Tibetan Opera Music PDF

Tibetan Opera Music and Dance from Lhasa: An Interview with Dacidan Duoji and Xiaozhaxi Ciren Author(s):
Kathy Foley, M. Joshua Karter, Dacidan Duoji and Xiaozhaxi Ciren Source: TDR (1988-), Vol. 32, No. 3 (Autumn, 1988), pp. 131-140 Published by: The MIT Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1145911 . Accessed: 25/08/2013 18:20
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Tibetan
Dance
Opera
from
Music
and
Lhasa
An interview with Dacidan Duoji and Xiaozhaxi Ciren
KathyFoley andM. JoshuaKarter
Ache Lhamo, the Tibetan Opera tradition, is said to have evolved from a Buddhist storytelling genre in which a lama manis, a ballad singer, presented tales by unrolling picture scrolls that depicted popular narratives. Pointing with an iron rod, the singer would highlight characters in turn. Stories were based onjataka tales about the Buddha in his previous lives or on indigenous Tibetan stories relating to Buddhist holypersons. These stories were written down and eventually presented in more dramatic form by several actors who sang individual roles while retaining narrative sections to link the scenes. This innovation is attributed to Thantog Gyalpo, a Buddhist monk who lived circa I385, and the introduction to one traditional Tibetan opera text claims that the monk "spread marvelous songs and dances like a canopy over the people of all tribes and influenced their minds with holy religious teachings and the biographies of great men" (Yao 1986:7). Contemporary performances are dedicated to Thantog Gyalpo, and are presented as popular entertainments and as offerings to the spirits to ensure a full harvest. Lhamo literally means "goddess" and, although the genre was traditionally performed by all-male troupes, Wang Yao links it to pantomimic dances performed by female masked dancers (1986:8). Many of the Mahayana Buddhist stories that form the Lhamo repertoire correspond to tales told in Manora theatre, the oldest dance-drama genre of Thailand. As in the Manora tale in which a bird-woman is captured by a clown-hunter but later flies back to her spirit home, many Lhamo stories involve a female escaping by flight to the heavens and include clowning by characterscalled hunters or fishermen. Flying scenes are traditionally portrayed by an actor jumping off of a chair while waving a white cloth; such images may be considered metaphors for trance experiences. This pattern-female spirit-medium-dancer who flies off to spirit realms and male shaman-clown who guides her trance while simultaneously entertaining the gathered viewers-is frequently found in neighboring I3I
132 Karterand Foley
1. A scene from Unpadun, one of two standard prologs usedin Ache Lhamo. Here, the stageis blessed byJialu, the director of the troupe (center);the maskedUnpa, fishermenor hunterswho cleanthefloorfor theperand the Lhamo, formance; thefairieswho sing and dance.(Photo byJack Vartoogian)
Southeast Asian countries such as Burma and Thailand where trance medium genres are now considered to be the origin of contemporary folk performance. As in Tibet, Burmese and Thai troupes were comprised of male actors, not trance mediums. But it is possible that all three traditions belong to a pan-Buddhist performance complex that harks back to female spirit-medium practices joined with narrative recitative traditions. By the period of the fifth Dalai Lama (1617-82) the genre performed today had emerged. Tales are presented in the form of narration and scenes which highlight high-register singing produced by the use of the full torso and head resonances. The offstage actorsjoin the onstage performers' song on the last phrase or stanza, creating an impressive echo effect for these musical interludes. Melodies have specific emotional or structural purposes; one tune might indicate grief, another joy, and a third might be appropriate for narration. The movement of the actors is accompanied by percussion instruments (drum and cymbals) which accentuate the steps and help to clarify their emotional tenor. Steady beats may indicate continuity, which is interrupted by a frenzied clang of cymbals when a distraught characterenters. The dance features step-hops and turns executed with one leg lifted and crooked in front, and fluid rotations of the wrists. These postures have much in common with the Korean mask and farmer's dance styles. The martial dance sequences of the Ache Lhamo, which may climax with a character executing a series of barrel turns along a circular path
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while tilting the body at a 60 degree angle to the floor, closely resemble martial dances seen throughout the Buddhist world. Performers use stylized gestures and pantomime to clarify their characters. Most human characters-except for hunters/fishermen and older people-are unmasked. Hunters and gods wear masks that are twodimensional and highly stylized, while animal and demon visages appear more three-dimensional. The rich, brocaded costumes are the prime means of dressing the stage in Ache Lhamo, which was traditionally presented in village squares with the audience gathered on all sides. Props are simple: a couple of strips of cloth sewn together at the two ends can become a boat when two actors take their places at the prow and stern. Traditionally, Ache Lhamo has been performed during the Zholston festival period (the seventh and eighth months of the Tibetan calendar) in an annual celebration held in Norbuglingkha, Lhasa. Troupe members included in the I987 Asia Society tour of the United States noted that Lhamo remains popular while other Chinese traditional genres may find their audiences dwindling. The following interview was conducted with Dacidan Duoji, the director of the touring company, and Xiaozhaxi Ciren, an actor, with the assistance of translator Peter Rushton, prior to their appearance at the University of California, Santa Cruz, 4 April 1987. KARTER: We are wondering how you came to be performers in your troupe. Were you invited to join? The Zashisheba Mask Dance, a cham or temple dance.(Photo byJack Vartoogian)
