British Forum for Ethnomusicology

Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Stephen Jones
Reviewed work(s):
China: Ka-I, the Festival of Happiness, Music of the Quanzhou String Puppets
Source: British Journal of Ethnomusicology, Vol. 5 (1996), pp. 181-182
Published by: British Forum for Ethnomusicology
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3060882
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British Journal
of Ethnomusicology,
vol. 5
(1996)
British Journal
of Ethnomusicology,
vol. 5
(1996)
the
meaning
of the
songs.
For instance, the
origins
of bewaa music are
clearly
dated to
the
early
1950s and related to
very specific
local events. This kind of historical
perspective
is most
appreciated,
for it
banishes notions of musical timelessness and
immobility
which are still too often associ-
ated with
publications
on non-Western
traditional music. Indeed, the term "tradi-
tional" here must be used with care as the
music featured on this CD is above all con-
temporary, subject
to exteinal influences and
creative
changes.
This
publication
has the distinct advant-
age
not
only
of
filling
an
impuitant
gap
in
our
knowledge
of Ghanaian music, but of
filling
it in a meticulous and
enlightened
way.
MARIE-LAURE MANIGAND
International Music Collection
British
Library
National Sound Archive
marie-laure.manigand@bl.uk
the
meaning
of the
songs.
For instance, the
origins
of bewaa music are
clearly
dated to
the
early
1950s and related to
very specific
local events. This kind of historical
perspective
is most
appreciated,
for it
banishes notions of musical timelessness and
immobility
which are still too often associ-
ated with
publications
on non-Western
traditional music. Indeed, the term "tradi-
tional" here must be used with care as the
music featured on this CD is above all con-
temporary, subject
to exteinal influences and
creative
changes.
This
publication
has the distinct advant-
age
not
only
of
filling
an
impuitant
gap
in
our
knowledge
of Ghanaian music, but of
filling
it in a meticulous and
enlightened
way.
MARIE-LAURE MANIGAND
International Music Collection
British
Library
National Sound Archive
marie-laure.manigand@bl.uk
China: Ka-l, the Festival
of
Happiness,
music
of
the
Quanzhou
string puppets.
CD, VDE-Gallo, VDE-911 (AIMP
XLVII); 1996. Book in
English
&
French
by Francois
Picard.
The Hokkien (Minnan) culture of southern
Fujian province
on the southeastemrn coast of
China has
long
been famed for its distinctive
music, based around the town of
Quanzhou.
As I have noted before (Jones 1993; Jones
1995: ch.14) there is more to
Fujian
than
Minnan,
and more to Minnan than the
Nanguan
ballad form. While
musicologists
have concentrated on the vocal and
instrumental chamber
genre Nanguan,
theatre enthusiasts have studied several
types
of local drama. This CD, masterminded
by
the
indefatigable
Chinese music recordist
Francois
Picard, now casts a welcome
spotlight
on the music of the marionette
theatre in
Quanzhou,
one of the most
celebrated theatrical
genres.
Since
many
of
the
migrants
to Taiwan and elsewhere in
Southeast Asia
originate
from the Minnan
area, such music also resonates further
afield.
In China, while rural folk
practice
continued with
varying degrees
of
impunity
after "Liberation" in 1949, many,
indeed
most, of the new
state-supported
urban
professional troupes,
both vocal and instru-
China: Ka-l, the Festival
of
Happiness,
music
of
the
Quanzhou
string puppets.
CD, VDE-Gallo, VDE-911 (AIMP
XLVII); 1996. Book in
English
&
French
by Francois
Picard.
The Hokkien (Minnan) culture of southern
Fujian province
on the southeastemrn coast of
China has
long
been famed for its distinctive
music, based around the town of
Quanzhou.
As I have noted before (Jones 1993; Jones
1995: ch.14) there is more to
Fujian
than
Minnan,
and more to Minnan than the
Nanguan
ballad form. While
musicologists
have concentrated on the vocal and
instrumental chamber
genre Nanguan,
theatre enthusiasts have studied several
types
of local drama. This CD, masterminded
by
the
indefatigable
Chinese music recordist
Francois
Picard, now casts a welcome
spotlight
on the music of the marionette
theatre in
Quanzhou,
one of the most
celebrated theatrical
genres.
Since
many
of
the
migrants
to Taiwan and elsewhere in
Southeast Asia
originate
from the Minnan
area, such music also resonates further
afield.
