Huju

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Huju (simplified Chinese: 沪剧; traditional Chinese: 滬剧; pinyin: Hùjù), or "Shanghai opera" is a variety of Chinese opera from the area of Shanghai. It is typically sung in the Shanghainese dialect.

It is particularly popular in Baihe, the oldest town in the Qingpu District of Shanghai.[1] There are eight to ten huju troupes in the town, and many local residents hire the troupes to perform for weddings and funerals.[2]

Huju is accompanied by an ensemble of traditional Chinese instruments, including dizi (transverse bamboo flute), erhu (two-stringed fiddle), pipa (pear-shaped lute), yangqin (hammered dulcimer), and percussion. The instrumentation and style are closely related to the instrumental genre of Jiangnan sizhu.

The famous Chinese composition "Purple Bamboo Melody" (紫竹调) is adapted from huju.

[edit] References

• Stock, Jonathan P. J. (2003). Huju: Traditional Opera in Modern Shanghai. OUP/British Academy. ISBN 0197262732. ISBN 9780197262733.

[edit] External links

• Article about huju
• Article about huju
• Article about American singing huju
• Article about the revival of huju

[edit] See also

• Shaoxing opera, opera from the Shaoxing region of northeastern Zhejiang Province