Melodies of the Dust Land Chapter 3

① A bowl is a tree.

② Pork brain meat, called "tou" in northern Shaanxi, is called "brain" náo. Pork brain meat, that is, pig head meat.

③ Douchenqian, a porridge made with flattened beans and millet.

The ideals, wishes and pursuit of life of the working people in northern Shaanxi are fully expressed in northern Shaanxi folk songs. In terms of politics, they hope that "we can live like human beings and never take jobs again in our lives" and "never have that humble job again"; in terms of life, they hope to "lay out mats and cotton felts" and "have a living" "Clothes for all seasons", "pork brains②, pounded garlic", "peas and rice for every meal③"; in terms of love, they hope to "slowly find a lovable man" and "a young mother-in-law standing in front of them" ". We hope for a simple world where everyone can get along with each other sincerely and where "people will no longer be greedy for money"... These hopes all shine with the brilliance of democratic ideas. Folk songs respect the working people and truly reflect the ideals and aspirations of the working people, which is the embodiment of their people's nature. If you are divorced from the true thoughts of the working people, divorced from their vital interests and reality of life, make up random things, and impose things other than their thoughts on them, you will never be able to talk about people's nature.

The people's character of northern Shaanxi folk songs is not only reflected in the above aspects, but also reflected in its artistic form.

Art form is not an insignificant piece of dough that can be kneaded at will. It has independence and constraints on its content that cannot be ignored.

The working people in northern Shaanxi have their own aesthetic taste and requirements for art. They like folk songs very much, not only because folk songs directly reflect their lives and express their feelings, but also to a large extent because folk songs are a kind of " "Fresh and lively", an art form that they "like to hear and see". This form was created according to their own "appetite", and it happened to suit their "appetite". They don't like those works that jump around and are unpredictable. Narrative folk songs always have a beginning and an end, and the story development context is clear; they don't like listening to those abstract "empty reports". Folk songs are always known for their vivid imagery and cleanness. It is neat and full of charm; they don't like to mince words, so folk songs use language that ordinary people can understand at first glance... This is the outstanding expression of the people's character of northern Shaanxi folk songs in aesthetic form.

We emphasize the unity of content and form. On the one hand, it lies in using the most appropriate and effective artistic form to fully display its content. On the other hand, it also lies in being generally accepted by the working people. The best works of literature and art must be those with a relatively perfect combination of content and form. However, works with a perfect combination may not be welcomed by the working people. The reason is often that their artistic form does not adapt to the appreciation habits of the working people. Therefore, it is also an important knowledge to study the appreciation habits and aesthetic tastes of working people through folk literature and art, and to study their aesthetic psychology to adapt to their aesthetic requirements.

The above has given a general introduction to the people's character of northern Shaanxi folk songs from three aspects: material selection, content and artistic form. Readers can also get the following from the specific research on the content and art of northern Shaanxi folk songs in the following chapters. A deeper, more "three-dimensional" feeling.

Of course, there is no need to deny that folk songs in northern Shaanxi also contain elements of feudal concepts and some low-level and vulgar things. This is probably what people often call "dross". If we use today's perspective to understand and demand, it will be even further apart. I think we should have a clear understanding of these unhealthy things, and we should use the Marxist historical materialist perspective to analyze and study them, instead of using modern people's concepts to criticize, criticize, or even deny them. it. Those unhealthy thoughts and feelings in northern Shaanxi folk songs were caused by a certain history and a certain society. They appeared on the farmers of northern Shaanxi at that time, just as naturally as those progressive and bright things happened on them. reasonable. The folk songs of northern Shaanxi give a comprehensive and true reflection of this, which is a concrete manifestation of its people's character.

This also involves the valuation and inheritance of folk songs. Folk songs of any era reflect the advanced thoughts of the working people of that era, but they are also inevitably subject to the historical limitations of that era. Therefore, the valuation and inheritance of folk songs are two aspects of the issue and cannot be confused. What we want to inherit must be affirmed, but what is affirmed does not necessarily have to be inherited. Just like the shield used in ancient battles, from the perspective of opposition to spears, we affirm its role in ancient battlefields, but from a modern perspective, it cannot stop gun bullets anyway. We affirm its role in ancient battlefields, but that does not mean we want to use it in modern warfare. This is the view of historical materialism.