Chapter 18 Appreciation of Chinese Folk Music中国民族音...
1.Famous Folk Music Pieces
1)One Hundred Birds Serenade the Phoenix
One of the best-known pieces of suona is One Hundred Birds Serenad the Phoenix (Bainiao Chaofeng)，especially popular in Shandong and Anhui provinces in East China and Henan and Hebei provinces in the north．It is also an ensemble of traditional wind instruments．In the music，the orchestra settles down to a fixed accompaniment mode after a spirited introduction．With the background of the accompaniment，the suona section plays a vigorous piping tune in imitation of the chirping of birds in flight．The closeness of the mimicry expresses the people's love for nature and the careful observation of life by folk artists，as well as their virtuosity in performance．Such beautiful and auspicious tunes help to account for its the popularity．
The suona horn is the most widespread and popular folk musical instrument in northwest China．In shape，it is like a trumpet．It is conical with eight holes，seven forward and one at the back．The body part is made of wood．At one end there is a thin brass tube with a reed attachment and flares like a trumpet．Its sound is loud，bright and vigorous，especially good for expressing joy and creating a festive atmosphere．
2)A Beautiful Moonlit Night by the River in Springtime
This is one of the most famous Chinese traditional music pieces．It had been popular among ordinary people before the year 1875，and has become one of the masterpieces in the treasury of Chinese classical music．
Originally named as Drums at Dusk or Xunyang Pipa Tune，the music is a solo piece played by the pipa．It got its recent name from Zheng Jinwen，a famous folk musician，in 1930 after undergoing some adaptations．Since 1949 it has undergone many revisions until it becomes a highly polished piece now．
A Beautiful Moonlit Night by the River in Springtime(Chunjiang Huayueye)has been played thousands of times and is loved by millions．With gracefulness and romantic imagination，the music depicts the picturesque scene from a small boat on the river in the moonlight．
The intro has a background of musical harmony，and then a pipa is plucked faster and faster，producing drumbeat-like notes．The whole work is divided into ten sections，each under a different title．The understated melody，the fluid rhythmical meter and the ingenious subtlety of orchestration，combine to show a tranquil scene of a river on a moonlit night in spring，paean of praise to the beauty of the countryside south of the Yangtze River．
3)The Moon Reflected in Erquan Spring
The most widespread music piece of erhu in China is The Moon Reflected in Erquan Spring(Erquan Yingyue)composed by the Wuxi folk artist Ah Bing，whose original name was Hua Yanjun．The work has two themes which gradually melt into each other subtly and smoothly．Step by step and variation upon variation，the two themes rise and fall effortlessly．The crescendos especially show the composer's steely and unyielding spirit in a very hard situation．
