Fengyang Huagu (flower drum), also
called Huagu Xiaoluo or Shuangtiao Gu, is a local
Quyi genre in Fengyang County of East China's Anhui Province. It was
formed along the Huahe valley in late years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). At
that time, Fengyang County was plagued by floods and draughts, and many people
went out begging, singing Huagu. Thus, Huagu became a symbol of
begging out of poverty at the first beginning.
Most performers of Fengyang Huagu
were female and usually sisters-in-law sang together. During the performance,
the two persons sang together while sitting on a bench and beat gongs and drums
during interval of two sections without accompaniment of thread or string
instruments. Later, Shuangtiaogu replaced Huagu, i.e. the
performer holds a small drum in her left hand and beats it with a double-drum
arrow in her right hand. Huagu artists brought back many kinds of folk
songs and music from other places, and gradually enriched arias of Fengyang
Huagu and developed several dancing and singing forms based on the
Huagu tune. Fengyang Huagu does not have long traditional items,
its materials are mainly love stories and singing style is relatively flexible.
Fengyang Huagu is widespread and has certain influence on tunes and
performing styles of Quyi arts in other places.
After China's reform and opening-up in 1979,
Fengyang Huagu witnessed many changes in forms and contents. It became
a tool of self-entertaining for people in Fengyang County and was more popular
in townships. Beating the flower drum, dancing and singing integrated some
skills of modern dances and the forms of Fengyang Huagu became more
vivacious and diversified. Fengyang Huagu became more and more famous and
its artists were invited to perform in countries such as Japan several times in
recent years and won much recognition there.