Different Styles of Chinese Music Theatre

Jungju - Beijing Opera

Beijing Opera is the most recent form of Chinese opera, and the best known internationally. It dates back to the Qing Dynasty. In 1790, the most famous artists in the Hui, Han, Yi and Qin operas travelled to Beijing to join in the celebrations surrounding Emperor Qianlong’s 80th birthday. The different opera styles gradually merged and absorbed aspects of Beijing speech melody in the process. By the mid 19th century, the Beijing opera had developed a style of its own. Beijing Opera libretti contain both tragic and comic elements which are used to dramatise historical events and popular legends. Dance and song, enhanced by elements of the Chinese martial arts, are characteristic features of this form of opera. The costumes are inspired by Ming Dynasty style. The costumes, the masques, the highly stylised movements and the actions of the performers tell us much about the characters they are portraying. Beijing Opera has four main characters: sheng (a man), dan (a young woman), jing (a man with a painted face) and chou (the clown). Typical instruments include the jinghu (a two-stringed instrument), the sanxian (an instrument with three strings), the suona (a wind instrument) as well as the gong and the cymbals, to name but a few.

Kunqu – Kun Opera

Kun Opera arose in Kunshan, now the province of Zhejiang, during the 16th century. It is the oldest form of Chinese opera, and its influence is evident in many other styles of opera in China. At one time, Kun Opera was mainly played to rich and educated audiences from the aristocracy. Its characteristic features are soft music, poetic language, elegant movements and romantic libretti. Military roles and acrobatic scenes play virtually no part at all here. The main instrument in Kun Opera is the bamboo flute; other instruments include the sheng (which is played with the mouth), the two-string erhu zither, and the pipa - also a string instrument. Four percussionists set the rhythm, although their role is less prominent than that of their counterparts in Beijing Opera.

Yueju – Yue Opera

Yue Opera comes from southeast China. This particular style evolved in the local music theatres of Shaoxing, near Shanghai, around 1900. In Yue Opera all the roles - including those of the men - are played by women. Western instruments such as the violin, the saxophone, the cello and the double bass supplement the traditional Chinese instruments. During the 1920s, Yue Opera in Shanghai celebrated some great successes and became famous throughout China. The libretti generally recount romantic love stories. There are no acrobatic or fighting scenes. The costumes recall the pastel-coloured Chinese fashions of the late 19th - early 20th centuries.

Chuanju – Sichuan Opera

The most important form of opera in southwest China is Sichuan Opera, which, like Yue Opera, is also counted among the southern Chinese styles because of its flowing, melodic character. Southern styles are quite distinct from their northern counterparts, which are frequently noisy and martialistic in character. Songs sang by boatmen and boatwomen, tea and rice planters gradually evolved into musical plays: into those precursors of the province’s great opera tradition, which, with its lively manner and humour, still reveals a close affinity to folk music. Sichuan Opera combines five different musical genres, each represented by a different opera company until the end of the Qing Dynasty and the advent of the Republic. In 1912, the Sanqinghui Company was founded in the capital city of Chengdu. It united the five different styles, merging them to form a unique system that subsequently included performance, singing and instrumental music. The most typical feature of Sichuan Opera is the Gaoqiang style, a special form of solo singing characterised by artistically executed glissando, skilfully performed vibrato and powerful melismas. Another characteristic feature is Dengxi masque theatre, in which removable masks are worn, thus providing a marked contrast to the painted, masque-like faces that are otherwise so typical of the Chinese stage. Performers always employ the dialect of the Sichuan Province as spoken in the capital of Chengdu.

Qinqiang - Qin Opera

Qin Opera, also known as “clapper opera”, originates in the provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu. It is also popular, however, across much of northern China. The term “clapper opera” is derived from the wooden clappers that provide the rhythmic accompaniment. Qin is the historical name for Shaanxi, one of the most important empires, which arose in 475 BC. A powerful dynasty arose there, founded by Emperor Qin Shi Huang in 221 BC. It inspired the name Qin Opera, or Western Qin Opera. Written libretti on Western Qin melodies already existed during the Ming Dynasty. General Li Zicheng, a leader of the peasants’ revolt, adopted these as hymns and battle songs. Qin Opera has been widespread in China since the Middle Period. Qin Opera has a unique musical style that is bursting with energy, exciting and passionate. It is also spiced with elements of open, sustained singing from the folk music of the northwest. This extremely expressive style also contains bright and lively melodies. A great variety of singing styles have evolved, the two most prominent being the “cheerful mode” and the “melancholic mode”. Qin Opera can draw on a rich repertoire of more than two thousand pieces.