The profound range of feeling in this piece of music is incorporated by a tightly knit composition．The result of vigorous variations in bowing technique and the full use of the five hand positions is a fiercely emotional expression of the composer's suppressed grief at having tasted the full bitterness of life in the old society．The Moon Reflected in Erquan Spring is an exquisite example of a Chinese instrumental folk music piece．The world-famous Japanese conductor Ozawa Seiji was moved to tears when listening to this music piece and said“The most suitable term for describing this music piese is‘the sense of heartbreak’．The music is so touching that one should kneel down to listen to it．”
4)High Mount and Flowing Water
During the Spring and Autumn Period，there was a man called Yu Boya，who was a famous music master with a good command of the temperament and superb skills in playing the guqin．
On the night of a mid-autumn day，the 15th day of the 8th lunar month one year，Boya was doing sightseeing．The moon was bright and a brisk breeze was blowing gently．With myriads of thoughts welling up in his mind，he went into a nearby pavilion and began to play the guqin，which he carried wherever he went．The melodious music was so beautiful that it attracted a woodcutter who came and sat down to listen．When Boya played a piece of music eulogizing the high mountains，the woodcutter said，“Wonderful！The melody is as magnificent and dignified as Mount Tai which reaches the sky！”When he played a piece of music depicting the turbulent waves，the woodcutter was very much immersed in the music and exclaimed，“Wonderful！The melody is as vast and mighty as the great rivers！”Boya knew that this man was keenly appreciative of his talents because he understood his music and his moods．They became very good friends and made an appointment—meeting again at the same time the next year．That woodcutter was Zhong Ziqi．
The next year，Boya went to meet Zhong Ziqi．He waited and waited but Zhong did not turn up．Later Boya found out that Zhong had passed away．Boya was so sad that he broke the strings and threw away the Guqin and quit playing forever．
The music played by Boya in the story is High Mount and Flowing Water (Gaoshan Liushui)．It is later divided into two parts，one is High Mountains，and the other Flowing Water．It is still played now．
America sent out two spacecrafts(“Voyager 1”and“Voyager 2”)on August 20，1977．Expecting to meet humankind in other planets，the spacecraft carried a goldpainted bronze record consisting of 27 pieces of world famous music．Flowing Water was chosen to represent Chinese music in the CD．Therefore，High Mount and Flowing Water is the first Chinese music piece in the outer space．
5)The Butterfly Lovers
Almost everyone in China can hum a few lines of the violin concerto The Butterfly Lovers(Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai，abbreviated as Liangzhu)，which can be traced to a Chinese folk legend with the same title．
