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Yue Opera
Yue
Opera is a major genre of opera in the south
of China, prevalent in Guangdong and Guangxi,
Hong Kong, Macao and overseas Chinese communities
in Southeast Asia. Its singing and dialogue
are all in Guangzhou dialect. Based on Banghuang
Tune, it combines Kun Tune, Yiyang Tune,
Guangdong Tune with Guangdong folk music
and popular tunes. In a addition to Chinese
traditional instruments like Er Xian, Gao
Hu, San Xian and Yue Qin (the former two
are bowed string instruments, the latter
two plucked string instruments), its orchestra
has adopted Western instruments such as
violin, saxophone, cello and double bass.
In acting, stage scenery and lighting, it
has borrowed from the techniques used in
modern drama, Western opera and film and
gradually formed its own distinctive features.
Originally its characters were divided into
ten Hangdang (categories), but later on
reduced to six: civil and military male,
scholar-lover, major female secondary female,
clown and military male. Included in the
repertoire are 5,000-6,000 traditional items.
Leading actors and actresses
include Ma Shizeng, Hong Xiannu, Luo Pinchao
and Bai Jurong.
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