Nanyin, Zen Music of the South
Nanyin( 南音) initially known to me as old Hokkien music is actual one of the most ancient musical art from in China. This art form originated in Quanzhou, Fujian province central to the culture of the people of Minnan. and hence my reference to it as old Hokkien music. However, it has a lineage that dates back to the Ming dynasty where it appeared in the imperial courts. In 2009, Nanyin was officially inscribed on the Representative List on Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.The slow, simple and elegant melodies are perform on the following distinctive instruments :
Source : Readers club Confucius Institute
1. Pipa (琵琶) : A pear shaped four-string lute. Unlike the typical Pipa, it is not held vertically when played but held on the side pretty much like how you would hold a western guitar.
2. Sanxian (三弦) : A long necked three-string instrument that has a sound box covered with python skin. It is held horizontally when played much like the western guitar. The Sanxian supports the Pipa
3. DongXiao (洞箫) : A vertically-held six hole bamboo flute somewhat similar to the western recorder. The DongXiao elaborates on the Pipa melody
4. Erxian (二弦) : A two-string fiddle which looks very much like the Erhu. This ErXian supports the DongXiao.
In addition to the above, the players are accompanied by a Singer who uses the Paiban (拍板) typically used to keep time.
Nanyin songs are sung in the Minnan (Hokkien) dialect and is closely tied with the poetic, rhythmic and dramatic tunes of Central China with all the melodies noted in gongchepu, a form of traditional Chinese score notation.
A typical ensemble usually consists of 5 musicians as shown :
and I believe an example of the score in gongchepu looks like this :
The above pictures were taken when I was fortunate enough to attend a Nanyin workshop conduct by Siong Leng Musical Association back in December of 2016. More photos of the taken can be found here. I was surprised by the elegant and soothing nature of the music which at times sounded "Zen" like unlike the typical Chinese music that is loud with its use of drums and cymbals which at times drown the voice of the singers.
The other surprising thing that I found when I attended the workshop was that the performers are relatively young, most probably in their mid 20s to early 30s. For me this was a very encouraging sign as this valuable ancient art form is being sustained by the younger generations. From what I understand, they are the 3rd generation. Since that workshop, I have attended a couple of their performances at Thian Hock Keng Temple, Kusu Island as well as their concert recently at the Esplanade. Click here for a sample of Nanyin music by Siong Leng Musical Association.
References :
1. Soul Journey (Ten Years) Programme
2. Nanyin : A "Living Fossil" of Ancient Chinese Music
3. UNESCO Intangible Culture Heritage : Nanyin
4. The Esplanade - Nanyin: the gentle art of the South
