ETHNIKKA's mission is to share, divulge and promote the knowledge of the different cultural groups that inhabit our planet, from every continent, religion and origin, to better understand the treasure of human diversity.
ETHNIKKA: Keeping ethnic Knowledge alive
UNESCO CULTURAL HERITAGE Xi’an wind and percussion ensemble,
which has been played for more than a millennium in China’s
ancient capital of Xi’an, in ShaanxiProvince, is a type of music integrating
drums and wind instruments, sometimes with a male chorus. The content of the
verses is mostly related to local life and religious belief and the music is
mainly played on religious occasions such as temple fairs or funerals. The
music can be divided into two categories, ‘sitting music’ and ‘walking music’, with
the latter also including the singing of the chorus. Marching drum music used
to be performed on the emperor’s trips, but has now become the province of
farmers and is played only in open fields in the countryside. The drum music
band is composed of thirty to fifty members, including peasants, teachers, retired
workers, students and others. The music has been transmitted from generation to
generation through a strict master-apprentice mechanism. Scores of
the music are recorded using an ancient notation system dating from the Tang and
Song dynasties (seventh to thirteenth centuries). Approximately three
thousand musical pieces are documented and about one hundred fifty volumes of
handwritten scores are preserved and still in use.
Inscribed in 2009 (4.COM) on the Representative List
of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
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