In South China，there was a village called Zhujiazhuang．In the village there was a beautiful and clever girl named Zhu Yingtai who assumed a male identity so she could travel to study in Hangzhou，a southeastern city in China，where she met Liang Shanbo，a poor but kind-hearted young man．In the course of their 3-year study，Zhu and Liang became very close friends．When the time came for Zhu to return home，the pair was overcome with much suppressed sadness．Zhu proposed marriage to Liang for her younger sister and said her sister closely resembled her．She even entreated Liang to visit her home to discuss the issue with her parents．Liang was unaware that Zhu was female nor that she did not have a younger sister．(She was，in fact，offering her own hand in marriage．)
A year passed before Liang made his way to Zhu's residence．He was overjoyed to realize Zhu's true identity and that she was in love with him．However，happiness turned into sorrow as the two soon discovered that Zhu had been betrothed to another man．Upon his return to Hangzhou，Liang fell ill in his great misery and died．When Zhu heard of this on her wedding day，she fled from the wedding and went to his grave site．There，legend has it that her tears moved the heavens so much that the clouds themselves shed tears over Zhu's grief．Then，the earth beneath her cracked open and Zhu jumped into the open grave．Miraculously，the pair was transformed into butterflies．Arising into the sky，they fluttered and danced side by side among the flowers，never to be separated again．
The Butterfly Lovers(Liangzhu)was composed in 1959 by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang，who were studying at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music．The pair was exploring the feasibility of setting Chinese music to a western symphonic medium and incorporating borrowed devices from Chinese folk theatrical music as well as vocal techniques of Zhejiang's Yu Opera．The result was a concerto for the violin in one movement．
The music of Liang Zhu，or The Butterfly Lovers，romantic and touching，is most popular in China．It is also one of the few Chinese pieces that have often appeared on the international stage．
6)Meihua Sannong
Meihua Sannong is one of the earliest and most famous pieces of Chinese ancient music．Its origin went back to as early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty，in which period lived a famous general and musician named Huan Yi．Huan was a heroic General and a humble man．He knew music very well and was especially good at paying the flute．One day，he met a young man named Wang Huizhi，who admired Huan very much and invited him to play one piece of the dizi(bamboo flute)music．To the young man's surprise and delight，Huan accepted the invitation with no hesitation．What he played was Meihua Sannong，the most popular melody in that period．
