The art of folk art is also called "singing and rapping art", which shows that it is an art form that includes both talking and singing; however, if the characteristics of folk art are only regarded as "talking about dawn and singing" or "singing" Talking and singing." That's just an intuitive feeling, and it can't really reveal its artistic essence theoretically. We also need to compare a large number of folk art works and performance forms with other art forms for further research. Through this comparison, I think that "folk art" generally has the following three aspects worth noting:

1. Rap ??stories. Most of the folk art works involve actors telling a story to the audience. This is the most obvious difference between folk art and other art forms. Below we will make some analysis from the two aspects of "rap" and "story".

"Rap" (or speaking or singing) does not seem to be a unique formal feature of folk art. This form of expression is also often used in dramas; "story" also appears in other art forms (such as novels) , drama, etc.). However, speaking or singing in drama (especially opera) is not "telling stories" or "singing stories", but expressing the attitude of the speaker and singer or expressing the emotions of the characters in the play. For example, in "Empty City Strategy" Kong Ming sang on the city tower "I was watching the mountain scenery from the city tower, and I could hear the commotion outside the city" or in "Borrowing the East Wind" Kong Ming sang a long section about his journey across the river before going to the altar. This is the case, even when Xiao He sings "My lord revolted in Mangdang" in "Chasing Han Xin", which is a long libretto that narrates Liu Bang's process of raising troops. Although it narrates many facts and contains certain story content, it is still It is the people in the play expressing their inner sighs. These songs are not intended for the actors to sing stories to the audience. The stories of dramas (including operas) are not sung, but performed by actors playing characters. Therefore, Wang Guowei said that "operators use songs and dances to tell stories" (see "The Origin of Opera"). The stories in the novel are written by the author for readers to read, and his way of conveying them naturally has nothing to do with singing. Therefore, the "telling stories" and "singing stories" of folk art are its unique forms of expression.

Of course, in the process of "telling stories" in folk art, it is not limited to simply introducing the process. It also often incorporates imitation of characters, expression of emotions and narration into rap.

1. On the premise of "rapping stories", combine narrative stories with simulated characters. In narrating stories, in order to express the actions, language and inner activities of the characters in the story clearly, actors often use simulation performances, that is, the actors appear in place of the characters, giving the audience a sense of being there, but on the whole Look, it still has its own character. For example, in Jingyun Dagu's "Hao Jiangzhou":

I thought it was Song Jiang who killed the Yan family in Wulongyuan.

I asked about the military dispatch and went to Jiangzhou Pass.

Li Wan and Zhang Qianer were released,

taking the hero Hei Song San into custody,

just walking around wearing a torture device during the day,

rowing fists at night To make a place sleep peacefully,

I deliberately asked them to walk forward one mile or two miles,

It took us a long time to sing in the middle of the excitement,

It’s nothing more I left today and looked forward to tomorrow.

Day after day passed.

The above lyrics belong to the objective narrative of the rapper, especially "I deliberately asked them to go forward one mile or two, and we will sing in the middle of the excitement after a long time." It is more obvious that the rapper directly Characteristics of telling and singing stories to an audience. Explain that it is not "acting a story" but "singing a story". Then the characters are introduced in the objective description. In order to vividly convey the characters' images to the audience, the actors imitate the characters' behaviors while narrating, which incorporates elements of simulation.

If you ask which one is coming soon?.

Who is it? Dai Zong, the divine walking Taibao, came to the street.

Dai Zong watched carefully on the horse,

Huh? He saw one offender and two offenders coming to the horse,

I think this prisoner is kind-hearted,

How could I not think of it for a moment?

After thinking about it for a long time, I recognized it.

Oh, that black Song San from Yuncheng County.

Throwing the stirrup off the saddle and dismounting,

walked forward and bowed deeply, saying: "Third brother, you are safe.

You are not here with us. Yuncheng County, Shandong Province

What happened when we arrived in Jiangzhou?

Song Jiang said: "Ahem! It's all because the red-haired ghost Xiao Liu Tang came to write down the book.

I caused trouble in the Oolong Courtyard.

I brought wine and killed a daughter of the Yan family.

I was sent to the army and came here...

Because of folk arts Art has this method of combining actors' narration and imitating characters. Although it uses rap to express stories, it can also form an ever-changing stage image, giving the audience the feeling of "one person, one play". If you encounter thousands of troops, The battlefield can also be narrated by one person, showing the rich expressive capabilities of folk art, but it is obviously different from the simulation of drama. This is true for Dagu, which is mainly about singing, and it is also like this for cross talk, which is mainly about talking. For example, in "Inviting a Buddhist Shrine":

There really is an old lady like this who buys incense and burns it on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, and still kowtows! When the young people in the family see it, they don't want to say: "Do you want to burn incense?" What's the use? Can you buy some sweets if you have money?"

