Complex Chinese Vocal Music

Perhaps the most intricate aspect of traditional Chinese music,and of much East Asian music,is the use of nuance in instrumental and vocal timbre.Even when playing one instrument, there are minute differences in timbre production of a single tone. Much attention is placed on the prodluction and control of sin- gle tones: each tone is regarded as a musical entity. The best example of chis is hieard in qin zither music.

Vocal music is also complicated because of complex tonal inflections and the intricacies of the Chinese language. For example,even though Chinese words are monosyllabic,a singer takes great care in enunciating the "head" (be- ginning),“belly” (middle),and “til” (end) of each word in Kun opera and Nanguan music. Therefore,timbre in Chinese music has a deeper meaning than simply tone color as an end in itself.

Chinese vocal quality is often described as being high-pitched and nasal.This is generally true,but there are regional differences.The northern style of singing (such as Peking opera)tends to be higher and more shrill than the southem style of singing (such as Kun opera or Nanguan).This north-south contrast in vocal quality can even be heard in the local Baiguan (northern-style Theater) and Nanquan Gouthern-style Theater or lyric song) on the island of Taiwan.

Thousands of indigenous and Sinicized musical instruments exist in China. but the Chinese seem to fivor chordophones and aerophones. The famous term "silk and bamboo" refers to the ancient use of stringed instruments with silk strings and wind instruments made of bamboo.Of all the chordophones,the qin zither is by far the most venerated.It is depicted in many paintings and men- tioned in classic literature. Next in importance to the gin zither is the zheng zither.In the past,solos and small ensembles were more characteristic of tradi- tional Chinese music making:the large Chinese orchestra with a baton-waving conductor is a product of the twentieth century.