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Kunqu, recognized by UNESCO in 2001 as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is among the oldest and most refined traditions of the family of genres known as xiqu (music-drama or “Chinese opera”). Today, the art form’s musical and performance traditions are being passed on by senior artists. This book consists of twelve explanatory narrations in English, selected and translated from among an expansive collective endeavour in Chinese. Each performer narration sheds light on the human processes that create and transmit celebrated pieces of theatre. Annotations place these narratives in historical, literary, discursive, and aesthetic contexts. Close critical attention reveals kunqu as a living and changing art form. Methodologically, this work breaks new ground by centering the performers’ perspective rather than the text, providing a complement and a challenge to performance analysis, and ideological, sociological, or plot-based perspectives on xiqu.
“These engaging lectures by twelve kunqu masters furnish inside views of their creative process as they discuss a foundational play that features their role type. The introduction, annotations, and supporting materials are as comprehensive an introduction to kunqu as can be found in English and provide leads to existing resources in both Chinese and English” —Catherine Swatek, University of British Columbia, Canada.
Introduction; Lecture 1 “Enquiry of the Rat” (“Fangshu”) from Fifteen Strings of Cash; Lecture 2 “The Stirring Zither” (“Qintiao”) from The Jade Hairpin; Lecture 3 “The Mad Dream” (“Chimeng”) from Lanke Mountain; Lecture 4 “Descending the Mountain (“Xiashan”) from Ocean of Sin; Lecture 5 “The Tavern” (“Jiulou”) from The Palace of Lasting Life; Lecture 6 “Instating the Statue, Lamenting the Statue” (“Yingxiang Kuxiang”) from The Palace of Lasting Life; Lecture 7 “Playing the Ballad” (“Tanci”) from The Palace of Lasting Life; Lecture 8 “The Stroll in the Garden” (“Youyuan”) and “The Dream Interrupted” (“Jingmeng”) from The Peony Pavilion; Lecture 9 “Sword Meeting” (“Daohui”) from Single Sword Meeting; Lecture 10 “Writing the Accusation” (“Xie Zhuang”) from Tale of the Mermaid Silk Handkerchief; Lecture 11 “The Tryst” (“Jiaqi”) from The Western Chamber; Lecture 12 “The Inn on the Lake” (“Hu Lou”) from To Win a Peerless Beauty; Postface; Appendices; Index