Pipa Anthology: Impressions and Recollections

by Tang Liangxing

       Though the pipa's one of China's most enduring and celebrated folk instruments, there's regrettably little audio documentation of its history. Last year I came across China Records' six-cassette An Anthology of the Classic Pipa Pieces. I was thrilled by the range of selections, the diversity of performances, and the sheer energy of several generations that had obviously gone into this work. [The following titles refer to performances in the anthology, unless otherwise noted.]
       I've heard most of the nineteen performers on it in person: some were my teachers, some are my contemporaries, some my students. I thought I'd set down some of my impressions.
       The four disciples of Wang Yuting (1872-1951) were Li Tingsong (1906-1976), Cheng Wujia (1902-1985), Wei Zhongle (1908- ), and Sun Yude (1904-1981). I've been privileged to learn much from all four. Though of the same school, each had a unique style.
       Li Tingsong's "Flute and Drum Music at Dusk" is a model of classical simplicity, totally without affectation. In it, the performer expresses a deep love of his land through the melody's graceful beauty. I remember studying with Li in 1964. He painstakingly showed me every step of the way, leaving an indelible impression. I might say that my foundation in traditional music was set largely by him.
       Wei Zhongle's "Petals Falling Amidst Greenery has a different feeling. He uses a delicate and multifaceted tremolo technique and different plucking positions to change tone colors; together with his bold left-hand vibrato, they lend a simple and elegant quality to this pastoral tune. Wei is an open and generous person -- just like his playing. Where Li's style is steely with a touch of tenderness, Wei's is just the opposite.
       Sun Yude's "Chen Sui" is truly an evergreen. While in my teens, I'd often hear him play it on stage. His playing was never dressed up, but expressed itself through simplicity, so that you had to listen many times before gradually uncovering its essence. Nowadays, many people play the classics with so much embellishment that it becomes tedious.
       Before I began to study pipa, Cheng Wujia was already teaching my older sister. It was the first time I'd heard major pipa works, and I was enthralled. The serene simplicity and sincerity of his "Autumn Moon Over the Han Palace" reflects his own personality. I was once praised by some colleagues for a rendition of "Ambush on Ten Sides." I used Cheng Quangui's (Cheng Wujia's son) version of the "drumroll" section -- the uncommon technique of playing on one string only. The power of that section was instantly magnified.
       Yang Dajun's "Sichuan Song" (which he composed as well as performed) is both mellifluous and stately. The section using bass string fingering in evoking Sichuan's rough roads is especially picturesque, like one of Yang's own skillfully painted landscapes.
       Chen Zhong's "Wild Geese Land on the Shore" borrows from guqin techniques, using colorful sliding notes to render the birds' landing even more lifelike. It is quite an innovative piece within the traditional repertoire.
       Hao Desheng's "Zhao Jun Crosses the Border" really opened my ears. Unlike the commonplace performance expressing anger and despair, he chose a sober, introspective and upbeat approach to the music to describe Zhao Jun's hopes.
       Hua Yanjun's (1893-1950) "Billows Lash the Shore" and Liu Tianhua's (1895-1932) "Overture" were both created by their performers; both are treasures. Though of the same generation, differing circumstances gave each artist a differing outlook. "Billows" speaks of life's pain and anguish, while "Overture" is carefree and joyous. Although the old recording quality is poor, the musical personalities of these pieces are very pronounced. Of the two, I prefer "Billows."
       I met Lin Shicheng during the Cultural Revolution -- a very harsh time for him. A longtime admirer, I decided to pay my respects; we talked and played music endlessly. He was very supportive of my playing, telling me to strengthen my personal style. I learned much from his masterly, creative playing. His San Liu is truly virtuosic. His deep knowledge of Jiangnan folk music (he frequented Shanghai teahouses, playing music with other masters) is obvious. "Hai Qing Captures a Swan," a remnant of the Pudong school, is extraordinarily difficult, but Lin's playing is effortless, the imagery lively. Someone so cultured, so steeped in folk music, and so innovative is rare indeed.
       Lin's student Liu Dehai carries on the Pudong tradition. But from "Chen Sui" and "Ancient Melody of Yingzhou" it's clear that he's entered new artistic terrain. Since the early '60s, Liu's lively, fluid artistry has made a deep impression on me: he has innovative daring.
       In the delicacy of his expression of inner feelings, especially his use of dramatic and subtle vibrato in the lyric tunes, Wang Fandi displays an inimitable style. Li Guangzu (Li Tingsong's son) not only continued his father's tradition but has an even more gently beautiful tone. He Shufeng has relative all-around skill, but her performance here seems a bit bland; her individuality doesn't quite come across.
       Performances by six younger musicians make for stimulating listening: Yang Wei's clean and nimble playing, Wu Man's simple and natural style, Chen Yin's astonishing technique, Pan Eqing's solid skill, Liu Guilian's gentle and elegant tone, and Xu Hong's mellifluous and experienced sound.
       Mulling over the Pipa Anthology, I have the following observations. The poor recording technology of the past captured performance flaws, yet I can still easily distinguish individual styles. But I have difficulty telling apart the technically flawless recordings of younger musicians -- styles are so similar. My first teacher Ma Linsheng told me, "It's better to strengthen your own style and unique characteristics than to surpass others." In pipa, there's no undisputed champion. It's more important for individuals to blossom only that is pipa's "springtime."
       The younger generation has much potential, but they must study with masters of all schools, seek enrichment from folk music and opera, and develop their own strengths and styles fully.
       China Records has done a great service for the pipa. We should work diligently to create new and better pipa music so that soon we'll have volume two of the Pipa Anthology.

