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The music culture of older adults in Cantonese operatic singing lessons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2014

WAI HAN LO
WAI HAN LO*
Affiliation:
School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
*
Address for correspondence: Wai Han Lo, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University, Communication and Visual Arts Building, 5 Hereford Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. E-mail: janetlo85@yahoo.com.hk
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Abstract

Cantonese operatic singing, one of the regional opera forms in China, flourishes mainly in the southern province of Guangdong. By exploring the culture of Cantonese operatic singing, this study relates older people's music participation to a sense of collectivism, thereby contributing to the maintenance of interpersonal relationships and promoting successful ageing. The study also illustrates how the musical participation of older adults can be influenced by the lifecourse and ageing in terms of both vocal abilities and levels of participation. Data analysed through participation observation in two Cantonese operatic singing lessons identify the rituals and core values of Cantonese operatic singing lessons. The findings help to explain how this particular music genre interacts with ageing.

Keywords

musiccultural capitalCantonese operaageingtastesculturerituals
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 35 , Issue 8 , September 2015 , pp. 1614 - 1634
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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