Kotone

鑼鼓

China

Chinese percussion

Luógǔ (鑼鼓), literally "gongs and drums", is the Chinese percussion ensemble: several kinds of drum together with metal instruments such as gongs and cymbals, and wooden ones such as clappers and temple blocks. It accompanies Chinese opera and the lion dance, and it is played wherever Chinese communities live, from China and Taiwan to Singapore and beyond.

  1. 布魯克林中國音樂節目Chinese program, Brooklyn Folk Arts seriesTien-juo Wang (gaohu), Wu Man (pipa), Yang Yi (zheng), percussion ensemble · Gāohú, Pípá, Gǔzhēng, Luógǔ24:42
  2. 和平公園的二胡與手鼓Hépíng gōngyuán — Erhu and hand drum in Heping Park, ShanghaiÈrhú, Luógǔ · 20135:36
  3. 蘆洲外台歌仔戲Lúzhōu wàitái gēzǎixì — Outdoor Taiwanese opera in Luzhou, beside the bandVoice, Luógǔ, Mixed ensemble · 20137:10
  4. 省城隍廟廟會Shěng chénghuáng miào miàohuì — City God festival in Taipei, with nanguanVoice, Luógǔ, Mixed ensemble · 201315:20
  5. 迎神遶境Yíngshén ràojìng — Gods entering the ceremony ground, TaipeiLuógǔ, Mixed ensemble · 201313:36
  6. 北投廟會Běitóu miàohuì — Temple festival in BeitouLuógǔ, Mixed ensemble · 20138:30
  7. 艋舺青山宮廟會Měngjiǎ Qīngshān gōng miàohuì — Qingshan Temple festival, WanhuaLuógǔ, Mixed ensemble · 20123:22
  8. 淡水鑼鼓Dànshuǐ luógǔ — Gongs and drums in TamsuiLuógǔ · 20164:28
  9. 淡水遶境Dànshuǐ ràojìng — Temple festival parade in TamsuiLuógǔ, Mixed ensemble · 201512:10
  10. 和樂軒樂器練習Hélèxuān yuèqì liànxí — Instrument practice at Helexuan, BadeLuógǔ, Mixed ensemble · 20183:46
  11. 台北客家義民祭Táiběi Kèjiā yìmín jì — Hakka Yimin Festival, TaipeiLuógǔ, Mixed ensemble · 20196:50
  12. 板橋遶境Bǎnqiáo ràojìng — Temple festival parade, BanqiaoLuógǔ, Mixed ensemble · 20136:56
  13. 沙田醒獅：採青Cǎiqīng — Lion dance in Sha Tin: plucking the greensLuógǔ · 20081:53
  14. 沙田醒獅：過場Guòchǎng — Lion dance in Sha Tin: moving onLuógǔ · 20081:08
  15. 沙田醒獅：商場內Shāngchǎng nèi — Lion dance in Sha Tin: inside the shopping centreLuógǔ · 20084:01
  16. 紐約華埠新春鑼鼓Niǔyuē Huábù xīnchūn luógǔ — Lunar New Year drums, Chinatown, New YorkLuógǔ · 20188:37
  17. 海牙唐人街新春舞龍Hǎiyá tángrénjiē wǔlóng — Chinese New Year dragon dance, The HagueLuógǔ · 20174:59
  18. 布魯克林舞獅講座與示範（下）Lion dance lecture and demonstration, Brooklyn, 1989 — part 2Wan Chi Ming Wushu Institute; Madeline Slovenz (lecture) · Luógǔ · 198917:00

Liner notes

How to listen

In the opera theatre the percussion does far more than keep time. It gives the basic rhythm for song, speech, movement, dance and stage combat, it marks the entrances and exits of actors and the changes between scenes, and it can set a scene or comment on the action. It can even make sound effects, such as a thunderstorm or waves.

The ensemble is led from the drum. In Peking opera, the player of the gu and ban, a small high-pitched drum and a wooden clapper, conducts the whole band, while the other players follow on the large gong (daluo), the small gong (xiaoluo) and the cymbals (naobo).

The small gong and cymbals also have a character of their own. In Peking opera they are linked with the clown roles and the boisterous, lower-class world those roles represent.

Out of doors

Away from the stage, gongs and drums are the sound of festivals. The Chinese lion dance, worked by two dancers, is performed to a vigorous drumbeat with gongs and cymbals. At New Year, troupes visit homes and shops for cai qing, "plucking the greens", in which the lion takes a lettuce tied with a red envelope of money.

In Taiwan, the beiguan tradition of music and theatre, widespread from the seventeenth to the mid-twentieth century, uses a percussion section of woodblock, large and small gongs, a high-pitched drum and large and small cymbals, joined by two suona shawms. Its popularity has since declined sharply. Many of the recordings on this page come from Taiwanese temple festivals and processions; see Chinese ritual music for more.

Start with

Start with the 2016 recording of gongs and drums in Tamsui. The lion dance appears in a 2008 recording from Sha Tin, plucking the greens, with more in the collection Lions, dragons and New Year drums. For the theatre side, listen to outdoor Taiwanese opera in Luzhou, recorded beside the band in 2013. For the opera percussion of Beijing, see jingju.

Questions

What is luogu?
Luogu, meaning "gongs and drums", is the Chinese percussion ensemble of drums, gongs, cymbals and wooden clappers or blocks. It accompanies Chinese opera and the lion dance and is heard at festivals wherever Chinese communities live.
What does the percussion do in Chinese opera?
It supplies the rhythm for singing, speech, movement and fighting, marks entrances, exits and scene changes, and can describe a setting or comment on the action. The drummer, who also plays the clapper, directs the whole ensemble.
What instruments accompany the Chinese lion dance?
The lion dance is performed to a vigorous drumbeat with gongs and cymbals.