Guangdong music (genre)

Traditional Chinese music genre

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This article is part of the series on

Cantonese culture

People

* Cantonese people in Hong Kong
* Punti–Hakka Clan Wars

Language

* Grammar
* Phonology
* Orthography
* Yale Romanization
* Jyutping
* Yue
* Taishanese
* Poetry

Architecture

* Diu lau
* Tong lau
* Garden
* Canton Tower

Visual arts

* Ivory carving
* Jade carving
* Teochew woodcarving
* Penjing
* Porcelain
* Furniture
* Sekwan ware
* School of painting

Performing arts

* Folk songs
* Nam yum
* Opera
* Instrumental music
* Gou Wu
* Pop music
* Cinema of Hong Kong

Martial arts

* Hung Ga
* Choy gar
* Mok Gar
* Wing Chun
* Choy Li Fut
* Chow Gar
* Butterfly sword

Cuisine

* Yum cha
* Dim sum
* Leung cha
* Tong sui

Philosophy

* Lingnan Confucianism

Customs and traditions

* New Year flowermarket
* Lion dance
* Nin Lai
* Commercial traditions
* Pre-wedding customs
* Wedding customs
* Villain hitting
* Bone collecting

Taoist deities

* Wong Tai Sin
* Hung Shing
* Mazu
* Tam Kung
* Yunmou

Folktales

* The Legend of Five Goats
* Lady Sin

Cultural symbols

* Red cotton flower
* Hong Kong orchid
* Macau lotus
* Sampan

Cultural hubs

* Guangzhou
* Foshan
* Nanning
* Hong Kong
* Macau

* v
* t
* e

Guangdong music, also known as Cantonese music (廣東音樂 Jyutping: gwong2dung1 jam1ngok6, Yale: gwóng-dūng yām-ngohk, Pinyin: Guǎngdōng yīnyuè) is a style of traditional Chinese instrumental music from Guangzhou and surrounding areas in Pearl River Delta of Guangdong Province on the southern coast of China. The name of the music is not an accurate description because Guangdong music is not the only music of the whole Guangdong area. Cantonese classical music especially were usually much livelier in pace and happier than those of other China provinces which is typical and the very essence of the Cantonese's character. In Guangdong, there are numerous traditional genres of music such as Teochew music and Hakka music (Hakka Hanyue and sixian). The name of the music originated in the 1920 and 1930s when the music was popular in Shanghai ballrooms in the form of "Spiritual Music" (精神音樂, Jīngshěn Yīnyuè; more properly translated as "spirited music"). As the performers were almost entirely from Guangdong, Shanghai people generalized the form of music as Guangdong music. Musically, compositions are based on tunes derived from Cantonese opera, together with new compositions from the 1920s onwards. Some pieces have influences from jazz and Western music, using syncopation and triple time, and incorporating instruments such as the saxophone, violin, guitar, piano, drum set, or xylophone.[1]

## Instrumentation

[edit]

The gaohu is the most common lead instrument used in performing Cantonese music. It was invented by Lü Wencheng (吕文成, 1898–1981) in the 1920s. Prior to this, the erxian was the most common lead bowed string instrument in the Cantonese ensemble. Ensembles led by the erxian and also featuring the tiqin are called yinggong (硬弓, literally "hard bow") ensembles, while those led by the gaohu are called ruangong (软弓, literally "soft bow") because the erxian and tiqin have thick bamboo bows, while the gaohu has a thinner, flexible bow.

Guangdong music gradually evolved into a string ensemble format by the 1960s, led by the gaohu with ruan, qinqin, yangqin, sanxian, yehu, tiqin and various woodwind (including houguan) and percussion instruments. Alto saxophone, xylophone, violin, piano, electric guitar, and drum set may also be used, in combination with traditional instruments.

## Composers

[edit]

* He Liutang (何柳堂, 1874–1933)
* Lü Wencheng (吕文成, 1898－1981)
* Qiu Hechou (丘鶴儔, 1880–1942)
* Yan Laolie (嚴老烈, c. 1850-c. 1930)
* He Yunian (何与年, 1880 or 1881-1962)

## Compositions

[edit]

