CHINA

World Music Cultures

China

 Most populous nation,

over 1 billion people.
 Known as the Middle
kingdom, the center of
the civilized world.
 Cultural Revolution
adversely affected the
face Chinese music
and culture.1966-1976
 1980’s Political
restrictions began to
relax due to the open-
door foreign policy.
World Music Cultures
Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Features of Chinese Music
 Most Chinese music is based
on the five-tone, or
pentatonic, scale, but the
seven-tone, or heptatonic,
scale, is also used.
 Features Heterophony
 Instrument classification:
eight categories according to
material:
metal, stone, silk (strings),
bamboo, gourd, pottery,
leather, and wood

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Peking Opera

 An ingenious
combination of
various art forms
 Traditional Chinese
Music, Singing,
Poetry, Dancing,
Recitation,
Acrobatics and
Martial Arts skills

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Birth of the Peking Opera

 Evolved from several local operas in

Beijing some 200 years ago.
 In 1790- Emperor Qianlong’s 80th
birthday, officials from southern china
bring in local theatre groups perform in
the celebration.
 Members of the troupe settle in Beijing.
 Members combine their different styles of
theatre and a new art form emerges, this
is the birth of the Peking Opera
World Music Cultures
Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Types of Roles

 Sheng – Male characters

 Dan- Female characters
 Jing- Painted face characters
 Chou- Clowns or comedic characters

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
 Sheng
Male Roles

 Lao Sheng –
Middle aged or
old man
 Hsiao Sheng-
Young man
 Wu Sheng-
Militaristic or
Martial man.

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
 Dan
Female Role

 Qingyi – Modest
and virtuous
woman
 Hua dan –
flirtatious young
lady.
 Wu Dan – Female
warrior or Martial
woman
 Lao dan – Elderly
woman

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Jing-Painted face character

 Called hua lian or

painted face.
 Divided into wen jing
(civilian) or wu jing
(militaristic).
 Use natural vocal
range with a forceful
signing style
 Depicts Generals,
Bandits, Celestial
beings and high
ranking officials.
World Music Cultures
Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Chou – clown or comic role

 Buffoons and
comedians of the
peking opera.
 Wen Chou are talking
or civilian clowns
 Wu chou are fighting
or martial clowns
 Chou are distinguished
by a white spot at the
center of the face.
 Usually has no singing
part
World Music Cultures
Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
4 categories of Acting

 Gestures-
Symbolism in
Acting- Pantomime
and.
 Fighting- or Martial
skills,also acrobatic
skills.
 Spoken parts
 Singing

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Instruments of Peking Opera

 Small
orchestras
consisting of
 Percussion
 String
instruments
 Woodwind
instruments.

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Percussion instruments

 Some functions
 indicate entrances
 Emphasize emotional
situations.
 Emphasize and punctuate
names, words and
sentences.
 To accompany fighting
scenes
World Music Cultures
Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Bangu – single headed drum

 Danpigu or jingbangu
 Keeps the time,
especially when the
music is too luod to hear
the clappers.
 The player must know
the opera thoroughly.
 Actors signal the bangu
player.

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Ban or Clappers

 Also used for

beating
 Made of hardwood,
three pieces tied
with a string.
 Similar to
castanets.
 Also played by the
bangu player

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Tangu – tall drum
 The common type is
similar in shape to a
barrel. Its wooden shell,
entirely painted red with
decorative patterns, is
covered with two
drumheads of cowhide or
pig skin. Four lateral iron
rings around the shell
allow the drum to be
vertically suspended in a
frame. It is struck with a
pair of wooden beaters.

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Bo or Po cymbals

 Jingbo-jing referring to
Beijing
 Situated to the right of
the bangu player
 Accents the
movements of the
actors and
Accompanies fighting
scenes
 Frequently use in Sui
and Tang dynasties
581-907
World Music Cultures
Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Dao Lo and Xiao Lo

 Dao lo - Big gong

 Xia Lo – Small
gong
 Accents actors
movements
 Used for Battle
scenes and non-
fighting scenes as
well

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Penglin – hand bells

 Two small bronze

bells.

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Muyu – wooden fish

 Made of mullberry
or chinese toon
wood.
 Hollowed out
carved wooden
fish.
 Believed to have
been used to
accompany
Buddhist chants.
World Music Cultures
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Strings
 Used mainly for
vocal
accompaniment.
 Made of bamboo
sound box with
a snakeskin
resonator.
 Jing hu is the
most important
stringed
instrument of
the Beijing
opera.

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Jing hu – Peking opera fiddle

 Jing hu –
developed from the
Hu qin fiddle of the
Hu people of
northern and
western tribes.

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Erhu

 Second fiddle.
 Supports the Jing
hu
 Lower in sound
than Jing hu.
 Also for vocal
accompaniment.

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Yue Qin – Moon mandolin

 Plucked string.
 Supports the jing
hu
 Vocal
accompaniment
 Short neck
 Tuned double fifths
a,d,e and a.

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Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Ruan-Moon mandolin

 Similar to Yue Qin but

larger.
 The ruan consists of
three parts: resonator,
neck and head. On the
neck are 24 frets in
half steps. Four
strings, tuned to fifths
(like a mandolin).

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Pipa-Four Stringed Plucked Lute

 Has a solo tradition.

 Pear shaped
 4 silk strings (a,d,a,e).
 Ancient origins, spanning
from Han to the Tang
dynasties.
 Techniques, fretted pitch
bend, tremolos and
strumming rolls.

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Sanxian – Three Stringed Lute

 Known as the shamisen in Japan.

 3 sizes - s,m,l
 Used in vocal accompaniment and
orchestral or solo performances.
 Long neck with a snake skin resonator.

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
 World Music Cultures
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Woodwind instruments

 Used infrequently.
 Required to be
learned by bowed
and plucked
stringed players.
 Used to accompany
arias and incidental
pieces.

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Dizi – Bamboo Flute

 Bamboo tube with

8 holes.
 Used for vocal
accompaniment.

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Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.
Sheng – Mouth Organ

 It consists of a bundle of
between 17 to 36 pipes
seated on a small wind
chamber. A free brass reed
is placed in the root of the
instrument.
 Produces harmony, up to 6
notes at once
 Coming in soprano, alto,
and tenor models, they
have a great clarity of tone

World Music Cultures

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Suona- Reed

 Customarily used as a
solo insrtument.
 Wood with 8 holes, a
sound magnifier or
bell is loosely
attached.
 Reed like quality of
sound.

World Music Cultures

Verne de la Peña, Ph.D.