Cantonese opera
Cantonese opera (粵劇; yuet kaht;神功戲) is one of the major opera categories in the southern China. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. It is a traditional Chinese art form that involves music, singing, martial arts, acrobatics, and acting.
Chinese opera was formed in late 13th century, during the late Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, it was known as narm hei (南戲), or the Southern Play. Narm hei was imported from the northern part of China to the southern province of Guangdong, when the Emperor Gong fled to Guandong with a lot of followers in 1276, in response to the Mongol army's presence. Among these people, some were narm hei artists from the north. Therefore, narm hei was brought into Guangdong by these artists and was developed into the earliest kind of Cantonese opera. Therefore, Cantonese opera is only one variation of the Chinese opera.
Many well-known operas performed today like The Purple Hairpin and Rejuvenation of the Red Plum Flower were originated in the Yuan Dynasty, with the lyrics and scripts in Cantonese. An interesting fact is that, all the female roles were taken and performed by male until the twentieth century when there was a revolution in Cantonese opera. It was only after the revolution that female can go onto the stage for performance and Hua Dan were performed by 'real' female.
According to written sources, informants, and personal observation, Cantonese opera does not seem to differ significantly from other Chinese opera genres in its basic features. Indeed, most sources appear to take pride in the idea that all Chinese opera styles are but minor variations on a pan-Chinese music-theater tradition, and that the basic features or principles are consistent from one local opera form to another.
While many have given cursory attention to these basic characteristics, few have paused long enough to perceive significant connections to broader Chinese socio-cultural traits or even to attend accurate translations and definitions.
There are some basic feature of Cantonese opera:
Cantonese opera is a traditional Chinese art which involves music, singing, martial arts, acrobatics and acting. Most of the plots are based on Chinese History and famous Chinese classics and myths. Cultures and philiophies of the Chinese people can be seen in the plays. Virtues like loyalty, moral, love, patroitism and faithfulness are often reflected by the operas. Therefore, cantonese opera is commonly regarded as illustrations of ancient Chinese wisdom.
Other than being simply a form of entertainment, it usually carries messages or lessons of great educational value. At that time, not many people could receive education. The king often used opera to indoctrinate the idea of 'be loyal to the emperor and love the kingdom' (忠君愛國). Because of this, the opera was often examined by the government. If the underlying message was not beneficial to their governing, the opera would be banned. Only those the government considered to be good could be performed in public.
There are two types of Cantonese Opera play, "Mo" and "Mun". Mo means martial arts. Mo plays contain heavy elements of wars and the characters are usually generals or warriors. They often contain action scenes and involve a lot of weapons. The performers usually wear heavy and bulky costumes such as scale armor, to bring upon a sense of "battle". Mun has a meaning of "highly educated" and it is usually associated with poems and culture. Scholars are the main characters in these plays. Mun plays are different from Mo plays in a way that there are much fewer intense actions and movements performed tend to be more elegant and softer. Water sleeves(see Frequently Used Term) is used extensively in Mun plays to produce movements reflecting the elegancy and tenderness of the educated, civilized and cultured characters. In Mun plays, characters put a lot of effort in creating distinctive facial expressions and body gestures to express their underlying emotions.
All information in this section copyright ÃÂé Bay Area Cantonese Opera
Cantonese instrumental music was called ching yam prior to the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. Cantonese instrumental tunes have been used in Cantonese opera, either as incidental instrumental music or as fixed tunes to which new texts were composed, since the 1930s.
The use of instruments in Cantonese opera is influenced by both western and eastern cultures. The reason for this is that Canton was one of the earliest places in China to establish trade relationships with the western civilizations. In addition, Hong Kong was under heavy western influence when it was a British colony. These factors contributed to the observed western elements in Cantonese Opera.
For instance, the use of erhu (two string bowed fiddle), saxophones, guitars and the congas have demonstrated how diversified the musical instruments in Cantonese Operas are.
The musical instruments are mainly divided into melodic and percussive types.
Traditional musical instruments used in Cantonese opera include wind, strings and percussion. The winds and strings encompass erhu, butterfly harp, pipa and flute, while the percussion comprises many different drums and cymbals. The percussion controls the overall rhythm and pace of the music, while the erhu leads the orchestra.
The instrumental ensemble of cantonese opera is comprised of two sections: the melody section and the percussion section. The percussion section has its own vast body of musical materials, generally called loh gu dim or simply loh gu. These 'percussion patterns' serve a variety of specific functions.
To see the pictures and listen to the sounds of the instruments, visit
[1] and [1].
There are two types of music commonly found in cantonese opera. They are Theatrical and "Gor Tarn"(Singing Stage). The theatrical style of music is further classified into "Saih Ngok"(Western Music) and "Jung Ngok"(Chinese Music). "Gor Tarn" is the type of music which consists of only "Saih Ngok". The "four great male vocals" is a represenation of this music style and they had once dominated the world of cantonese opera.
