MUSIC 8

• Theater


  Form of cultural entertainment
• Japanese culture


  • Ikebana
  • Cherry blossoms (sakura)
• Japanese theater is very popular
• Noh


  Traditional form of Japanese theater
• Kabuki


  Traditional form of Japanese theater
• Noh and Kabuki are unique expressions of the Japanese spirit
• Sakura


  Traditional songs of Japan
• Pentatonic scale


  Most used in performing Noh and Kabuki
• Vocal pattern techniques


  • Ipponchoshi - continuous pattern building up to explosive climax
  • Aragato - Supernatural, oversized, rough style
• Ipponchoshi


  Requires extraordinary breath control that only few experts succeed in achieving
• Joruri


  Sensitive, poetic style of riding the rhythm of the shamisen
• Yakuhari


  Subtle delivery of poetical text in Japanese metrical form
• Vocal and instrumental features

  • Accompanied by shamisen music
  • Collected and popularized number of earlier forms
• Traditional music forms


  • Gagaku - classical court music from China
  • Kagura - performed in Shinto shrines
  • Noh - chant derived from shomyo Buddhist chanting
• Nagauta


  Most popular shamisen music, reached golden age in 18th century
• Hayamai


  Quick change dance music for Noh and Kabuki, with one shamisen or entire orchestra of 20 pieces
• Drums


  • Small drum - kotsuzumi
  • Waist drum - ōtsuzumi
  • Stick drum - taiko
• Peking Opera


  Stylized Chinese form of opera, with speech, singing, mime and acrobatics, popular in 19th century Qing dynasty court
• Peking Opera music styles


  • Xipi - high-pitched, loud sound
  • Erhuang - lower sound technique
• Peking Opera orchestra


  Different from Western orchestra, with foreign musicians sitting on stools in 4 corners of stage
• Peking Opera performance


  1. Begins with gong and small and large gong, then singer enters with orchestra

  2. Skin and metal drums provide tempo
• Peking Opera musicians are often seated off-stage and provide integral atmospheric part of performance
• Peking Opera music and acting are highly stylized and governed by strict conventions
• Peking Opera incorporates innovations but maintains traditional forms
• Main Peking Opera instruments

  • Jinghu - 2 strings
  • Sanxian - 3 strings
  • Yueqin - 4 strings
  • Gongs and cymbals
• Wayang Kulit


  Shadow puppet theater, one of the oldest storytelling traditions in Indonesia
• Wayang Kulit includes puppets, materials, and musical accompaniment
• Gamelan ensemble


  Bronze percussion instruments, strings, and flutes that accompany Wayang Kulit performances
• Suluk


  Songs sung by the Dalang (puppeteer) in Wayang Kulit, accompanied by a single gamelan instrument
• The gamelan ensemble's main function is to accompany the stages of action in Wayang Kulit
• Timing of the performance into a rhythmical whole

  1. Musicians learn their parts by rote

  2. Chinese musical notation is very imprecise

  3. Most music used in the Peking opera has been worked out collaboratively between actors and musicians

  4. Most are borrowed from already existing sources and recombined according to the requirements of a particular play
• Actor's delivery of lines

  • Rigidly controlled by conventions
  • Each role has its prescribed vocal timbre and pitch
  • Syllables are often drawn out with regards to conversational usage in order to maintain the appropriate rhythm
  • Even spoken passages are governed by strict rhythms and tempos
• Rendering of lines

  1. Chanted and sung passages are freely inserted into spoken monologues or dialogues

  2. Lines are rendered in an extremely stylized manner
• Musical instruments used in a Peking opera performance

  • Ti-ts (Cross flutes - usually played along with singing)
  • Siao (Recorded flutes - usually played along with singing)
  • Sona (Trumpet announces prosperous occasions)
  • Hu-ch'in (Two-stringed instruments)
  • Bu-ch'in (Two-stringed instruments)
  • Yue-ch'in (Four-stringed instruments)
  • San-sien (Three-stringed instruments)
  • Pi-p'a (Similar to lute with four strings)
  • Ta-lo (Gongs signify the beginning of the performance)
  • Siao-lo (Kettle drum - used to create the tempo of the performance)
  • Tan-pi-ku
• Aria


  Heightened emotion
• Qupai


  Fixed tune
• Wayang Kulit

  Popular in several countries in the world
• WAYANG KULIT (Central Java)


  • One of the oldest traditions of storytelling
  • Includes puppet manipulations and accompaniment to make it background interesting
• WAYANG


  Indonesian word for theater
• Types of puppets in WAYANG


  • Puppets
  • Manipulators