traditional cantonese opera and baroque toccata form are two differing musical genres that...

5/21/2018 Traditional Cantonese Opera and Baroque Toccata Form Are Two Differing Mus...

http:///reader/full/traditional-cantonese-opera-and-baroque-toccata-form-are-two-d

Musical Links Investigation

13thCentury traditional Cantonese Opera and 20thCentury Jazz Blues are

two differing musical genres that originated on two separate hemispheres,

during two distinct and distant time periods. Despite the vast geographical

distance between the lands these musical cultures emerged in, they shed aconsiderable number of similarities in the elements of harmony, rhythm,

texture, timbre and pitch.Although these two musical cultures developed at

different time periods, they both utilize a similar structure, and make use of

the pentatonic scale (scale mode) and a homophonic texture. These are

three distinct links that I have chosen to compare and contrast with, as they

provide vivid characteristics for each culture.

It is important to distinguish the relationship between music and culture

in this investigation, as music is a significant part of culture, and culture is the

basis of what differentiates societies and their value systems. By understanding

the musical influence on a culture, we can understand the roots and values of aparticular society. This blog post will analyze the Cantonese culture through the

characteristics presented in the cultures most popular art form, CantoneseOpera against African American Blues, a prominent ______-__.

The two pieces that will be used to represent each musical culture are

(Fragrant Sacrifice), for Cantonese Opera, and Sweet Home Chicago by Robert

Johnson for the Blues.

BACKGROUND INFO

Cantonese Opera originated in Southern China in the 13thcentury and

progressively expanded towards the Northern part of China. Serving as a form ofinformal education, Cantonese Opera carried message and lessons about

behavior _____ to its audience in a time where widespread education in China was

not available to most commoners. Showcasing virtues of love, politics, loyalty

and patriotism, Cantonese Opera imposed the strongly held beliefs of Chinese

ancestors onto the modern society, encouraging traditional philosophies and

virtues.

Cantonese Opera is one of the many versions of Chinese Opera, all of

which are similar in style, but emerged in different locations in China. Cantonese

Opera is a traditional Chinese art form that combines music, singing, martial arts,

acrobatics and acting into its performance. However despite this wide variety ofacts in its show, it is often said that the single most important part of the Operaare the lyrics spoken in the music.

While Cantonese Opera was heavily influenced by classical schools of

thought that instilled conservative values and belief systems onto its viewers,the Blues provided a more personal and emotional connection to itsaudience,

expressing the personal adversity, pain and self-pity felt by the composer- who

had been slaves in America. While Cantonese Opera acted as a means of cultural

identity and national pride, the African America work songs of the Blues was anoutlet to relieve the pain felt by the African-American slaves during the late 19th

century in Southern America. Rather than artists expressing cultural myths and



stories like Cantonese Opera did, Blues music expressed the genuine emotion by

the men who had felt it themselves.

Similar to Cantonese Opera and its relationship to Chinese Opera, Blues

comes under the branch of Jazz, which includes and encompasses multiple

genres such as Blue Grass, Bebop, and swing. Both musical cultures spread

through aural tradition, and were taught from generation. For this reason, it isvery hard to find an original score, as it simply was never created. The blues

were the most common form of black music in Northern America during ___

Blues rhythms and lyrics were passed from musician to musician through oral

tradition.

Harmony

The only harmonic feature seen in (Fragrant Sacrifice) from the

Cantonese Opera The Princess Sacrifice and Worry Blues by Jesse Lockettare

their similar tonality.As with most Chinese music, Cantonese Opera utilizes the pentatonic scale as its

mode. (Fragrant Sacrifice) is both in a major and a minor tonality, with no

subdominant or leading tone, thus employing no semitones in the scalar patterns

of the music. The use of the pentatonic scale in this example of Cantonese Opera

allows for simple a harmony with clear-cut phrases. Due to the lack of

dissonance, simplicity and clarity of the voice are maintained throughout.

Building and adding additional notes to the pentatonic form successfully adds

richness to the melody.

Contrastingly, all blues songs are built on the Blues scale, a combination of

several different scales with differing numbers of pitches. Of the __ (#) bluesscales, ____ by ___ employs the hexatonic scale, otherwise known as the minor

pentatonic scale.

Blues leads are played relying heavily on the notes of a minor pentatonic scale.

The minor pentatonic scale played over major chords creates the baseline for the

dissonances that drive blues to a resolution. The flatted seventh degree of the minor

pentatonic lines up with the flatted seventh in the V7/IV chord which ties the chord

progression and the leads together.

Form

Despite the similar comparisons between these two musical genres, they

contrast in their form.

Although the two musical styles differ in the way the content of their pieces

develops (as the Blues follows a strict form and the Cantonese Opera doesnt)they both begin with a brief instrumental introduction. The reason for this is a

result of differing performance atmosphere. Cantonese Opera was always

performed to a live audience, whereas the blues were recorded and published

for playback.



Sweet Home Chicago begins with a 2 bar introduction that leads into the 12 bar

blues form that comprises the entire piece. In this introduction, a guitar is

plucked for the first bar, and then strummed for the continuation of the

introduction, and moves into the 12 bar structure.

