Cantonese Music

Introduction

Silk-and-bamboo ensemble music of the Pearl River Delta, led by gaohu, yangqin and qinqin

Cantonese music, or yueyue, is the silk-and-bamboo ensemble music of the Cantonese-speaking Pearl River Delta, centred on Guangzhou, Panyu and Taishan. It took shape in the late Qing, and Shawan in Panyu is regarded as one of its birthplaces. Early bands used the 'five pieces' of erxian, tiqin fiddle, sanxian, yueqin and transverse flute, known as the hard-bow ensemble; from about 1926 Lü Wencheng led with the gaohu, a high-pitched erhu, in a trio with yangqin and qinqin that grew into the soft-bow ensemble. The repertoire is mostly short programmatic pieces, over five hundred known by title and score, among them Rain Beating on Banana Leaves, Thunder in Drought, Winning the Dragon Boat Race and Autumn Moon on a Calm Lake. It entered the first national ICH list in 2006.

Timeline

1. 1880OriginIn the late Qing, bayin bands and musicians of the Pearl River Delta formed an independent silk-and-bamboo ensemble music; Shawan in Panyu, home of musicians such as He Bozhong (born 1833), is regarded as one of its birthplaces.
2. 1926EvolutionAround 1926 Lü Wencheng, raised in Shanghai, adapted the erhu into the gaohu and made it the lead instrument, in a trio with yangqin and qinqin that replaced the hard-bow 'five pieces' led by erxian and tiqin.
3. 2006ImpactIn 2006 Cantonese music entered the first national ICH list as II-49, nominated by Guangzhou and Taishan, where more than 120 groups still play it.

Heritage Listings

1. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · II-49 Cantonese music · no. 80 · nominated by Guangzhou and Taishan · Guangdong