East Asia
China, Mongolia, Korea,
Japan, Tibet
East Asia Map
Background Preparation
• 1.47 billion people
• Chinese influence
• Dynastic histories
• Tradition meets Today
Shanghai, China
China
Site 1: Gu qin “Ancient Zither”
Site 2: Sizhu “Silk and Bamboo”
Site 3: Beijing Opera
Site 4: Revolutionary Opera
Arrival: China
• World’s most populous country (1.2 billion+)
• Ideographic writing system
• Chinese Philosophy
– Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism
• Communism
Mao Zedong
(1893-1976)
Site 1: Gu qin “Ancient Zither”
• First Impressions
– Quiet and intimate
• Aural Analysis
– Seven-string
fretless zither
– Harmonics
and tone “sliding”
– Free rhythm
Cultural Considerations
• Scholar’s instrument
• Sonic meditation
– Highly philosophical
– Musician interprets notation
• Programmatic themes
Gu qin
tablature notation
Site 2: Sizhu “Silk & Bamboo”
• First Impressions
– Clear melodic line with “flowing” feel
• Aural Analysis
– Bayin organological system
• Stone, metal, gourd, skin, wood, clay, silk, bamboo
– Heterophonic Structure
– Clear beat
Sizhu Instruments
Dizi
Pipa
Sizhu Instruments
Erhu
Yang qin
Cultural Considerations
• Regional styles
• Amateur Music
• Social clubs
A Jiangnan sizhu ensemble
at a teahouse in Shanghai’s historical district
Site 3: Jingju “Beijing Opera”
• First Impressions
– Shrill voices and nasal fiddle
– “Rising and falling” gongs
• Aural Analysis
– Jinghu and melodic ensemble
– Melody follows
tonal contour of the language
– “Movement” percussion Jinghu
Cultural Considerations
• Symbolic scenery
• Stylized speech
• Major role types
– Sheng (male)
– Dan (female)
– Jing (painted-face)
A military scene from a Jingju performance – Chou (comedians)
Jingju Scenes
Clockwise from Top:
-Jing actor
-Warrior battle scene
-Dan prepares makeup
-Jingju orchestra
-Dan & Chou actors
Site 4: Revolutionary
Beijing Opera
• First Impressions
– “Orchestral” sound
– Modern theatre display
• Aural Analysis
A scene from Taking Tiger Mountain,
– Traditional-Modern a Revolutionary Beiing Opera
Orchestra
– Western harmony
Cultural
Considerations
• Cultural Revolution
(1966-1976)
• “Eight Model Works”
• Democracy Movement A man protests for Democracy in
Tiananmen Square, 1989
Mongolia
Site 5: Throat Singing
Arrival: Mongolia
• Nomadic herders
• Genghis and
Kublai Khan
• Soviet influence
A Mongolian horseman herds sheep
Site 5: Throat Singing
• First Impressions
– “Whistling” with low grumble
• Aural Analysis
– Overtone singing
– Fundamental drone
A Mongolian “throat” singer
Cultural Considerations
• Spiritual connection
• Republic of Tuva
• Western attraction
A Mongolian yurt (tent dwelling)
Korea
Site 6: P’ansori
Arrival: Korea
• China-Japan influence
• Korean War
• North/South Korea
North Korean Flag
South Korean Flag
Site 6: P’ansori
• First Impressions
– “Wailing” voice
– Minimal use of drum
• Aural Analysis
– Wide Vibrato
– Song to Speech
P’ansori performers – Puk
Cultural Considerations
• “Preserved” p’ansori
• Former festival storytellers
• Korean
musical identity
Japan
Site 7: Gagaku
Site 8: Kabuki Theater
Arrival: Japan
Island nation with dense population
Shogun and Samurai
Zen Buddhism
“Less is Best”
Consistency and control
Site 7: Gagaku
First Impressions
Suspension of Time
Aural Analysis
Long sustained
tones
Hichiriki Extremely low
rhythmic density
Distinctive timbres
Shô
Cultural Considerations
“Elegant” Music
Confucian Ceremonial Music
Ritualistic Movement
Site 8: Kabuki Theatre
First Impressions
“Twangy” lute
Shamisen
“Yo” and “Ho” calls
Aural Analysis
Chobo
Narrator - Shamisen
Drums and Nokan
L to R: taiko, o-tuzumi,
ko-tuzumi, and nokan
Cultural Considerations
“Classic” popular theatre
All male actors
“Puppet” performance
Kabuki actors
Tibet
Site 9: Tibetan Buddhist Ritual
Arrival: Tibet
“Rooftop of the World”
Tantric Buddhism
– Dalai Lama
Tibetan diasporas
The 14th Dalai Lama
Tenzin Gyatso
b.1935
Site 9: Tibetan Buddhist Ritual
• First Impressions
– “Fog-horn” trumpets
– Guttural chants
• Aural Analysis
– Overlapping trumpets Tibetan monks play the
bub chen (cymbals)
– Punctuating percussion
Tibetan Trumpets
Left: Dung chen
Right Top: Kang dung
Right Below: Dung kar
Cultural Considerations
• “Death without dying”
• Trumpet symbolism
• The “sound of silence”
The Bodhnath Stupa near
Kathmandu, Nepal