Qinqiang Opera, or Qinqiang, also known as Luantan, originated from the Western Qin Opera and is popular in Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang and other places in northwest my country. It uses jujube wooden clappers as the beating section. The musical instrument is also called "Bangzi tune", commonly known as "Huanhuanzi" (because it makes a "wandering" sound when the bangs are used to hit the joints). On May 20, 2006, it was approved by the State Council and included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists. Writer Jia Pingwa also wrote a novel called "Qin Opera".
Classification of Qin Opera
Qin Opera singing is a variation of the traditional Chinese style, divided into two types: happy sounds and bitter sounds. The former is good at expressing cheerful and joyful emotions; the latter is good at expressing grief, indignation and desolate emotions. Choose and use according to the plot and characters in the play. The board styles include Adagio, Erliu, Dai Ban, Qi Ban, Pointed Ban, Rolling Ban and Coloratura. The drawl is particularly distinctive. The main instrument is banhu, with a sharp and crisp pronunciation.
[Edit this paragraph]Performance characteristics
Performance form
The structure of Qin Opera lyrics is Qiyan style, and the common ones are seven-character sentences and cross sentences, that is, whole The lyrics of the play are arranged as neatly as a seven-character blank verse. Corresponding to the lyrics is the melody. The structure of Qinqiang Banqiang music can be summarized as the process of "Sanban - Adagio - from the middle to the fast - and end", that is, the rhythm of the Banqiang changes from slow to slightly faster. , fast, extremely fast, the process of ending the previous process that gradually slowed down and finally ended. The singer unfolds the storyline layer by layer based on this gradual rhythm. So how to change the speed of the rhythm? This is exactly the role of the "banlu" of Qin Opera singing. Qinqiang opera is a type of opera that is a variation of the board style. It has six major board styles, including the 26 board, the slow board, the band board, the pad board, the two-inverted board, and the rolling board. Two six-boards are two "six-boards". One six-board requires six bangs, which are all strong shots. Various other types of boards are formed by changing the speed, slowdown, free, and rotating boards of the 26 board. In this way, artists can use different rhythms to express emotions according to the needs of the plot.
Another feature of Qinqiang singing is the "color tune", which is sung with a falsetto and an octave high. It is mostly used in places where the characters' emotions are aroused and the plot develops ups and downs. The drawl must be classified as "an" rhyme. A sentence sounds full, hearty and expressive, which is also a clear difference from other types of opera. In addition, the singing of Qin Opera can be divided into happy and bitter sounds. As the name suggests, Huanyin is good at expressing cheerful and joyful emotions; Bitteryin is suitable for expressing sadness, anger and desolation. All these require the performer to grasp the script in order to better express the auxiliary singing method of emotion.
The accompaniment of Qin Opera is divided into writing and martial arts. The instruments used in the literary field include banhu, erxianzi, erhu, flute, sanxian, pipa, dulcimer, suona, sea flute, guanzi, tuba (trumpet), etc.; in the martial arts field there are violent drums, dry drums, tanggu, gongs, and small gongs. , horse gongs, cymbals, hinges, clappers, etc. The most important musical instrument in Qin Opera is, of course, the Banhu. Its pronunciation is sharp and crisp, which best embodies the characteristics of the Qin Opera's banquet style changes.
The roles of Qin Opera are divided into four students, six dans, two jings and one chou. There are thirteen gates in total, also known as the "Thirteen Heads Net". When singing, Xu Sheng, Qing Yi, Laosheng, Lao Dan, and Hua Lian perform in duet, so it is also called "Singing Luantan". Some people praise Qin Opera as "the complicated sounds are exciting, warm to the ears and heart, and make people's blood turbulent." This is precisely because of the characteristics of Qin Opera performances. The performances of Qin Opera are simple, rough, delicate, profound, touching with emotion and full of exaggeration. After the Revolution of 1911, the Yisu Society was established in Xi'an, specializing in Qin Opera. It reformed vigorously and absorbed the nutrients of Peking Opera and other operas. The singing style changed from high-pitched and passionate to soft and clear, preserving the original style while incorporating new styles.
Artistic Characteristics
It is characterized by high excitement, intensity and urgency. Especially when Hua Lian sings, he shouts at the top of his lungs. The locals call it "breaking the head." Outsiders joke: "When singing Qin Opera, firstly, the stage must be strong to avoid being shaken to pieces; secondly, the actors must be in good health to avoid falling apart." I'm tired and sick; thirdly, the audience should be brave to avoid being frightened."
