UNIT IV - M U SIC

E AT E R A R T S O F JA PA N ,
FESTIVALS A N D T H
N D T H A I L A N D
INDONESIA, A
 JAPANESE THEATER
• IKEBANA AND CHERRY BLOSSOMS REPRESENTS THE BEAUTY OF CULTURAL HERITAGE OF JAPAN
• NOH AND KABUKI ARE UNIQUE AND GENUINE EXPRESSIONS OD THE JAPANESE SPIRIT AND CULTURE.
• SAKURA (CHERRY BLOSSOMS IN ENGLISH) IS ONE OF THE POPULAR TRADITIONAL SONGS OF JAPAN.
• ARAGOTO – OVERSIZED, SUPERNATURAL, ROUGH HERO STYLE. REQUIRES AN EXTRA ORDINARY BREATH
CONTROL THAT ONLY FEW EXPERTS SUCCEED IN ACHIEVING.
• NORI – ANOTHER TECHNIQUE ADAPTED FROM THE CHANTING OR JOJURI.
• SHAMISEN STRING INSTRUMENT OF JAPAN
• YAKUHARI – TECHNIQUE IN THE SAME WAY DESCRIBES THE SUBTLE DELIVERY OF POETICAL TEXT
WRITTEN IN THE JAPANESE METRICAL FORM OF ALTERNATING SEVEN AND FIVE SYLLABLES.
VOCAL AND INSTRUMENTAL FEATURES
• GAGAKU ( CLASSIC COURT MUSIC IMPORTED FROM CHINA DURING THE 18TH CENTURY)
• KAGURA ( PERFORMED IN SHINTO SHRINES )
• NO (CHANTS DERIVES FROM SHOMYO, THE SOPHISTICATED AND RICH TRADITION OF BUDDHIST
CHANTING)
• NAGAUTA (LONG SONG) – THE MOST POPULAR SHAMISEN MUSIC. VERY FLEXIBLE, CAN BE PERFORMED BY
ONE SHAMISEN OR BY AN ENTIRE ORCHESTRA OF TWENTY MUSICIANS, OF WHICH TEN ARE SHAMISEN
PLAYERS, WHILE OTHERS PLAY FLUTES ( FUE TAKEN FROM NO ) AND DRUMS ( SMALL DRUM-KOTSUZUMI;
WAIST DRUM- OTSUZUMI; STICK DRUM-TAIKO)
 CHINESE THEATER

• CHINESE THEATER – TRADITIONALLY CONSIDERED AS THE HIGHEST FORM OF ARTS IN CHINA.

• PEKING OPERA THEATER – IS A STYLIZED CHINESE FORM OF OPERA DATING FROM THE LATE 18TH CENTURY,
IN WHICH SPEECH, SINGING, MIME, AND ACROBATICS ARE PERFORMED TO AN INSTRUMENTAL
ACCOMPANIMENT.
• TWO MAIN TYPES OF PEKING OPERA; 1. ERH- HUANG 2. HIS- P’L
• FAN-PAN – COMMONLY USED FOR SORROWFUL SONGS, AND IS ONLY SUNG BY BEARDED CHARACTERS.
• TA-LO AND SIAGLO – A SMALL AND LARGE GONG AND CYMBALS USED IN PEKING OPERA PERFORMANCES.
 INSTRUMENTS USED IN PEKING OPERA
PERFORMANCES
• TI-TS – CROSS FLUTES- USUALLY PLAYED ALONG WITH SINGING
• SIAO – RECORDED FLUTES – USUALLY PLAYED ALONG WITH SINGING
• SONA – TRUMPET ANNOUNCES PROSPEROUS OCCASIONS
• HU-CH’IN – TWO STRINGED INSTRUMENTS
• BU-CH’IN – TWO TRINGED INSTRUMENTS
• YUE-CH’IN – FOUR-STRINGED INSTRUMENTS
• SAN-SIEN – THREE-STRINGED INSTRUMENTS
• PI-P’A – SIMILAR TO LUTE WITH FOUR STRINGS
• TA-L0/SIAO-LO – GONGS – SIGNIFY THE BEGINNING OF THE PERFORMANCE
• TAN-PI-KU – KEETLE DRUM – USED TO CREATE THE TEMPO OF THE PERFORMANCE
 INDONESIAN THEATER
• SHADOW PUPPET THEATER – IS A WELL-KNOWN INDONESIAN THEATER POPULAR NOT ONLY IN THEIR OWN
COUNTRY BUT SPREAD IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD.
• WAYANG KULIT IN CENTRAL JAVA – IS ONE OF THE OLDEST CONTINOUS TRADITIONS OF STORYTELLING IN
THE WORLD WHICH INCLUDES THE USE OF PUPPET MATERIALS AND BACKGROUND MUSICAL
ACCOMPANIMENT TO MAKE IT INTERESTING TO THE AUDIENCE.
• WAYANG- IS AN INDONESIAN AND MALAY WORD FOR THEATER.
• KULIT – MEANS SKIN AND REFERS TO THE LEATHER CONSTRUCTION OF THE PUPPETS THAT ARE
CAREFULLY CUT INTO A VERY FINE TOOLS AND SUPPORTED WITH CAREFULLY SHAPED BUFFALO HORN
HANDLES AND CONTROL RODS.
 THE PERFORMANCE OF WAYANG KULIT
• DALANG (PUPPETEER)– PREPARES ALL THE MATERIALS USED LIKE THE CLOTH AND THE LIGHT FOR THE SHADOW.
• GAMELAN – INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE USED IN WAYANG KULIT PERFORMANCES
• JAVANESE GAMELAN ENSEMBLE CONSIST OF;
• SARON – XYLOPHONE OF HEAVY BRONZE BARS
• GENDER – BRONZE XYLOPHONE WITH RESONANCE CHAMBERS BENEATH
• BONANG – SET OF BRONZE BOWLS
• GONG AND KEMPUL – HANGING GONGS
• KENONG AND KETUK – SINGLE INVERTED BRONZE BOWL
• GAMBANG – WOODEN XYLOPHONE
• REBAB – TWO-STRINGED FIDDLE
• SULING – FLUTE
• KENDANG – HORIZONTAL DRUM BEAT WITH THE FINGERS ON BOTH ENDS
• TJELEMPUNG – A ZITHER OF THIRTEEN DOUBLE STRINGS