In China, while rural folk
practice
continued with
varying degrees
of
impunity
after "Liberation" in 1949, many,
indeed
most, of the new
state-supported
urban
professional troupes,
both vocal and instru-
mental, were
charged
with
"improving"
traditional music. This often meant abbrevi-
ating long complex
suites and
adding
functional
harmony
and "modem" orches-
trations. However, traditional culture in
Quanzhou
and other towns on the southeast
coast was more resilient, and the
Quanzhou
marionette
troupe,
under the master
Huang
Yique (b. 1928), has
largely
succeeded in
retaining
traditional
perfoimance
styles-
though
one hears
fleeting
hints of the
influence of a more modern ethos, as in
track 4. As Picard
points
out in his liner
notes, the marionette theatre is
strongly
based in the ceremonial life of the com-
munity;
the
troupe
thus serves both modem
functions
(performances
in theatres, foreign
tours etc.) and traditional contexts such as
temple fairs, which have revived
spectacu-
larly
since 1980.
Though
one misses the beautiful visual
impact
of the marionette drama-it often
seems more
moving
than human
opera-it
is
still
highly
worthwhile to listen to a CD of
the music. Indeed, it
expands
our under-
standing
of Hokkien musical culture
nicely,
since the music is both related to the more
familiar sound of
Nanguan
and distinct
from it; inter-genre relationships
are
complex.
Most of the
pieces
were recorded
in a Geneva studio, but the final three tracks
give
an
exhilarating
taste of the
troupe's
participation
at a
village community festival,
synchronized
firecrackers and all, including
the
important
ritual
piece
"Luolilian".
There are also
excerpts
from the
major
ritual
play
Mulian.
Vocal music is featured only
on the
substantial tracks 2, 4, and 7, but even the
instrumental music is most varied in
expression
and
tempo.
The small shawm
leads most melodies; tracks 15 and 16
feature the
magnificent
music for two
large
shawms; and tracks 11 to 13 illustrate the
flute-led instrumentation reminiscent of
"silk-and-bamboo"
styles
further north.
The distinctive
percussion
is led
by
the
"southern drum", with its unusual
technique
of
modulating
the
pitch by
the
heel of the foot
(e.g.
tracks 3,
13).
Picard's liner notes are instructive,
though
the
English
translation is sometimes
opaque. Recordings
of such
major
"labelled
melodies" (a more sober translation of
qupai
than
"timbre")
as "Ganzhou
ge"
and "Zao luo pao", with their
long
and
well-documented histories, can help
us
mental, were
charged
with
"improving"
traditional music. This often meant abbrevi-
ating long complex
suites and
adding
functional
harmony
and "modem" orches-
trations. However, traditional culture in
Quanzhou
and other towns on the southeast
coast was more resilient, and the
Quanzhou
marionette
troupe,
under the master
Huang
Yique (b. 1928), has
largely
succeeded in
retaining
traditional
perfoimance
styles-
though
one hears
fleeting
hints of the
influence of a more modern ethos, as in
track 4. As Picard
points
out in his liner
notes, the marionette theatre is
strongly
based in the ceremonial life of the com-
munity;
the
troupe
thus serves both modem
functions
(performances
in theatres, foreign
tours etc.) and traditional contexts such as
temple fairs, which have revived
spectacu-
larly
since 1980.
Though
one misses the beautiful visual
impact
of the marionette drama-it often
seems more
moving
than human
opera-it
is
still
highly
worthwhile to listen to a CD of
the music. Indeed, it
expands
our under-
standing
of Hokkien musical culture
nicely,
since the music is both related to the more
familiar sound of
Nanguan
and distinct
from it; inter-genre relationships
are
complex.
Most of the
pieces
were recorded
in a Geneva studio, but the final three tracks
give
an
exhilarating
taste of the
troupe's
participation
at a
village community festival,
synchronized
firecrackers and all, including
the
important
ritual
piece
"Luolilian".
There are also
excerpts
from the
major
ritual
play
Mulian.
Vocal music is featured only
on the
substantial tracks 2, 4, and 7, but even the
instrumental music is most varied in
expression
and
tempo.
The small shawm
leads most melodies; tracks 15 and 16
feature the
magnificent
music for two
large
shawms; and tracks 11 to 13 illustrate the
flute-led instrumentation reminiscent of
"silk-and-bamboo"
styles
further north.
The distinctive
percussion
is led
by
the
"southern drum", with its unusual
technique
of
modulating
the
pitch by
the
heel of the foot
(e.g.
tracks 3,
13).