The ballads are evidence: the folk customs are simple and tough, and the colorful faces of Qin opera are roaring. The audience in the audience is happy and not afraid that the stage tent will collapse.
Qinqiang singing consists of two parts: "Banlu" and "Caiqiang", each part has happy and bitter sounds. The bitter tune best represents the characteristics of Qin Opera, which is deep, sad, impassioned, and suitable for expressing feelings of grief, indignation, nostalgia, and sadness; the happy tune is joyful, bright, vigorous, and powerful, and is good at expressing joy, cheerfulness, and hearty emotions. There are six basic types of board styles: [Two-Six Board], [Adagio], [Arrow Board], [Two-Inverted Board], [With Board], and [Roll Board]. Color tune, commonly known as Eryin, has an octave high pitch and is mostly used in places where the characters' emotions are aroused and the plot develops ups and downs. It is divided into four categories: Adagio, Erduoban cavity, Daiban cavity and Pad cavity. For all singing styles that belong to the banquet style, the real voice is used; for all singing styles that belong to the color style, the false voice is used. Xusheng, Qingyi, Laosheng, Laodan and Hua Lian all perform duets in Qin Opera, which is called singing Luantan. There is a saying among the people that "Don'an and Anxi have a slow tempo, but Xi'an sings and plays well". Qin Opera before the late Qing Dynasty was also called Xi'an Luantan, which got its name from its duet singing. Some of the large-horned horns are played in a random manner, which lasts for dozens of lines. For example, in "Baibi Palace", the crying sound of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty is sung in a random manner, which requires more than 50 lines. It pays attention to the singing in a natural, graceful and pleasant way. It is called "" among the people. The crispy board is flicked randomly." The forty-eight cries of "Down to the East of the River" require forty-eight lines to be sung; the seventy-two lines of "Beheading Li Guang" are no longer possible, and seventy-two lines have to be sung. The Hua Lian singing style pays attention to the "Jiang sound" and "Ao sound". It is difficult to sing in high pitch, but those who can become famous will become famous. The Qinqiang tunes are divided into six categories: strings, suona, sea flute, shengguan, Kunqu, and suites, with the main ones being string and suona tunes. The musical accompaniment of Qin Opera has always been called the four major pieces, with the two strings as the main accompaniment. It is known as the "boldness" of Qin Opera. The piano player plays an important role in the Qin Opera troupe and often sits in the middle of the front and back of the stage. The accompaniment music is good at playing old tunes, and the pitch is "Sanyan tune". After the 1930s, Chu Tiao (ie, the lower pull method) was used instead.
The performance of Qin Opera is unique. The role system has four major roles: Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou. Each role is divided into many types, collectively known as the "Thirteen Heads Net". Generally speaking, theater troupes must establish a three-way role system with "four beams and four pillars" as the backbone according to the industry. The first-level roles include the first-level Xusheng, Zhengdan, Hualian and Xiaodan. The second-level roles include the Xiaosheng, the second-level Xusheng, the second-level Hualian and the Harlequin. The other roles such as Laodan and Laosheng are all third-level roles. The best in each role can play the leading role, while the others are supporting roles. Theater troupes with favorable conditions often spend large sums of money to invite famous actors. He is capable of all walks of life, including literature, martial arts, Kunming, and Chaos. He is an all-rounder and good at all kinds of moves. He is also known as "the burden of drama" or "full belly". Qin Opera performance skills are very rich, with all kinds of body movements and stunts. Commonly used ones include riding horses, pulling airs, spitting fire, throwing down, sweeping lanterns, playing with fire sticks, gun backs, overhead lights, teeth grinding, swivel chairs, etc. The performance skills of mythological dramas are even more unique and colorful. For example, when performing "Yellow River Formation", five kinds of magic weapons and props are used. The heaven-measuring ruler and the heaven-turning seal can cast long strings of fireworks, and the golden scissors can fly out butterflies. In addition, Hua Lian pays attention to the art of showing off his majestic and heroic spirit, and the masses call him "Jia Jia'er".
The state attaches great importance to the protection of intangible cultural heritage. On May 20, 2006, it was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists with the approval of the State Council. On June 8, 2007, Xi'an Qin Opera Theater in Shaanxi Province won the first Cultural Heritage Day Award issued by the Ministry of Culture.
