Singing Tones in Cantonese Operas and Pop Songs

This study investigated the (mis)matching between tones and tunes in Cantonese songs in traditional operas and popular music, with a focus on composition processes. We calculated the degree of matching by tracking directions of pitch changes in consecutive syllables in the melody and lyrics, and also measured the musical range in absolute pitches. We then compared patterns discovered across genres and classes of songs. It is hoped that our examination will provide evidence to the study on music and speech in tonal languages, and also implications for using songs to facilitate the learning of a tonal language like Cantonese.