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Tibetan Opera 135 DUOJI: I used to enjoy watching the performances of Tibetan Opera. KARTER: Did you see many of these performances as a child? DUOJI: I didn't see many as a very young child, but by the time I was 13 or 14, I started to watch them and became very fond of them. As performers, we studied formally for 5 years in the [government supported] school. Then after graduation, students are invited to join the troupe. KARTER: What is the name of the school? DUOJI: The Lhasa Art School or Art Academy. KARTER: How many students are there at the school? DUOJI: The number of students varies from year to year according to the number accepted. At the school there is a dance program, an opera program, and a drama program that does spoken drama. The drama program, in contrast to the opera and dance school, has both traditional and modern performance training. KARTER: Do all the students become professional performers? DUOJI: They all become performers. FOLEY: Is there a family tradition in which people from artist families become performers? DUOJI: No, there isn't a strict family tradition-most farmers, but they are fond of theatre as well. of the parents are 3. A fisherman fiom Unpadun. His maskis blue and symbolizesthe sea; the ropes aroundhis skirtrepresent the nets usedto catch fish, and the stickhe holdssymbolizes his spear. (Photo byJack Vartoogian)
KARTER: Are these farmers from many different villages? DUOJI: There are students from Lhasa, from agricultural villages, and even from the pastoral regions. KARTER: And how often do the performances come to each village? Do performances tour? DUOJI: It is a regular routine, touring the villages with these performances. KARTER: Are all troupes professional-that or are there also amateur troupes? is, professionally trained-
DUOJI: Several amateur groups are quite active. KARTER: How many professional groups tour at one time, and how big is each company that tours? DUOJI: There is only one professional rank group at a time. The dance group has 200 performers, and there are about 5o in the drama and opera troupes. KARTER: But surely all 200 don't go on each tour to a village? DUOJI: No, of course not; it depends on the need and the play. KARTER: Are all the performers that are touring the U.S. from the opera school or are there some from dance? DUOJI: All the people who came are members of the opera company. KARTER: Could you say a little about your five years of training? What courses do you take and what do you learn? DUOJI: We learn basic movement. Basic movement is split into several
136 Karterand Foley categories, including Western ballet, Tibetan folk dance, and classical Chinese opera dance. Then there is the basic movement for Tibetan opera, which is distinct from folk dance. Western ballet, classical Chinese opera training, folk dance, and Tibetan opera training-that is the dance. Then there is the voice training. The number of students who go in for voice training is very small. The training is very special and quite distinct from Western voice training. We've adopted some techniques from Chinese opera. But we have our own indigenous voice training and approach to song. [. . .] The vocal range is typically quite high for one thing. [. . .] For this training we have to rely on the older traditional artists of this genre. We have several in the troupe and they are outstanding singers. The young people study with them. One of the ways of studying is to go by a mountain stream, a waterfall. The sound of your voice has to exceed the sound of the waterfall. It sounds rustic, folksy, even laughable, but it produces the results. KARTER: Are there places in the body that you try to make sounds bounce off of to create the notes? CIREN: When we sing it comes up from the back and through. [He gestures from the base of the spine, up along the back, over the top of the skull, and down into the nasal region. He runs his hand back up and over again to indicate that the total resonating area including the full width of the back must be available to the singer in this technique.] FOLEY: You learn the technique only by copying the master? CIREN: It is an oral tradition, you must study with the old masters; it is all learned in copying the master. There is no written music; it comes by imitating the sounds of the masters. FOLEY: Is the training different for women and men? DUOJI: It is basically the same, but the teachers are split. There is a male teacher for males and a female teacher for females. FOLEY: Has the form always had women singing female roles? DUOJI: Before 1949, women were not permitted to perform. FOLEY: Are there some roles that could be played by either sex? DUOJI: Now women take female roles and men take male parts;however, some of the dances can be done by either men or women, like the mask dances. Still, the more energetic, martial mask dances will be given to men. KARTER: What do you think about when you perform? Do you focus on the words, the dance, the music, or what? CIREN: When singing, you concentrate on the emotion [of the song]. When you are not singing, you keep in mind the general nature of the situation. KARTER: When you are expressing emotions do you remember incidents from your own life, or what is the source of these emotions? DUOJI: In preparing a performance, we go over the entire text with the cast in detail. We read through it, do analysis and explanation. We study the text, indicating what is expected of the individual characters. Then