The lyrics of Qinqiang opera are structured in Qiyan style, and the common ones are seven-character sentences and cross-word sentences. That is to say, the entire opera lyrics are arranged neatly like a seven-character blank poem. Corresponding to the lyrics is the melody. The structure of Qinqiang Banqiang music can be summarized as
Qinqiang
"Sansban - Adagio - from the middle to the rapid - The process of "end", that is, the process of the rhythm of the board changing from slow to slightly fast, fast, extremely fast, ending the previous slowness, and finally ending. The singer unfolds the storyline layer by layer based on this gradual rhythm. So how to change the speed of the rhythm? This is exactly the role of the "banlu" of Qin Opera singing. Qinqiang opera is a type of opera that is a variation of the board style. It has six major board styles, including the 26 board, the slow board, the band board, the pad board, the two-inverted board, and the rolling board. Two six-boards are two "six-boards". One six-board requires six bangs, which are all strong shots. Other board styles are all variations of the 26 boards such as speeding up, slowing down, freeing, rotating boards, etc. In this way, artists can use different rhythms to express emotions according to the needs of the plot.
Another feature of Qinqiang singing is the "color tune", which is sung with a falsetto and an octave high. It is mostly used in places where the characters' emotions are aroused and the plot develops ups and downs. The drawl must be classified as "an" rhyme. A sentence sounds full, hearty and expressive, which is also a clear difference from other types of opera. In addition, the singing of Qin Opera can be divided into happy and bitter sounds. As the name suggests, Huanyin is good at expressing cheerful and joyful emotions; Bitteryin is suitable for expressing sadness, anger and desolation. All these require the performer to grasp the script in order to better express the auxiliary singing method of emotion.
The accompaniment of Qin Opera is divided into writing and martial arts. The instruments used in the literary field include banhu, erxianzi, erhu, flute, sanxian, pipa, dulcimer, suona, sea flute, guanzi, tuba (trumpet), etc.; in the martial arts field there are violent drums, dry drums, tanggu, gongs, and small gongs. , horse gongs, cymbals, hinges, clappers, etc. The most important musical instrument in Qin Opera is, of course, the Banhu. Its pronunciation is sharp and crisp, which best embodies the characteristics of the Qin Opera's banquet style changes.
The roles of Qin Opera are divided into four students, six dans, two jings and one chou. There are thirteen gates in total, also known as the "Thirteen Heads Net". When singing, Xu Sheng, Qing Yi, Laosheng, Lao Dan, and Hua Lian perform in duet, so it is also called "Singing Luantan". Some people praise Qin Opera as "the complicated sounds are exciting, warm to the ears and heart, and make people's blood turbulent." This is precisely because of the characteristics of Qin Opera performances. The performances of Qin Opera are simple, rough, delicate, profound, touching with emotion and full of exaggeration. After the Revolution of 1911, the Yisu Society was established in Xi'an, specializing in Qin Opera. It reformed vigorously and absorbed the nutrients of Peking Opera and other operas. The singing style changed from high-pitched and passionate to soft and clear, preserving the original style while incorporating new styles.
Historical development
Origin
Qin Opera is a folk song and dance that originated in ancient Shaanxi and Gansu areas. It grew up in Chang'an, the political, economic and cultural center of ancient China. It has grown stronger and gradually formed through the creation of generations of people. Since the Zhou Dynasty, the Guanzhong area has been called "Qin", and Qin Opera got its name from this. It is a quite ancient opera. Because the jujube wooden bangzi is used as the percussion instrument, it is also called "bangzi tune". Because it makes a "wandering" sound when hitting the knots with the bangzi, it is commonly known as "框桄子". "Yucun Drama" written by Li Tiaoyuan of the Qing Dynasty says: "It is popularly said that the Qian family decorated Baiqiu Waiji and had Qin opera. It started in Shaanxi, using bang as a board and Yueqin to play with it. It also has tightness and slowness. It is called Bangzi opera in common people. It is called Luantan. "The word "Luantan" has many meanings in Chinese opera tunes. In the past, operas other than Kunqu Opera and Gaoqiang were called "Luantan". Peking Opera was also called "Luantan", and some opera types were also called Luantan. Names such as Wenzhou Luantan and Hebei Luantan are still mostly used as the general name of the Bangzi Opera system, with Qin Opera as the first and the main one.