Generally speaking，Sannong means the repetition of main melondy three times，in different musical forms．The slow tempo depicts the pure and noble peacefulness of the plum blossoms，and the rapid tempo represents the way the flowers sway in the wind showing their fearlessness of the severe cold．The whole piece deseribes the manner of the dauntless plum blossms that are fighting against the snow and frost．The ancient Chinese scholars'loftiness and self-admiration of their own purity find expression in the extolling of plum blossms in this music piece．
With time passing by，Meihua Sannong is fairly common with other kinds of musical instruments and this elegant melody is now one of the repertoires of the guqin music．
7)Ambush on All Sides
Ambush on All Sides(Shimian Maifu)is a famous ancient pipa score of China，which is always played on international concerts．A foreigner might be familiar with it just as a Chinese with the Blue Danube．
Ambush on All Sides pictured the battlefield of the ancient war in China．Its boldness and majesty have attracted lots of people．How amazing it is to demonstrate such a vivid picture by the pipa merely with four strings！We can hear drum beating and horse roaring which will bring us in the midst of the ancient battle．
What the pipa solo describes is the whole process of the decisive battle of Gaixia，a well-known battle between Chu and Han in 202 B．C．
According to historical records，this melody was already popular among the Chinese people before the 16th century．As early as the end of the 16th century，there was already written record of Ambush on All Sides．It is a treasure of the ancient historical scores of China．
8)Adios at Yangguan
Adios at Yangguan(Yangguan Sandie)，a piece of music played with the guqin，is based on a poem written by Wang Wei，a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty．
Wang Wei wrote the poem when he saw off his friend Yuan Er who was to serve in the army at Weicheng，a small town in Yangguan at the border．Instrument players made it a see-off song based on Wang's farewell poem．It has become a masterpiece．Even today，some people would sing this song when they see off friends．
9)Dance of the Yi People
Dance of the Yi People(Yizu Wuqu)，composed by Wang Huiran in 1960，is a classical pipa composition that airs a sense of happy life．This piece combines the spirit of the folk tradition and the best use of the pipa technique，which becomes the model for contemporary pipa compositions．
The 1st part is the introduction in which the music is slow and then it becomes faster．When listening to the music，we cannot help imagining that we are right there in a Yi people's village bathing in the tender moonlight．
In the 2nd part，the nice slow melody is beautiful and intoxicating．It is so soft，light and tender，giving us an impression of dancing Yi girls．
In the 3rd，4th，5th and 6th parts，the melody is more rapid and powerful and makes us think of bold and handsome Yi lads．Then the music tends to be tender，depicting the beautiful Yi maids who are like fairies coming from the heaven to join the lads in the dancing．
