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]
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 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)
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.