Folk Bands and Artists
Yandong Grand Singers of Guizhou Province China
Guizhou Province China
Yandong Grand Singers are a polyphonic choir of the Kam (Dong) people from Yandong, a township in southwestern China´s mountainous Guizhou province. The group has toured Asia, Europe, and North America. The galao (“grand song”), the most important genre of the group’s repertoire, is a unique polyphonic chorus that was proclaimed by UNESCO as a masterpiece of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. The Kam people, who don´t have a written language of their own, transmit much of their history, culture and knowledge through songs. These songs accompany Kam people throughout their lives, and choirs of children, young and senior people are formed in every village.
In bright voices and natural harmonies shaped by the unique environment of the area, the Kam people sing about nature and life. An example of the former is the Cicada Song, in which the singers imitate the flickering of cicadas´ wings with quick sextuplets; while the latter is represented by the song Life Is Short, and It Is a Pity If You Don´t Sing. For the Kam people, galao is an indispensable part of life, just as their saying goes, “foods feed the body; songs feed the soul“.
