Yangzhou Qingqu, from Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, is one of the ancient and influential traditional song arts in Jiangsu area. Up to now, there have been more than six hundred years of history. On 20th May 2006, it was listed in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
Yangzhou Qingqu is performed in the form of seated singing, which is usually performed by a group who hold a musical instrument except the singer himself. And it is usually accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments and percussion instruments.
Most music of Yangzhou Qingqu originates from local minor, which has civil and regional characteristics, the theme of song word is very wide, and the track is very rich. The melody of songs is simple and elegant with strong folk spirit, graceful and smooth tune, as well as fine and delicate, which is characterized with quite a soft flavor of the Yangtze River Delta.
A hundred years ago, Yangzhou Qingqu went to the world. “Jasmine Flower”, is one of the world classic folk songs, and its predecessor is “Flower Tone” which is a piece of Yangzhou Qingqu that has been sung in Jiangsu province for hundreds of years. In the early 19th century, a British Heattner collected some minor from the Yangzhou Qingqu and spread it to the western world. Among them, “Jasmine Flower” was grafted into the background music of the opera “Tuandot” by Italian composer Pachii.