Qin Opera "formed in the Qin, advanced in the Han, prospered in the Tang, became complete in the Yuan, matured in the Ming, and broadcast in the Qing. After several evolutions, it has become a grand sight." It is a very old opera type and can be called the pinnacle of Chinese opera. The originator, in the legendary manuscript of "Bo Zhonglian" during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1573-1620 AD), there is a section that states that the lyrics were sung with the singing tune of "the second offender of Western Qin Opera", and they are all in seven characters in upper and lower sentences, indicating that Qin Opera At that time or before that, it was not only formed, but also spread to other places.
Evolution
Qin Opera has evolved into different schools due to different popular areas: the East Road Qin Opera (i.e. Tongzhou) popular in Dali and Pucheng in the Weinan area of ??eastern Guanzhong Baozi (also called Old Qin Opera, East Road Bangzi); popular in Fengxiang, Qishan, Longxian in the Baoji region of central and western Guanxi and Tianshui, Gansu Province, called West Road Qinqiang (also called Xifu Qinqiang, West Road Bangzi); popular in Hanzhong Yangxian, Chenggu, Hantai District, and Mianxian areas in the region have Han Tiao Huo Huo (actually Nanlu Qin Opera, also called Han Tiao Qin Opera, and Huanhuan Opera); it is popular in Qianxian, Liquan, Fuping, Jingyang, and Sanyuan Those in Lintong and Lintong are called Beilu Qinqiang (Agongqiang, also known as Yugongqiang); those popular in Xi'an are called Zhonglu Qinqiang (Xi'an Luantan). After West Road Luantan flowed into Sichuan, it has been closely associated with northern Sichuan's lantern opera and Gaoqiang for a long time. It blended with each other and adopted the Sichuan language, gradually forming a unique style of Sichuan Bangzi - Danxi; East Road Luantan played in Peking Opera and Shanxi Opera It also played an important role in the formation of operas such as Henan Opera, Hebei Bangzi Opera and so on. Due to the influence of local dialects and folk music, various Qin operas have slight differences in pronunciation, singing, music and other aspects.
In the past fifty years, the development of Qin Opera in the East, West, South and North has tended to stagnate, and there is a tendency for it to be replaced by Qin Opera in the middle.
Propagation
The heyday of Qin Opera was during the Qianlong period (1736-1795). During this period, there were Qin Opera classes in many places across the country, including *** in Xi'an. There are thirty-six Qinqiang troupes, such as Baofu troupe, Jiangdong troupe, Shuangzhai troupe, Jinxiu troupe, etc.
Qinqiang has evolved into different schools due to different popular areas: the Donglu Qinqiang popular in the Weinan area in the eastern part of Guanzhong; the Xifu Qinqiang popular in the Baoji area in the west of Guanzhong; the Xifu Qinqiang popular in the Hanzhong area It is called Han Diao Qin Opera; the one popular in Xi'an is called Xi'an Luantan (Zhonglu Qin Opera). Due to the influence of local dialects and folk music, various Qin operas have slight differences in pronunciation, singing, music and other aspects. In the past fifty years, the eastern, western and southern Qin Operas have been underdeveloped. The middle Qin Opera has taken its place and has an absolute advantage in the entire northwest region.
[Edit this paragraph] Common repertoire
According to current statistics, there are about 3,000 repertoires performed by Qin Opera, most of which are based on the talents of "Liuguo", "Three Kingdoms" and "Yang". There are heroic legends or tragic stories in the storytelling department such as "Jia Jiang" and "Shuo Yue", as well as myths, folk tales and various public case dramas. It has a rich traditional repertoire, with 2,748 copies preserved.
The repertoire that is loved by the audience includes "Spring and Autumn Brush", "Eight Meanings Pictures", "Purple Cloud Palace", "He's Bi", "Hui Feng Fan", "Jade Tiger Pendant", " "Lin Bone Bed", "Mandarin Duck Quilt", "Shooting the Nine Suns", "Crying the Great Wall", "Fighting Dong Zhuo", "The Legend of the White Snake", "Brahma Palace", "Famen Temple", "Iron Rooster", etc. After the founding of New China, he also created popular masterpieces such as "Huanghuagang", "Han Palace Case" and "Qu Yuan".