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Who plays jiangnan sizhu?
"music of the masses": primarily played by amateurs rather than professionals [10]
professional musicians / conservatory training do not emphasize the genre: play in a flashy/unbalanced style [11] [12]
"Professional musicians are amateurs, while amateur musicians are professionals" [12]
Shanghai Music Club Tradition [13]
Shanghai Music Club Tradition [13]
amateur music clubs specializing in jiangnan sizhu: play for their own enjoyment, not for money
"teahouse music": performed indoors
afternoon session: ~3 hours
play mainly the ba da qu 八大曲 (eight great pieces)
instruments commonly shared, equal opportunity to all
musicians have diverse backgrounds/jobs
mostly older players, mostly men—traditionally, Chinese ensemble music played by men
suppressed during Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)
lack of younger players and women [14]
survival of tradition: difficult & in decline
Rural Traditions [15]
Rural Traditions [15]
rural outskirts of Shanghai
Jiangnan Sizhu performed for calendrical, life-cycle, and religious rituals (including traditional festivals, weddings, celebratory occassions)—often outdoors
usually louder and more boisterous than urban traditions—more percussion (gongs, cymbals, etc)
Taicing (太倉):
Taicing (太倉):
larger repertoire of Jiangnan sizhu pieces than the ba du qu
origins: folk tunes, qupai from regional operas
audio CD of ten pieces created to make it easier to learn (revitalization govt project)
In Ming & Qing dynasties, tangming (堂名) musicians (professional musicians who performed at wedding and funerals) performed sizhu music, as well as excerpts from kunqu opera or shifan wind-and-percussion music
rural tradition: wider range of performance contexts
Gu Family Music Troupe peerforming at a wedding--professional group of musicians performing shifan luogu and Jiangnan sizhu music
[10] Witzelben, "Jiangnan Sizhu," 242.
[11] Chow-Morris, "Going with the Flow," 63.
[12] Mu Qian, "Shanghai’s hidden treasures," China Daily (North American Ed.), 2007.
[13] Witzelben, "Jiangnan Sizhu," 248-249.
[14] Dujunco, "Jiangna Sizhu in the Greater Suzhou Area," 204-205.
[15] ibid, 206-217.
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