A ''qupai'' (; also called ) is the generic term for a fixed

melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

used in

traditional Chinese music ''Guoyue'' ( 國樂; literally "national music"; also ''minyue'' (民乐), ''huayue'' (華樂) or ''zhongyue'' (中樂)), refers to the music composed for Chinese musical instruments, which is an extension of the Chinese traditional music. I ...

. The literal meaning is "named tune," "labeled melody," "titled tune," or "titled

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

". ''Qupai'' are relatively brief, most comprising between 20 and 70 measures in 2/4

meter The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

. Many ''qupai'' are centuries old, but only a few of these have been handed down to the present. ''Qupai'' are commonly used in Chinese opera, such as ''

kunqu Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu (region), Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate ...

'' and

Beijing opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines instrumental music, vocal performance, mime, martial arts, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became ...

, as well as by folk and ritual ensembles, including ''

Jiangnan sizhu ''Jiangnan sizhu'' () is a style of traditional Chinese instrumental music from the Jiangnan region of China. Name The name ''Jiangnan sizhu'' ( zh, t=江南絲竹, s=江南丝竹, p=Jiāngnán sīzhú) is made up of two parts. ''Jiangnan'' is t ...

'' and

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

ritual music. ''Qupai'' have also been used as the basis for 20th century compositions for Chinese instruments, both solo and ensemble. In these contexts, these stock melodies very often serve as a basis for melodic elaboration and variation. This variation is particularly well codified in the ''taoqu'' structure of ''Chaozhou xianshi'' music.EOL 8: Birth of a New Mode? (Dujunco): Chaozhou Modal Practice
, ''Ethnomusicology OnLine''. The ''

Baisha xiyue Baisha xiyue (, literally "Baisha fine music") is one of the two surviving forms of traditional music of the Nakhi people of Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China, known as "Nakhi ancient music". Baisha is a town located 10 kilometres north of Lijiang, ...

'' tradition of the Naxi of

Lijiang Lijiang ( zh, s= ), formerly romanized as Likiang, is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Yunnan Province, China. It has an area of and had a population of 1,253,878 at the 2020 census whom 288,787 lived in the built-up area (metro) ...

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

utilizes 24 ''qupai''.

Notable ''qupai''

*Ba Ban (八板, Eight Beats) *Huang Ying Liang Chi (黄莺亮翅, Oriole Soaring) *Jiang Jun Ling (将军令, General's Command) *Liu Qingniang (柳青娘, Lady Green Willow) *Qiansheng Fo (千声佛, A Thousand Buddhas) *

Shui Long Yin ''Whispers of Fate'' () is a Chinese television series based on the serialized martial arts novel "Enduring a Thousand Tribulations" by Teng Ping , starring Luo Yunxi. The story centers around Tang Lici (唐俪辞), a highly skilled but introver ...

(水龙吟, Water Dragon Chant) *Wan Nian Huan (万年欢, Everlasting Joy) *Xi Jiang Yue (西江月, Moon Over the West River) *巫山顶 *即 (五三点) *五梆子 *巴音杭盖 *推辘轴 *十番 *Si Gong Zhu (四公主, Four Princesses)

References

External links

Xi Jiang Yue (西江月) Moon Over the West River in Chinese Calligraphy,Big Seal Script
*Harris, Rachel (2004).
Singing the village: music, memory and ritual among the Sibe of Xinjiang
'. . *Witzleben, John Lawrence (1995).
"Silk and bamboo" music in Shanghai: the jiangnan sizhu instrumental
', p.70. . {{Melody types Music of China Melody

Notable ''qupai''

See also

References

External links