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Chaozhou xianshi (潮州弦诗; also called simply xianshi music) is a type of sizhu music indigenous to the Chaozhou region at the northeastern part of Guangdong province in southern China. It is also performed in regions with overseas Chaozhou populations, such as Singapore, Thailand, and the United States.
Xianshi music is respected as one of the oldest Chaozhou musical traditions which has developed from a fusion of elements from various northern musical genres.
Xianshi music can be performed in the following contexts:
- As an independent instrumental music genre, performed at weddings or other auspicious ceremonial events
- As an accompaniment to some of the musical passages in Chaozhou opera
Repertory
The "ten great suites" are the best known pieces of the xianshi repertory. These pieces use the suite structure. Most pieces have 68 beats.
Tuning system
Instruments are generally tuned to a seven-tone equidistant temperament. Two common modes are qingliu (轻六, literally "light six"] and zhongliu (重六, literally "heavy 6"). Qingliu uses the sol-la-do-re-mi scale structure while zhongliu uses the sol-ti-do-re-fa structure. While qingliu is associated with liveliness and joy, zhongliu is associated with melancholy.
Characteristic instruments
Bowed strings
- Zixian 字弦 (2-string fiddle, also known as erxian, adopted from the Hakka touxian 头弦)
- Tihu (2-string fiddle of lower pitch than the zixian, adapted from the Cantonese gaohu)
- Yehu (2-string fiddle with coconut shell body; comes in small and large sizes)
- Dahu
- Cello
- Erhu
- Zhonghu
- Banhu
Stuck and plucked strings
References
- Asian Music Tradition, v. 2, 2005