In the 7th，8th and 9th parts，it's the reappearance of the first part to show that make people are filled with great happiness．Then the music fades away slowly，presenting a picture in which people are going back home after the happy gathering，losing themselves in the shadowy distance，accompanied by the sound of the music produced by the lusheng far away．
2.Historical Figures and Folk Music
1)Cai Yan and Eighteen Songs on a Nomad Flute
Eighteen Songs on a Nomad Flute(Hujia Shibapai)leaves its landmark in the history of Chinese guqin music．Its composer，Cai Yan，showed her musical talent at an early age．Yan had an ear for music．When she was only 7 or 8 years old，her extraordinarily acute hearing and distinguished music sense to identify the notes of different strings of the guqin surprised her father Cai Yi，a famous musician．
At the end of Han Dynasty，the society was chaotic with wars．When the Huns invaded the Central Plains，Cai Yan was captured and taken to the remote northern grassland of the Huns．The king of the Huns was deeply attracted by her artistic talent． Cai became the king's wife and they had a son and a daughter．But year after year，Cai never stopped missing her hometown in the Central Plains．Finally the Huns were driven out of the Central Plains and Cai Yan was redeemed by Cao Cao and allowed to go home to help her old father sort out his scholar works．Tortured by parting from her husband and her children，Cai composed the famous melody Hujia Shibapai，a perfect reflection of her rough life and how she missed her children．Until now，this famous melody is still one of the repertoires of guqin concerts．
2)Cai Yi and Tail-Burnt Guqin
Among the Four Famous Guqin in Chinese music history，the one named Tailburnt has its interesting legend．
Cai Yi，an outstanding historian and musician in the Han Dynasty，once found that a person was feeding a piece of paulownia wood to the fire to cook his meal．To everyone's surprise，Cai dragged the wood out of the fire with bare hands．He distinguished the fire on the wood，observed it carefully and exclaimed:“What a pity！What a pity！”The man was confused．Cai Yi then explained that paulownia wood was the first-class material to make guqin．The man said:“I see．If you like it，take it．”Cai happily took the wood home and made a refined guqin with part of the burnt wood at its tail and named it Tail-burnt guqin．
3)Confucius Learning Music
Confucius，the greatest ancient Chinese thinker and educator in the Spring and Autumn Period，was also an outstanding musician．Confucius not only could play many kinds of musical instruments but also was good at composing and singing．