That's true!

The old lady A didn't want to hear it. "What's the use? Please bless me at my age. If you have a few more years to live, ask the gods and Buddhas to protect you!" Actually, who is the old lady blessing?

Who is B blessing?

A is blessing the incense seller.

The dialogue between the old lady and the young man here is also imitated by the actors in the narrative, which demonstrates the characteristics of folk art art combining narrative and imitation of characters. In other storytelling and commentaries, this phenomenon of combining narrative stories with imitating the behavior and speech of characters is even more common. It can be said that this is a common phenomenon in folk art. Compared with other art forms, this feature is more prominent.

2. The art of folk art should also be combined with expressing emotions in narrating stories. In order to achieve better artistic effects, when narrating a story, it is necessary not only to show the actions of the characters, but also to show the various emotional changes of the characters, so as to achieve the purpose of moving people with emotion. Therefore, in works, it is necessary to write about the rich emotions of the characters. When singing, actors must also fully embody this emotion through their own creation and convey this emotion to the audience, so that the audience can be infected by the emotions of the characters in the story and enhance their The moving power of the piece performed. For example, in the traditional Beijing-style drum piece "Jiange Hearing the Bells", there is a section that expresses Li Longji's longing for Yang Yuhuan:

Sighing the king's desolation and loneliness,

One heart seems drunk and two tears pour down. .

The melancholy waning moon and the dawning stars are just beginning to appreciate,

What is it like to walk a long way and wade through water to climb a mountain?

It is so easy to look forward to the palace to rest your tired body,

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The cold rain and cold wind made the situation miserable.

In the Jiange, there was the Emperor Tang who was pregnant and sleepless.

Listen to the constant tinkling outside the window.

He asked hurriedly: "What is the sound outside?"

Gao Litu played: "Raindrops in the forest and golden bells under the eaves."

When the king heard this, he let out a long sigh,

said: "This is the sound of heartbroken people listening to heartbreak!"

The above is the development process of the story. After Li Longji heard Gao Lishi's replay, which aroused his inner sigh, he turned into a character in the story and expressed his emotions directly.

“Such an unbeautiful ringtone is not a beautiful rain.

How can I cut off the endless lovesickness and the endless love.

The window lattice knocks on people’s desires. Broken,

The sound of falling wood made it difficult for me to dream.

When the cries of beetles sounded in front of the eaves,

A bone-chilling chill came from under the quilt. .

The lonely lamp illuminates my single shadow,

Who am I talking to on a rainy night?

Is it that the sleeves of your shirt cannot withstand the wind at night?

Is it that the hotel is bleak and you feel bored?

Is it that the galloping troops and horses are making you scared?

Is it because Fangqing has lingering resentment in her heart?

Is it because Bo Xing is less sincere in her heart?

If not, why does the goddess not leave Luopu?

Kong Make me shed my tears and tear my soul away!”

Through the above narrative, the actors expressed their emotions on behalf of the characters in the story, allowing the audience to see the realistic emotions of the characters, creating a typical environment and a living Character image. This kind of "endorsement" narrative actually also contains the actor's (or author's) own expression of the characters in the story.

3. The combination of storytelling and commentary. The story in the film is narrated and sung by actors, and the narrator does not play a specific character; therefore, the actor can not only objectively narrate the story, but also directly communicate with the audience, express his or her own views on the things described, and narrate while For example, Lianzhu Kuaishu's "Centipede Ridge" introduces the evil Taoist Wang Feitian as follows:

It means that he is the centipede Taoist Wang Feitian.

He is in Centipede. Ling did many evil things,

robbed women of the people, occupied fertile land,

robbed merchants, killed people and set fires,

he was truly guilty of all kinds of crimes.

This quotation is the "note" of Lianzhu Kuaishu. When introducing the characters in the story, the combination of narrative and actors' comments can give the audience a general understanding of the characters. This method is very useful in playing the characters. It is relatively rare in drama.

In storytelling or commentaries, since the actors and the audience have wider freedom of communication, this combination of narrative and commentary can be fully developed and can even be ignored. Limitations on what is said.

