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An analysis paper on the musical characteristics of the opera "Canal Ballad"

The national opera "Canal Ballad" tells a touching love story based on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal created by the working people of ancient China. The following is what I have carefully prepared for you: Papers related to the analysis of the musical characteristics of the opera "Canal Ballad". The content is for reference only, welcome to read!

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Abstract: The opera "Canal Ballad" takes the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal with a history of more than 2,500 years as the background of the story. It reflects history and reflects reality through the description of the living conditions and emotional experiences of people at the bottom of society. This work cleverly combines the symphony orchestra and the choir, and expresses it through multiple art forms such as solo singing, duet singing, and chorus. It also absorbs and integrates elements such as Western operas, folk songs, and operas, and uses the characteristics of Chinese four-tone and ethnic singing methods. To interpret the storyline and make the work more understandable, real and vivid.

"The Ballad of the Canal" is composed by the famous Chinese composer Yin Qing, written by Huang Weini and Dong Ni, directed by Liao Xianghong, and is the most popular among Lei Jia, Wang Hongwei and Wang Chu. Starring a powerful singer. The whole play is divided into six scenes. The plot is rich, layered and interlocking. The work is set against the background of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal throughout. The story takes place during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, with the love story between the scholar Qin Xiaosheng and the wandering artist Shui Honglian as the main line. , using the abandoned blind girl Guan Yanyan and the bully boat leader Shui Yao as the conflict points to promote a series of intricate, tragic and poignant love stories. Through the description of the life and love of the canal people, it reflects people's living conditions in a difficult environment. Through the mutual help of the male and female protagonists, the audience is made to believe that as long as you are kind-hearted and sincere to others, you can bring light to the world. It eulogized the kind-hearted working people and pure love, and exposed the ugly face of the oppressing class. This article analyzes its musical characteristics from the following aspects:

1. Analysis of basic musical language

The overture music of "Canal Ballad" starts with beautiful and lyrical string music, like waves. The sparkling Grand Canal flows quietly, and the clarinet sounds like ripples on the calm water. Then the string bows appear, which intensifies the color of the music and pave the way for the subsequent storyline. At this time, the music theme The song "We Are the Flowing Water of the Canal" played, attracting the audience's attention to this beautiful and prosperous canal. The screenwriter personified the Grand Canal and presented it in the form of singers in Tsing Yi, as if they were lined up on the bank of the canal, singing the theme song? We are the water of the canal, flowing year after year, we have seen the sea and the sea. In the mulberry field, we have seen the joys and sorrows of separation and reunion; we are the water of the canal, flowing year after year, we have seen life and death, good and evil, and the thin sky of righteousness

The first scene has a strong The dramatic opening of the dragon boat song and dance uses musical elements of Hangzhou tea-picking tune, reflecting the prosperity of the ancient Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and expressing the customs of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The typical folk music melody in the play is played together with the percussion, making it a lively and joyful scene. The tense rhythm of the strings and the background of the bass immediately change the color of the music, leading to the following storyline.

In the second scene, the singers in Tsing Yi lined up and stood by the canal, and sang the theme "We are the flowing water of the canal" again, and sang the first scene and the storyline that will happen next, Make it easy for the audience to understand and serve as a link between the past and the next. The crisp and beautiful harp runs through the heroine Shui Honglian's aria. The music is very Jiangnan-like and melodious, allowing the audience to feel the long flow of the canal water. At the same time, such delicate music also lays the foundation for the love story of the hero and heroine. Foreshadowing. The jumping bows of the strings and the staccato of the wind instruments make the music light and bright, highlighting Shuihonglian's playful, cheerful, refreshing and generous character.

In the third scene, the harp appears, and its timbre imitates the national instrument pipa, which is more in line with the musical characteristics of national operas. The opening aria of Shui Honglian sings her words of suffering. Next is Qin Xiaosheng's aria, expressing his inner emotional entanglement and impatience.

It’s as if the pipa’s wheels inspired Guan Yanyan’s singing, and the bass part of the harp appeared in the background music, which was ethereal and desolate, echoing Guan Yanyan’s tragic experience. At the end of the third scene, the chorus and symphony orchestra rose and fell following the dramatic plot, allowing the audience to fully experience the musical charm of the opera while appreciating the story. When the chorus sang? Where is the canal water flowing, it was clear Is it blood and sweat that will push the emotions of this scene to a high point?

