CHINA

History

Traditional Chinese music can be traced back 7,000 8,000

years based on the discovery of a bone flute made in the
Neolithic Age.

Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties

only royal families and dignitary officials enjoyed music,
which was made on chimes and bells.
Tang Dynasty
dancing and singing entered the mainstream, spreading
from the royal court to the common people.
exotic and religious melodies were absorbed into Chinese
music and were enjoyed by the Chinese people at fairs
organized by religious temples Buddhism and Islam

Song Dynasty
original opera such as Zaju and Nanxi was performed in
tearooms, theatres, and showplaces. Writers and artists liked it
so much that Ci, a new type of literature resembling lyrics,
thrived.
Yuan Dynasty
qu, another type of literature based on music became popular.
This was also a period when many traditional musical
instruments were developed such as the pipa, the flute, and the
zither.
Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing Dynasties (1644 - 1911)
the art of traditional opera developed rapidly and diversely in
different regions.
artists combined the essence of the different styles and created
Beijing opera which continue to be appreciated even in modern
times.

Elements of Chinese
Music

1. Pitch/Tonal System
- music is in pentatonic scale which is derived from the Ling Lun
Chinese legend.
- five-tone scale system is connected to their patterns in life
like their outlook in cycles of dynasties, seasons,
the five
planets, and the five bases of elements.
Symbolic attributes:
Kung - the primary tone which is associated with the Emperor
Shang - the tone associated with the Minister
Chih - the tone associated with the State
Chaio the tone associated with the People
Yu -the tone associated with significant Chinese objects
Lu System - 2697 BCE Emperor Huang-Ti send Ling Lun to the western
mountains to cut bamboo pipes from which the basic pitches of
Chinese music is obtained.

2. Timbre (Vocal)
- In Han Chinese culture, the style is usually thin and nasal.
- High-pitched or shrill vocal quality convey lifes adversity
in Northern part of China where they experienced the cold,
dry, and windy environmental conditions
- Mostly Lyrical and gentle in Southern part of China because
they have mild weather and more rain.

3. Meter/Rhythm
- mostly in duple rhythm which transmits the
principle f natural duality like female-male or
yin-yang
relationship and it may also convey the
Zhongyong, a Confucian
concept.
- maintain balance and harmony from directing the mind to
a state
of constant equilibrium and stick to it.

Yin-yang Theory
- the universe is run by a single principle called Tao, or Great Ultimate.
- the Tao is divided into two opposing principles:
Yin : principles of femaleness, the moon, completion, cold, darkness,
material forms, submission, etc.
Yang : principle of maleness, the sun, creation, heat, light, heaven,
dominance, etc.

4. Texture
- music is in homophonic texture because it is mainly the
distinguishing characteristic of early Chinese ritual music like
the Ya
Yiieh, which is a classical music.
- instrumental music of China, the musicians make use of
embellishments on the melody where they play variations
- heterophonic texture rises in most Chinese folk music from the Han
people.

Characteristics of
Vocal and Instrumental Music
Chinese Instrumental
Music

is heterophonic in nature where

it is played with more than one
instrument.
suites and variations are the
most well-known instrumental
forms.
HETOU (refrain head) or
HEWEI (refrain tail) is the
major characteristic.
due to Western influence, the
form ABA is now being used in
the modern instrumental folk
music.

Chinese Vocal Music

is mostly described as highpitched, thin, non resonant voice,
nasal or in falsetto, and is usually
performed in solo or monophonic
texture rather than in chorus.
originally came from sung poems
and verses with music.
it is intricate because a great
prominence is being given to the
correct tonal inflection and
articulation in every musical
tone, though Chinese words are
monosyllabic.

Types of Chinese Vocal

Music
1. Religious Music

- Is a classified into two:

a. Buddhist Music
is also known as Sanskrit Music.
- vocal intoning is usually reffered to as
Chanting music, covering verses,,
hymns, and liturgies.
b. Taoist Music
- influenced by regional folk music used in ceremonial
rituals like in Buddhist music.
Yunzi- is a vocal tune where melodies improve throughout
the ritual ceremonies.

