Guangdong yinyue

 

 

 

“Guangdong Yinyue (Cantonese music, or music of the Guangdong province) 廣東音樂 has been the most widely known genre of Chinese instrumental music since the 1920’s in both China and abroad. Its popularity is largely based on the thriving entertainment music of the cities of Guangzhou and Hong Kong in the 1920s and 1930s. Despite the literal meaning of its generic title, i.e. “music of Guangdong province,” Guangdong Yinyue only represents one aspect of the music of Guangdong province. 

The commercialisation of Guangdong Yinyue in the 1920’s produced a handful of star composer-performers. Among them, Lü Wencheng is widely acknowledged as the most influential and representative figure. He is said to have adapted the standard erhu by substituting a metal string for the traditional silk string, clasping the resonator of the instrument between knees (as a means to control volume and to reduce tonal impurities), and tuning it higher than normal. Nowadays there are some gaohu which do not require being placed between the knees, but they are mostly used in orchestral performance or modern chamber ensembles. This instrument, known as yuehu or gaohu (“Cantonese” or “high” fiddle), soon became the distinctive voice of Guangdong Yinyue and Yueju (Cantonese Opera). Lü is also a prolific composer with a compositional output of nearly 200 pieces of Guangdong Yinyue.”  (Chan Hing Yan)

 

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