The opera percussion music - martial arts gongs and drums, is a type of music that our ancestors have come up with a richer and more comprehensive combination after countless rounds of scrutiny and refinement. Because it expresses content through rich rhythm changes and different combinations of instruments, it is a special and very important type of music that cannot be replaced by any instrument in national music. Especially on the opera stage, it changes combinations according to needs, uses gongs and drums to create various stage atmospheres, expresses various stage artistic conceptions, and plays a key role in expressing the various hearts and personalities of the characters on the stage.

1. The role of time and space conversion

When opera embodies marching, fighting and other plots, and when it wants to express the time and space conversion from one place to another, it uses opera program virtual techniques and uses military fields. The gongs and drums, along with the extras, complete the stage to indicate another scene. For example: In the play "Three Attacks on Jingzhou", Huang Zhong said: ...I have been ordered by the general to ambush the police, soldiers! have! Call the police. The gongs and drums played in the martial arts field "Wind into the Pine" means that they have led the troops to ambush the police. Another example: In the play "The Great Breaking of the Heavenly Gate", the burnt light is white: After I took a few steps and set fire to it, [underwater fish] sent the burnt burnt from here to the forage yard. From the above two examples, the audience can visually understand the scenes performed by the characters in the play.

2. The role of highlighting and exaggerating the plot

In opera stage performances, the characters' performances of joy, anger, sorrow, and joy are enhanced by the gongs and drums of the martial arts field, pushing the dramatic effect to a climax.

Example 1: In the play "White Rabbit", Sanniang bites her son's navel after giving birth, but is snatched away by her brother and sister-in-law and thrown into a fish pond. Fortunately, Mr. Du rescues her and returns her to Sanniang. Sanniang sees her son again. When he was filled with grief and anger, he screamed heartbreakingly, biting the glue... My son! In this performance, the gongs and drums in the martial arts field use a "double shout" to vividly portray Li Sanniang's mood when seeing her son again, which has the effect of fueling the flames and heightening the atmosphere of the plot.

Example 2: In the play "Zhan Dang", Zhang Fei defeated Zhou Yu and took Zhou Yu's tassel. The gongs and drums in the martial arts field used [punch], [cannon head], [laughing note], and [flower]. Two hammers] A series of gong sutras vividly express Zhang Fei's pride in winning.

3. Standardize actors’ posture and rhythmic effects

As the saying goes: “There are no rules without rules.” Opera and any art form are also inseparable from this principle. Groups and martial arts scenes in opera must have a unified schedule and standard, otherwise they will be chaotic, devoid of beauty, and cannot become art. And who will unify the command and standardize the movements, this task falls on the gongs and drums of the martial arts field.

Example: In the play "Visiting the White Pao", Yuchi Gong led two sergeants to visit the robe on a moonlit night. Under the prompt of Wei's lyrics "The mountains are far away and the road is rugged", the gongs and drums in the military field were used [long Gong Sutras with different rhythms such as [Maul], [Long Hammer], [Da Liu Zi], and [Horse Leg] represent scenes of walking, climbing mountains, crossing bridges, and horse hoof slipping. Actors must interpret this scene within the rules of this Gong Sutra. The series of actions are completed in unison, demonstrating the hardships and dangers of traveling on a moonlit night to reflect Yuchi Gong's thirst for talents. If the actors do not have this set of gongs and scriptures, they will act independently and there will be no artistic beauty and no drama appreciation effect.

4. Express the character’s inner language and psychological effects.

If there is no need to describe or sing the performance in the stage performance, but it needs to be reflected, the performance will be omitted by the gongs and drums of the martial arts field.

Example 1: "Feng Yi Pavilion" Cao Cao reads the letter. Cao said: Wait for me to see it. The gongs and drums in the martial arts field are played with [three quick shots] to express Cao's reading of the book to get the content. There is no need to express it directly on the stage.

Example 2: "The Great Breaking of the Tianmen Formation" Bao Zibai: Mu Guiying came to break the formation! Xiao Tiancai arranged the arrangement after hearing it, but it would be redundant to tell him one by one. Instead, he used the Gong Jing [Four Geng Jing] instead of language to issue commands, which not only made the audience understand, but also reflected the various expression techniques of stage art.

5. Singing and music rhythm play a controlling role

Although there is no independent conductor to lead the orchestra in opera performances, fortunately, our predecessors have figured out how to use the drum board through long-term artistic practice. The valuable experience of acting as a commanding officer. After hundreds of years of performance, it has become a fixed formula. Therefore, there is no doubt that gongs and drums in martial arts play a role in this aspect, just to give a few examples.

Example 1: Starting the lead

Example 2: [Guide plate head] The guide plate for starting free rhythm singing.

[Put five mallets] Lead the adagio in 4/4 rhythm and the original in 2/4 rhythm.

[Feng Nods] Leads the 1/4 rhythm of the stacks and rocking board.

[Tu San Gui] leads the free-rhythm Sanban.

The singing speed is determined by the sound of the drum board. Both civil and military personnel played different rhythms according to the different drum beats indicated by the drum board.

6. Substitution effects

In stage performances, there are some specific effects required by the plot, which are difficult to express due to limitations of historical conditions. However, they were replaced by martial arts gongs and drums created by the predecessors. Natural sounds and specific effects have become a basically unified model in the opera world.

Example: drum beat

One drum beat and one gong signify the first watch

Two drum beats and two gong signs signify the second watch

Three Three drums and gongs indicate the third watch

Four drums and two gongs indicate the fourth watch

Five drums and three gongs indicate the fifth watch

Shengtang drums three The sound of "豉" means promotion to the hall

The four sounds of the retreat drum and the sound of the gong means retreat

There are also roll call drums and execution drums, including the sound of wind, rain, throwing things, beating people, and falling. They are all performed by gongs and drums from the martial arts field.

The art of playing gongs and drums in Wuchang is a magnificent and precious musical heritage in the treasure house of national culture and art in our country. It has a long history, rich varieties, unique performance and wonderful and moving artistic charm. It is worthy of our Generation after generation, we continue to explore, innovate and develop, so that it can be passed down for centuries and shine forever.

Editor in charge: Yang Jian