Qiang (Vocal Artistry) of Laosheng Role Type Music in Jingju (Beijing Opera): Representation, Transcription, and Analysis

This thesis examines qiang (vocal artistry) in jingju (Beijing opera), with particular attention to the laosheng role type and the stylistic traditions of the Tan and Yu schools. Qiang is understood not merely as melody but as a multidimensional construct encompassing articulation, breath, intensity, and emotional expression. Although central to performers’ discourse, it has often been treated in scholarship through abstract theoretical description or Western analytical frameworks. This study addresses that gap by foregrounding performer perspectives and developing transcription methods capable of capturing the sonic and expressive subtleties of performance.

Methodologically, the research combines ethnographic fieldwork, including interviews, participant observation, and experiential learning, with musical transcription and analysis. A key innovation is the application of Andrew Killick’s Global Notation, integrated with gongche notation and computer-assisted pitch analysis, to represent pitch curvature, timbre, dynamics, and micro-gestural detail.

The analysis centres on the canonical opera Zhuo fang cao (捉放曹), comparing the vocal practices of Tan Xinpei, Yu Shuyan, and their successors. Global Notation highlights continuities and divergences across the Old Tan, Yu, and New Tan schools, showing how their distinct styles embody different balances of strength, refinement, and dramatic expression.

The thesis also situates these stylistic differences within their historical and cultural contexts. Tan Xinpei’s mournful lyricism is read as reflecting late Qing national trauma, while Yu Shuyan’s refined restraint aligns with Republican-era ideals of literati cultivation. Media discourse from Shen pao and Ta kung pao demonstrates how qiang functioned as sound, affect, and cultural symbol in early twentieth-century China.

The thesis contributes to the ethnomusicology of Chinese opera and broader methodological debates by showing how qiang integrates phonology, technique, embodiment, and cultural meaning, and by demonstrating the potential of Global Notation for analysing non-Western vocal traditions and visualising musical expressivity.