Picard's liner notes are instructive,
though
the
English
translation is sometimes
opaque. Recordings
of such
major
"labelled
melodies" (a more sober translation of
qupai
than
"timbre")
as "Ganzhou
ge"
and "Zao luo pao", with their
long
and
well-documented histories, can help
us
181 181
182 British Journal of Ethnomusicology,
vol.
(1996) 182 British Journal of Ethnomusicology,
vol.
(1996)
accumulate
comparative
data to
analyse
regional
and even historical variation
between
pieces
of the same title.
While this CD continues the
high
standards of AIMP
recordings,
I
only
wish
they
were available in record
shops
in Great
Britain and indeed in the USA. Contact the
label direct:
Disques VDE-Gallo, Ale 31
-
CP
945, CH-1000 Lausanne 9, Switzerland;
phone
+41-21-312 1154, fax 312 1134.
REFERENCES
Jones, Stephen (1993) "Nanguan
ballads
and the musical culture of
Fujian-the
Ocora series of
recordings."
CHIME 7:
114-20.
Jones, Stephen (1995)
Folk music of
China:
living
instrumental traditions. Oxford:
Clarendon Press.
STEPHEN JONES
School
of
Oriental and
African
Studies
University of
London
accumulate
comparative
data to
analyse
regional
and even historical variation
between
pieces
of the same title.
While this CD continues the
high
standards of AIMP
recordings,
I
only
wish
they
were available in record
shops
in Great
Britain and indeed in the USA. Contact the
label direct:
Disques VDE-Gallo, Ale 31
-
CP
945, CH-1000 Lausanne 9, Switzerland;
phone
+41-21-312 1154, fax 312 1134.
REFERENCES
Jones, Stephen (1993) "Nanguan
ballads
and the musical culture of
Fujian-the
Ocora series of
recordings."
CHIME 7:
114-20.
Jones, Stephen (1995)
Folk music of
China:
living
instrumental traditions. Oxford:
Clarendon Press.
STEPHEN JONES
School
of
Oriental and
African
Studies
University of
London
Music
of
Indonesia, vols. 1 to 12. CD series,
Smithsonian/Folkways, 1991-present.
Philip Yampolsky,
series editor. Vols. 1-
3: colour & b/w inserts; vols. 4-12:
avg.
24-p.
booklet. Maps,
colour
photos,
bibliog., discog.
1.
Songs before
dawn:
gandrung Banyu-
wangi. SF40055; 1991.
2. Indonesian
popular
music:
kroncong,
dangdut,
& langgam jawa. SF40056;
1991.
3. Music from
the outskirts of
Jakarta:
gambang kromong. SF40057; 1991.
4. Music
of
Nias & north Sumatra: hoho,
gendang Karo, gondang
Toba. SF40420;
1992.
5. Betawi & Sundanese music
of
the north
coast
of
Java:
topeng Betawi, tanjidor,
ajeng.
SF40421; 1994.
6.
Night
music of
West Sumatra:
saluang,
rabab
pariaman, dendang pauah.
SF40422; 1994.
7. Music
from
the
forests of
Riau and
Mentawai. SF40423; 1995.
8. Vocal and instrumental muisic
from
east
and central Flores. SF40424; 1995.
9. Vocal music from
central and west Flores.
SF40425; 1995.
10. Music
of Biak, Irian
Jaya. SF40426;
1996.
Music
of
Indonesia, vols. 1 to 12. CD series,
Smithsonian/Folkways, 1991-present.
Philip Yampolsky,
series editor. Vols. 1-
3: colour & b/w inserts; vols. 4-12:
avg.
24-p.
booklet. Maps,
colour
photos,
bibliog., discog.
1.
Songs before
dawn:
gandrung Banyu-
wangi. SF40055; 1991.
2. Indonesian
popular
music:
kroncong,
dangdut,
& langgam jawa. SF40056;
1991.
3. Music from
the outskirts of
Jakarta:
gambang kromong. SF40057; 1991.
4. Music
of
Nias & north Sumatra: hoho,
gendang Karo, gondang
Toba. SF40420;
1992.
5. Betawi & Sundanese music
of
the north
coast
of
Java:
topeng Betawi, tanjidor,
ajeng.
SF40421; 1994.
6.
Night
music of
West Sumatra:
saluang,
rabab
pariaman, dendang pauah.
SF40422; 1994.
7. Music
from
the
forests of
Riau and
Mentawai. SF40423; 1995.
8. Vocal and instrumental muisic
from
east
and central Flores. SF40424; 1995.
9. Vocal music from
central and west Flores.
SF40425; 1995.