The "Saih Ngok" consists of the strings, woodwinds, brass plus electrified instruments and the "Jung Ngok" consists of traditional chinese percussion instruments.
Performers often have to sing in a play. The lyrics is written by the opera writers which is fit into the melodies composed for the play. A special feature to be noted is that one song can contain multiuple melodies. The performers, therefore, are given flexibility to add their own elements to the song when they sing it. Whether a song is well performed depends on the performers' own emotional involvement and ability. It's not like karaoke nowadays where the songs have a fixed tune and pace.
All information in this section copyright ÃÂé Bay Area Cantonese Opera
The entire cast is made up of six different and unique character roles.
In a cantonese opera, one of the most important aspects for the audience to observe has to be the costumes as the costumes itself bears its own implications for the characters wearing them. Costumes used in the plays must correspond to the theme of the play.
In "Mo" plays, heavy and complicated costumes like armor on the warriors are often used. A lot of other accessories are added to the costumes to give more visual effects to the audience and to enhance the atmosphere of "War".
In a Mun play, you would expect to see a lot of costumes with water sleeves as mentioned in the "Types of Plays". They can be sewed to different locations on the costume, such as the waist and the sides of the breast areas. Cuttings may vary. Some of them have a circular collar and single or double breasted designs. All female characters in a Mun play are expected to wear costumes with water sleeves as a symbol of elegancy and feminity.
Costumes say a lot about the status of the character wearing them in the play. It is for this reason female costumes are more restricted and are less diversified than male costumes. The lower in the social status of the character, the plainer is the costume worn. The richer and the more socially respected characters wear outfit with more decorations.
All information in this section copyright ÃÂé Bay Area Cantonese Opera
Prior to a play, the performers have to spend hours at the backstage putting on heavy makeup. The process is very difficult and it usually requires specially trained stylists. Each makeup is distinctive and requires hard-work to actually master.
One of the most common type of makeup is the "white and red face". The concept may sound fairly simple but it is the details that are hard to achieve. It usually starts with an application of base foundation ,which is white in color, to the face extending to the region of the neck and ears. The next step is too add red pigments to the eye area and the cheeks. The eyebrows are sometimes drawn upwards with a sharp edge to give a longer shape.
The face of an actor is usually lifed by pulling the skin upwards and tying it with a ribbon to the back of the head. The up-lifitng of the face gives an elevated eye lines which makes the characters appear more "authoritative".
Lipstick used on makeups are usually bright red for the glamourous, attractive and striking effect on the performers.
Makeup on the performers reflects certain characteristics of the performers. The comical role always has a large white circular spot at the center of the face. A sick character has a thin red line pointing upwards in between the eyebrows. Aggressive and frustrated character roles often have a "ying hong jee" (an arrow shape fading into the forehead) in between his eyebrows.
Another makeup you will probably often notice in Cantonese opera is called "hoy meen" (開面). This makeup is for male character roles who are very tall and large in size. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the three sworn brothers Guan Yu, Jueng Fey and Lao Bey have this kind of makeup. The unique feature of this makeup is that the performers can apply different colors of makeup to create different faces of charachers. Each of them bears distinct characteristics which are important as it signifies the uniqueness of the characters.
All information in this section copyright ÃÂé Bay Area Cantonese Opera
Hats and Helmets are worn differently by different classes of people. They represent different social status, age and capability.
For example, in male characer roles, black hats with two wings on the sides are usually worn by educated scholars and respectable government officials. Simpler hats are worn by soldiers. Helmets with pheasant feather are worn by distinguished generals. Crowns are worn by kings.
All information in this section copyright ÃÂé Bay Area Cantonese Opera
Pheasant feathers/Antennae: Male and Female actors usually wear them in "Mo" plays. These are long feather-like tails attached to the actor's helmet. They are also called antennae because they look like it. Other than decorative purposes, they serve as tools for the performers to display their skills and expressions.
Water Sleeves: Male and Female actors wear them in "Mun" plays. These are soft materials that are sewed to the sleeves. Movement by the actor's arm can make it flow elegantly and softly, giving a feel of water flow. Such moves have their own implications in the plays.
Hand Movements: The movments of the hands and fingers of the performers actually reflect the music and scence of the play in progress. If you watch the plays, you will observe that the female actors always hold their hands in a "lotus" form, which is considered feminine and elegant.
Round Table/Walking: Walking(Speend walking) is one the most difficult , yet a basic move to master. Walking is a standard action in Cantonese operas. Such movements are also called Round Table.
