Huai Opera is one of the types of Chinese opera, also known as "Jianghuai Opera". Huai opera was later performed in conjunction with the folk incense opera in northern Jiangsu Province. Later, influenced by Hui opera and Peking opera, it gradually enriched its singing, performance and repertoire.

The original Huai operas were mostly folk life dramas, and their main singing tunes were Huai tunes developed on the basis of interjections, incense tunes and some folk songs, later called "Old Huai tunes".

Huai Opera was later influenced by Anhui Opera and Peking Opera, and transplanted and performed some major dramas that showed historical life. Because they needed to rely on tricks and tricks, they were called "depending on tricks". In terms of singing, the singing tune of Anhui opera was absorbed and changed accordingly, creating the Byanba tune, also known as "Old Hui tune".

Early Huai Opera was mainly based on Lao Huai tunes and Baobao tunes. The singing tune was basically a continuous structure of tunes and no orchestral accompaniment was used. In 1912, Huai Opera actors He Kongde, He Kongbiao and Chen Dashan brought Huai Opera to Shanghai to perform.

Around 1930, Dai Baoyu, Liang Guangyou, Xie Changyu and others began to create some new tunes with erhu accompaniment based on the incense tune. Because the erhu was played with a bow, it was named " La Tiao".

La Diao singing has new enrichment and development in the changes of plate styles. In addition, the first batch of actresses such as Li Yuhua and Dong Guiying appeared at this time, which greatly improved the performing arts of Huai Opera. From Yancheng, Taizhou, Funing, Huai'an, Baoying and Xinghua, it gradually expanded and spread to the whole province of Jiangsu.

In 1939, the famous actor Xiao Wenyan created a new free tune based on La Diao and other singing styles, which greatly enhanced the expressiveness of Huai Opera singing. After that, the famous actor He Jingtian created a linked-sentence singing tune, further enriching the free tune.

In 1942, the Yanfu Art Troupe and other artistic performance groups were established, and the Huai Opera Research Group was established. Not only did he create and perform modern operas that reflected the people's revolutionary struggle, he also created new singing styles such as New Huai Diao and New Bei Diao, and absorbed some tunes from Yangzhou Xiaokou, which enriched the Huai Opera singing.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Huai opera popular in the south of the Yangtze River was developed with free tune as the main body, which was fresh and lively; while the Huai opera in northern Jiangsu still maintained the practice of Huai tune and La tune as the main development line, with a very local flavor. concentrated.

Many accomplished Huai Opera actors have created new tunes from these different tune systems, such as the free tune of Xiao School and Ma School, the La Diao of Li School, and the La Diao of He School, etc. .

In addition to the above main singing tunes, Huai Opera also includes Nanchang tune, Huaibei tune, Chun tune, Shizi tune, Xiahe tune and Yezi tune, as well as some tunes from folk songs and ditties, such as Mo Fang Tune, Bucang Tune, Tiaocao Tune, Baduanjin and Lanqiao Tune, etc.

The language of Huai opera is a stage language based on the dialect of Jianghuai Mandarin and taking into account the nearby local languages ??of Huai'an and Yanfu. Jianhu is located in the middle of the birthplace of Huai Opera. Most of the actors in children's opera and incense opera in history were born here.

Compared with the surrounding areas, the language of this place has the advantages of stable intonation, clear four tones, complete five tones, rich charm, pure pronunciation and pleasant to the ear. It has been adopted by Huai opera actors in different periods.

In long-term practice, the language of Huai opera has gradually formed 20 rhymes, including 14 four-tone rhymes, namely climbing sand, whirling, book, worry harvest, qiaoshao, kaihuai, qixi, and talking about the mountain. , Tianxian, Chensheng, Qinxin, Chuihui, Changshang and Fengfeng.

In practical application of Huai opera language, Chensheng and Qinxin are usually used mixedly. Among the 14 four-tone rhymes, the characters Yinping and Yangping are used exclusively in the lower sentence in the lyrics, so they are called "lower rhyme"; the characters with upper tone and lower tone are used exclusively in the upper sentence, so they are called "upper rhyme". In addition, there are 6 rhymes for the entry tone. The entry tone is not divided into upper and lower parts. It is customary to call it "one-character rhyme".

Huai Opera can also be divided into West Road Huai Opera and East Road Huai Opera in terms of singing and performance. West Road Huai Opera is mainly produced in Huai'an and Baoying areas, which is the birthplace of early Huai Opera. The performance and singing style is based on the old Huai tune, and the performance is a bit stiff; East Road Huai Opera is mainly originated from Yanfu area, and the performance and singing style is based on free style. The key is the main tune and the performance is flexible.

Huai opera can be divided into southern and northern operas according to regions. The southern opera mainly refers to Shanghai and surrounding areas, and the northern opera mainly refers to Yanfu, Lianghuai, Yang, Tai and other regions.

The musical structure of Huai Opera singing has evolved from the original unaccompanied high tune music system to the dramatic and lyrical banqiang music system. During the Xianghuo Opera period, the main singing tunes of Xianghuo Tune and Huai Danzi were respectively derived from Neimen Tanci, Tongzi Tune, and Tiange and Haozi from Jingjiang, Huai'an, and Baoying areas.