2. Art Song
- Xiaoling - (12th-13th century) based on the poetry Qu.
- soloist performs with a wooden clapper as an
accompaniment.

3. Narrative Music
- Zhugongdiao - song is about a romantic legend accompanied
by
drum songs.

4. Chinese Folk Music

- Shange - is a mountain song created in strophic form, uses
fewer
refrains, composed of two or four phrases
with the same
length, and each phrase has another musical
thought.

Traditional Musical
Instruments
Divided into four categories:
stringed instruments
percussion instruments
plucked instruments
wind instruments

Bowed String Instrument

-named as Huqin. Hu, which means foreign or northern folk and qin is
a common term fpr all string instrument.

Erhu
- a two stringed
instrument which
is one of the most
well-known in the
Huqin family.
- Chinese violin

 Banhu
- known as bonghu,
panghu, or qin-hu.
- leading
accompaniment in
Bang-zi ballads
especially for local
operas in Central
China.
- usually performed in
solo, expressing
passionate and joyful
feelings.

Wind Instruments
Dizi
-

considered as a
traditional Chinese flute.
- it can be played
through double or triple
tonguing and fluttered.

Xiao
- is a famous
instrument also known as
long flute
- played solo in
classical music

Sheng
- one of the oldest
instruments
-is also called
Chinese mouth organ

Plucked String Instruments

- divided into three: lute , zither, harp

LUTE FAMILY

Yueqin
- derived from the ruan but
the sound is thinner
- has a short neck and flat
sound box
Ruan
- also known as Chinese
guitar or moon guitar
- comes in different shapes

Pipa
- is developed to pluck
- has a short neck and
a wooden belly

Ruan
Yueqin
Pipa

Zither Family
Guqin
- a seven-stringed zither
that has a long and
slender body made of
pine tree.

Zheng
- one of the earliest
Chinese intruments mae
from bamboo.
- has a curve and
elongated surface with
21-stretched strings

Harp Family

Konghou
- is similar to a harp

Percussion
Family

Pengling
- consist of two bells made
of bronze.
- aside from the right hand
technique, it can also be
-it adds beauty to
played by the left hand in
rhythmic instruments in a
vibrato
music ensemble and
theater.
Muyu
- made from carved
mulberry wood and is
struck to produce sounds
- used as a musical
accompaniment in
Konghou
Buddhist chants

Muyu

Pengling

Famous Folk Song

1. The Crescent Moon
Rises
-This famous folk song is from
Xin Jiang, China. The lyrics are
about a suitor trying to get the
attention of a girl from her window
- was composed by Wang
Luobin.

2. Kangding Love Song

-is one of the most popular
Chinese folk songs. Its simple melody
and vivid rhythm are easy to
remember and sing, and its lyrics tell a
timeless theme LOVE.

3. In that place wholly

farway
-describe about a pretty young girl
who lives there to be like a sunshine,
making everyone around her happy.
- was composed by Wang
Luobin.

4. Mo Li Hua (Jasmine

Flower)
- It has been used during events

such as 2004 Summer Olympics, 2008

Summer Olympics and 2010 Shanghai
Expo opening ceremony, and
controversially during the 2011
Chinese protests.

Opera

Peking /Beijing Opera

The largest Chinese opera form, it is

extolled as 'Oriental Opera'.
It is a scenic art integrating music,
performance, literature, aria, and facepainting.
presents dramatic plays and figures
mainly by infusing four artistic
methods: singing, dialogue, dancing
and martial art.
Singing is utilized to intensify the appeal
of the art by all kinds of tones.
Dialogue is the complement of singing
which is full of musical and rhythm
sensation.
Dancing refers to the body movements
requiring high performing skills.
Martial art is the combination and
transformation of traditional Chinese
combat exercises with dances.

