Tanhuang

Tanhuang was a Jiangnan system of qupai storytelling and small plays, the parent of huju, xiju and yongju

Time and place

Tanhuang is a family of storytelling and small-play arts in Jiangnan, current in Suzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai and Ningbo by the mid-Qing. Names vary by place, Su tan in Suzhou, ben tan in Shanghai, yong tan in Ningbo. It is not one opera but a group of troupes sharing qupai and a seated manner.

What happened

Tanhuang began as seated singing at household gatherings and teahouses, several performers dividing roles without costume, stringing qupai into narrative items. Staging and simple costume followed, splitting the repertory into front-bank plays with family and historical plots and back-bank comic turns that mimicked street cries and dialects. Around 1900 the regional branches became huju, xiju, yongju and Suju, leaving tanhuang as their common source.

Musical features

Qupai carry the singing. Zizhu diao, Xianhua diao, Yinniu si, Manjiang hong, Matou diao and Jian Dian Hua are staples, sung through with sections marked by tune changes. Back-bank pieces sit closer to folk song, with short lines, many filler syllables and springy rhythm. Erhu, pipa, sanxian and clappers accompany, with flute adding ornament. Singing is in Wu dialect; voices differentiate characters without the strict role types of opera.

What to listen for

Begin with Jiangsu Danghuchuan, a back-bank comic piece, and hear one singer separating boatwoman, merchant and others by voice alone. Then Mai Ganlan, where street cries alternate with narration and phrases stop short. Zizhu diao and Yinniu si show the qupai frame itself, with four-line stanzas and fixed closings. All four are folk songs, not tanhuang performances.

Common misunderstandings

Tanhuang is often treated as an old name for huju, or as a single genre. It is a system and a stage, from which huju, xiju and yongju separated; speech, lead instruments and repertory differ from place to place.

Listen in the library

荡湖船C30:40江苏《荡湖船》，苏滩后滩的滑稽小段，听一人多角的语气转换；C3 民歌，C1 无滩簧录音Details卖橄榄C30:12江苏《卖橄榄》，苏滩常演曲目，听叫卖腔与叙事句的交替；C3 民歌，C1 无滩簧录音Details紫竹调（二）C30:36上海《紫竹调（二）》，滩簧系统常用曲牌，听句尾装饰与轻快节拍；C3 民歌，C1 无滩簧录音Details银绞丝调（一）C30:28上海《银绞丝调（一）》，同名俗曲，滩簧与牌子曲都取用的曲牌；C3 民歌，C1 无滩簧录音Details

All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).

Sources

《中国音乐词典》编辑部编，中国音乐词典（人民音乐出版社）— 滩簧与苏滩条目核对，未引用
《中国曲艺音乐集成》编辑委员会编，中国曲艺音乐集成（中国 ISBN 中心）— 曲牌与坐唱形式核对，未引用

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

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