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How does pentatonic structure appear in Peking opera melodies?
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Chinese music
Twelve pitches of Chinese music as produced by overblowing the lü, bamboo tuning pipes (starting for ease of comparison from Western C).
In Peking opera (jingxi), the pentatonic structure serves as the fundamental melodic foundation for its two primary tune prototypes, xipi and erhuang.1
These melodies emphasize a pentatonic (five-tone) core, which is augmented by a "changing" tone—a pitch that falls between the Western B and B♭. While both prototypes share this five-tone basis, they are distinguished by their specific modes and emphasis on different pitches:1
- Xipi: Generally associated with brighter moments, these melodies emphasize the tones E and A (in the context of a scale starting on C) and are often more disjunct in nature.1
- Erhuang: Typically used for serious and lyrical texts, these melodies emphasize the tones G and C.1
This use of a five-tone core with additional changing tones is consistent with the broader Chinese musical tradition, which utilizes a seven-tone scale consisting of a five-tone core (wu sheng) plus two changing (bian) tones to facilitate modulations and transpositions.2