* Baihua Ting Nao Jiu《百花亭鬧酒》(Drinking Uproariously at the Hundred-Flowers Pavilion) - anonymous
* Bu Bu Gao《步步高》(Stepping Higher and Higher) - by Lü Wencheng
* E Ma Yao Ling《餓馬搖鈴》(Hungry Horse Shakes Its Bell) - possibly by He Liutang)
* Han Tian Lei《旱天雷》(Thunder in the Drought) - by Yan Laolie
* Jiao Shi Ming Qin《蕉石鳴琴》(Playing the Qin by the Plantain-Shaped Stones) - by Lü Wencheng
* Ping Hu Qiu Yue《平湖秋月》(Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake) - by Lü Wencheng
* Qing Mei Zhu Ma《青梅竹馬》(Childhood Sweethearts) - by Lü Wencheng
* Sailong Duojin《賽龍奪錦》(Grabbing the Flag at the Dragon Boat Race) - by He Liutang
* Xiao Tao Hong《小桃红》(Little Peach, [Blossoming] Red) - anonymous
* Yu Da Ba Jiao《雨打芭蕉》(Rain Tapping on the Plantains) - possibly by He Liutang
* Yu Le Sheng Ping (娛樂昇平, by Qiu Hechou)

## Audio samples

[edit]

Ping Hu Qiu Yue

Sample of "Ping Hu Qiu Yue" (平湖秋月, Autumn Moon On Calm Lake). Composed by Lü Wencheng. Gaohu solo played by Yu Qiwei, with guzheng accompaniment.)

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Problems playing this file? See media help.

Jiao shi ming qin

Sample of "Jiao shi ming qin" (蕉石鳴琴 Playing the qin by banana rock). Composed by Lü Wencheng, played by a small ensemble of five instruments, gaohu played by Yu Qiwei.

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Problems playing this file? See media help.

## See also

[edit]

* Guangdong Chinese Orchestra

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Leisure and Cultural Service Department (Hong Kong) - Guangdong music series

## External links

[edit]

* Guangdong music page (Mandarin Chinese)

* v
* t
* e

Folk and indigenous music

Music on the World Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Types and
subgenres|

| By subject or function|

* Ballads
* Child
* Murder
* Carols
* Christmas carol
* Koliadka
* Children's
* Dance music
* Drinking song
* Love song
* Protest song
* Anti-war song
* Sea shanties
* Sporting song
* War songs
* Work song

|

Fusions|

* American primitive guitar
* Anti-folk
* Bluegrass
* Country folk
* Dangdut
* Koplo
* Filk music
* Folk baroque
* Folk jazz
* Folk-pop
* Folk rock
* Folk metal
* Celtic metal
* Medieval metal
* Folk punk
* Celtic punk
* Celtic rock
* Celtic metal
* Celtic punk
* Folktronica
* Indie folk
* Industrial folk
* Medieval folk rock
* Medieval metal
* Muiñeira
* Neofolk
* Nerd-folk
* Psychedelic folk
* Freak folk
* New Weird America
* Progressive folk
* Raï
* Skiffle
* Tamang Selo
* Vallenato
* Xẩm

Regional
traditions|

| North America|

* Central America
* Mexican
* Corrido
* Son calentano
* Son jarocho
* Son huasteco
* Tierra Caliente
* Yaqui
* Panamanian

| Indigenous North
American|

* Canadian
* Arapaho
* Blackfeet
* Dene
* Innu
* Inuit
* Iroquois
* Kiowa
* Kwakwaka'wakw
* Métis
* Navajo
* Pueblo
* Seminole
* Sioux
* Yaqui
* Yuman

|

American|

* Appalachian
* Old-time
* Folk revival (1950s–60s)
* Hawaiian
* New Mexico
* Red Dirt
* Tejano
* Western

| African-American|

* Blues
* Jazz
* Dixieland
* Jug
* Ragtime
* Spirituals

|

Country|

* Americana
* Roots rock
* Bluegrass
* Country folk
* Country pop
* Country rock
* Honky-tonk
* Rockabilly
* Southern soul
* Western swing

Canadian|

* Canadian fiddle
* Indigenous
* Dene
* Innu
* Inuit
* Métis
* by ethnocultural group
* Celtic
* French
* by region
* Prairies
* Québécois
* Quebec fiddle
* Néo-trad
* Maritime
* Cape Breton fiddling

Caribbean|

* Cuban
* Haitian
* Kontradans
* Jamaican
* Mento
* Trinidadian and Tobagonian
* Cariso
* Chutney
* Chutney parang
* Chutney soca
* Kaiso
* Parang
* Soca

South American|

* Brazilian
* Chilean
* Venezuelan
* Gaita zuliana

Oceanian|

* Australian
* White Australian
* Indigenous Australian
* Cook Islander
* Easter Islander
* Maori
* Marshallese
* Papua New Guinean
* Samoan
* Solomon Islander
* Tahitian
* Tongan
* Tuvaluan

