Cantonese opera, also known as ? Cantonese opera, also known as ? or? Dazhou? It began to appear in Guangdong and Guangxi during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, and is a performing art that combines singing, reciting, playing, musician's music, stage costumes, and abstract forms. Here is some trivia about Cantonese opera, welcome to read for reference!
I. Historical Origins
Cantonese opera is a type of opera formed by Guangdong artists who absorbed the operatic voices of opera troupes from other provinces, and then sang songs and melted them into local ballads and songs. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there were already local children in Guangdong who made a living in the theater. Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, there were Yiyang opera and Kun opera. During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, Guangzhou had a ? Touyou? In the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a "Touyou" in Guangzhou, who sang "Guangqiang" in the theater. Canton accent. During the Qianlong period, local artists established the Qionghua Association in Dajiwei, Foshan Town. Between the Qianlong and Daoguang periods, hundreds of foreign opera groups from other provinces entered Guangdong and set up the Guangdong Foreign Pear Garden Association in Guangzhou. The local opera troupe drew artistic nourishment from the foreign opera troupe in terms of voice and performance, and gradually formed a performance style that was mainly based on the clapper style. In the fourth year of Xianfeng (1854), Li Wenmao, an artist of the local class, organized the Red Scarf Army as the backbone of the children of the Pear Garden to rebel against the Qing Dynasty, and the Qing government strictly prohibited the performance of the local class, so the artists had to turn to the Waijiang class or pretend to be Beijing opera. In the early years of the Tongzhi era, the local class re-emerged, and in the fifteenth year of the Guangxu era (1889), the Bawo Hall was established in Guangzhou. At this time, the local class also absorbed the sound of two reeds, and was able to perform many plays such as Jianghu 18-books, Xin Jianghu 18-books, and Dachang 18-books, etc., mainly using the clappers and two reeds, and also using the large cavities (the localized Yiyang and Kun cavities). The roles of the performers are categorized into ten major lines: Wusheng, Zhengsheng, Xiaosheng, Xiaowu, General Sheng, Gongkou, Zhengdan, Huadan, Pure, and Chou, and the martial arts skills are evolved from the Shaolin martial arts of the Southern School of Martial Arts. In the performance of the original "Six Kingdoms", there were more than a hundred people on the stage, with a large number of flowers and earthy sounds, very different from other types of opera. Early Cantonese opera troupes traveled on specially chartered ? Red Boats They traveled along the Pearl River to perform in various ports, so they were also called "Red Boat Disciples". Therefore, they were also called "Red Boat Disciples". At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, theaters were built in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao, and the local classes of the newly named Cantonese Opera were gradually transferred from the soil stage in the countryside to perform in the city theaters, and thereafter, there appeared the provincial and Hong Kong dabans that flowed between the large and medium-sized cities. In order to meet the needs of the urban audience and theater performances, there appeared the masters of the opera, who were engaged in the business of compiling scripts, and most of their newly compiled plays were the gorgeous and strange plays of shengdan. The lower Sifu class, which performed in the western part of Guangdong, was still good at performing the main plays of Wusheng and Xiaowu, and maintained its rough and simple artistic characteristics. During the Guangxu period, the state government classes left their hometowns and ports one after another, and at this time, they performed more in some overseas countries.
Before and after the 1911 Revolution, some Cantonese opera artists were influenced by the democratic revolution and participated in the activities of the League of Alliance advocated by Sun Yat-sen. Some people in the society organized a class of volunteers to propagate the idea of democratic revolution by promoting the improvement of Cantonese opera. Later on, under the influence of the improvement of Cantonese Opera and the need to compete with the booming movie industry with the spirit of change and innovation, various elements of the comprehensive art of Cantonese Opera underwent significant changes. The repertoire included ancient and modern Chinese and foreign themes, and thousands of new plays were written. The Xiao sheng and Xiao wu lines were changed from singing with fake voices to singing with real voices. The vocal cadences of clappers, erxian, yiyangqiang and kunqiang were very different from the original cadences. The clappers and erxian cadences created new patterns and phrases, and used popular folk tunes such as muyu, nanyin, Cantonese acoustic songs, and banyei in their singing music, and were able to synthesize and apply a variety of cadences using the method of tune linking and combination of pattern changes, and also added Western instruments such as violins, saxophones, and guitars to their original national accompaniment instruments, which made the singing music more varied. Cantonese Opera singing music is more flexible and melodious. The performing arts absorbed the Peking Opera and the Northern School of Martial Arts, and drew on the realism and close-to-life performance methods of movies and dramas to form a performance system with the Wusheng, Wenwusheng, Xiaosheng, Zhengyin Huadan, Ergang Huadan, and Chousheng as the mainstays of the performance system, and a variety of genres were produced in the Sheng, Dan, and Chou line of singing. Between the 1930s and 1940s, the Cantonese Opera stage was filled with stars, with the emergence of the five schools of Xue Juexian, Ma Shi Zeng, Bai Ju Rong, Liao Man Huai, and Gui Ming Yang, which dominated the direction of the reform of the Cantonese Opera, and produced numerous outstanding repertoire. The stage set has evolved from a table and two chairs to a flat, three-dimensional scenery piece and even an organ set, and the lighting has evolved from fire and water lamps and large lamps to electric lamps and colorful rotating lamps.