Of course, it should be pointed out that such comments must be moderate and used at the appropriate time, otherwise it will easily lead to a conceptual tendency. When the author makes comments, they are always combined with the narrative, and mainly use the actions of the characters in the story to move people's hearts. This kind of comments can only serve as a "finishing point" to serve as a reminder. In short, rap stories are one of the basic characteristics of folk art. It is obviously different from other literary and art forms. However, there are also some art forms that are similar to this. For example, narrative songs in songs also "sing stories" in tune, but their melody rules and singing methods are different. It is obviously different from the art of folk art; therefore, we need to explore another feature of the art of folk art - the variety of songs.

2. This feature refers to the main focus of singing. In terms of music types, this type of music accounts for the vast majority of folk music (approximately more than 70%).

Over the years, audiences have appreciated it both for listening to stories and listening to it. Singing, and for some types of music, the interest in listening to stories far exceeds the appreciation of singing. Therefore, in order to make it easier to tell stories, many types of music form singing tunes based on the natural rhythm of the local language. In fact, they are natural to the language. The prominence or exaggeration of the melody. These singing tunes naturally form a set of melodies consistent with the local language. Although it is "singing", it still maintains many "speaking" elements. It is a kind of "singing" art that involves singing while singing, and speaking while singing. It has been circulated in an area for a long time. After repeated singing, over time, actors and audiences have formed a relatively fixed habit of appreciating tunes. Different tunes constitute different types of music. The basic tune of each type of music is based on This kind of "one song" is mainly formed with the local language as the skeleton. Some people believe that each type of folk art uses a fixed tune, which is a rigid expression and cannot express the changing and rich life. Therefore, it is a primitive and backward phenomenon that must be completely transformed.

If this view is viewed from the perspective of reform, it is reasonable to require the singing tunes of folk arts to be constantly updated; however, it must also be recognized that the "one song" used in Chinese operas and folk arts has some differences in overall melody and rhythm. The so-called fixation is relative, but the "change" based on this "one song" is absolute. Judging from the actual situation of folk art, although the tunes of each piece in the same genre are generally the same, the singing style of each specific piece has rich changes. The singing style of folk art is regarded as a fixed expression. The method itself is a misunderstanding of folk art singing. In short, the "one tune" of folk art refers to the basic tunes of various types of music. It is this basic tune that can show the artistic characteristics of different types of music. "Variable" means that on the basis of "one song", the singing tune will have various changes according to the different performance contents. According to the relationship between this "one tune" and "variable", the singing tune of folk art will also show different characteristics. The following two characteristics.

1. Standardization. It is relatively stable, which means that once each type of music is formed, this type of music must have the basic tune of this type of music. This tune is the most basic feature that constitutes a specific type of music. That is to say, no matter what the content of the lyrics is, the basic melody and rhythm of the tune are expressed in a very similar "single". It does not change as much as the tune of a song. The singing style of folk art itself has a relatively stable norm, and the writing of music and lyrics should adapt to the standards of the genre and tune, otherwise it will be impossible to sing (works that intend to reform the singing style are another matter). For example, the beginning of the Jingyun Dagu, no matter what the content of the lyrics is, is always expressed with a similar melody and a similar singing style. For example, Luo Yusheng sang "Jiange Hearing the Bell" and "Yu Boya Dropped the Qin". Although the content and form (number of sentences, number of words, etc.) of the two singing parts are different, the changes in the basic singing tune are very similar. They both start with the first two sentences. The melodies are similar, from the flat singing in the middle to the end of this section, their overall singing melody is similar.

It is the same type of music sung by different actors. Although there will be different changes in the singing, the overall singing is still very similar. For example, Xiao Lanyun sang "The West Chamber" or "Going to Liangshan", etc. Although the first two lines are sung in a high tune, after the flat singing in the middle (sometimes adding a refrain), it still falls back to the throwing tune, forming a The singing structure of "First Luo'er" of Jingyun Dagu is still similar to others in its composition rules.

The types of music in the Qupai style can also show this normativeness. For example, the "Fengyang Song" at the beginning of Shandong Qinshu, no matter what the content of the program is, and no matter what writing method is used, the actors always sing to the tune of "Fengyang Song". If some of the first few sentences have a large number of words, the actors will still adapt within the limits of the original rhythm and adopt the method of adding liner words to adapt, without changing the basic structure of the original tune. It is precisely because of the standardization of folk art singing that the basic tune of each type of music is the main symbol that distinguishes other types of music. Therefore, if the same lyrics are sung according to different tunes, they will form different types of music. No matter how "variable" the "piece" of folk art is, it will always use its own basic tune as the main singing style. This is There is no doubt about it.

