THE ROLE OF FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN THE ORIGINS OF POP AND JAZZ MUSIC IN СHINA IN THE FIRST THIRD OF THE 20TH CENTURY IN TERMS OF GENDER ISSUES

Abstract

In the course of the study of pop-jazz music of China, which was mainly considered under the denominator of the “male” style, it turned out that the lion’s share of performed popular music of various genres and directions was performed by women. Although women have always been in the minority in world jazz, they have achieved significant status in the vocal field. On the other hand, the important mission of spreading and developing new types and forms of popular music fell to the fate of Chinese singers, one of the dimensions of which was the national adaptation of jazz in the styles of shidaitsui, later mandopop and cantopop. A special role belonged to the Shanghai girl vocal and dance group Mingyue (Bright Moon) under the leadership of Li Jin Hui, from which a powerful galaxy of Chinese female singers and movie stars emerged. Li Min Hui – the performer of the first Chinese pop-jazz compositions is considered as a figure of a singer and film actress, the daughter of the first Chinese composer and producer, the founder of Chinese jazz Li Jin Hui, the premiere performer of whose works Li Min Hui was. Her performance manner is marked by features similar to singing in Chinese opera, and the clear childish timbre of her voice gave the performed works youthful strength and vigor. Li Min Hui was no less convincing in her lyrical roles, and her stage collaboration with Chinese folk instruments (pipa, erhu and danhu, lithophone stones), which complemented traditional jazz ensembles, gave her compositions a special national flavor, which was also achieved thanks to special phonics of the Chinese language itself. The 140 songs (most of which were performed in movies) that Li Min Hui left for the next generation are a noteworthy fundamental legacy of the outstanding singer. The queens of Chinese jazz in the 20s and 30s were also considered to be two Shanghai film stars – Wang Ren Mei and Li Lilly. Their singing was heard at concert venues, in theaters, cafes, restaurants, halls, as well as on the radio, in recording studios. One of the biggest drivers of jazz vocal art in China has been the film industry, which has used the wide screen to promote and spread songwriting throughout China and the entire Asian continent. These singers were called amphibious virgins, because they equally possessed acting skills, excellent dancing and revealed powerful vocal data. “Shanghai wild cat” Wang Ray Men combined Chinese folk samples with jazz harmonies and pentatonic scales; in the accompaniment, despite the traditional compositions of the jazz band, Chinese folk instruments sounded. The singer’s vocal style is emotionally elevated, lyricism and melody are combined with a fiery temper. Li Lilly often performed blues (it is no coincidence that she attended a jazz singing school in the USA), and her wide range and colorful timbre gave her performance a special warmth, she was called the owner of a “sweet voice”. These singers, mastering various styles of singing, including jazz, create a solid foundation for the next stage of the evolution of pop-jazz performance, leaving a large number of hits on the artistic song map of China (each of them starred in more than 30 films and recorded more than 100 songs). The formation of Chinese jazz was mainly formed primarily in the field of female performance, which was a significant and important factor in achieving the equality of women in China and correcting gender problems, in particular, in the popular music field of this period.