Nanyin Music
By admin on 2015-01-14

Nanyin music, a traditional opera sung in the Minnan dialect, has existed for more than 1,000 years and is considered to be the most ancient musical art form in China. With its unique musical and notation system Nanyin music is regarded as a "living fossil of ancient Chinese music."

The music dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). It originated as royal palace music but eventually established itself in southern China when court musicians migrated south as a because of civil wars. Nanyin musical practices and instruments have been preserved for centuries, incorporating elements of Xianghege song of the Han Dynasty, the Qingshengyue music of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), and the seating position of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Described as "serene and elegant", the music reflects a bygone age when the pace of life was unhurried, with two types: instrumental ensemble music to be played or sung, and songs. A typical piece may be as brief as two minutes or as long as forty minutes.

The main pitched instruments used in Nanyin music are the dongxiao, the nanpa, the erxian, the sanxian a three-stringed plucked instrument and the paiban. Featuring wind and string instruments such as the lute and the vertical flute, it has close ties with ancient imperial music, Buddhist music, poetic rhythm, and drama tunes.

For hundreds of years it has been handed down through oral instruction and has spread from Quanzhou to other parts of Fujian, Taiwan Province, and among overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia and Europe.