2. Plasticity. Although the basic tunes of each type of music have their own specifications and the basic melody is relatively stable, in order to express richer life content, the tunes of each different program often have various changes, which can create different characters. . For example, the "Shu Zi" of Tianjin time tune is originally a shu board without melody changes (the actual Tianjin Allegro is based on the "Shu Zi" of this time tune). However, through the processing of folk music workers, in different The repertoire shows a variety of changes, which reflects the plasticity of folk art tunes.

Many other tunes, such as Shandong Qinshu and Northeast Errenzhuan, have different degrees of plasticity, making them achieve the unity of "one tune" and "variable" while being roughly the same.

Since folk art scripts are for actors to sing, actors can process the tunes they sing based on their own understanding of the work and their own emotions.

Therefore, these tunes will naturally have various differences according to the actors' different understandings, which will lead to great flexibility in singing. Therefore, even if it is the same work and two actors sing it, their singing styles will not be exactly the same. There are many repertoires that each actor has learned from his teacher. Although these repertoires have their own singing styles, many changes will inevitably occur after each actor sings them for many years. Therefore, no matter what type of music, the singing styles of many traditional songs basically vary according to different singers. It is precisely because of this variation that multiple styles and genres of singing of the same type of music have been formed. For example, it seems that every Jingyun Dagu performer can sing "Chou Mo Yin Chu", and almost all Danxian performers can sing "Wind and Rain Return to the Boat". However, when each of them sings the same song, their singing styles are quite different. .

This variability is also reflected in the same track sung by the same actor at different times. For example, the repertoire sung by many famous actors in their early years will generally undergo various changes in their singing styles in their later years. This is very obvious from the existing records left by many famous actors. Although this situation sometimes occurs in some solo singers, it seems to be a more common phenomenon among folk performers. In fact, it also reflects the plasticity of folk singing.

In the past, some people said that the characteristic of folk art singing is "one song has multiple uses". This is inaccurate and can easily be misunderstood literally as a rigid application. We call it "variable" which is more realistic. It is precisely because of the characteristic of "one song can change" that it is obviously different from narrative songs. Although narrative songs also "sing stories", they do not adopt the "one song can change" approach to singing, but It is composed separately according to the words, which is obviously different from the folk art.

3. Performance characteristics. Since folk art is a rap story, there must be a connection between the rapper and the audience. Therefore, actors' performances (including vocal and physical) have become the only way to spread folk art.

So, what are the characteristics of actors’ performances in folk art?

1. Although the performances of folk actors have some meanings in drama (including opera) or singing, they are not It is completely different from other forms of performances such as drama and singing, and forms the performing art of folk art itself - that is, appearing as a rapper who "raps stories". The various expression methods derived from this kind of rapper can only appear in the performances of folk actors.

Under the premise of "rap stories", performance, literature, and music are organically combined, causing these three to lose their original independence and form a special comprehensive art. Literature and music have also become more than ordinary literary creation and music performance. Actor performance is also different from the performance methods of other art forms, and forms the literature, music, performance, etc. needed for the folk art itself. For example, a novel in literary creation cannot be sung. To turn it into a folk art script, it must be adapted. That is, a narrative poem with a certain rhyme can be adapted into a folk art singing, which also requires a processing process (of course, also In some types of music, metrical poetry has been sung directly, but the music requires special design, and not all metrical poetry can be introduced into folk art). This kind of adaptation is not just a conversion between prose and verse, but also involves changes in story structure, narrative method and other aspects. In the music aspect of folk art, it is designed to highlight language. Regarding folk art singing, we have discussed it before and will not repeat it; the prelude, interlude, etc. in folk art accompaniment, if we talk about the music itself, also serve the language (actually it refers to the singing formed by language), and have nothing independent in themselves. Appreciation value. For example, many tunes in Beijing Yun Dagu, Shanxian, and Tanci are used to fill in the gaps in the language or connect the transitions between singing styles. It is difficult to say what emotions are expressed in themselves, and some types of music. The accompaniment of (such as Jingdong Dagu) mostly involves repeating the arias that have been sung, which is commonly known as "Sanxian Xuetuo". In fact, this kind of music has lost the meaning of independent performance.

The three basic characteristics of folk art can be summarized in one sentence, which is the performing art of "telling stories" in a "variable song" way. And "rap story" is the most basic feature. "One song is ever-changing" and "performing art" also exist for "telling stories". It is precisely because the main feature of folk art is "telling stories" (that is, telling stories and singing stories), so there are three basic characteristics of folk art. , and it also takes "rap story" as its core. Without the "rap story", the "variable songs" and "performing art" may be opera, but not necessarily folk art.