Instrumental Music: Structures and Performance Practices

The regional sizhu and chuida instrumental repertoires are built on a system of old melodies that served as structural models. These models are generally known as qupai , variously translated as named song or labeled melody, or simply paizi. They have been derived from several sources, principally from traditional opera interludes (in which they are still used) and from songs of the Yuan and Ming dynasties. Gao Houyong (1981: 295ff), who has examined the qupai concept in detail,...