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eText Bonus Chapter 3
Jingju
The Reunion
Chapter at a Glance
Listen to This First
A Mandarin Word-Melody
Timbre and Texture
Rhythm and Punctuation
Connect Your Playlist: Opera
Listening Guide: The Reunion
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter and listening to the work, students should be able to:
B3.4 Listen for and identify the sections of metered and unmetered music in
Key Concepts
opera, language tones, stock characters, pentatonic scale, metabole
Chapter Highlight: Recitative and Aria
In opera of both the West and the East, recitative or heightened speech often narrates
dramatic action, while arias express the lyrical sentiments of the characters.
Chapter Summary
The Chinese theater genre known as jingju developed at about the same time that Verdi
and Wagner wrote their operas in Europe, and it was a major part of Beijing
entertainment until the Cultural Revolution (1966 1976). It is possible to see
comparisons between Western opera and jingju. For example, short phrases are akin to
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recitatives, and songs function similarly to arias. The latter are settings of text to
preexisting tune families (modes), the most frequently used of which are xipi and
Listening Guide
The excerpt in eText Bonus Chapter 3 demonstrates that two modes described in the
-like erhuang and moves to
an aria-like xipi. Additionally, students can listen for particular points of interest in the
MyMusicLab Resources
Automated Listening Guide: Jingju, The Reunion
Chapter Audio: Chapter eText Bonus Chapter 3
Watch: Peking (Beijing) Opera
Connect Your Playlist: Opera
Flashcards
Discussion Topics and Critical Thinking Questions
Why were female performers originally banned from jingju? What Western musical
forms reflect similar traditions? Describe the role of Empress Dowager regarding jingju.
Compare her leadership role with that of Chiang Ching, wife of Mao, in the mid-1970s.
Activities and Exercises
Compile a list of Western examples where masks or face paintings are used as part of
costumes (e.g., Halloween, ancient Greek theater, carnivals). What function might
masks or make-
Western cultures?
instruments to Western ones, and Chinese wind instruments to Western ones.
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Journaling Prompt
before you took this course? If yes, what type of music? If no, why do you think that is?