His valuable modest personality attributed to his achievement in music．After he learned guqin from the musician Shi Xiangzi for some days，the instructor said his performance was“good”．Confucius，however，was not satisfied with the progress and said:“Although I know how to play the music，I can't play very well”．So he kept training himself for a longer time．After practicing for another couple of days，his performance was regarded as“very well”by the instructor，but Confucius still did not believe that he had given a perfect performance because he could not feel the spirit of the melody when he was playing．It is not until he finally realized and showed the inner spirit of the melody that Confucius was satisfied．His perseverance deeply touched Shi Xiangzi．Even today，Confucius's idea of“Being insatiable in learning and tireless in teaching”is still regarded as a motto by most people．
4)Liu Sanjie，the Fairy Singer
Liu Sanjie(Third Sister Liu)and her stories are very popular among the Zhuang people in southwest Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region．According to the local tale，Liu Sanjie was born in a village along the Liujiang River of Guangxi in the Tang Dynasty．She was not only beautiful but also good at singing folk songs．At the age of 17，Liu Sanjie fell in love with a handsome young man who was also a good folk singer．The two lovers swore that they would never separate in their lives．The peaceful happiness was，however，broken by a hooligan in the village who had been for a long time attracted by Sanjie's beauty．This evil man decided to get her by force．He got his chance on a moonlight night when Sanjie and her lover were sitting on a big rock at riverside to appreciate the beauty of the moon．Suddenly，a gang of hooligans surrounded them．Sanjie and her lover had no way to escape．With no hesitation，the couple jumped into the roaring Liujiang River，hand in hand．Nowadays，on the day of March 3，local people will gather along the riverside of the Liujiang River，organizing a folk-song competition to mourn Liu Sanjie．
5)Suhe and the Horse-Headed Stringed Instrument
The top of the neck of the horse-headed stringed instrument(matouqin)is carved in the shape of a horse's head，hence the name．It is the representative instrument of the horse-riding Mongolian people．
The instrument has two strings and it is played with a horsetail-hair bow．The sound box is trapezoid in shape，and decorated with ethnic motifs．Its hazy tone color is suitable for expressing soft and mellow moods．Its haunting melodies can often be heard on the vast Mongolian grasslands．
Besides its unique enchantment of the tone，matouqin has its interesting legend associated with it．Long ago，there lived a robust young man in the Mongolian grassland．The young man was named Suhe and he was a good folk singer．When he sang，one of his white horses would neigh along with the melody of its master as if accompanying his singing．Its sound was very pleasant．Suhe liked his horse very much and they two thus became good friends．Wherever Suhe went，the horse followed．In a horse race，this white horse helped Suhe win the first prize．The landlord，however，also wanted to have this magical horse and finally succeeded in holding the horse as his own by force．