Tang Liangxing, former soloist with the Shanghai Traditional Orchestra, has performed with Music From China since coming to the U.S. in 1986. He has been featured in concerts at Yale, Columbia, Lincoln Center, and appeared as pipa soloist in M. Butterfly on Broadway.

Cantonese Opera in America

by Susan Cheng

       Chinese immigrants to gam saan, the gold mountains of America, brought with them a love of traditional theater -- the intricately stylized, musically diverse, and flamboyantly dramatic entertainment of their home villages. And since the overwhelming majority of immigrants in the mid-19th century were from the small coastal towns of Guangdong Province, their theater was Cantonese Opera.
       In the wake of the Gold Rush, San Francisco became a magnet for Chinese sojourners and laborers; Cantonese Opera followed close behind. Troupes from China played to enthusiastic crowds in newly built local theaters, and local amateur troupes sprung up as well. The mix of visiting performers and local productions has remained a constant in Chinese-American cultural life, though fluctuating with economic and political conditions.

A Theater Open to Change
       Cantonese Opera has, since its beginning, been open to change, stimulated by outside influences. Like other regional operas, its roots go back to the well defined drama of the Yuan Dynasty. In its formative stages, Cantonese Opera's fundamental music and performance styles were borrowed from other regional operas, whose troupes toured South China, to great acclaim, from the Ming Dynasty onward. Along the way, local songs, folk melodies, and instrumental variations were incorporated to enrich the performance. Cantonese Opera's complexity rivaled and perhaps surpassed the more prestigious and established forms, such as Beijing Opera, with lusher musical colors, diverse singing styles, and as many as seven distinct speech patterns. [Bell Yung's 1989 monograph, Cantonese Opera, presents a detailed musicological analysis of the form.]
       By the mid-19th century, Cantonese Opera had assumed its own identity. Drawing on its mixed heritage, it evolved into an artform capable of assimilating the artistic, social and political currents that swept Canton -- China's most bustling port and most open window on the Western world.
       In the early 20th century, Cantonese Opera in China, the U.S., and among overseas Chinese responded to changing times and the changing expectations of its audience with new ideas and techniques: more realistic make-up, costumes, props, and scenery; new scripts with modern themes; and more musical diversity, even, in some cases, adding violin, saxophone, banjo, or Hawaiian guitar to the ensemble.

