Guangdong Music


Guangdong Music, also called Cantonese Music,is an instrumental music form that originated from the Cantonese - speaking area of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province and began to take shape in the Pearl River Delta in late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. "Cantonese Music"  in general, does not include Chao, Han, and Qiong styles.

Instruments
There are a variety of instrument combinations in Cantonese music ensembles, including wind and percussion combinations, and "hard bow" and "soft bow" combinations. The most common combination consists of a gaohu (a two-stringed fiddle that can reach a higher pitch than erhu ) as the leading instrument, a dulcimer, a horizontal flute, and some other instruments. Usually, a combination is composed of five instruments, commonly known as "Five Heads".


Characteristics
Cantonese music, full of local flavor, usually depicts small scenes in ordinary life. The melody is smooth, bright, and vigorous. With varied techniques of expression, Cantonese music often reveals the fun and amenity of life in southern China.


Representative Works
The representative works of Cantonese music include "The Thunder in a Dry Season", "Clouds Chase the Moon","Raindrops on Bananas", "Dragon Boat Racing","Hungry Horse Rings its Bell", "Autumn Moon over a Placid Lake", "Each Step Higher", "Birds Returning to the Forest", and "Temple Chime".

(Source: Information Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province)

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