were also one of the popular areas for Da Ge. Due to differences in singing venues, performance forms, and gender and age of singers, big songs can be divided into "drum tower big songs", "vocal big songs", "ceremony big songs", "narrative big songs", "children's big songs", and "big songs for children". "opera songs"; or divided into "male songs", "female songs", "children's songs", etc. The Drum Tower Song is called "Gadelou" in Dong language. It is the main song type sung by male and female choruses in different villages in antiphonal style in the Drum Tower. Others are called by the central lining words, including "Xiu Haoding" and "Qian Sai". The content is mostly love songs. "Qiansai" is the main melody of the formal antiphonal song and the main body of "Ga Lao". Male and female voices in various places have their own vocal tunes, which are mostly named after popular areas, such as "Ga Lan" (Miao Lan's song), "Ga Lao" "Dip" (Cao Didong's song), "Gazaidang" (Zaidang's song), etc. Songs with loud voices are called "al soh" (al soh) in Dong language. It is not the main type of antiphonal song in Drum Tower, but a wonderful interlude in the antiphonal singing process. Most of them are performed at the request of the audience or in order to show off their own voices, which is commonly known as "changing the voice". Songs with loud voices and short lyrics mainly showcase musical tunes, often imitating the chirping of insects and birds. Several singers take turns singing high notes during the singing, one after another, which is beautiful and pleasant, and can best bring out the overall singing ability of the chorus. From a musical perspective, vocal songs are the essence of the multi-vocal songs of the Dong ethnic group. Song titles are often named after fish, insects, birds, animals or seasonal events, such as "Ga Lun Lang" (Cicada Song), "Ga Ye" (Frog Song), "Ga San San" (March Song), etc. The narrative song is called "Al jenh" (Al jenh) or "Al jebl" (Al jebl) in Dong language. It is not only a kind of folk song, but also a kind of folk art. According to the genre of lyrics, it can be divided into two types: "Gajun" which sings stories and "Gaxiang" which sings principles; according to the music singing style, it can be divided into two types: "Gajun" and "Gajin". Song titles are often named after the names of the main characters or the central content of the story, such as "Pearl Beauty", "Golden Han Liemei", "Filial Piety to Parents", "Persuading Lazy People", etc. Etiquette and customs songs, called "al liix xangh" (al liix xangh) in Dong language, are the general name for multi-vocal songs sung on various etiquette and customs occasions. It is generally divided into three types: "Road-blocking Song", "Drinking Ceremony Song" and "Talking Song", all of which consist of lead singing and chorus. Children's big song, called "Al Lagx Uns" (al lagx uns) in Dong language, is a multi-vocal song sung by children during games and entertainment. The lyrics are short and the melody is cheerful, mainly singing in unison and supplemented by chorus. Song titles are mostly based on content, such as "Ant Song", "Little Goat", "Visiting Grandma", etc. The opera song, called "al wagx" in Dong language, is a multi-vocal song sung during Dong opera performances. It is often used at the opening or closing of a play, or when immortals or officials appear. It is sung by the actors and actresses at the front and backstage, creating a lively atmosphere. There is no fixed song title. The reason why "Ga Lao" is called a big song is that, firstly, it is sung by the Dong folk chorus; secondly, it has two parts; thirdly, its five-style singing is performed in the Drum Tower in front of everyone; fourthly, the lyrics Growing up, it took 40 to 50 minutes to finish a long song, which often gave people the feeling of closing their eyes while singing.