From East to West
       Long an integral part of the cultural life of Chinese communities in America, Cantonese Opera bridges the realities of everyday life with the cultural past of its immigrant audiences. Both visiting and homegrown troupes have flourished, especially in the 1920s. Since then, Cantonese Opera has undergone periods of neglect and resurgence.
       When China opened its doors to the West in the early 1980s, the first major troupe to tour North America was a Cantonese Opera company led by the legendary actress Hong Xiannu. The tour's success whetted audience appetites for the high level of sophistication and artistry that Cantonese Opera had attained in China. The 1980s have been dominated by touring mainland companies, replacing the previously prevalent Hong Kong troupes.
       A recent sign of renewed strength, abetted by a dramatic rise in immigration, was the establishment of a New York chapter of the Bard Wo (Ba He in Mandarin) Guild, the association of Cantonese Opera professionals. [The group's name, "Eight Harmonies," refers to the combination of the various elements of staging and performance that make up opera.] The newly founded chapter, which held a benefit in early April featuring active and retired performers from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, the U.S., and Canada, serves as an organization of immigrant professionals providing technical and artistic support for Cantonese Opera activities in New York.

In the Community
       Aside from professional troupes, amateur singers and musicians forming Cantonese Opera clubs also play social and artistic roles in the community. Some of these Chinatown-based clubs in New York have been around for half a century or more. Usually housed in lofts or rooms of old tenement buildings, they are gathering places where people can indulge their love for Cantonese Opera, meet friends, or play mahjong. There the clashing of mahjong tiles mixes with the sounds of singing, bowed strings, saxophones, hammered dulcimers, gongs and cymbals. To raise money, such groups typically perform at community festivals and celebrations, such as New Year banquets, and may also depend on fees from membership and mahjong.
       In recent years, New York clubs have been joined by an influx of professional performers among the new immigrants. No longer able to continue their stage careers, the new arrivals must earn their livelihood as so many generations before, working in restaurants, the garment industry, and as unskilled laborers. Cantonese Opera clubs enable them to practice their art and serve as support groups. Their presence and participation have helped raise the overall artistic level among local groups, increased the frequency and variety of performances, and stimulated greater interest, especially among younger people. The benefit to the Chinese community is the continued and enhanced preservation of a vital cultural heritage.

Cantonese Opera: Sight and Sound

Cantonese Opera Arias
       Since 1984, Music From China has presented a popular annual recital of excerpts from Cantonese Operas. This year's concert -- June 29 at 7:30 and June 30 at 2:00 at Chinatown's P.S. 124 -- features seven vocalists accompanied by a full musical ensemble. The concert stresses the art of singing without the usual costumes and staging. The performers come from diverse backgrounds.
       A seasoned professional, Lo Weihua began his formal training at age fourteen in China. Noticed by famed actress Hong Xiannu, he rose to play leading roles in Cantonese Operas.
       Amy Chen spent her childhood in an atmosphere permeated by Cantonese Opera. She attended numerous rehearsals and performances in the company of her aunt -- a prominent singer. Under the guidance of family members and other professionals, Ms. Chen became a fine singer herself.
       Longtime Chinatown resident Sun-mon Chan is a remarkable amateur singer who taught himself to sing by listening to professionals, studying recordings, and through years of practice and experience.

Red Boat on the Canal
       In late 1991, the Chinatown History Museum will open an exhibit documenting the 70-year history of Chinatown's oldest existing Cantonese Opera club with 24 costumes, headdresses, instruments, scores, and other artifacts. The exhibit, "Red Boat on the Canal" (referring to the decorated boats that carried touring opera companies through the countryside in China), weaves together oral history interviews, artifacts, and music to create a portrait of an enduring community institution.

