1. Chapter 18 The Late Romantics
Global Perspectives:
Musical Drama Worldwide

2. Key Terms
Beijing opera
Jingju
Jing
Jinghu
Erhu
Yueqin
Heterophony

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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