Sibe Music

This chapter examines the styles of song, instrumental music, and opera of the Sibe people in demonstrate aspects of change and continuity in Sibe music during their 240-year residence in Xinjiang, China. It aims to show that contrary to the conclusions of Chinese and Sibe musicologists, Sibe music in Xinjiang has undergone a great degree of change and innovation, and has been substantially influenced by other musical styles in the region. The chapter discusses existing accounts of Sibe music and comments on the approaches and agendas that underlie them.

Remembering the Rituals: Shamans, Temples and Ancestors

This chapter examines the ritual practice of the Sibe people in Çabçal before Liberation. It discusses the double layer of social remembering through contemporary story-telling about the performed practices of the past and highlights the dominance of shamans and rituals in memories of village life. The chapter describes some observations about animated retellings of shaman stories, discussions of the details of ritual practice, and the re-singing of shamanic ritual songs. It suggests that shamanic rituals in the Sibe villages were and are powerful experiences in people's lives, re-lived and constantly embellished in retelling.

Memories of Music, Memories through Music

This chapter examines the types and functions of Sibe music. It provides biographical sketches of village musicians including Ga'altu of the Anjia clan, Guo Rongxing, and a certain Shoulintai. The chapter highlights the social functions of songs and their role as vehicles of formalised expression of human relations in the Sibe community. It describes the songs and musical activities at weddings, funerals, and calendric festivals.

Introduction

This introductory chapter explains the coverage of this book, which is about the music and ritual songs of the Sibe people of Xinjiang, China. This book aims to counter the monolithic view of Chinese culture by demonstrating a more complex picture of layers of syncretism and multi-directional cultural flow between discrete sub-cultures, within and without the larger Chinese cultural domain. It traces the musical processes of the absorption and gradual remoulding of the music of other peoples of Xinjiang and examines the recent creation of a Sibe ethnic identity as a minority nationality.

Postscript

This chapter sums up the key findings of this study on the musical history of the Sibe people in Xinjiang, China. It provides evidence to show that in spite of their reputation as a people who have kept themselves aloof and kept their ancient traditions alive, Sibe culture in general and music culture in particular is distinguished by a high degree of syncretism and rapid change. The chapter also argues that though the contexts of music and the media through which it is disseminated are changing rapidly and radically, certain underlying themes in the discussion of music remain constant as modernity takes root in the region.

Folk Music and the Modern State

This chapter examines the changes in Sibe folk music during modern times in China. It traces the brief history of musical reforms and the use of music in social reforms in Çabçal in the twentieth century from the restrictions of the Cultural Revolution to the contemporary soundscape. The chapter considers Sibe shamanic ritual music on the national stage and the state of contemporary shamanic ritual in Çabçal. It argues that although a great deal of energy has been devoted to the reform and control of Sibe folk music in the twentieth century, wider issues of social change brought about by the Chinese Community Party (CCP) have played the decisive role in the changing patterns of musical behaviour and the impoverishment of Sibe folk music over the past few decades.

Sibe History and Society

This chapter offers a general account of Sibe history and society. It suggests that certain nationalist themes are apparent in the writing of Sibe history in contemporary China, notably a rhetoric of continuity with antiquity and a need to establish a unique ethnic identity. The chapter discusses the origins of the Sibe and the influence of the garrison culture. It describes the conditions of the Sibe under the Manchu, during the Republican period, and under the People's Republic.