Chaozhou Opera, also known as Chaozhou Opera, Yin Chao Opera, Chaozhou Dally and Bai Zixi, is an ancient local opera sung in Chaozhou dialect. Mainly distributed in eastern Guangdong, southern Fujian, Taiwan Province, Hongkong and Southeast Asia.

The formation and development of Chaozhou Opera has a history of over 430 years. It is a branch of the Southern Opera in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, which gradually evolved from the Southern Opera in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, absorbed the specialties of Geyang, Kunqu Opera, Pihuang Opera and Bangzi Opera, and combined with local folk arts such as Chaozhou music, and finally formed its own unique artistic form and style.

Chaozhou dialect was not used in the language of Chaozhou opera from the beginning. It can be seen from the Ming Dynasty's block-printed Complete Works of Picking Flowers to Make Up the Golden Flowers that Chaozhou Opera at this time mainly sings in Chaozhou dialect, but some of its vocals and Daobai are marked with "official accent", which indicates that Chaozhou Opera may use "official accent" at first, then gradually reduce the weight of "official accent" and finally become completely localized.

Second, the development history

Chaozhou Music Class is popular in eastern Guangdong, southern Fujian, Hongkong, Taiwan Province Province and Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam in Southeast Asia.

Chaozhou Opera is a local opera that is sung in Chaozhou dialect after the Southern Opera of Song and Yuan Dynasties spread to Chaoshan area in eastern Guangdong, integrating and absorbing Chaoshan music and other folk arts. In the Ming Dynasty, Dai Jing wrote in the first draft of "Customs" in Volume 18 of "Guangdong Tongzhi": "Tide customs often play with local accent." In the early Qing Dynasty, Qu Dajun wrote in Cantonese Newspeak: "Chaozhou Opera was sung by chaozhou people in a local accent." 1958 "Cai Bojie" sung in Chaozhou dialect and 1975 "Liu Xibi's Chai Jin Collection" unearthed in Feng Tang, Chaozhou, and when Helong built the Western Hills, are the cultural relics evidence of the influx of Ming people and the local accent.

Third, artistic features

1, role

Chaozhou opera has a full range of trades, and its first play, Life, Dan, Quiet and Ugliness, is delicate and vivid. Its body work has strict procedural norms and freehand brushwork, and pays attention to the exertion of skills. Among them, Ugly Behavior and Hua Dan's performing arts are particularly rich, with unique styles and rich local colors.

From the performance point of view, life, Dan and ugliness have the most local characteristics in the foot color business of Chaozhou opera. Sheng Dan's drama Sweeping the Window is regarded as a typical representative of China opera, which tells a story by singing and dancing. Clowns in Chaozhou opera can be divided into ten categories, among which clowns fans are famous all over the world. In the old ugly drama Chai Fanghui, the clown's slide skill is unique to Chaozhou opera and enjoys a high reputation in the opera world.

In the past, Chaozhou Opera has always implemented children's music system, and Xiao Sheng, Tsing Yi and Hua Dan were all performed by children's artists. These artists grew up, their voices changed, and they were eliminated. This system has seriously hindered the development of Chaozhou opera. After the founding of New China, the children's drama system was abolished, various reforms were carried out, and a large number of outstanding actors were trained, which made the ancient art of Chaozhou opera glow with new brilliance.

Step 2 sing

Chaozhou opera is sung with real voice and with the ancient song "Si Er Music", which is full of charm. Singing is a combination system of Qupai style and banqiang, which is mainly composed of Qupai combination. So far, it still retains the form of chorus. Two or three people sing a song or end a song, which has a unique style and strong expressive force.

The "help tone" of early Chaozhou opera, that is, when the actors on the stage sing the most wonderful fragments, all the voices in the background "sing together" is very rare in other operas and is one of the characteristics of Chaozhou opera.

3. Music

Chaozhou opera music belongs to a set of music cards, singing North and South songs, with beautiful tunes, lightness and delicacy, and being good at lyricism. After the mid-Qing dynasty, it absorbed board cavity music, which was flexible, diverse and colorful. There are more than 200 traditional tunes and more than 0/000 pieces of music in Chaozhou Opera, which are important materials for studying the tunes of China opera.

The accompaniment part retains more ancient music in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and constantly absorbs Chaozhou gongs and drums, temple fair music and folk tunes. Music tunes are beautiful, orchestral music and percussion music are harmonious, and they are good at expressing emotional changes.

With the development of the times and cultural exchanges, the accompaniment instruments of Chaozhou opera have been continuously developed and enriched. Before the 1920s, there were only bamboo strings, suona, coconut trees and Qin Yue, and bamboo strings were the main musical instruments. In the 1920s and 1930s, bamboo strings were replaced by two strings. Yueqin was replaced by dulcimer, and a big flute and a small flute were added. Since the 1940s, erhu, pipa and Hu Da have been added. Chaozhou opera has many tunes and changeable plates, such as the second board, the second board and the third board.

According to the different combinations of musical instruments, traditional operas are divided into big gong opera, small gong opera and Su Gong opera. The Da Gong Opera is the most distinctive and oldest, and it is good at expressing a low atmosphere and sad feelings. Xiao Gong is brisk, Su Gong is solemn.

Fourth, traditional plays and representative figures.

Traditional Chaozhou opera can be divided into two categories. First, it originated from Southern Opera in the Song and Yuan Dynasties and legendary zaju in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as Pipa, White Rabbit, Broken Kiln, and Jade Hairpin. These plays have elegant dictionaries, simple music and meticulous workmanship. First, plays adapted from local folklore or local facts, such as Litchi Story, Su six niang, Golden Flower Girl and Dragon Boat Crossing, have vivid stories and strong local flavor.

The existing scripts of early Chao Opera include the manuscript of Chai Jin Collection written by Liu Xibi in the seventh year of Xuande in Ming Dynasty (1432). Chaozhou opera can also be combined with the needs of the times to compile some plays closely related to real life. For example, during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression period, a large number of repertoires reflecting the current events of the Anti-Japanese War appeared, such as Documentary of Lugouqiao and The Story of Han Fuju, which played a positive role in inspiring people to join War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

The famous screenwriter of Chaozhou Opera is Yin Xie, whose representative works include Qin Fenglan, Zhao Shaoqing and Being a Family Member. There are Wu Shiwu, Lin Xianyu, Hong Xun, Jennifer, etc. Everyone has some masterpieces handed down from generation to generation. Famous artists include Cai and Hong Miao.

Present situation of verbs (abbreviation of verb)

Chaozhou Opera is a vivid example of the survival of China ancient operas on the stage, and it is one of the representatives of the excellent cultural expressions of the Chinese nation, with profound historical significance and high aesthetic value. After 1990, Chaozhou opera was restricted by the market economy and impacted by various modern literary forms, with reduced investment, brain drain and declining artistic level. Excellent traditional performing arts are on the verge of extinction and in a difficult state of development, which urgently needs protection and support.