Huayin Laoqiang is a folk opera popular in Shaanxi Province. It is also a kind of shadow play. It is mainly popular in Huayin City, Shaanxi Province. Its voice is high-pitched and surging, and it does not require accompaniment when singing. Huayin Laoqiang embodies its artistic and cultural value. Want to know more about Huayin dialect? The following Shaanxi culture brings you more content, let’s take a look.

Shuangquan Village, Huayin City, Shaanxi Province is a small village located at the foot of Huashan Mountain in Xiyue. The Yellow River, Wei River and Luo River meet near the village. There is an old shadow puppet theater troupe passed down from generation to generation in the village. Shadow puppet shows are not uncommon in Shaanxi, but this troupe in Shuangquan Village knows a unique singing method called Laoqiang. It is said that as early as the Western Han Dynasty, this was the location of a military granary, with water transport leading directly to Chang'an, the capital at that time. In order to unify everyone's movements, the leading boatman shouted the boatman's call and hit the side of the boat with a wooden block - this is the origin of the old tune.

There are two theories about the origin of the name of Laoqiang. One is that it is older than other popular local operas. In particular, the music appears simple and solemn, steady and vigorous, rough and bold, which is a relic of the ancient times. Therefore, it is called Laoqiang; secondly, because it evolved from the singing and rapping in Laohekou, Hubei Province to Huayin, so it was named Laoqiang after the first character of Laohekou.

Laoqiang is actually a very small type of opera, which is performed in the form of shadow puppets. It only requires five people to support a show: the signer (conducting the shadow puppets), the deputy signer, the front singer (lead singer), the backstage, and the banhu. But in this type of drama, there is no lack of "shengdan, pure and ugly at the end". However, these five roles are all performed by the lead singer. Therefore, the vocal talent of the lead singer is particularly important. My own wooden stools, homemade strings, and lyrics and tunes that have been passed down orally for thousands of years. This kind of rustic, unique, and shocking old tune was brought to the theater intact in its original form. On the luxurious stage of the Metropolitan Grand Theater, they were also invited into the CCTV studio hall. Laoqiang appears in this most primitive style, but it has gained the widest recognition. Huayin Laoqiang was born in the Zhang family.

For a long time, it has been a family drama of the Zhangjiahu clan in Quandian Village, Huayin County (the music is only passed on to the original surname and the clan, not to outsiders). Zhang Ximin, Zhang Xinmin, Zhang Junmin, and Zhang Shimin are the sons of Zhang Quansheng, the authentic successor of Huayin Laoqiang. They have preserved more than a hundred scripts of Laoqiang passed down from the Qianlong period. Almost all of these dramas are stories of the Western Zhou Dynasty, Countries, Three Triparts of the World, Tang and Song Dynasties that were popular among the people during the Northern Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties. Open the book and you can see the lyrics recorded vertically with a brush. Most of the scripts have been handed down since the Qing Dynasty. As time goes by, the paper has begun to turn yellow and become brittle. Fortunately, the artists have already engraved the lyrics in their hearts. The scripts are rarely used and are only displayed at important moments.

As far as the singing music of Laoqiang is concerned, it can be divided into two types: one is singing; the other is chanting. People call it "the tragic song of generosity". It has an upright, high-pitched, majestic and heroic spirit, which sounds quite similar to the Western Han Dynasty chanting about the great river going east; Luoyin also introduces the tune of Weishui boatmen's chants, using the drawl of "one person sings, everyone helps" (commonly known as Layin among the people) Wave), known as "rock on the yellow earth".

Huayin has two categories: Laoqiang and Shiqiang (Wanwanqiang). Laoqiang appeared in the Han Dynasty. It originated from the army. Zhang Liang sang it loudly to boost morale during the battle. Because Huayin was a granary for the capital at that time, and grains were continuously sent to Xianyang through water transportation. As the army guarding the granary, their morale-boosting singing became one of the oldest opera types. Finally, it became popular among the people, and combined with the ship master's chant, it became A real old tune has been formed.

Shiqiang is most distinguished from Laoqiang. It is a small palace opera. In the palace, when the singers are older, they are sent to Huashan Temple. There are records at that time that 90 people were sent at one time. , so there is a saying that there is no distinction between worshiping and worshiping, because when singing during sacrifices, the tune is more tactful and delicate, and it is also called sacred opera. At that time, Lao Tune was mainly used for military campaigns, while Shi Tune was mainly used for telling small stories, so many tunes of Shi Tune could not be integrated into Lao Tune. As the saying goes, "One roar can tell the story of eternity, and millions of soldiers can dance with both hands."

When the vigorous old tune sounds, the ancient battlefield is full of spears and halberds, the glint of swords and the shadows of swords, and sometimes people are shouting horses and neighing, swallowing mountains and rivers with anger, and sometimes shouting gold to withdraw troops and looking around the vastness, the strong character and strong mentality of the Shaanxi people come to the fore.

The main value of Laoqiang is reflected in the origin of drama history, the closed nature of inheritance, the uniqueness of drama types, the publicity of the style of drawing materials, the self-discipline of the music system, and the wide range of aesthetic objects. , the originality of language style. Its main melody is the musicalization of the boatman's chant, which is a testimony that art originates from life. It is based on historical wars. The singing is exciting and full of masculine beauty, so it has unique aesthetic value and national spiritual value.