Ritual and Music of North China ― Shaanbei

Located in the northwest corner of China, Shaanbei province remains poor and rural despite both Maoist and modern projects. Jones (music, SOAS University of London) has been doing field work on North Chinese music for many years. This is his second volume on a specific region. In this ethnographic work, Jones describes the people of Shaanbei and the place of music and traditional musicians in their culture. It becomes clear that the traveling blind bards and shawm bands are not just entertainment but an integral part of life-cycle and seasonal rituals. While somewhat suppressed during the Maoist period, these rituals for birth, marriage and death were never abandoned. Musicians also blessed new homes, prayed for rain and offered spiritual protection from illness. Jones records the current role of the musicians, the nature of the music and how, while there have been changes, how much remains the same. The accompanying DVD contains footage of actual performances at temple fairs and funerals along with performances by bards and the newer "big band" groups. Jones provides and enlightening glimpse of a section of Chinese society rarely documented in Western languages. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Dr Stephen Jones has carried out fieldwork on local traditions of Chinese music since 1986. He is author of Folk Music of China: Living Instrumental Traditions (1995/1998) and Plucking the Winds: Lives of Village Musicians in Old and New China (2004). His book Ritual and Music of North China: Shawm Bands in Shanxi (2007) is published by Ashgate. A Research Associate in the Department of Music at SOAS, University of London, Stephen Jones is also a violinist in London early music ensembles.