Changsha Folk Opera
A group of opera performers assembled in a small square in Changsha. The troupe entertains a gathering crowd of onlookers. The performers—mostly nonprofessional, but some from the China Conservatory of Music—are Beijing opera enthusiasts who enjoy bringing their skill, knowledge, and love for opera to the Chinese people. For those lucky enough to see the performers act, including ChinaVine’s Joel Batchler, the cost of admission is absolutely free. Of course, donations are accepted, but the opera is more for the benefit and enjoyment of the people than for profit. “Stumbling upon Beijing opera in Changsha was definitely one of the most pleasantly surprising moments during my trip,” says Batcher about the show. This variation on the Beijing opera was just one experience the ChinaVine member encountered during his ten days of in-depth research in the People’s Republic of China.
From left to right: Chen Nan, Zhao Yifei, and Joël Batchler
In December 2010, Batchler traveled to Changsha, Beijing, and Zhuzhou, China. He studied traditional Chinese music as well as Chinese folk music under Chen Nan and Zhao Yifei at the China Conservatory of Music (CCM) in Beijing. Batchler, an undergraduate Music major at the University of Central Florida, has a strong interest in Chinese musical culture. “Beethoven, Piano, Guitar. If I said these words, most people would have an idea what they meant, even in the East,” Batchler states passionately, “What if I said huqin? Dizi? Dagu? Chinese music seems so unexplored by the West, and I just want to help open up this world and to help show its beauty to everyone.” During his time in China, Batchler gathered a multitude of valuable information about Chinese music, both its traditional and folk forms. He examined styles and influences of Chinese music, as well as Western influences on Chinese learning in and outside the conservatory.
Many aspects of Chinese folk music and traditional Chinese music are quite different from what Westerners are accustomed to hearing, says Batchler, who was excited to learn just how different Chinese-inspired Western music is from music created in China.
Everything from notation style to cadence can function differently than in Western music. Despite the differences, Batchler also noted many similarities as well.
While in Beijing, Batchler observed many Western influences in the curriculum at the CCM. In particular he noted some very interesting connections between compositions and styles in Chinese and Western music. For example, in the past, Chinese musical notation used Chinese characters and differed significantly from European musical notation. However, during his studies Batchler found CCM teachers using Western notation in their curriculum.
Studying at the CCM enabled Batchler to gather details on traditional and folk music from many different regions in China. However, since Batchler was in the northern city of Beijing, his studies were mainly influenced by music from China’s north. Northern influences, says Batchler, are distinguished by, but not limited to, ensembles with flutes, mouth organs, and percussion instruments.
Batchler’s research also focuses on the differentiations of sound in Chinese musical instruments. In China, instruments are classified into eight categories based on how they make sound. These categories are known as the Eight Sounds, silk, bamboo, wood, stone, metal, clay, gourd, and hide. Today, silk often takes the form of metal, like the strings on a violin or cello. Bamboo often refers to instruments such as the flute, based on the material the instrument is made from. Chinese instruments in two of these categories would be the Pipa, silk, similar to a lute, and the Dizi, which is a Chinese flute made from bamboo.
For Batchler’s complete musical analysis between Western music and Chinese traditional and folk music, stay tuned to ChinaVine.