In the fourth scene, the harp plays beautiful notes like the water of a canal flowing slowly. The singer in green clothes runs through the entire opera from beginning to end, playing the role of narration, and the symphony orchestra plays in unison. The theme song "We are the water of the canal, flowing year after year", this scene is a classic of the entire opera, there are many cadenzas, fully showing the pain of the three people in this relationship Entanglement, emotional dilemma.

The fifth scene started with percussion, giving people a tense atmosphere and creating suspense for the following storyline. When the officers and soldiers came from the road, the percussion marimba appeared in the background music of the play. The music was very humorous and interesting, so that you can feel the lazy and dirty atmosphere in the ancient official circles, which shows the delicateness of the composer Yin Qing. . In order to save Qin Xiaosheng, Honglian was willing to sacrifice herself. She left her purest love to Qin Xiaosheng and her sympathy to Guan Yanyan. Her love was the great love in the world that transcended the love of children, which made Qin Xiaosheng and Guan Yanyan find their way to the world. The home of the soul. Honglian's song "I Will Love You in the Next Life" pushed the entire opera to a climax. The drama of the storyline and the tension of the music were intertwined, shocking the audience.

In the sixth scene, Qin Xiaosheng and Guan Yanyan came to Beijing and decided to report corrupt officials. The city of Beijing is prosperous, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. The male and female chorus "Soybeans, White Rice and Peanuts" is unpretentious and full of Beijing flavor. It uses the musical elements of Beijing-style drums, which is in sharp contrast to the previous Jiangnan-style music. At the end, the aria "Canal Ballad" sung by Honglian sounded again: "A canal is thousands of miles long, and both sides of the canal are hometowns." It expresses my longing for Honglian. Although she is gone, her songs and feelings are still there. The chorus theme song "We are the water of the canal, flowing year after year" echoes from beginning to end, making the entire opera complete.

2. Multi-part music form

(1) The use of chorus

The role of the chorus in opera is mainly reflected in: creating an environmental atmosphere; expressing Emotions, portraying characters, engaging in dramatic conflicts, and even directly revealing the opera's themes. It not only actively promotes the development of the plot from the front, but also assists other opera forms to promote the development of the plot from the side. Using the power of a group to exaggerate the atmosphere and achieve a climax effect is unmatched by other art forms.

The opera "Canal Ballad" successfully uses female chorus, male chorus, mixed chorus and other artistic expression forms. At the beginning of the overture, as the music progressed, the stage lights turned on slightly, the screen slowly opened, and the singers in Tsing Yi sang "We Are the Flowing Water of the Canal", using a full and round tone to show the sparkling waves and calm waves of the canal. ,

In the second scene, the composer used elements of labor chants to create a chorus of trackers, and the lyrics were filled in just right: ? Hey yo ho hey hey yo ho face the stone back to the sky , one step at a time, sweating and sweating, which uses the form of a male chorus and a leading chorus. The tone of the chorus is dark, low and negative, expressing the hard work and helpless numbness of the trackers, which fully reflects the class nature of society. Feeling these The pain and helplessness of the poor people who are oppressed and unable to resist. In the third scene, when Zhang Shuiyao wants Qin Xiao to lose his life, the singer in blue and the tracker sing a chorus, forming a mixed chorus of men and women, which heightens the tense atmosphere of water and fire being ruthless and life hanging by a thread.

In the sixth scene, the mixed chorus "Soybeans, White Rice and Peanuts" has a strong Beijing flavor, and is also full of Beijing-style drums and large bowls of tea.

It ends with a lively and peaceful scene, which also reflects a truth: Don't shrink back when facing darkness and evil forces, and always believe that the right path in the world is vicissitudes of life! (2) The use of duets

Duets It is one of the indispensable art forms in opera. In the history of the world of opera, it was the composer Mozart during the classical period who used it as an important means of dramatic expression and became a leading figure. In operas, duets not only reflect the role of recitatives and arias in expressing emotions and promoting the plot, but also have different timbres and different voices corresponding to harmonious techniques, producing dramatic and three-dimensional effects.

Male and female duets can be freely arranged between men and women in various relationships. According to the needs of the plot, they can show the fierce conflicts and complex inner emotions between various characters. .

