Erhuang
One of Peking opera's two main tune families — steady and deep, for narrative and lament
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Erhuang is one of the two main tune families of Peking opera (and of Han opera and others); together with xipi it forms "pihuang". Its melodies tend to circle in the middle and low register, with a steady pace, and it often carries reflection, sorrow and narrative; xipi is brighter and more propulsive.
Erhuang is not one fixed tune but a family of modes: through metrical patterns (yuanban, manban, kuaisanyan and others) it can stretch into a slow aria or compress into a fast one. The same erhuang in another metre is another sense of time. Its difference from xipi lies not in speed but in mode, contour and emotional colour.
Read deeper → ban and yan
Sources
- 二黄腔的板式、情绪性格与皮黄合称，参《中国音乐词典》与 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "China" 相关条目；本文为原创表述
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