Chapter 7 - East Asia
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About
Chapter 7 introduces the music and associated cultural activities from East Asia, including the countries of China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan, as well as the autonomous region of Tibet. Four different sites (Guqin, the “silk and bamboo” ensemble, Beijing Opera, and Revolutionary Opera) from China are offered, which help to illustrate the philosophical and political influences on music from the country. Other theatrical traditions, including Korean P'ansori and Japanese Kabuki, are introduced, along with prominent traditional music from throughout the region, such as Mongolian throat (overtone) singing, Japanese taiko (drums), Zen Buddhist shakuhachi performance, and Tibetan Buddhist ritual music. Classical sankyoku, a small chamber music from Japan, introduces not only the shakuhachi, but also the koto and shamisen, two important instruments from East Asia. An overview of popular music from the region is also offered in an Explore More feature box.
Key Terms
- A-ak
- Bayin
- Biwa
- Bon
- Bugaku
- Bunraku
- Chobo
- Chou
- Ch'un Hyang Ka
- Cultural Revolution
- Dan
- Diao
- Dizi
- Dung-chen
- Dung-kar
- Erhu
- Gagaku
- Geisha
- Harhiraa
- Hichiriki
- Jing
- Jinghu
- Jingju (also Jingxi)
- Kabuki
- Kang dung
- Kayagum
- Key
- Khoomei
- Kisaeng
- Komuso
- Koto
- Ko-tuzumi
- Morin Huur
- Nga bom
- Node
- Noh
- Nokan
- Nongak
- Overtone
- P'ansori
- Pipa
- Puk
- Qin (also Guqin)
- Ryuteki
- Samul-nori
- Sanjo
- Sankyoku
- Shakuhachi
- Sheng
- Sho
- Sizhu
- Suona
- Taiko
- Urtyn Duu
- Yang ban xi
- Yang qin
- Yue qin
- Zheng
Flashcards
Practice Quiz
Interactive Listening Guides
Videos
For more world music videos, visit the World Music YouTube Channel.
- Kabuki—Noh Theater
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoK3Pa9BK-U
- Japanese Ceremonial Court Music
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SKZwsAdpco
- Tibetan Monks Praying
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=STTLXH46iZ8
- Chinese Peking Opera
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0qEEv43GDc
- Mongolian Throat-Singing
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOsGvs1FZDs
- Traditional Pipa Solo by Liu Fang
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZmAgFyVo48
- Tao Chu-Shen—Guqin
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvhKTFzQG8Y
On Your Own Time Links
Links and Further Resources
China
- Book:
- Goldstein, Joshua. Drama Kings Players and Publics in the Re-creation of Peking Opera, 1870–1937. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 2007.
- http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520247529
- Book:
- Lu, Xing. Rhetoric of the Chinese Cultural Revolution: The Impact on Chinese Thought, Culture, and Communication. Columbia, SC: The University of South Carolina Press, 2004.
- http://www.sc.edu/uscpress/books/2004/3543.html
- Book:
- Thrasher, Alan. Chinese Musical Instruments. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
- https://global.oup.com/academic/product/chinese-musical-instruments-9780195907773?cc=us&lang=en&
- DVD:
- Farewell My Concubine. Dir. Kaige, Chen. Miramax, 1993.
- http://www.illuminatedlantern.com/cinema/review/archives/farewell_my_concubine.php
- Website:
- Chinese Guqin Playing and Notation
- http://www.peiyouqin.com/
- Website:
- North American Guqin Association
- http://www.guqin.org/
- Popular Artists from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan:
- Jackie Chan
- Teresa Teng
- Faye Wong
- Anita Mui
- Cui Jian
- Audio:
- Tuva: Voices from the Center of Asia. Smithsonian-Folkways, SF40017, 1990.
- http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tuva-voices-from-center-asia/id95703572
- Book:
- Levin, Theodore. Where Rivers and Mountains Sing: Sound, Music, and Nomadism in Tuva and Beyond. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2006.
- http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/
- Book:
- Pegg, Carole. Mongolian Music, Dance and Oral Narrative: Performing Diverse Identities. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 2001.http://www.washington.edu/uwpress/search/books/PEGMOC.html
- DVD:
- Genghis Blues. Dir. Belic, Roko. Wadi Rum Productions, 1999.
- http://www.genghisblues.com/
- Website:
- Mongolian Music Blog
- http://mongolianmusic.blogspot.com/
- Popular Artists from Mongolia:
- Kongar-ol Ondar
- Nominjin
- Audio:
- Korean Folk Music—Four Thousand Years. (Digitally Remastered.) Essential Media, 2009.
- http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/korean-folk-music-four-thousand/id292787678
- Book:
- Park, Chan E. Voices from the Straw Mat: Toward an Ethnography of Korean Story Singing. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, 2003.
- http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/p-9780824825119.aspx
- DVD:
- Chunhyang. Dir. Im Kwon-taek. CJ Entertainment, 2000.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunhyang_(2000_film)
- Popular Artists from Korea:
- Seo Taiji
- Shinwa
- SHINee
- Rain
- Girls' Generation
- Book:
- Blasdel, Christopher. The Shakuhachi: A Manual for Learning. Tokyo: Printed Matter Press (Reprint), 2008.
- http://www.shakuhachi.com/PG-Blasdel.html
- Book:
- Brandon, James R. and Samuel L. Leiter. Masterpieces of Kabuki: Eighteen Plays on Stage. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, 2004.
- http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/p-3195-9780824827885.aspx
- Book:
- Foreman, Kelly M. The Gei of Geisha: Music, Identity and Meaning. London: Ashgate, 2008.
- Book:
- Malm, William. Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2000 (Original, 1959).
- Website:
- Discovery Channel—Japan: Geisha Culture
- http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/discovery-atlas-japan-geisha-culture.html
- Website:
- The International Shakuhachi Society
- http://komuso.com/top/index.pl
- Website:
- Kodo (Taiko Ensemble) Official Website
- http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/index_en.html
- Website:
- San Francisco Taiko Dojo
- http://www.sftaiko.com/
- Website:
- Shochiku Kabuki Official Website
- http://www.kabuki-bito.jp/eng/top.html
- Popular Artists from Japan:
- Mr. Children
- Hikaru Utada
- Namie Amuro
- Gackt
- Ayumi Hamasaki (Ayu)
- Book:
- Jansen, Eva Rudy. Singing Bowls, A Practical Handbook of Instruction and Use. Havelte, Holland: Binkey Kok Publications, 1992.
- Website:
- Gyuto Monasteries and Centers
- http://www.gyuto.org/
- Website:
- International Tibet Network
- http://www.tibetnetwork.org/