10. Music
of Biak, Irian
Jaya. SF40426;
1996.
11.
Melayu
music of Sumatra and the Riau
Islands. SF40427; 1996.
12.
Gongs
and vocal music from
Sumatra.
SF40428; 1996.
In some
ways,
Indonesia is
among
the
countries whose traditional music is most
familiar to
ethnomusicologists
and even to
lay
listeners in
many
lands. Doctoral theses
and commercial recordings abound;
gamelan
ensembles are
springing up
all over
(more than
forty
sets of instruments in the
United Kingdom alone). However, the vast
majority
of these theses, recordings
and
ensembles
pertain
to
only
a few of the
traditions of the world's fourth most
populous country: mainly
to Balinese and
Central Javanese
gamelan,
and to a far lesser
extent to
genres
of West Java (Sunda)
including kacapi-suling, cianjuran
and
degung.
Even within Indonesia, few tradi-
tional
styles
outside of these are known
beyond
the
locality
and ethnic
group
of
their
origin.
The series under review begins
to redress
the balance. The twelve volumes issued so
far cover traditions for which, with some
notable
exceptions,
the
only
available
recordings-if any-were poor-quality
and
virtually
unannotated Indonesian cassettes.
We are taken to various
parts
of Sumatra and
neighbouring
islands (5 CDs), Flores (2
CDs), eastern, northern and northwestern
Java, and Irian
Jaya.
One disc introduces
three
indigenous popular song styles.
And
(funding permitting)
more is to come.
Such a series would
surely
not have
attained the
quality
it has without the
exemplary
collaboration of three
parties:
series editor
Philip Yampolsky,
who is
responsible
for
nearly
all the recordings
and
most of the notes; the Indonesian
Performing
Arts
Society (Masyarakat
Seni
Pertunjukan Indonesia)6,
a network of
scholars, performers
and fans; and Smith-
sonian
Folkways,
who have been far more
than a
passive partner. Many
others are
acknowledged
as well. In an
age
where CDs
are issued
seemingly
at will, often
by single
individuals with little relevant expertise,
this
series is all the more
special.
The
recordings
are excellent without
exception. Space permits only
a
cursory
6
From
July
1997 these CDs are gradually being
re-issued
by
the MSPI for an Indonesian listener-
ship,
with liner notes translated.
11.
Melayu
music of Sumatra and the Riau
Islands. SF40427; 1996.
12.
Gongs
and vocal music from
Sumatra.
SF40428; 1996.
In some
ways,
Indonesia is
among
the
countries whose traditional music is most
familiar to
ethnomusicologists
and even to
lay
listeners in
many
lands. Doctoral theses
and commercial recordings abound;
gamelan
ensembles are
springing up
all over
(more than
forty
sets of instruments in the
United Kingdom alone). However, the vast
majority
of these theses, recordings
and
ensembles
pertain
to
only
a few of the
traditions of the world's fourth most
populous country: mainly
to Balinese and
Central Javanese
gamelan,
and to a far lesser
extent to
genres
of West Java (Sunda)
including kacapi-suling, cianjuran
and
degung.
Even within Indonesia, few tradi-
tional
styles
outside of these are known
beyond
the
locality
and ethnic
group
of
their
origin.
The series under review begins
to redress
the balance. The twelve volumes issued so
far cover traditions for which, with some
notable
exceptions,
the
only
available
recordings-if any-were poor-quality
and
virtually
unannotated Indonesian cassettes.
We are taken to various
parts
of Sumatra and
neighbouring
islands (5 CDs), Flores (2
CDs), eastern, northern and northwestern
Java, and Irian
Jaya.
One disc introduces
three
indigenous popular song styles.
And
(funding permitting)
more is to come.
Such a series would
surely
not have
attained the
quality
it has without the
exemplary
collaboration of three
parties:
series editor
Philip Yampolsky,
who is
responsible
for
nearly
all the recordings
and
most of the notes; the Indonesian
Performing
Arts
Society (Masyarakat
Seni
Pertunjukan Indonesia)6,
a network of
scholars, performers
and fans; and Smith-
sonian
Folkways,
who have been far more
than a
passive partner. Many
others are
acknowledged
as well. In an
age
where CDs
are issued
seemingly
at will, often
by single
individuals with little relevant expertise,
this
series is all the more
special.
The
recordings
are excellent without
exception. Space permits only
a
cursory
6
From
July
1997 these CDs are gradually being
re-issued
by
the MSPI for an Indonesian listener-
ship,
with liner notes translated.