Cantonese Opera Cymbals Item Number: 2668/14 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Cantonese opera instruments. Pair of brass or bronze cymbals (bo) with black characters on the top and bottom; large characters on top, with smaller characters on the bottom. Cymbals are circular with raised semi-spherical centres with holes.
History Of Use
In Cantonese opera, primary percussion instruments accompany the melodic instruments and include woodblocks (bangzi, buyu, duk, dik), luo (gongs), bo (cymbals), and gu (drums) made of wood and pig hide. Percussion instruments play functions to accompany movements, speech, and song, suggest moods or emotions and used to create special sound effects, such as thunder or the sound of galloping horses.
Narrative
Made pre-WWII, based on hammering technique. The black characters are applied using patina paint; the writing is in traditional Chinese. The writing along the top front is "Chang Shan, Eastern Guangdong" and the name of the workshop. On the back, the writing at the top is the name of the workshop, with the address; "no refund" is written on the left side.
Item History
What
- Name
- Cantonese Opera Cymbals
- Identification Number
- 2668/14 a-b
- Type of Item
- cymbal
- Material
- brass metal ? and paint
- Part A
- height 3.5 cm, diameter 24.0 cm
- Part B
- height 4.0 cm, diameter 24.5 cm
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Guangdong, China
When
- Creation Date
- before 1940
- Ownership Date
- before April 19, 2006
- Acquisition Date
- on April 19, 2006
Other
- Item Classes
- metalwork
- Condition
- fair
- Current Location
- Case 84
- Accession Number
- 2668/0014 a-b