The white horse missed his former master so much that one day it escaped from the cruel landlord．Although it got the deadly shot of a poisonous arrow from the landlord，the horse kept running until it fell at the feet of Suhe．Suhe was very sad．He caressed the horse and wept．In memory of the white horse，Suhe made a musical instrument with the remains of the horse:its head bone as the sound box and the tail as the bow，and decorated it with a carved horse head．This is the first matouqin．
Word Bank
serenade唱(奏)小夜曲
accompaniment伴奏
mimicry模仿，模拟(表演)
virtuosity(音乐演技方面)精湛技巧
flare(声音等的)爆发
pluck弹奏(弦乐)
paean赞美
crescendo(音)渐强，向(高潮)渐进
steely坚强的
myriad极大数量的
eulogize称赞，颂扬
entreat恳求
concerto协奏曲
repertoire保留曲目
score乐谱，配乐
paulownia泡桐
insatiable不知足的
trapezoid不规则四边形，梯形
参考译文
1.著名乐曲赏析
1)《百鸟朝凤》
《百鸟朝凤》是一首非常著名的唢呐曲，也是民间管乐的合奏曲，流行于中国东部的山东和中国北部的河南、河北等地区。乐曲在百鸟齐鸣的引子后是一段欢快的旋律，在这种旋律中，唢呐演奏的声音生动也模仿了各种飞禽的啼鸣。乐曲表现了人们对大自然的热爱，也体现出民间音乐家作曲家细致的生活观察和精湛的演奏艺术。乐曲美妙，寓意吉祥，因此这首民间乐曲很受听众欢迎。
唢呐是中国西北地区最普遍、最受喜爱的乐器。唢呐状似喇叭，在一锥形木管上开八个音孔，前七后一。木管上端装一细铜管，铜管上端安装一个苇制哨子，为演奏者吹奏所用。唢呐音量洪大有力，音色高亢明亮，尤其适于气氛欢乐的节日。
2)《春江花月夜》
《春江花月夜》是一首著名的中国古典乐曲。早在1875年前就已流传在民间，成为中国古典音乐宝库之中的经典作品之一。
这首乐曲原名叫《夕阳箫鼓》(也称《浔阳琵琶》)，是一首琵琶独奏曲。后来经过数次更名，1930年由著名民族音乐家、古琴家郑觐文改名为《春江花月夜》。1949年以来，乐曲又经历了一系列改进，直到成为现在的形式。
《春江花月夜》已经被演奏了无数次，深受人们喜爱。它是一首抒情写意的乐曲，通过典雅温婉的曲调，描绘了月夜江上归舟的自然美景。
乐曲的引子歌调和谐，随后琵琶由慢而快地模拟阵阵低沉的鼓声。全曲共分为十个小节，每一节都有不同的标题。委婉的旋律、多变的节奏、巧妙的配器，共同描绘了一幅宁静的春江月夜之景，赞美了江南乡村的秀美。
3)《二泉映月》
二胡名曲《二泉映月》是中国无锡民间艺人阿炳(原名华彦钧)遗留下来的名作。乐曲属于双主题变奏曲式，两个主题音调及它们的变体不断地反复展开，跌宕起伏，相互交融，然后音乐渐强，表现了作者在逆境中坚强不屈的精神。
作品以紧凑的结构表达了丰富的情感。乐曲演奏中二胡弓法的变化和五个把位的充分利用，强烈地表达了作曲家饱尝人间痛苦后压抑在心头的悲愤情绪。《二泉映月》是中国民族乐曲的经典例子。世界著名指挥家小泽征尔先生听了这段乐曲后感动得热泪盈眶，他动情地说:“用断肠之感形容真是再合适不过了，这首乐曲应该跪下来听。”
4)《高山流水》
春秋时期有一位著名的音乐家叫俞伯牙，弹得一手好琴。
一个中秋之夜，伯牙在游览河山。圆月和轻风引得伯牙心潮澎湃，于是就走到附近的一个亭子里取下琴袋开始弹起琴来。这时有一个樵夫路过此地，看见伯牙在弹琴，于是就坐在一旁静静地听。当伯牙的弹奏意在描写巍峨耸立的高山时，坐在一旁的樵夫自言自语地感叹:“善哉乎鼓琴，巍巍乎若泰山。”当伯牙意在流水时，樵夫沉醉在音乐之中，又自言自语地说:“善哉乎鼓琴，汤汤乎若流水。”伯牙所弹的乐曲意境，所寄托的情感，他都能心领神会，伯牙知道遇见了知音。二人一见如故，结为知交。约定第二年此时再相会。樵夫名钟子期。
第二年，伯牙如期赴约，可是总不见子期到来。后来伯牙打听到原来子期已经故去。伯牙悲痛欲绝，绝望之中当即弄断琴弦，摔坏宝琴，从此不再弹琴。
这个故事中伯牙弹的乐曲就是《高山流水》。后来分为《高山》、《流水》两部分。这个曲子几经流传直到现在还在演奏。
1977年8月20日，美国发射了两艘“航行者”太空船，科学家希望有朝一日能有幸遇到地球以外的“人类”，因此在太空船上有一张喷金铜唱片，唱片上共录有27段世界名曲，其中代表中国的就是用古琴演奏的这首古曲《高山流水》中的《流水》。因此，《高山流水》成为中国第一首遨游太空的乐曲。
5)《梁山伯与祝英台》
家喻户晓的小提琴协奏曲《梁山伯与祝英台》(简称《梁祝》)所表现的内容来自中国古老的民间传说。
以前在中国南方的村庄里有一个祝家庄。村里有一个美丽聪明的姑娘名叫祝英台，她女扮男装到杭州去求学。在学堂里，她结识了善良淳朴但家境贫寒的书生梁山伯。两人同窗三年，建立了深挚的友情。在学成分别的路上，两人都很伤感。祝英台说想把长相酷似自己的小妹许配给他，请他去她家与她父母商量婚事。可是，老实诚笃的梁山伯却一直没有领悟祝英台的心思，他并不知道祝英台是女子。
直到一年以后梁山伯得知祝英台是个女子才恍然大悟，立即到祝英台家求婚。可是祝英台已经被父亲许配给了一个豪门子弟。这个不幸的消息，如五雷轰顶，击倒了梁山伯。他悲愤而死。祝英台得知这一噩耗，在出嫁的路上来到了梁山伯的坟墓前，向苍天哀诉对梁山伯的思念和自己不幸的命运。祝英台的倾诉感动了上苍，梁山伯的墓突然裂开，祝英台毅然投入墓中，随即两人化作一对美丽的蝴蝶，形影不离，在花丛中上下翻飞，嬉戏其中……
《梁祝》是作曲家何占豪和陈钢于1959年创作的。当时，他们是上海音乐学院的青年学生。为探索交响音乐的民族化，选择了这一家喻户晓的民间传说为题材，吸取了越剧中的曲调为素材，成功地创作了这部单乐章小提琴协奏曲。
如今，这首绚丽浪漫的、抒情动人的作品广受国人的喜爱，也是国际舞台上经常演奏的为数不多的中国乐曲之一。
6)《梅花三弄》
《梅花三弄》是中国古代音乐保留下来的比较早而且很有名的一首曲子。关于这首曲子的传说，最早出现在东晋时期。相传东晋时期有一位大将名叫桓伊，他虽是战功赫赫的名将，但非常谦逊。他同时又精通乐律，尤其擅长吹笛子。有一天，桓伊在路上遇见了一个年轻人名叫王徽之，他非常仰慕桓伊的音乐才能，于是斗胆请桓伊吹奏一首曲子。没有想到桓伊欣然应允。他吹的曲子相传就是当时最流行的《梅花三弄》。
泛泛地说，“三弄”是以不同的形式将主旋律反复表现三次。缓慢的节奏用于描写梅花高洁安详的静态，急促的曲调则是表现梅花不畏严寒、迎风摇曳的动态。整首乐曲表现了梅花凌霜傲雪铮铮铁骨的神态。乐曲通过赞颂梅花的高贵品质来烘托文人那种超凡脱俗孤芳自赏的思想境界。
随着时间的推移，人们又用其他的乐器来演奏这首高雅的传世名曲，至今已成为古琴的保留曲目。
7)《十面埋伏》
《十面埋伏》是著名的琵琶古曲，也是民乐团出国演出时的一支必弹曲目。外国人就像中国人熟悉《蓝色的多瑙河》那样熟悉这首乐曲。
