Fandiao
Modulation and mode-borrowing in Song song and opera
Related
Fandiao is the modulation and mode-borrowing of Song song and later opera: a piece temporarily enters another gongdiao or borrows notes from another mode, creating colour and tension.
It differs from xuangong: xuangong is global transposition, while fandiao stresses local borrowing and shift; it is close to "modulation", but the Chinese "fan" carries a sense of crossing a boundary. The usual mistake is to equate fandiao with modulation — it can be a brief borrowing; whether it is a true modulation depends on whether the new mode settles.
Read deeper → gongdiao
Sources
- 犯调在词乐与戏曲中的用法，参《中国音乐词典》与 Grove "China"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.