Asian|

* Bangladeshi
* Bhawaiya
* Bhutanese
* Central Asian
* Chinese
* Cantonese
* Hakka
* Jingnan
* Lâm-kóan
* Pak-kóan
* Teochew
* Zhongguo feng
* Filipino
* Bodabil
* Kundiman
* Manila sound
* Indian
* Kamrupi Lokgeet
* Rasiya
* Sanedo
* Indonesian
* Japanese
* Min'yō
* Korean
* Trot
* Mongolian
* Nepalese
* Pakistani
* Vietnamese
* Quan họ

European|

* Alpine
* Austrian
* Balkan
* Albanian
* Tallava
* Bosnian and Herzegovinan
* Sevdalinka
* Starogradska muzika
* Bulgarian
* Chalga
* Starogradska muzika
* Croatian
* Starogradska muzika
* Greek
* Laïko
* Rebetiko
* Tsifteteli
* Italian
* Kosovan
* Tallava
* Montenegrin
* Macedonian
* Čalgija
* Starogradska muzika
* Romani
* Romanian
* Lăutărească music
* Manele
* Serbian
* Balkan brass
* Starogradska muzika
* Turbo-folk
* Slovenian
* Turkish
* Anatolian blues
* Anatolian rock
* Arabesque
* Fantezi
* Tsifteteli
* Belarusian
* Breton
* Celtic
* Celtic fusion
* Celtic metal
* Celtic punk
* Celtic rock
* Czech
* Moravian
* Polka
* Danish
* Dutch
* English
* Hornpipe
* Jigs
* Morris dance
* Estonian
* Finnish
* French
* German
* Hungarian
* Icelandic
* Irish
* Gaelic folk music
* Hornpipe
* Latvian
* Lithuanian
* Maltese
* Norwegian
* Polish
* Pontic Greek
* Portuguese
* Russian
* Scottish
* Gaelic
* Slovenian
* Spanish
* Swedish
* Swiss
* Ukrainian
* Cossack
* Dumka
* Vesnianky
* Welsh

Middle Eastern and
North African|

* Armenian
* Assyrian
* Azerbaijani
* Egyptian
* Fantezi
* Iranian
* Israeli
* Klezmer
* Mizrahi music
* Pontic Greek
* Turkish
* Anatolian blues
* Anatolian rock
* Arabesque
* Tsifteteli

Related
articles|

* 20th-century Western folk music
* Acoustic music
* Filk music
* Festivals
* Folk clubs
* Folk dance
* Instruments
* List
* Collections
* Roud number
* Child
* Laws numbers
* Outlaw country
* Progressive rock
* Pub session
* Record labels
* Roots revival
* World music
* Worldbeat
* History of music

* v
* t
* e

Guangdong topics

Guangzhou (capital)

General|

* History
* Politics
* Economy
* Police

Geography|

* Cities
* Metropolitan areas
* Chaoshan
* Pearl River Delta
* Sanyi (Sam Yup)
* Sze Yup (Siyi)
* Leizhou Peninsula
* Regions
* Pearl River Delta
* Yuexi
* Yuebei
* Yuedong
* Pearl River
* East River
* West River
* Nanling Mountains
* Pratas Island and the Vereker Banks (claimed)
* Shamian Island

Education|

* Guangzhou Education
* Shenzhen Education

Culture|

* Lingnan culture
* Cantonese people
* Varieties of Chinese
* Yue Chinese
* Hailufeng
* Teochew
* Hakka
* Lingnan architecture
* Tong lau
* Lingnan garden
* Cantonese embroidery
* Teochew woodcarving
* Lingnan penjing
* Canton porcelain
* Lingnan School
* Music
* Cantonese opera
* Naamyam
* Guangdong music
* Gou Wu
* Cantonese poetry
* Cantonese nationalism
* Hung Ga
* Wing Chun
* Lingnan Confucianism
* Flowermarket
* Cantonese lion dance
* Wong Tai Sin
* Hung Shing
* Cantonese merchants
* Red cotton flower
* Cantonese folktales
* The Legend of Five Goats
* Villain hitting
* Hakka people
* Teochew people
* Zhuang people
* Chu Hua Yuan

Cuisine|

* Cantonese cuisine
* Beef chow fun
* Chow mein
* Char siu
* Roasted suckling pig
* Bird's nest soup
* Seafood birdsnest
* Shumai
* Cantonese fried rice
* Dim sum
* Yum cha
* Leung cha
* Tong sui
* Hakka cuisine
* Teochew cuisine

* Category
* Commons

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