Music in traditional Asian theatre

Like dance, music is at the core of the Asian theatrical experience where it not only provides instrumental and percussive accompaniment to recitation, singing and dance, but also underscores the precise movement patterns and emotional essence of scenes. In other words, musicality is essential to the aesthetic quality of Asian performance, from well-known theatrical genres to ritual and folk recitations and dances. This chapter discusses some of the representative musical systems in Asia, including that of the Kerala region of India (home of kutiyattam and kathakali), the banqiangti and lianquti systems of traditional Chinese theatre, the accompaniment of Japanese noh and kyogen, bunraku and kabuki, the Southeast Asian gamelan ensembles, and the role of music in ritual, dance, and storytelling practices in Tibet, Uyghur and Korea.