Regarding the emergence and formation of Cantonese opera, there are many different opinions. However, it is generally believed that Cantonese opera began to sprout in the middle of the Ming Dynasty and was nurtured by the local classes. About the source of the local class, generally speaking, is quoted in the "History of Cantonese Opera" written by Mai Xiaoxia, according to the "History" said: "The Yongzheng throne? Yongzheng succeeded to the throne? According to the historical sketch, Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, and Zhang Wu, a famous actor from Beijing, fled to Guangdong and stayed there. fled to Guangdong, living in Foshan Town Dajiwei? To Beijing opera and kunqu taught the children of the Red Boat, change its organization, open its scale. The Qionghua Club was founded by Mr. Wang. The Qionghua Guild Hall was not created during the Yongzheng period[3], but according to history, as early as during the Jiajing and Wanli periods of the Ming Dynasty, the Qionghua Guild Hall was established as a trade organization for the local classes in Foshan and Guangzhou. After continuous development, it was formed by combining the Eagle Yang and Kun cavities with Guangdong's local popular folk tunes such as Nanyin, Dragon Boat, Wooden Fish, Cantonese Acura, Salt Water Song, and Guangdong instrumental music. Until the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, it gradually evolved into a fusion of northern and southern, Chinese and foreign singing music, sung in the vernacular, thus forming a local theater with distinctive characteristics of Lingnan - Cantonese Opera. The uniqueness of Cantonese Opera is that it belongs to the category of Chinese pictorial theater, but also has a light and smooth personality, new and changeable, and enjoys the reputation of "Southern Red Bean", "Southern Red Bean" and "Southern Red Bean". It is known as the "Red Bean of the South". The name "Red Bean in the South" is also known as "Red Bean in the South".
Second, the performing arts
1. Singing, reading, doing and playing
Cantonese opera performers are divided into four basic categories of performance techniques - singing, doing, reading and playing.
Singing refers to singing, with different roles have their own different ways of singing, including flat throat and sub-throat. The flat throat is the usual tone of voice, and is usually used for male characters. The zi throat is an octave higher than the flat throat and is often used as a falsetto to play female roles. In addition to categorizing by tone scale, they are also categorized by voice characteristics. The big throat is the use of a rough voice. At the same time, Cantonese Opera also absorbs unique singing voices from different places, such as the Guangdong Nan Yin and Mu Yu from Fujian, and the local folk songs Yue Acura and Pan Yin from Guangdong.
To do is to do the work, also known as the stance, which is the physical performance. It includes hand gestures, steps, walks, shutting eyes, making hands, stances, water sleeves, plume work, beard work, water hair, abstract performances and traditional kung fu frames.
The concept refers to the readings, that is, read out the lines. It is a way of explaining the plot, the thoughts and feelings of the characters.
Fighting refers to martial arts, such as: dancing water sleeves, water hair, playing fan, martial arts knife and gun, playing sticks and waving sticks, dancing flags and so on.
2. Singing
The unique singing style of Cantonese Opera? Ma Shi Zeng, who created the unique singing style of Cantonese opera. Ma Shi Zeng. Ma Shi Zeng
In the early Qing Dynasty, the Wa Jiang Ban introduced the Goyang accent and Kunshan accent to Guangdong. During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period, the local class gradually appeared, but the singing style was still based on clappers. Later, with the decline of the Kunqu Opera and the influence of the Huiban, it changed to the Xipi Erhuang as the basic singing tune. During the period of Xinhai Revolution, the Zhishi class changed the official language of the opera house into the vernacular, also known as the new cavity. During the war period, there were famous old masters rising up, each studying Cantonese opera and developing their own singing style.
