Kunqu
An old vocal tradition and opera genre from Kunshan, qupai based and refined in style
Related
Kunqu, also called Kun opera or Kunshan qiang, took shape around Kunshan in Jiangsu in the late Yuan and early Ming, and was refined into the "water-polished" style by Wei Liangfu and others in the mid-Ming. It uses qupai form: named tunes are joined into suites, with few words and long melismas, careful diction, breath and inflection, led by the dizi flute.
Kunshan qiang is a vocal tradition; Kun opera is the genre — today "Kunqu" often covers both. It is not a Jiangnan folk tune or a kind of instrumental ensemble, but a complete system of song, speech, movement and combat; Peking and Sichuan opera have both borrowed its tunes and gestures. In 2001 UNESCO named Kunqu a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
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Sources
- 昆曲的声腔源流、水磨调、曲牌体与笛子主奏，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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