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4. A scenefom Dadarzugba (The MarriageArrow). King Zajin (played by GesangCiwang) chooses a wifefor his son. Actor Xiaozhaxi Ciren is the bent figure in the background. (Photo byJack Vartoogian)
actors are given a period of time to think about how they would perform these feelings and emotions. KARTER: Do you say this character has to be angry and therefore I will show anger, or this character is angry and therefore I will feel anger? Do you think of times you were angry to feel it? DUOJI: We don't take from our own experience. There is the anger of the character in the role and then there is your personal anger, and these are two different things. So it's not suitable. You've got to become that person and your own anger is a separate issue; you've got to become that person then and [share] that person's concerns.
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Karterand Foley
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KARTER: What kinds of audiences do you have, and is there such a thing as a typical audience? DUOJI: The stage requirements of the opera are minimal; it can be performed in an open square or a theatre, so we are not limited by that. We have big audiences. If we go into a village, everybody shows up. Typically, we'll do a performance in the morning, then everybody will break to lunch and rest, and then we'll do another performance in the afternoon. KARTER: How many pieces do you have in your repertoire? DUOJI: We have nine in our repertoire now, and we are collecting material for three more. KARTER: And each is how long? DUOJI: A feature of Tibetan opera is that pieces are flexible in length. We can take a story and run it from eight in the morning until six in the evening, or we can compress it into two hours or less, depending on how we choose to do it. FOLEY: Are these stories that everybody in a village will know before they go to a performance? DUOJI: Yes, these are familiar stories. Audiences already know the plots, and want to see them again. FOLEY: Are scripts set or improvised?
6. A comical scenefrom Doasammo in which a herdsman (troupedirector DacidanDuoji) and his wife and (Sangdon)have churned madeyak butter.(Photo by Jack Vartoogian)
5. In the opera Doasammo, Sangdonas Queen Hajiang (standing) and Yanglaas the queen's maidservant assumeroles that were, until 1949, taken by men. (Photo byJack Vartoogian)
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Karterand Foley DUOJI: The nine [that we perform] are set. All the spoken and all the sung parts are written down, but there are no musical scores. KARTER: How do audiences react during a performance? DUOJI: The audiences cry and laugh. [.. .] It is very much like the Peking Opera. KARTER: Can you anticipate where the audience will laugh and cry, and do you build that into the show? DUOJI: Yes, we have a pretty good idea. KARTER: With the way you sing, does the audience still follow all the words? DUOJI: Yes, they understand because they are familiar with the story. They practically know the stories by heart; they know what is coming up. FOLEY: What is the source of the stories? DUOJI: They come from the oral storytelling tradition. Storytellers go into the villages and illustrate these stories with pictures. This is an old storytelling tradition with written texts. KARTER: If a piece is done by an amateur and a professional company would it be done in the same way? DUOJI: The way of presenting it would be somewhat different because the amateur troupe doesn't have the same experience and doesn't usually perform on a stage but is more accustomed to having the audience on four sides.
Reference
Yao, Wang, ed. TalesfromTibetan I986 Opera.Beijing:New WorldPress.
Kathy Foley is an Assistant Professorof Theatre Arts at the University of on Indonesian Theatre.She is authorof California,Santa Cruz, anddoesresearch the SoutheastAsian section of the forthcomingCambridge Guide to World Theatre and SoutheastAsian editorof Asian Theatre Journal. M. Joshua Karter is a Lecturer at the Universityof California,Santa Cruz, and ArtisticDirectorof Route One Productions, a theatrecompanybasedin the San Francisco Bay Area. Peter Rushton is a Lecturerin Chinese at the Universityof California, Santa Cruz.

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Tibetan Opera Music and Dance from Lhasa: An Interview with Dacidan Duoji and Xiaozhaxi Ciren Author(s):

An interview with Dacidan Duoji and Xiaozhaxi Ciren

KathyFoley andM. JoshuaKarter

132 Karterand Foley

::i-::i:: :':::::::: : : :---i:i-:i

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