A Study Of Bamboo Flute Accompaniment Under The Influence Of The Lahun Tune In Huaihai Opera

Huaihai Opera,which has a history of over 200 years,is a local Chinese traditional opera popular in the region of Huai'an,Xuzhou and Yancheng.Its ensemble relies mainly on four instruments: pi sanxian,ban sanxian,zhonghu and gaohu.Though the bamboo flute is not included,the old artists believed that “Without it,Huaihai Opera cannot stand out in the plain.” From this saying,one can glean the importance of the bamboo flute.Moreover,as a Chinese proverb goes,“the pipe instruments do better than the stringed ones,and the vocal singing does better than the pipe instruments.” This essay covers the history of the Lahun(literally,“soul-attracting)tune in Huaihai Opera,its characteristics and an analysis of the skills involved in playing the bamboo flute to accompany its singing.First,the development of the accompanying instrumental ensemble alongside the origin and development of Huaihai Opera and the role of the bamboo flute within it are examined.The second part looks at the linguistic environment of Huaihai Opera and its influence on the Lahun tune,from which the features of the bamboo flute accompaniment is then observed.The third and final part expands on the previous,with the techniques of flute-playing involved analyzed thoroughly.Study of the flute accompaniment cannot be undertaken alone.Instead,it should be done in combination with the examination of the dialect and the opera tune in order to better understand its musical characteristics in relation to the Lahun tune.