Chapter 18
The Late
Romantics
Global
Perspectives:
Musical Drama
Worldwide
Key Terms
Beijing opera
Jingju
Jing
Jinghu
Erhu
Yueqin
Heterophony
Chinese Opera (1)
Jingju = theater of the capital
• We know it as Beijing opera, the most famous
variety of Chinese musical drama
• One of more than 300 varieties of music drama
Beijing opera is a rich amalgam
• Song, spoken dialogue, instrumental music,
dance, elaborate costume, & martial arts
• In its diversity, jingju comes closest to being a
truly national tradition
Chinese Opera (2)
Relatively recent product of a long,
complex history
• Borrowed many stylistic features from
provincial dramas in the late 18th century
• Other features developed in the 19th century
• Reached its current form in the late 1800s
• Striking changes continue in the Communist
era
Voice Types in
Beijing Opera (1)
European opera has long linked specific
character types to certain voice types
• Young lovers are sopranos & tenors
• Maids are altos & fathers are basses
Similar connections in Beijing opera
• Romantic, dreamy young men sing in a high
register, often in falsetto
• Older, bearded men, trusted advisors, sing in a
high baritone range
• Warriors use a forced, throaty voice (& must be
skilled acrobats)
Voice Types in
Beijing Opera (2)
Jing = face-painted role
• May be a warriors, dashing bandits, or gods
• More elaborate face paint than other roles
• Specific colors & patterns reveal much about
their characters
• They sing in a loud, hoarse manner
Female roles traditionally taken by men
• Mature, virtuous women use refined falsetto
• Young, lively women use suggestive falsetto
• Also an acrobatic female warrior
The Orchestra
Beijing opera uses a small orchestra
• Group of drums, gongs, cymbals
• A few wind instruments
• Group of bowed & plucked string instruments
Percussion group used for battle scenes
• Can also introduce scenes, provide sound
effects, announce entrances & social status of
different characters, & play along with songs
String instruments introduce & accompany
songs
Beijing Opera Songs
Uses a wide range of vocal styles
• From full-fledged song to heightened, stylized
speech to normal speech (for minor roles)
Songs are the musical heart of the drama
• Marked off from other singing by lyrical style
• Rough equivalent of arias in Italian opera
Songs not composed for each new drama
• Music chosen from a stock collection of tunes
• Fitted to the words for each new libretto
• Important to choose melodies & percussion
patterns that fit the emotional situation
The Prince Who
Changed into a Cat (1)
One of the most famous Beijing operas
Story of Empress banished from Beijing
• Emperor’s other wives want to be rid of her
• Her newborn son is stolen from his cradle &
replaced by a cat
Our scene takes place years later
• A wise, just Prime Minister meets the Empress
• Once satisfied she is truly the Empress, he
decides to restore her to her rightful position
• Our aria takes place as he first meets her
The Prince Who
Changed into a Cat (2)
Introduction begins with percussion
• Percussion accompanies Minister’s entrance,
signifies his importance
• Note accelerando & decelerando
Then strings & wooden clapper enter
•
•
•
•
Three strings play the melody in heterophony
Jinghu – high-pitched bowed two-string fiddle
Erhu – lower-pitched bowed fiddle
Yueqin – moon-shaped plucked lute – plays
rapid, strummed repetitions of melody notes
The Prince Who
Changed into a Cat (3)
The Prime Minister begins his aria
• Bearded old-man role in high baritone range
• Sings same melody as strings in heterophony
• Slightly nasal quality is typical of the style
Melody often sounds pentatonic
• But uses a seven-note scale with much
ornamentation & pitch-bending
At very end, Minister addresses Empress
• Uses the heightened, stylized speech typical
for his character type & social standing