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Music Summary

The document summarizes various forms of musical theater and festivals in Asia, including: 1) Kabuki theater in Japan, considered the most important Japanese contribution to world theater along with Noh. 2) Vocal and instrumental features of Japanese music including shamisen music, gagaku court music, and nō chanting. 3) Peking opera in China featuring singing, speech, mime and acrobatics performed to instrumental accompaniment. 4) Wayang kulit shadow puppet theater in Indonesia where a dalang puppeteer manipulates leather puppets and sings while being accompanied by a gamelan ensemble.

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371 views5 pages

Music Summary

The document summarizes various forms of musical theater and festivals in Asia, including: 1) Kabuki theater in Japan, considered the most important Japanese contribution to world theater along with Noh. 2) Vocal and instrumental features of Japanese music including shamisen music, gagaku court music, and nō chanting. 3) Peking opera in China featuring singing, speech, mime and acrobatics performed to instrumental accompaniment. 4) Wayang kulit shadow puppet theater in Indonesia where a dalang puppeteer manipulates leather puppets and sings while being accompanied by a gamelan ensemble.

Uploaded by

ash
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Music: Musical Theater

and Festivals Of Asia


Japanese theater:

Kabuki
Ka – song
Bu – dance
Ki – skill
Found in 1603 by Okuni, Shinto Priestess
Traditional form of theater – very popular

o Began at end of 16th century


o Most successful theater entertainment in red light districts of great cities.
 Together with nōh – considered most important Japanese contribution to
world theater
Nōh and kabuki – unique and genuine expressions of Japanese
Sakura – popular traditional song that produces distinct characters used in Asian
style of making melodies (A.K.A PENTATONIC STYLE)
o Cherry blossoms

o Vocal technique is used in singing

Ipponchōshi – continuous pattern used in speeches building up to an explosive


climax in ARAGATO (oversize, supernatural rough hero style)
o Requires breath control
Nori – technique adapted form chanting ( -> JŌRURI)

o Implies sensitive capacity of riding rhythms of shamisen (string instru.),


declaiming each accompaniment.

Yakuharai – technique that describes subtle delivery of poetical text written in


Japanese metrical form of alternating 7 and 5 syllables.

Vocal and Instrumental features:


Shamisen music – accompanies dances and movements
Gagaku – classic court music from china
Kagura – performed in Shinto shrines
Nō – chant derives from shōmyō -> sophisticated and rich tradition of Buddhist
chanting.
Nagauta – most popular shamisen music

o Long song
o Reached golden age
o Dance music for henge mono -> quick change pieces
o Very flexible
o Can be performed by 1 shamisen or by entire orchestra of 20 musicians of
which 10 are shamisen while others play flutes (fue taken from nō) and
drums ( kotsuzumi- small drum, waist drum – ōtsuzumi, taiko – stick drum)

CHINESE THEATER

o Was considered highest form of arts in China

Peking Opera a.k.a. Beijing opera

Usually played in 3 types of instru:


1. Wind
2. Percussion
3. String

Main instruments that are Chinese in origin


a. Jinghu – two stringed instru played with bow
b. Yueqin – 4 stringed; plucked
c. Sanxian – 3 stringed ; plucked
d. Vaariety of gongs and cymbals – rhythmic and graceful melodies

Melodies played by accompaniment fall in 3 broad categories


1. Aria – self contained expressive melody for 1 voice usually w/ orchesta
a. Erhuang
b. Xipi
o Wawadiao – xipi style sung by young sheng to indicate heightened
emotion.

2. Qupai – fixed-tune melody


- Wider range than aria
o Water Dragon Tune – shui long yin; denotes arrival of important person
o Triple Thrust – ji san qiang; signal feast or banquet

3. Percussion Pattern – provide context similar o fixed tune melodies


Peking Opera theater – stylized Chinese form of opera

o singing, speech, mime, acrobatics – performed to instrumental


accompaniment.
o Fully developed and recoghnized in mid-19th cent.
o Regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China
o Popular in Qing dynasty court.

 2 main styles of music (peking opera):


o Erh-huang
o His-p’l
*both utilize FAN-PAN – commonly used for sorrowful songs
- sung by bearded charachters
*difference in key. His-p’l =lower sound

Orchestra of Peking Opera – comprises abt. 8 musicians sitting on stools in far


corner of stage.
Ta-lo and siag-lo – what each performance begins with
o Small and large gong and cymbals.
Single skin drum / kettle drum – what some performances can start with
o Cobnductor sits in center of orchestra and creates tempo with drum.

Music – integral part of every performance

o Provides atmospheric bg
o Accompanies sung passgaes
o Controls timing of movement
o Welds performance into rhythmical whole.

Actor’s delivery of lines – rigidly controlled by conventions.


INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTION
AEROPHONE
Ti-ts Cross flutes – played along w/ singing
Siao Recorded flutes – played along w/ singing
Sona Trumpet announces prosperous occasions
Chordophone
Violin like
Hu-ch’in 2-stringed instrument
Bu-ch’in 2-stringed instrument
Guitar like
Yue-ch’in 4-stringed
San-sien 3-stringed
Pi-pá Similar to lute w/ 4 strings]
Idiophone
Ta-lo Gongs – signify start of performance
Siao-lo
Tan-pi-ku Kettle drum – create tempo of performance

InDonesian Theater
Wayang Kulit
Shadow Puppet Theater – well known
Wayang Kulit – (in Central Java) oldest traditions of storytelling

o w/ use of puppets ang bg musical accompaniment (gamelan ensemble)


o performed in royal court and in public during religious occassions
Wayang – puppet/theater
Kulit – skin

o leather construction of pupets that are cut into fine tools & supported with
shaped buffalo horn handles and control rods

audience – most important person


Puppet on RIGHT side – good character
Puppet on LEFT side – bad character
Stage – open space between
o 2m wide

Dalang – puppeteer
o Use of voice interchangeably
o Sings SULUK (mood songs) at regular intervals of performance
o prepares materials used
o manipulates puppets, sings, taps out signals to orchestra
o Suluk – never accompanied by gamelan
GAMELAN:

o comprised mainly by bronze percussion instruments augmented by other


percussion instruments, tring, flute.

1. Saron – xylophone of heavy bronze bars


2. Gender – bronze xylophone w/ resonance chambers beneath
3. Bonang – set of bronze bowls
4. Gong ang kempul – hanging gongs
5. Kenong and ketuk – single inverted bronze bowl
6. Gambang – wooden xylophone
7. Rebab – 2-stringed fiddle
8. Suling – flute
9. Kendang – horizontal drum beat with fingers on both ends
10. Tjelempung – zither of 13 double strings

Music – has 2 major dramatic functions

 Accompanies singing/chanting
 Accompanies stage actions including dance

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