这是一首描写古代战争场面的音乐作品。乐曲雄伟的气势、壮观的场面震慑了很多人。琵琶只有四根弦，却能把古战场上的战争场面表现得淋漓尽致，生动地再现了战鼓齐鸣、金戈铁马的决战场景。
传统琵琶古曲《十面埋伏》描写的是一场大战的全过程，取材于公元前202年楚汉相争、垓下大战的历史事件。
据史书记载，该乐曲在16世纪以前就已广为人知。16世纪初时已出现了该乐曲的书面记录。《十面埋伏》这首乐曲是中国古代历史宝库中的一件宝物。
8)《阳关三叠》
《阳关三叠》是古琴曲，根据唐朝大诗人王维写的一首诗所创作的。
王维送自己的友人元二去关外服役，最后送到渭城这个地方，依依不舍，并写下了一首送别诗。乐师们在王维送别诗的基础之上创作了这首送别曲，后来成为一首传世佳作，也成为人们送别朋友时的送别歌。
9)《彝族舞曲》
《彝族舞曲》是王惠然1960年所作，是一首体现幸福生活场景的琵琶乐曲，融合了民乐传统和琵琶演奏技巧，已成为当代琵琶乐曲的典范作品。
引子(第一部分)由慢到快地展开。聆听着音乐，仿佛看到了在朦胧月色下轻雾缭绕的彝族山寨。
乐曲的第二段是一支优美抒情的慢板旋律，柔美、轻巧、富于弹性，塑造了彝族少女婀娜多姿翩翩起舞的音乐形象。
乐曲的第三、四、五、六段是快板，这段音乐节奏欢快，刚劲有力，它描绘了彝族青年粗犷、热情爽朗的形象和健美剽悍的舞姿。随着音乐逐渐趋向柔和，引出一段优美、抒情、悠扬的旋律，仿佛是彝族美丽的少女们，像天仙一般自天而降，飘然汇入群舞的行列。
乐曲的第七、八、九段，是引子的再现，表现人们心头涌起的无限幸福感。渐渐地乐曲进入尾声，音乐又回到了所描绘的意境，尽兴的人们渐渐远去，只有远方还有芦笙在隐隐吹响……
2.历史名人与民乐
1)蔡琰和《胡笳十八拍》
《胡笳十八拍》是流芳百世的古琴名曲，作者蔡琰是一位女音乐家。蔡琰自小就显示了很高的音乐天分，对音乐有很高的悟性和极其敏锐的听力。早在七八岁时，她非凡的敏锐听觉和对古琴的辨音能力使其父惊诧不已。
汉末大乱，连年烽火。匈奴入侵中原时，蔡琰与家人失散，被匈奴掳走。匈奴的左贤王非常欣赏她的艺术才华，就把她留下来做了自己的王妃，并且生了一男一女两个孩子。可是，年复一年，蔡琰在遥远的他乡一直思念自己的故乡。后来，中原终于平定了，曹操用金帛把她赎回，让她回去帮助整理她父亲的文稿。蔡琰又要被迫与儿女离散，生离死别的痛苦折磨着她。她只有寄托于音乐，于是写了著名的词曲《胡笳十八拍》。词曲之音都表达了她坎坷的人生之路以及对儿女刻骨铭心的思念之情。这首名曲至今仍是古琴音乐会的保留曲目。
2)蔡邕与焦尾琴
中国古代有“四大名琴”之说，其中，蔡邕的焦尾琴有一段有趣的故事。
蔡邕是汉朝末年一个大学问家和出色的音乐家。有一次，蔡邕看见有一个人正在烧火做饭，他忽然发现一块上好的梧桐木正在燃烧，于是不顾火势正猛，连忙把这块木板抽了出来，掸灭上面的火，一边仔细端详着这块烧焦的木头，一边连声说:“可惜，太可惜了”。他这种举动把烧火的人弄懵了。蔡邕解释说:“桐木是做琴的好材料。”烧火的人笑道:“原来如此！既然您这么喜欢，就拿去好了。”蔡邕高高兴兴地把这块木头拿回家，精心地制作了一张古琴，他把烧焦的部分放在琴的尾部，并给它取了一个极为雅致的名字“焦尾琴”。
3)孔子学琴
孔子是中国春秋时期著名的思想家、教育家，同时还是一位杰出的音乐家。他会弹奏许多乐器，会作曲、唱歌。
孔子的虚心好学使他在音乐方面颇有造诣。有一次孔子随师襄子学古琴。孔子苦练多日，师襄子说:“可以了。”孔子却不满足，他又练了很多日子，师襄子又说:“可以了，你已于其数。”可是孔子仍说:“不可以，未得其志。”他反复钻研、直到体会琴曲的内涵才罢休。他的钻研精神深深地感动了师襄子。直到现在，许多人仍将孔子的名言“学而不厌，诲人不倦”作为座右铭。
4)歌仙刘三姐
提起歌仙刘三姐，广西壮族的乡亲们无人不知，无人不晓。她生于唐朝，是广西壮族人，生活在柳江流域。她不仅人长得漂亮，歌也唱得好。刘三姐17岁那年爱上了一位英俊小伙子，也是一个唱歌能手。两人私订终身。然而好景不长，村里的一个恶霸对刘三姐的美貌垂涎多时，决意要把刘三姐抢到手。一个月光皎洁的晚上，刘三姐正和心上人坐在柳江边的岩石上看月亮，倾诉衷肠，忽然，一群恶棍包围了他们。刘三姐和小伙子望望无路可走的高山，又望望柳江，两人手拉着手毅然双双跳进了波涛滚滚的柳江里。人们怀念这位民间歌手，因而每年三月三这天，村民都会到柳江边上赛歌，悼念刘三姐。
5)苏和与马头琴
马头琴的名称来自乐器本身，因为乐器的顶端有一个端庄生动的马头雕像而得名。马头琴是爱好骑马的蒙古族的代表乐器。
马头琴有两根弦，琴弓以马尾制作。音箱为四边形，上面装饰的图案颇具民族风格。马头琴朦胧的音色适合表现柔和的心绪，在内蒙古草原上时常能够听到马头琴深沉并带有伤感的旋律。
马头琴除了它的声音具有独特的魅力以外，还有一段动人的传说。相传在很早很早以前，在中国内蒙古草原上有一个健壮的小伙子叫苏和，歌唱得很好，他的马群里有一匹雪白的高头大马。每当小伙子唱歌时它都在一旁跟着嘶鸣，声音非常悦耳，好像是给小伙子伴奏一样。苏和非常喜爱这匹白马，他和白马成了好朋友。苏和走到哪里，白马都会寸步不离地跟随左右。在一次赛马会上，苏和骑着这匹白马获得冠军，小伙子非常高兴。可是王爷也看上了这匹马，他派了一群打手把白马抢走了。
白马离开了小伙子，日夜思念它的主人，终于有一天白马挣脱缰绳跑了出来，但被王爷的毒箭射中。它仍然坚持着，一直跑到了苏和面前才倒地而死。小伙子流泪了。他哭着抚摸着他的马。为了使白马一直陪伴着他，苏和用白马的头骨做了音箱，把马皮蒙在琴箱上，并用马尾做成了弓子，并根据白马生前的模样，在琴头上雕刻了一个同样的马头，于是就产生了草原上第一把马头琴。
Exercises
Section A Thought-provoking questions
1．What poem is A Moonlit Spring Night on the River based on？Who wrote it？
2．What do you know about the composer of The Moon Reflected in the Erquan Spring？
3．What does the expression“like moving clouds and flowing water”mean when referring to music？
Section B Match the music piece with the musical instrument．
1．Shimian Maifu A．guzheng
2．Erquan Yingyue B．suona
3．Liangzhu C．pipa
4．Yuzhou Changwan D．erhu
5．Gaoshan Liushui E．dizi
6．Gusuxing F．guqin
7．Bainiao Chaofeng G．hulusi
8．Liangxiao H．yangqin
9．Saima I．violin
10．Yangguan Sandie J．lusheng