Females Actors tend to remain seen "light" by taking very small steps and lifting their body , giving it a feeling of being detached from the legs. Male actors take larger steps while keeping their upper body detached from their legs. This is considered as an elegant movement and implies traveling great distances.
Go Hur: Male Actors's shoes in the plays. It is a big black boot with a high sole which is usually white. Due to the height of the shoes, males perform walking with difficulty.
Gwou Wai: It is a movement which two performers move in a cross-over fashion to opposite sides of the stage.
Tuir Mok: It is a movement which two performers walk in a circle facing each other and then walk towards their original positions.
Lai saan & Wun Sou: Elementary moves of Cantonese operas. They mainly involve the movements of the hands and the arms. It's used in conjunction with other complex movements. Beginners of Cantonese operas learn these movements.
Jurt Bo/Choot Bo: Male and female actors use this in Walking. It gives the effect of "gliding".
Siu Tiu: More commonly seen in Mo plays. The actor stomps the ground before doing the walking.
Fay Tuir: A kick performed by the performers. The kick has a crescent locus.
Hair-flinging/"Headbanging": Both male and female performers do this move in both Mo or Mu plays. It is a movement of the head in circular motion so that the ponytail is seen swinging in circles. This movement expresses sadness and frustration.
Chestbuckle/ Flower: Male and female performers wear them on the chest for decorative purporses. It is actually a flower like object made by folding fabric-like materials. A Red flower on the male signifies that he is engaged.
Horsewhip: Performers swing the whip and start a walking to imply that they are riding on the back of the horse.
Sifu: Literally, Master, This is a designation for experienced performers and teachers.
All information in this section copyright ÃÂé Bay Area Cantonese Opera
To intensify education in Cantonese opera, the Cantonese Artists Association of Hong Kong started to run an evening part-time certificate course in Cantonese opera training with assistance from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 1998. In 1999, the Association and the Academy further conducted a two-year daytime diploma programme in performing arts in Cantonese opera in order to train professional actors and actresses. Aiming at further raising the students' level, the Association and the Academy have launched an advanced course in Cantonese opera in the next academic year.
In recent years, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council has given grants to Love and Faith Cantonese Opera Laboratory for conducting Cantonese opera classes for children and youths. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has also funded the International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong Branch) to implement the "Cultural Envoy Scheme for Cantonese Opera" for promoting traditional Chinese operas in the community.
All indigenous sources draw an essential distinction between sections of text that are delivered in a speech-like manner and those that are sung. Actually, the boundary between speech and song is as chracterustucally troublesome in Cantonese opera as it has been to researchers of a dozen other musical genres: certain speech-types indeed have much in common with some, especially non-metric, sung passanges.
Speech-types are of a wide variety: one is nearly identical to standard conversational Cantonese while another is a very smooth and refined delivery of a passage of poetry; some have one form or another of instrumental accompaniment while others have none; and some serve fairly specific functions while others are more widely adaptable to variety of dramatic needs.
Pop music from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, America, and Britainas flooded China, and especially Guangzhou, during the past ten years. Hong Kong radio tranmissions have usually been easily received in Guangzhou. The recent flood of cassette tapes from over the border and the availability of reasonable quality cassette tape players have brought Cantonese language pop music into literally every home and work place.
See also:
History
Special characteristics of cantonese opera
The 'four skills' and 'five methods' are a simple codification of the areas of special training for opera performers, and also stand as something of a metaphor for the most well-rounded and thoroughly trained performers.
The 'four skills' are categories that, according to sources, represent the whole spectrum of vocal and dramatic training: singing, acting and movement, delivery of the 'speech-types' and martial and 'gymnastic skills', while the five methods are categories of techniques associated with specific body parts, and really belong as sub-categories to the 'acting and movement' category: hands, eyes, body, hair, feet or walking techniques.Implications of Cantonese Opera
Types of Play
Musical Instruments
Music
Performers
Image of a Female General in a PlayCostumes
Makeup
Hairstyle, Hats and Helmets
Other than accessories worn on the head, the hair styles are also designed to suit different character roles. The hairstyle implies a lot about the emotions of the character roles. If a general or warrior loses a battle, then they will be given a ponytail-like hairstyle which can be swung to express frustrations and sadness.We can also tell the social status of a woman from her hairstyle as well. For example, buns are usually done by a maid or a girl. And a Dai tow is usually by married woman. For helmet adorned with jewels, they are either a queen or a princess. Cantonese Opera's Frequently Used Terms
A Fay TuirImportant Chinese Cantonese Opera Artists
Contonese Opera Artists:
To find information and see the pictures of some artists , visit
http://members.aol.com/canopera/Present Development in Hong Kong
Speech Types
The Influence of Pop Music
External links
For more information related to Cantonese opera, visit