midicnMusic History 中文

Sichuan Qingyin

Sichuan qingyin is a standing song form with bamboo drum and clappers, stringing qupai into tales of Chengdu street life.

QupaiBan and YanPipaPaiban (clappers)

Time and place

Sichuan qingyin formed in Chengdu in the middle and late Qing, when Ming and Qing popular tunes, melodies from the lower Yangzi and local unaccompanied singing came together. It was once called singing to the pipa or the yueqin. It filled teahouses, storytelling halls and banquets in Chengdu, Chongqing and towns across western Sichuan. From the 1950s it entered professional troupes and was listed as national intangible heritage.

Musical features

The singer stands, beating a bamboo drum with the left hand and clappers with the right. The music is qupai-based, with major tunes such as goudiao, matoudiao, jishengdiao, dangdiao, beigongdiao, yuediao, fanxipi and tanhuang chained into scenes. Lyrics are sung in Sichuan dialect, and phrases often end with a high "haha" leap. Pipa and yueqin lead the accompaniment, joined by erhu and bamboo flute.

Repertoire

Frequent pieces include Bugui Niao'er Gugu Jiao, Xiu Hebao, Xiao Fang Fengzheng, Nigu Sifan, Zhaojun Chu Sai, Qiujiang and Gan Huahui. The first shows the lightness of the haha ornament most clearly.

What to listen for

Hear how the bamboo drum and clappers divide the sections, then the leap of the haha ornament at phrase ends. At a change of qupai, notice how the accompaniment shifts and how the voice turns from narration to lyricism.

Common misunderstandings

Qingyin is often taken for a Sichuan opera aria or an ordinary ditty. It is sung standing, with the performer beating drum and clappers, and it has a fixed qupai system. Nor is it unaccompanied singing; pipa and yueqin support the voice throughout.

Listen in the library

Xiu hebaoC10:07四川《绣荷包》，同名俗曲在清音与各地小调中都唱，听曲牌骨架与方言声调DetailsTaiyang chulai xiyangyangC10:08四川《太阳出来喜洋洋》，川东民歌，听清音共享的川腔与跳进DetailsGenzhe taiyang yilu laiC10:22四川《跟着太阳一路来》，川北民歌，听句读与衬词的落法Details

All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).

Sources

  • 《中国音乐词典》编辑部编，中国音乐词典（人民音乐出版社）— 曲种条目与曲牌名核对，未引用
  • The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., entry "China" — framework and dates checked, not quoted

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.