This opera contains the soul of

Chinese national culture. Its unique
charm inspires ethos of Chinese
people. There is no doubt that it is
really the treasure of Chinese
culture.

Main Roles in Beijing Opera

Performance

Sheng: It's a common name of

male characters and composed of
Lao Sheng and Xiao Sheng.
Lao Sheng refers to the middle-aged
man with a beard who acts as the
decency figure;
Xiao Sheng means young man
without a beard.
Jing: Painted face often refers to
male characters with unique
appearance or personality, such as
Baozheng and Caocao. Besides,
Chou is a comic role or villainous
character or righteous person. The
actor's nose is painted by a piece
of white powder, making him or
her easily recognizable.

Dan: The general name for

female characters can be divided
into Zhengdan, Huadan, Laodan,
Wudan. Zhengdan is also called
'Qingyi',
Zhengdan or 'Qingyi',mainly plays
the part of the strong-minded
middle-aged woman who behaves
elegantly.
Huadan refers to little girls who often
live in the bottom of society.
Laodan refers to the senior woman
and;
Wudan indicates the female who is
good at fighting.

Facial Painting (Lianpu)

It is the colorful dressing on actors' faces.

By using transformative and exaggerated
figures, professional spectators would
easily tell the characteristic of a role. In
this way, it is called 'the picture of
hearts'.
Colors of Lianpu are varied with each
representing a characteristic:
red
-symbolizes loyalty, such as
Guanyu, a great general during Three
Kingdoms Period (220-280).
Black - signifies honesty and frankness, such
as Lord Bao, a righteous official during
Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), or
abruptness and impertinence, such as
Likui, an important figure in the famous
Chinese ancient novel 'All Men Are
Brothers'.
White stands for cattiness and cunning, with
Caocao as its representative, a famous
politician in the late Eastern Han Dynasty
(25-220).

Qimo is a general designation

for all
kinds of stage properties
and
simple settings used in
Beijing
Opera performances.
-It comes from the real life
experience.

Chinese Nuo Drama (Nuo Xi) - Living

fossil of Drama

Nuo originally meant a patterned

step to drive away evil during the
last month of the Chinese lunar
year.
purpose of Nuo was to drive away
devils, disease and evil influences,
and to petition for blessings from
the gods. At this time, Nuo was a
sacrificial activity.
Nuo Drama is the most direct and
important expressive media of Nuo
culture. It covers primitive religion,
folklore and art, and integrates
literature, music, dance, drama,
painting, calligraphy, sculpture,
and paper-cut.
It has great artistic value and is
called the living fossil of drama.

Nuo Drama Mask

Masks carved out of quality

camphor or willow wood are the
soul of Nuo Drama. These two
kinds of wood are durable and
easy to carve.
A mask also has religious
implications; as the symbol and
medium of a spirit, masks are
governed by strict rules.
People believe that after
performance of a certain ceremony
upon its completion, a mask
becomes a living god.
Nuo Drama was at one time very
popular in every part of China, but
with social development faded out
in most parts, remaining popular
only in southwest China.

Guizhou Nuo Drama

Guizhouis the center of Nuo

Drama in southwestern China.
Musical instruments include
one gong and one drum. The
drummer is very important
during a performance. A patch
of land serves as a stage. As a
result,it is also called Dixi
(ground drama).
The only two occasions for the
performance of Nuo Drama are
atSpring Festival(Chinese New
Year) and at the middle of the
7th moon when rice tassels.
People hope the drama can
drive away bad luck and bring
good harvest.

There are five kinds of masks

used in Nuo Drama, namely:
civilian general, military
general, old general, young
general and woman general
with other minor roles
likeNuo Drama Masks soldiers
and Taoist monks.

The changes of facial

expressions and
decorations show the
character of the figures
in a Nuo Drama. They
may be brave, ferocious,
powerful, composed,
arrogant, sly, tender, or
amiable. Decorations
include butterflies, grass,
flowers, and ivies
familiar to the locals.
since putting on a mask
means the spirit is on
him already.