Distinguished Lectures on Chinese Culture and Religion (1)

Abstract

The origin of Chinese opera can be traced back to witchcraft rituals of the Neolithic ages. During the Northern Song Dynasty, a variety of performing arts, singing styles and oral literary genres merged to form Nanxi (Southern Drama), the first genre of Chinese opera. While Cantonese opera gradually took shape in the 1850s, it still maintains a close tie to Taoist rituals, preserves tunes from Kunju and a number of other operatic genres, as well as staging plays originated from Nanxi. This talk surveys the contemporary development of Cantonese opera in Hong Kong in the context of Chinese opera history, and puts in perspective how traditional operatic elements are preserved and modernised. Specifically, it will cover topics such as contemporary religious opera, the White Tiger Ritual as stage initiation, troupe organisation, role types, the repertory, characteristic features of vocal music, and training of young artists.

Speaker's Profile：

Professor Sauyan Chan taught at the Music Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong from 1987 to 2007 and is currently Adjunct Professor at the Cultural Management Programme of CUHK. His publications include Improvisation in a Ritual Context: The Music of Cantonese Opera (1991) and a number of monographs on the music, history and ethnography of Cantonese opera.