Chaozhou Xianshi

Chaozhou xianshi is led by the erxian and shaped by its own notation and altered modes, the core of Chaozhou music.

Related

ZhengPipaBanshi (Metrical Pattern)Diaomen (Pitch Level for Singing)

Time and place

Chaozhou xianshi is played in Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang, where music societies have used it at festivals, weddings, funerals and gatherings since the Ming and Qing. Chaozhou music divides into string poetry, percussion music, flute suites and chamber music; xianshi shows melody and mode most clearly.

Musical features

The erxian leads, with yehu, yangqin, zheng, pipa, sanxian and dongxiao. Notation is er-si pu, which names notes with the numerals two to eight. The modes include light san-liu, heavy san-liu, huo wu and fan xian; heavy san-liu brings out si and fa, while huo wu makes sol unstable. Metres run from tou ban through er ban and kao pai to san ban, slow to fast, and the closing cui thickens the melody.

Repertoire

The ten great suites are often played, among them Cold Crow Bathing, Zhao Jun's Lament, Wild Geese over the Sand, Brocade on Brocade and Moon over the Tower.

What to listen for

Begin with the erxian's slides and vibrato, the source of the local colour. Then listen for si and fa in a heavy san-liu passage, often off equal temperament. In the cui the tune is broken into dense figures and the tempo climbs step by step.

Common misunderstandings

Xianshi is often read as poetry, or Chaozhou music is equated with Chaozhou opera. Xianshi is instrumental and the opera is staged song; they share tunes but not genre. Nor is heavy san-liu a passing modulation; it is a scale and mode of its own.

Sources

• 《中国音乐词典》编辑部编，中国音乐词典（人民音乐出版社）— 条目与年代核对，未引用
• The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., entry "China" — framework and dates checked, not quoted

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.