For example, Xue Jueshen's? Xue accent? Ma Shizeng's? The Ma accent is half-singing, half-white, and has a strong flavor. Starlet's? Starry voice? is characterized by delicate feelings, low and lingering, and a deep feeling of emotion. Luo Jiabao's? Shrimp cavity? The combination of true and false voices is fresh and pleasant to the ears. There are also sweet, crispy, round, moist, and delicate characteristics of the red thread woman. Red Voice? The new Ma Shi Zeng - a long and clear voice. New Ma Shi Zeng's clear and long? and He Feifan's? Fanfan's? and Fang Yanfen's? Fang Yanfen's? "Fong"? - "Fong"? - "Fong"? Fung?
The actor's body is symbolized by the symbolism of the character.
3. Stances
Through symbolic gestures and movements, actors interpret the characters' personalities and feelings, the change of time and space, and the development of the play. The basic stances include: the standing phase, the stage step, the seven-star step, the finger palm, the cloud palm, the appearance, the running round the stage, the opening of the door, the pulling of the mountain (cloud hand), the mounting of the horse and the back to provide.
The stage step of the youngest is a dingzhi step, to show that the spirit of the lofty. The flower girl's step is a skimming step, to show the lightness. In order to make indecision, consider how to respond to the psychological state or search for objects, looking for the road and other episodes, the actor will use? Water Wave program to express.
For example, the jumping frame of the martial arts industry (Southern School), Ma Dangzi, up the bully (Northern School) and a variety of fists, swords, knives and spears, and so on. Jumping Dajie is composed of a series of body movements, including actors on the field, pulling the mountain (cloud hand), hanging single foot, appearances, seven-star step, handful of steps (wrong step), pretty step, cloud step, small jumps, kicks, kicking a (kicking the robe armor), the body, wash the face, the wind flag, walk round the stage, and other sequences of action. One of them is a specialty of the Wu Sheng line, and the early Wu Sheng performances had many styles, with fingers thrown, bouncing, plucking, stirring, flicking, struggling, cupping, kneading, blowing, vibrating, and other ten techniques to express leisure, happy, thoughtful, surprised, surprised, shocked, and other expressions.
3. Classification of roles
The roles within a drama are called roles in Cantonese opera and Chinese opera. In Cantonese Opera, the roles were originally the first (Lao Sheng), second (Hua Mian), third (Zheng Sheng), fourth (Zheng Dan), fifth (Qing Yi), fifth (Zheng Chou), sixth (Da Hua Mian), seventh (Xiao Sheng, Xiao Wu), eight (Xiao Wu), eight (Hua Dan), nine (Lao Dan), and ten (underlings, dragons, and so on), which are collectively known as the ten major roles.
Later was streamlined into a six-pillar system, that is, Wen Wu Sheng, Xiao Sheng, Zheng Yin Hua Dan, two help Hua Dan, ugly Sheng, Wu Sheng. These were categorized according to the character's age, gender, personality, appearance, and other characteristics. The end of the line is the end of the line. Representing the older characters. Sheng? represents male characters. Dan? represents a female character. Jung? is a male character with a strong and violent personality. Chou? is a funny character.
Fourth, Performance Venues
In the history of Cantonese opera, the performance venues of Cantonese opera have evolved just like other Chinese operas. The performance venues of Cantonese opera were generally divided into temporary theaters and permanent stages. During the Ming Dynasty, when people were well off, large families would set up their own theater and recruit private troupes, while the Huafeng Theater, an outdoor stage in front of the Ancestral Temple in Foshan, was a permanent stage for entertaining the common people. By the beginning of the 20th century (early Republic of China) Cantonese Opera performances came into theaters. As the facilities continued to improve, the audience was able to enjoy Cantonese opera performances more comfortably. In the past, there were many famous theaters in Guangzhou, Foshan, and Hong Kong, while in Hong Kong, there were the Taiping Theatre, Gao Sheng Theatre, Central Theatre, Po Hing Theatre, and Lee Theatre, which all witnessed the golden years of Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong.
After the Second World War, amusement parks began to enter the lives of Hong Kong people, and some famous amusement parks such as the Kai Tak Playground and the Lai Yuen Playground also became performance venues for Cantonese opera. When the Lee Theatre was demolished and rebuilt into the Lee Theatre Plaza in 1991, the Sunbeam Theatre became the mainstay of Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong. With the decline of Cantonese opera in Hong Kong, Cantonese opera troupes mainly performed at the Sunbeam Theatre, Kwai Tsing Theatre and Ko Shan Theatre.