ASIAN
TRADITIONAL
MUSICAL
THEATER
MUSIC 8 – QUARTER 4
Japanese Traditional
form of Theater which
began that the end of
the 16 Century
A form of traditional
Japanese drama with highly
stylized song, mime, and
dance, now performed only
by MALE ACTORS.
Interpreted literally as:
ka – song
bu – dance
ki – art/skill.
Considered as the most
important Japanese
contribution to World
Theater.
Both NOH and KABUKI are unique
and genuine expressions of
Japanese Spirit and Culture.
They mirror the taste and ideals
of different social classes, in
profoundly different
environments and epochs
CATEGORIES OF
KABUKI PLAY
History plays set within
the context of major
events in Japanese
history usually
performed
for the upper class
generally related to
themes of family
drama and romance
usually catered for
the lower class
Dance pieces
VOCAL PATTERNS
AND TECHNIQUES
used in speeches building up to
an explosive climax in the
aragoto style, it requires an
extraordinary breath control
that only few experts succeed in
achieving
adapted from the chanting of
joruri, implies a very sensitive
capacity of riding the rhythms
of the shamisen (string
instrument), declaiming each
accompaniment
Describes the subtle delivery of
the poetical text written in the
Japanese metrical form of
alternating seven and five
syllables.
VOCAL AND INSTRUMENTAL
FEATURES
classic court music imported
from China during the 18th
century
(Theater form Heaven)
Literally translated to “God-
entertainment” and is
performed in Shinto shrines
Chant derives from
shomyo, the sophisticated
and rich tradition of
Buddhist chanting
(Long song)
The most popular form of
shamisen music.
Very flexible and can be
performed by one shamisen or
by an entire orchestra of 20
musicians
ASIAN
TRADITIONAL
MUSICAL
THEATER
MUSIC 8 – QUARTER 4
A stylized Chinese Opera in
which speech, singing, mime
and acrobatics are performed
to an instrumental
accompaniment
TWO
MAIN STYLES
OF
PEKING OPERA
MUSIC
Characterized with a
lower key
Characterized with a
higher key
PEKING OPERA
ORCHESTRA
The Orchestra of the Peking Opera is
different from the western orchestra. It
comprises about 8 musicians sitting on
stools in the far-corner of the stage
Each performance begins with the Ta-lo
and Siag-lo, a small and large gong and
cymbals. In some performances, they
also start with a single skin drum or
kettle drum
Music is an integral part of every performance
as it provides atmospheric background,
accompanies many sung passages, controls
timing of movements and welds the
performance into a rhythmical whole
Theater musicians learn their parts by
rote since Chinese notation is very
imprecise. Most music used has been
worked out collaboratively between
actors and musicians.
PEKING OPERA
ACTORS
The actor’s delivery of lines is rigidly
controlled by convention. Each spoken
passages are governed by strict rhythms
and tempos.
Each role has its prescribed vocal timbre
and pitch, and syllables are often drawn
out with regards to conventional usage
in order to maintain the appropriate
rhythm.
Chanted and sung passages are freely
inserted into spoken monologues. Lines
are rendered in an extremely stylized
manner.
PEKING OPERA MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
AEROPHONES
BOWED
CHORDOPHONES
PLUCKED
IDIOPHONES
PEKING OPERA MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
MEMBRANOPHONE
TI-TS SIAO SONA
Cross flutes usually Recorder flutes usually Trumpet announces
AEROPHONES played along with played along with prosperous
singing singing occasions.
HU-CHI’N BU-CHI’N
Two-stringed fiddle Two-stringed fiddle
BOWED
CHORDOPHONES
YUE-CHI’N PI-P’A
Four-stringed Similar to Lute
PLUCKED instruments. with four strings
TA-LO AND SIAO-LO NAO-BO
IDIOPHONES Small gongs – signify the A pair of Cymbals
beginning of the
performance
TAN-PI-KU
Kettle Drum – used to create Tempo of the performance.
MEMBRANOPHONES
Cross flutes, usually played
along with singing.
Recorder flutes, usually
played along with singing
Trumpet announces
prosperous occassions.
Two-stringed instruments.
Two-stringed instruments.
Four-stringed instruments.
Similar to Lute with four strings
Small gongs – signify the
beginning of the performance
A pair of Cymbals
Kettle Drum – used
to create Tempo of
the performance.
ASIAN
TRADITIONAL
MUSICAL
THEATER
MUSIC 8 – QUARTER 4
One of the oldest and
continuous traditions of story
telling in the world that uses
puppets and background
musical accompaniment.
WAYANG
KULIT
MEANING
An Indonesian and Malay
word for Theater.
Sometimes, the puppet
itself is referred to as
Wayang.
Kulit means skin and refers
to the leather construction
of the puppets that are
carefully cut and supported
with shaped buffalo horn
handles and control rods.
WAYANG KULIT
PERFORMANCE
The audience is the most
important person in the
Wayang Kulit Performance
The dalang prepares all the
materials used like the
cloth and the light for
shadow
The puppet on the right side
signifies the good character,
on the left-hand side, the
bad.
FUNCTIONS OF
THE DALANG
The Dalang is the
Puppeteer who is
characterized by his
being creative,
humorous, and
flexible
He manipulates the
puppet, sings, and
taps out signals to
the orchestra
He also speaks the
parts of all the
characters. The use of
voice interchangeably
is his main ability to
give more life to a
character
GAMELAN MUSIC
Traditional Indonesian
orchestra comprised mainly
by bronze percussion
instruments augmented by
other percussion instruments,
strings and a flute
Xylophone of heavy bronze
bars
Bronze xylophones with
resonance chambers
beneath
Set of bronze bowls
Hanging gongs
Single inverted
bronze bowl
Wooden xylophone