After the introduction, Home Sweet Chicago begins a 12 bars blue structure. Thestrumming of the guitar occurs in the chord progression of ___ to, ___ to, and back

to ____. It is repeated in an ostinato pattern as a baseline accompaniment for the

solo male voice throughout the entire song. This short repeated pattern is known

as a riff. The main melody of the voice as well as the baseline in the strummed

guitar are repeated in an ostinato pattern in the three line verse structure of A A

B where the initial statement of _______ is restated and then followed by theresolution of _____.. The 12 bar blues structure and three line verse structure

are both typical of the Blues. talk about bout the blues cultural.

The introduction of Fragrant Sacrifice is much shorter and acts as a brief andsudden opening to this particular scene in the Opera. There is an initialdownward strum of the (instrument) that welcomes the first female solo voice.

From this point on, the vocalist is at the forefront of the act, telling a story in a

sing-able manner. There is no strict or set form that the performance follows. In

contrast to the repeated verses seen in Sweet Home Chicago, Fragrant Sacrifice is

through composed, continually providing new and different verses, not repeated.

- call and response, improvised.

- Instrumental improvisation.

Texture- Both the texture of Home Sweet Chicago and Fragrant Sacrificeis

largely homophonic.

The texture of Home Sweet Chicago stays identical throughout the piece. Whilethe male vocalist has melody, he is accompanied by repetitious chords being

strummed on a guitar. The entire accompaniment part is in strict imitativecounterpoint until the end, similar to the melody which is also repeated

numerously.

Contrastingly, whilst the Blues Home Sweet Chicagofocuses on short Ostinato

patterns, the Cantonese Fragrant Sacrifice focuses on a long melodic line,telling a story in a lyrical and singable form. This vocal part continuously

progresses forward with no ostinato or repeated patterns.

The texture thickens as the music progresses, as new string and percussion

instruments are introduced and built on top of one another, leading the music tobecome polyphonic.



Opera: Homophonic-becomes polyphonic later on. accompaniment (string and

percussion), clear cut phrasing, texture thickens as piece progresses.

The texture thickens as the music progresses, as new string and percussion

instruments are introduced and built on top of one another.

No imitation.

Balance between string and percussion accompaniment to the vocal solo

Vs Opera: Large orchestra? Large ensamble

Rhythm- syncopation (swing rhythm and syncopation)

Blues: Swing rhythm and syncopation.

-Syncopation on first beat, emphasis on the first note. Strong light light

light repeated.

-time signature: 4/4

-Swing rhythm was necessary in the blues. Leads to a laid back feeling

Hard to find emphasized beat.

Dynamics: creshendos, diminuendos, accents

Style; of the voices? Glissandos?

Melody? Contour, disjunct vocal phrases, high vocal pitch,

OPERA: -this introduction: played by a range of percussion instruments.

(luo, muyu, dagu, luogu)- playing polyrhythms.

Polyrhythms: created when there are two different rhythms

at the same time.

Free rhythm?

vocal vibrato, glissandos

Syncopation in the voices ALLLLLL

Conclusion

Blues music was a way to give a voice to the voiceless during a period of

depression. Blues remains popular today, as people are easily able to relate to

the pain that their ancestors endured. . Cantonese Opera- less popular today:



Rhythm: beat, meter, tempo, syncopationDynamics: forte/p, creshendo/decresMelody: pitch, theme, conjunct disjunctHarmony: chord, progression, consonant, dissonant, key, tonalityTone color: register range instumentaionTexture: homophonic, imittation, counterplintForm: binary ternary, through composed. Narrow Tessitura, Glissando, minor pentatonic, rubato, clear cut phrases Opera: pentatonic scale, clear cut phrases, homophonic texture initially, becomes polyphonic(melody with accom- strings and percussion), has an introduction played by percussion,polyrhythm??, vocal vibrato, glissandos, syncopation in voice, scoops in voice, vibrato invoice, emphasis on lyrics, conjunct narrow tessitura on scring accompaniment. thickening oftexture- adding more and more instruments. Call and response (antiphonal) between twofemale voices, one high pitch one medium. string accompaniment baseline that follows thevocal line throughout is being plucked. Rubato in voice at the end of phrases.little dynamicchanges- stays forte throughout. mostly syllabicstring part: legato, played arco throughoutmembranophone: struck with mallets, in duple meter (44)Ends unison in voices. instrumental play out

no structureBlues: Ostinato pattern repeated in instrumental (guitar strum of chords accompaniment) aswell as repeated lyrics in voice.BOTH VOCAL: singing the words as if telling a story.syncopation.verse structure A A B (statement, resated, resolution). three line verse structureImprovisatory (repetition of first line gives singing time to think of third line)12 bar blue form:

homophonic:blues scaleswing rhythmemphasis on first beat. vocal glissandos, vibrato, syncopation,light melody, repeated chorus line

traditional cantonese opera and baroque toccata form are two differing musical genres that...

Documents