Content of the performance
Nanyin is a performing art that narrates stories by singing songs in the Lingnan area. It used to be popular entertainment in Hong Kong in the early 20th century. Nanyin repertoires are mostly based on traditional folk stories, describing the ups and downs of life and sad love stories.
The performer will narrate stories by singing songs in this festival, accompanied by the instruments played by the musicians, including yehu, pipa, nanhu, and dongxiao. "Nocturnal Lament", "A Wanderer’s Autumn Grief (Part 1)" and "Burning Funerary Goods for His Love", three well-known Nanyin songs that will be performed will present different stories to the audience.
南音為嶺南地區説唱的曲藝，20世紀早期曾是香港流行的娛樂，南音曲目多以傳統民間故事為題材，描述人生的高低起伏及悲傷的愛情故事等，演唱者會以詠唱形式演唱故事。是次表演的樂師會以椰胡、琵琶、南胡及洞蕭作伴奏，而師娘小燕將配合樂師的演奏，演唱《何惠群嘆五更》、《客途秋恨-上卷》和《男燒衣》三首為人熟知的南音樂曲，為觀眾帶來不同樂曲的故事。
Content of songs
Nocturnal Lament 《何惠群嘆五更》
資料來源
Greenleaves （2010年12月28日）。〈廣東南音（二）《何惠群嘆五更》〉。《Greenleaves 網誌》。取自http://greenleaves363.blogspot.com/2010/12/blog-post.html
金羊網 （2014年3月12日）。〈廣府觀瀾：一曲南音和一座舊橋〉。《壹讀》。取自https://read01.com/zh-hk/0k72dR.html#.YhorNy-22L0
梁煥松（2014年5月6日）。〈何惠群嘆五更〉。《Chris(梁煥松)的文、史、藝、哲寫作園地》。取自http://chrisleung1954.blogspot.com/2014/05/blog-post_6.html
A Wanderer’s Autumn Grief (Part 1）
《客途秋恨-上卷》
The song “A Wanderer’s Autumn Grief” has a history of more than 100 years. It was first composed by Ying Gen, a scholar from Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty. Later, a person from Nanhai (a district in Foshan, China), Ye Rui Bo, re-edited the song in the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty as the Guangdong Dishui Nanyin, and the song has been widely spread and become well-known. The story of “A Wanderer’s Autumn Grief” mentions an intellectual who fell in love with a prostitute but was forced to separate because he wanted to go to Beijing for the imperial examination. The war occurred unexpectedly after they were separated, so they could not meet with each other in the end. When the intellectual revisited the old place, the scenery of flower blossoms was still the same, but other things had already changed. He then sang this song on the boat as a sign of nostalgia and repentance. The content of “A Wanderer’s Autumn Grief (Part 1)” mostly describes artistic conception. It mentions the process of the first meeting and separation, and the war that occurred during the autumn.
《客途秋恨》一曲已有超過一百年歷史，最早為清嘉慶學者纓艮所作的詞曲名，後來南海人葉瑞伯從清代道光年間重編《客途秋恨》成廣東地水南音，一直廣為流傳、家喻户曉。 《客途秋恨》的故事內容講述一名士子戀上一名妓女，但因要上京赴試，而被迫要分離，怎料分別後，干戈撩亂，最終難以相會。士子重遊，桃花景色依舊，卻是面目全非，於是便在舟上唱出這段樂曲，作為懷舊及懺情之歌。而《客途秋恨-上卷》內容多為意境描述，主要憶述秋意悲涼下初次見面，到後來分別，怎料兵禍連連、經歷擔心的過程。
資料來源：
王心帆與朱少璋（2021）。《粵劇藝壇感舊錄(上卷︰梨園往事 下卷︰名伶軼事）》。商務印書館(香港)有限公司。取自
Burning Funerary Goods for His Love
《男燒衣》
“Burning Funerary Goods for His Love” is a famous ancient Nanyin song that the composer can hardly be verified. The story talks about a man who quietly left the woman who loved him because he ran out of money. The woman thought that the man no longer loved her, which led to the woman committing suicide. The man who loved her was very sad. Then, he sailed the boat in the middle of the river, then burned the paper offerings, supplies, and incense to show condolences. He expressed his love, regret, and grief and wished she could be happier in paradise.
《男燒衣》是一首著名的古代南音樂曲，但作者已無從稽考。故事講述一名男子因錢財用盡，靜悄悄地離開了深愛著他的女子，女子以為男子已不愛她，導致後來女子選擇懸樑自盡，而鍾情於她的男子得知後因此而悲痛萬分。於是男子解纜行舟至江中，燒掉紙錢和衣物用品，更焚香奠酒以悼念她，他衷心希望她能早登極樂，並藉此傾訴其愛慕、悔恨、悲痛之情。
資料來源：
馮公達 （2017年3月17日）。〈《男燒衣》的疑惑〉。《戲曲品味》。取自http://www.operapreview.com/index.php/網上雜誌/item/684-《男燒衣》的疑惑
蔡欣欣（2022）。〈【音樂】 正字龍舟男燒衣〉。《國立傳統藝術中心臺灣音樂館》。取自
https://tmi.openmuseum.tw/muse/digi_object/97f4d19eecf4961a309aaa773ec128c6
"Nocturnal Lament" is a work created during the Qing Dynasty and a Nanyin song with a long history in Guangdong. It is called "the best Cantonese literature that narrates stories by singing songs" with other two pieces of literature, "A Wanderer's Autumn Grief" from Ye Rui Bo and "Burning Funerary Goods for His Love" from Zhao Zi Yong. Three literary masterpieces have been published for 200 years. The composer, He Hui Qun, was a Taishi (ancient Chinese officials). He gave up his identity as Taishi and wrote down the confusion and helplessness in the tone of a woman in the world of mortals. The song was written in the middle of Jiaqing and the content of the music mainly talks about the story of a woman who has been awake all night because she misses her lover. With the technique of "five shifts", one shift represents one sigh, he showed a woman's infatuation in the song.
《何惠群嘆五更》為清朝時的作品，也是一首流傳已久的廣東南音樂曲，與葉瑞伯的《客途秋恨》和招子庸的《吊秋喜》，被譽為廣府說唱文學三絕，至今已面世二百年。樂曲的創作者何惠群曾是一位太史，後來他放下太史的身分，以紅塵女子的口吻來書寫她們飄零無依的感情。樂曲寫於嘉慶中葉，內容主要講述一位懷人女子，因思念情郎而通宵不寐。他以五更轉的手法，每更一嘆，寫出女子的滿腔痴情。
