A Study on the Music of Taiwanese Traditional Shadow Puppet Drama and its Developmentth

• Main Authors: Yi-Reng Chen, 陳怡礽
• Other Authors: 鄭德淵
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/50511063400740374679

碩士 === 國立臺南藝術大學 === 民族音樂學研究所 === 98 === The shadow puppet drama in Taiwan was originally from Chao Chow, located in the Guan Dong Province of China, and was very popular in the southern part of Chao Chow. These puppet performances play an important role in temple celebrations, festival ceremonies, and bridal banquets. However, because the inheritance of traditional shadow puppet drama techniques is “family-handed down” using a “word-of-mouth” method of teaching, the techniques now face the crisis of gradual decline. In Taiwan, only three shadow puppet drama troupes remain. The paper first investigates the origin of shadow puppet drama in Taiwan. This art form was created during China’s Han Dynasty, was passed through the Qing Dynasty, and finally spread to Taiwan. The drama has experienced the Japanese occupation in Taiwan, and is further impacted by modern day video and audio technology. The writer studies how the traditional shadow puppet drama has evolved with these environmental impacts. The most important puppet drama is the “Ban Xian” a play that is performed outdoors. The writer studies the Ban Xian on the spot in order to examine the differences between each of the existing shadow puppet drama troupes. Finally, the author investigates how the traditional drama can be handed down and further developed by the remaining three troupes. Because the traditional background music is mainly “Tio-Tiau” Music, the author outlines the “Tio-Tiau” Music and studies the background music and percussion music employed by these three shadow puppet drama troupes. In addition, the author also studies the differences between the musical heritage of these three troupes and examines if their current repertoires have preserved traditional music or have evolved over time. In conclusion, the author presents her opinion in the hope that the traditional puppet drama troupes can receive valuable help with their survival and development.