Music in Chinese Opera
- Feb 5, 2020
- 3 min read
This audio sample is an example of a piece of music typically used in Chinese Opera, which exhibits the common traits of traditional Chinese music. Music in Chinese Opera is defined by its extensive use of traditional Chinese instruments. Most musical compositions focus on creating atmosphere and building a believable and immersive story world which draws the audience into the performance. The most common instruments featured in Chinese Opera are the Guzheng (古筝), Er Hu (二胡) and the Suo Na (唢呐). A defining characteristic of all these instruments are its expressiveness and rustic quality, different from its Western counterparts.
Gu Zheng (古筝)
Probably the most popular Chinese instrument of all time, the Guzheng is a stringed instrument with a large wooden base. Though a single Guzheng is more than five feet long, as long as a small table, it is surprisingly light for its size, weighing between 10 kilograms to 13 kilograms.
Each Guzheng can have anywhere between 16 to 21 strings and to produce a sound, players pluck the strings while wearing fake nails called ‘finger picks’. The melody it produces is as graceful as water flowing in a stream, and as stirring as the waves in the sea.
The vast array of techniques which the Guzheng can accommodate make it adept at depicting the slight changes in human emotions delicately but clearly. As such, the Guzheng plays a key role during a Chinese Opera performance in accentuating the emotions that the onstage characters are going through, increasing the audience’s investment in the characters and the performance.
Er Hu (二胡)
The next most recognizable chinese instrument is the Er Hu, a two-stringed instrument with a wooden base. Though it is nicknamed as a Chinese Violin, there is one big difference between them. Unlike the violin, where the bow and instrument are separate, the Er Hu bow is already fixed inside the strings. Thus, the instrument and the bow are one body, and they operate as such.
Its expressive and oriental sound resembles a human voice, and has an uncanny ability to imitate animal sounds such as chirping birds or neighing horses. Due to its expressive nature, it is frequently used in Chinese Opera as a tool to convey the tone of the scene. For example, a calmer scene would be accompanied with slow and graceful notes from to Er Hu, whereas a more exciting scene would be punctuated with aggressive and running notes that quicken the pace of the scene.
To this day, the Er Hu remains popular due to its unique sound and elegant shape and no other instrument captures the feeling of a Chinese story quite like the Er Hu.
Suo Na (唢呐)
A lesser-known Chinese instrument is the Suo Na, a double-reed instrument used in Chinese music. The reed is attached to a conical wooden body covered by a copper tube with eight finger holes and a brass bell. It plays a high-pitched sound with a powerful and distinctive tone. In order to maintain a constant tone, the player will breathe using a circular motion through his nose, with his mouth covering each small reed completely.
This slender looking instrument originated from the Middle East and its name was derived from the Arabic name of the instrument ‘Zurna’. It has become an imported instrument used in Chinese Opera ever since the Jin dynasty in China (265 - 420). Today, it is often used in Cantonese Opera ensembles.
Known for its wailing sound, the Suo Na has the ability to instantly convey a sense of joyousness and excitement with its high-pitched notes. This makes it the perfect instrument in Chinese Opera to grab the audience’s attention and keep them engaged during an exciting scene.
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