The bass voice, as a significant voice type (Amplua) in Western opera, has undergone a process of localization and evolution in Chinese opera composition. Taking two roles as core case studies – Yang Bailao from the opera The White-Haired Girl and Yue Fei from the opera Yue Fei – this article explores the characterization, vocal style, and aesthetic features of the bass voice in Chinese opera. Yang Bailao represents the archetype of the tragic father figure in national opera, whose singing integrates elements of folk music with the dramatic expressiveness of the bass register. Yue Fei, on the other hand, embodies the alignment between historical heroic figures and the bass voice, demonstrating the unique advantages of the bass in portraying sublime and solemnly tragic imagery. Through a comparative analysis of these two roles, this paper seeks to reveal the localized characteristics and aesthetic value of bass voice typology in Chinese opera.
References
[1] Dana, M. E. (2020) Orchestrating The Waste Land: Wagner, leitmotiv, and the play of passion. TS Eliot’s Orchestra, 267-294.
[2] Rocksilp, P., Premananda, W. (2024) A western singing techniques from Chinese operatic art songs. Journal of Roi Kaensarn Academi, 9(7), 315-329.
[3] Luo, L. (2023) The digital classicism of the Cantonese opera film White Snake. Prism, 20(2), 442-461.
[4] Zhang, C., Lei, Q. (2026) Intersemiotic translation of The Song of Everlasting Sorrow from narrative poetry to dance drama: a multimodal stylistics perspective. Semiotica, 2026(268), 95-128.
[5] Xueying, W., Xin, Y. (2024) The performance issues of the selected Chinese art song. ISSRA Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Studies, 3(1), 27-36.
[6] Qi, S., Zhang, W. (2019) Tragic hero and hero tragedy: reimagining Oedipus the King as Jingju (Peking opera) for the Chinese stage. Classical Receptions Journal, 11(1), 1-22.
[7] Tianye, D., Khositditsayanan, N., Kengkaew, C. (2025) The development of opera Mezzo-Soprano teaching manual in Chinese undergraduate music teaching. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 13(2), 188-202.
[8] Yang, M. (2025) Supernatural representation in The White-Haired Girl and reconstruction of folk religion in the Yan’an anti-superstition movements. Comparative Literature & World Literature, 24.
[9] Jiaqi, J., Wisuttipat, M. (2025) The essence of emotions in singing: techniques and artistic interpretation. Asia Pacific Journal of Religions and Cultures, 9(2), 463-477.
[10] Yu, M., Nanongkham, P. N. (2025) Exploring the vocal art of Chinese folk songs through techniques evolution and cultural significance. Global Interactive Journal of World Religions and Cultures, 5(3), 528-542.
Share and Cite
Luo, J. (2026) Song of the Bass: A Study of Bass Voice Amplua Types in Chinese Opera – With Yang Bailao and Yue Fei as Examples. Journal of Social Development and History, 2(1), 28-34.