This opera uses many duet forms, including male and female duets, trios, and quartets. In the second scene, the mixed duet between Shui Honglian and Qin Xiaosheng also used elements of unison singing and rotation singing, showing that the two are in love. The love duet is the most important form of duet. It is always an important passage deliberately displayed by opera composers. In any opera, there can be no lingering and touching love duets. They are sentimental, low-h and graceful, and have touched the hearts of countless audiences. The affectionate duet between the hero and heroine is the best way to express the faithful and beautiful love in the opera. In the third and fifth scenes, a trio is mainly used to show the emotional entanglement of the three people. The lyrics? I am a leaf of duckweed, I am a fallen flower? lead this aria, and the technique of round singing is also used. Similarly The lyrics, different tunes and rhythms express the different moods of the three people. This arrangement by the composer allows the story content and characters to be expressed more vividly, and the emotions are fuller.

In the fourth scene, a female duet is used to express the care and kindness of the two heroines. When Zhang Shuiyao discovered that Qin Xiaosheng was not Li Xiaoguan, a mixed quartet appeared, which more fully demonstrated Zhang Shuiyao's insidiousness and Qin Xiaosheng's desperation, paving the way for Hong Lian to sacrifice herself to save others in the end. In the process of creating the duet, the composer not only used the Chinese four-tone national singing method but also combined it with the Western recitative technique, which not only does not deviate from the public aesthetics, but also fully demonstrates the charm of the Chinese national original opera.

3. Reference to national elements

(1) How to participate in national singing methods

Chinese national operas require distinctive national characteristics. The theater's original operas "Xi Shi", "Mountain Teacher" and "The Orphan of Zhao" are all excellent national operas, but "Canal Ballad" is the most outstanding in terms of topic selection, arrangement, composition, actors, etc., and can be called It is a classic original opera produced by the National Center for the Performing Arts. The most obvious difference between "Canal Ballad" and other operas is that the entire opera performance prominently uses national singing methods to perform.

Lei Jia, who plays the female A role Shui Honglian, and Wang Hongwei, who plays the male A role Qin Xiaosheng, are both singers of our country’s national singing style. Operas have been sung using the bel canto method since ancient times: the bel canto method has a rich, mellow and full tone, which requires the head, mouth, chest and abdominal cavity to have ringing, so the sound can be transmitted far. However, it is different when using ethnic singing to perform operas. The timbre of ethnic singing is sweet, euphemistic and clear, and requires the sound of the head, mouth and chest, which is slightly smaller than the sound of bel canto singing, so the sound transmission will be different. limitation. With the symphony as the background, the volume of the singer is often overwhelmed, causing the actor to be unable to hear his own voice. As a result, he sings harder, which makes it difficult to complete the performance due to vocal fatigue. Therefore, the requirements for singers are very high, and it is also a considerable challenge for these two singers. After the opera was performed, it was well received by the audience. It is these young singers who have shown that not only bel canto singing can perform in operas , the national singing style is also possible, and it has more national characteristics and is more in line with the national aesthetic characteristics.

(2) Nationalization of symphonic music

A common technique used by composers when writing is to use tonal materials from the ethnic groups where the story takes place (Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Beijing) to develop it. , which makes the dramatic image expressed in the work more national. Since the work tells the story of a boat sailing from Hangzhou to Beijing, the composer not only added Jiangnan-style musical elements to "Canal Ballad", but also added the musical characteristics of Beijing-style drums, and mainly used the ballad style in his creative techniques. Continuously, and based on the Chinese four tones combined with ethnic singing methods, the lyrics are used just right. The musical form does not copy the style of Western operas, nor does it stick to the composing techniques of Chinese folk songs such as succession, transition and union, but makes many breakthroughs and innovations.

The art of symphonic music originated from the West. Its musical thinking, structure, and especially its melody feel are very different from Chinese national music, so Chinese people often have a "don't understand" attitude towards symphonic music. In order to enable symphonic music to enter the cultural life of the masses. The creator of "Canal Ballad" took an exploratory step towards the nationalization of symphonic music and the nationalization of Western opera forms.

In the musical thinking of this opera, the author does not overemphasize the vertical harmonic thinking of Western music, because the Chinese people’s aesthetic habit of music is horizontal melody thinking. This is precisely the characteristic of China's national music, so composers strive to learn from the creative techniques of national music and subtly melodize the symphony's harmony, so that it will be more in line with the aesthetic habits of the Chinese audience.