Due to the continuous absorption and creation of actors in the past dynasties, by the end of the 1930s, Huai Opera gradually formed three main tunes: La Diao, Huai Diao and Free Diao. There are dozens of tunes derived from the three main tunes, including Yezi tune, Chuanshi tune, Nanchang tune, Xiahe tune, Huaibei tune and Dabei tune.

At the same time, more than 160 folk tunes were absorbed and evolved into opera singing styles, including Lanqiao tune, Baduanjin, Dacaitai, Liuyezi tune and New Year greeting tune. Except for some folk minor tunes, the main tunes of these tunes are relatively similar in mode and tonality, and their structural forms are also complete and unified.

The singing music of Huai opera belongs to Ban tune, with Huai tune, La tune and free tune as the three main tunes. The Huai tune is high-pitched, exciting, and telling, and is mostly used for narrative; the La tune is euphemistic and delicate, with fresh lines, suitable for lyrical scenes; the free tune has smooth melody, great plasticity, and comprehensive expressive performance.

Some tunes derived from the three main tunes, such as Yizi tune, Yezi tune, Chuanshi tune, Nanchang tune, Xiahe tune, Huaibei tune and Dabei tune, as well as those evolved from folk minor tunes Lanqiao tune, Baduanjin, Dacaicai tune, Liuyezi tune, New Year greeting tune, etc. all have auxiliary tunes with their own performance.

There are more than 100 kinds of tunes. The main tunes have similar modes and tones. They are basically three types: Zheng mode, Shang mode and Yu mode, and all have complete landing boards and throws. In the form of connecting boards, they are connected with the unique accompaniment of Huai opera gongs and drums.

Among the accompaniment instruments of Huai Opera, orchestral instruments include erhu, sanxian, dulcimer, flute, suona, etc.; percussion instruments include flat drums, Su gongs, cymbals, and hall drums. Percussion music evolved on the basis of Xianghuo Xi gongs and drums by absorbing folk gongs such as Qilin gong and Yanfu Huagu gong. Qingjiang Pu for physical performance, etc.

Huai Opera is known for its ability to perform both modern and ancient times, as well as literary and military skills. Since it has been performed on the same stage as Hui Opera and Peking Opera, it has absorbed more of the performance routines of these two operas, and at the same time, it has It has maintained some characteristics of folk opera and rap art, such as its singing skills.

The martial arts in Huai opera are deeply influenced by Hui opera. For example, when Xu Changshan performed "Rolling Lamp", he had a stack of bowls on his head, and the top bowl filled with oil to light the lamp. It could be used as a drill table stool for doing splits and handstands. , Oolong stirring and other actions.

Other acrobatics, such as playing with plates, playing with bolides, playing with handkerchiefs, and stepping on wooden balls, are mostly absorbed from Hui Opera.

The Duozi Opera and the Three Small Operas were formed in the early stage of Xianghuo Opera. The repertoire includes "Little Breaking Watts", "Planting Barley", "Big Tank Repair", "Grinding Tofu", etc. The content is simple and simple, the language is humorous and interesting, and it has a rich flavor of life. It has a distinctive Han nationality style and local characteristics, but it is still a folk life drama in the category of rap.

Most of the Huai opera repertoires "Nine Lotuses", "Thirteen Heroes" and "Seventy-two Records" are derived from the transplantation of Hui opera repertoires. Some are self-written plays. "Nine Lotuses" and "Thirteen Heroes" are both plays named after the main characters in the play, while "Seventy-Two Chapters" is named after various legendary stories.

They have substantive words and special tunes, a certain performance routine, and are divided into roles such as Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou, etc., and they have begun to take on the form of drama. Most of its contents are against tyranny, criticizing selfishness and praising the true love between men and women.

In the same period, there were four major mystery dramas, namely "Ding Huang Family", "Jiu Na Wang Zhao", "Herbal Tea Story" and "Duck Soup Story", all of which were based on what happened in the territory. It is adapted from real people and true events.

Lian Taiben opera began in the 1920s and was once popular. The main plays include "Yang Family General", "Yue Fei", "The Legend of Feilong", "Full Sun and Moon", "Anbang Dingguo Zhi", "Feng Shen Bang" ", "Seven Kingdoms", "Meng Lijun", "Zheng Qiaojiao", "Qianlong Biography", "Peng Gongan" and "Shi Gongan", etc.

Most of these plays were adapted from historical legends and folk tales, and some were fixed in popular performances and became the repertoire of Huai Opera later. This opera appeared around the 1940s, with repertoires such as "Three Women Seizing the Board" and "Abandoning Wife to Trial Wife", etc., and has been continued.

From 1937 to 1987, Huai Opera has produced thousands of plays, including "Remove without error", "Fishing by the River", "Family", "Morning at the Harbor", "Draughter" "The Story of a Bowl", "The Soul of the Road", "The Story of Divorce", "The Red Light" and "The Story of a Strange Marriage", etc., represent the level of modern drama creation and performance of Huai Opera in different periods and have far-reaching influence.

"Sunflower", "A River of Spring Flows Eastward" and "The Sound of Suona" by Jiangsu Huai Opera Troupe, "The First Son in the Family" by Shanghai Huai Opera Troupe, "Shipin Village Official" by Yancheng Huai Opera Troupe " and modern Huai opera dramas such as "The Barber and the Barber" by Jianhu Huai Opera Troupe are also deeply loved by the audience.

Huai Opera