Books & Recordings

       Thrasher's book is the result of two fieldwork excursions into Chuxiong district. Transcriptions of twelve melodies (mostly skeletal versions, some full heterophonic transcriptions) with song texts, vocables, and a simple notation of the accompanying dance steps are included to exemplify his analysis of texture, mode, melodic structure, singing style, instrumentation, and lyrics.
       An audio cassette juxtaposes studio performances with short sections of field recordings. The tape enhances the text for ethnomusicologists and broadens the potential audience to include non-specialists. Unfortunately, we never hear any dance-song from beginning to end. This omission leaves the listener (and reader) with little understanding of the dynamics of any one performance.
       Because Thrasher attempts only "to introduce the tradition within its broadest context," his treatment of dance-songs in performance is confined to brief background information about setting, culture, social relations, and courtship customs. The dynamics of performance, however, are essential to our understanding of the music and dancing -- how sessions emerge out of other social activities, how they build and finally disperse, what constitutes community taste, modes of improvisation, ranges of creativity, cuing, attack, and movement quality. Also unclear is how the music and dance work together. One of Thrasher's informants, boasting of the health benefits of dancing, tells him that singing loudly keeps him from feeling tired. Considering that at festival time the dancing is continuous from dusk till dawn, there is undoubtedly more to be written about the performance of dance-songs of the Chu-xiong Yi.

Madeline Slovenz-Low is a folklorist and a doctoral candidate in Performance Studies at New York University.

Books & Cassettes

Ritual Opera, Operatic Ritual: "Mu-lien Rescues His Mother" in Chinese Popular Culture Edited by David Johnson. 1989, 350 pages. Chinese Popular Culture Project, 2223 Fulton St., Berkeley, CA 94704.
       The Chinese Popular Culture Project's three main areas of interest -- regional opera, religion, and popular iconography -- commingle in its first publication. The papers in this volume stem from a conference on “Mu-lien Operas,* a folk genre associated with religious observances. Because the historical research and fieldwork (done in Taiwan) are concerned largely with texts and ritual context, the book contains little musical description or analysis.

Chime
The European Foundation for Chinese Music Research. P.O. Box 11092, 2301 EB, Leiden, Holland.
       The second issue of Chime, a semi-annual English-language publication about research on Chinese music, was published last fall. This issue contains articles on minority music studies, folk song collection in China, puppet theater in Fujian, a survey of current mainland Chinese music journals, and profiles of some contemporary Chinese composers.

Available on Cassette
       Recorded live at Music From China's 1990 Merkin Hall concert, Xiang Yue: Regional Music and Songs of Folk Life contains about one hour of music. Among the highlights are Han folk songs, a pipa solo by Wu Man, colorful Xian percussion, “silk and bamboo* music of South China, and Suzhou Balladry, Zhou Long's modern interpretation of a popular narrative song genre. Cassettes are $8 each, plus $2 for shipping and handling. Orders with checks made payable to Music From China can be sent to: 170 Park Row, #12D, New York, NY 10038.

Prize Reprise

1. The competition is open to composers of all nationalities, with no age limit.
2. Works must be written for a chamber ensemble of from two to nine performers, and should be from six to ten minutes in length. Instrumentation must be from the following (one instrument apiece): dizi, 17-reed soprano sheng, pipa, zheng, sanxian or liuqin, erhu (doubling on gaohu or banhu) or zhonghu, yangqin, ruan, and percussion.
3. No works that have previously won awards, or have been previously published, performed in public, or used commercially in whole or part or in any other version are eligible.
4. Composers retain the copyright to their compositions.
5. All submissions must be accompanied by an official entry form, available from Music From China.
6. Scores will not be returned; applicants should keep their original scores and submit copies only.
7. The decision of the judges will be final. The judges reserve the right to divide awards, or to decline to make an award.

Notes

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Article Index
Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 2
Summer 1991
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