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Tibetan Opera

Lhamo, the fairy's song of the plateau

Introduction

Masked open-air music drama of the Tibetan Plateau

Tibetan opera, ache lhamo or simply lhamo ("fairy") in Tibetan, combines folk song, dance, storytelling, chant, acrobatics and religious performance, and is performed across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and other Tibetan-speaking areas. Tradition credits its founding to Thangtong Gyalpo in the 14th-15th centuries; in the 17th century it separated from monastic ritual into a sung open-air drama. A performance has three parts, an opening purification and blessing, the main story and a closing blessing; actors wear masks and are accompanied by a single drum and cymbal. Its core repertoire is the eight great plays, including Princess Wencheng and Prince Norsang. Opera from Tibet proper is the parent of branches in Huangnan (Qinghai), Gannan (Gansu) and Sertar (Sichuan), and the Shoton festival is also known as the opera festival.

Timeline

c. 15th century to present
1430 · OriginTradition holds that Thangtong Gyalpo, raising funds to build iron suspension bridges, trained seven sisters to perform, founding ache lhamo.1680 · EvolutionIn the 17th century, the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Tibetan opera separated from monastic ritual into a secular open-air drama of song, chant, dance, mime, speech and acrobatics.
  1. 1430OriginTradition holds that Thangtong Gyalpo, raising funds to build iron suspension bridges, trained seven sisters to perform, founding ache lhamo.
  2. 1680EvolutionIn the 17th century, the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Tibetan opera separated from monastic ritual into a secular open-air drama of song, chant, dance, mime, speech and acrobatics.

Heritage Listings

  1. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · IV-80 · nominated by the Tibet Autonomous Region and others
  2. 2009UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity