The historical background of the origin and spread of liuqin opera in Cangshan
Liuqin opera was not called liuqin opera in the early days, and the artists who sang liuqin opera were not called actors, but were called singing "small opera", which was a means of livelihood for poor peasants who fled the famine to beg for food and used rap instead of door-to-door (called door-opening). In the old society, the Yi River, Wu River, East River, West River downstream often suffered floods, after the disaster, the crops did not harvest, people had to carry drums, singing ditties to go out begging for a living. Some of the ballads that have been circulated in the past, such as "The river wind mouth is broken, the water is filled with Lanshantou, the wife and children flow with the water," and "If you don't want to harvest, you can go down to Juzhou and sing spring and autumn on the banks of the Yiwu River," are true depictions of the tragic scenes and the people's singing and begging at that time.
Liuqin opera in 1887 (Qing Guangxu 13 years) in Cangshan rise and spread, there have been Lutang village of Xu Zonghe, Han Liancheng, Wu Tan's Li Yucuo, Yu ditch Mr. Ma Jichang learn to learn to sing Liuqin opera. 1900, the former east of the crater of the Mr. Song Qiyuan (nicknamed Song Nian) learn to learn to sing Liuqin opera, the teacher is Feixian people. From this, it can be seen that from 1887 to 1900, Liuqin Opera was gradually active in Cangshan, especially in the rural areas.
Early folk artists sang liuqin opera without percussion instruments, no opera line, accompanied by a moon zither, a pair of clappers, lasted for quite a long time. Until around 1900 there were professional artists, by two or three people to perform some of the little boy, little Dan, clown play, artists called "three small play", from door to door rapping to the development of Anchang singing. 1920, some Liuqin opera artists began to enter the countryside from the market towns and county performances, Cangshan County, Liuqin opera began to enter the stage performances. In 1954, the East China region held a meeting performance of this opera, according to its music the main string is the willow leaf zither, before it was formally named Liuqin Opera.
In November 1956, the People's Committee of Cangshan County, based on the application of the artists and the proposal of people from all walks of life, set up the Popular Liuqin Troupe on the basis of the Liuqin Opera Troupe, which was the predecessor of the Cangshan Liuqin Troupe. From then on, this "small opera", which had long been sung by door-to-door or street stalls in the old society, ascended to the theater stage and began its new life. It not only occupies the rightful seat in the hundred operas, but also becomes the indispensable spiritual food in the life of Cangshan people with its unique style. Especially in the vast rural areas of southern Cangshan, it is indeed "village pipa ring, household pull the soul cavity", and thus has the "township of the willow qin" reputation.
The evolution of the art of singing and stylistic characteristics
Liuqin opera is rich in singing, there are "nine cavities and eighteen tunes, seventy-two humming" said. Liuqin opera originated from folk ditties and flower-drum tunes, etc. Tan Qingyuan, who is still alive at the age of 83 in Tanliangzi Village, Xiangcheng Town, is the inheritor of the flower-drum tunes. These folk tunes and flower-drum tunes were influenced by Liuqin Opera at a later stage, and were constantly integrated and integrated, attracting the audience with their graceful singing, easy-to-understand lyrics, and heart-wrenching storylines, which the public affectionately called "La Soul Cavity". Its Danjiao singing voice upturned high octave, La cavity "ah um"; raw corner of the singing voice of the end of the flat down five, La cavity "ah ha ee", so it is also known as the "pull after the cavity". And because of its early absorption of "elbow drums" repertoire and percussion instruments, so also known as "elbow drums". Therefore, in Cangshan, the early soul-raising cavity was also called "flower drum" by the masses, which shows that Liuqin Opera in Cangshan has a kinship with the flower drum, and became Liuqin Opera after continuous integration and development.
During the Cultural Revolution, Cangshan Liuqin Opera Troupe was forced to withdraw in 1969, and in October 1970, the county government set up the Cangshan County *** Ideological and Literary Propaganda Team on the basis of the Literature and Arts Training Course, which was renamed Literature and Arts Troupe after a lapse of three years and changed the name to Liuqin Opera from self-editing to acting in a number of small operas. In 1978, approved by the Linyi prefecture committee, resumed the establishment of Cangshan County Liuqin Troupe, with the change of the times, Cangshan Liuqin Opera entered a period of prosperity and development.
Since Cangshan is neighboring Pixian County in Jiangsu Province, the singing style is different between the north and the south. South Road singing is delicate and soft, North Road singing is thick and simple, because the troupe is often active in the south of Shandong and north of Jiangsu Province, and constantly integrates and absorbs the excellent singing of Pixian, Sizhou and other places of Liuqin Opera, so that the local singing has formed the characteristics of gentle and high pitched, and soft with strong. In addition to the slow board, two rows of boards, tight boards, scattered boards, guiding boards, added smashing boards (flying boards), the top of the board from the big eight boards (long over the door), small eight boards (short over the door) and so on, and borrowed some of the boards of the Peking Opera style. 1981, the troupe band collated more than 40 kinds of percussive points and playing methods printed. Like the gongs and drums such as "Ka Ba" (起霸), "Ka Bian" (起边), "Ma Liu Zi" (馬淌子), "Shui Xi Fish" (水底鱼), and "Rolling Beans" (滚豆子), the troupe also asked the actors to memorize them and to do them, which focused on the improvement of the actors' comprehensive quality of singing, doing, reading and playing. In the later performances, some plays were also orchestrated, such as the staging of Fifteen Guan, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, Picking Li Mei, Spring Grass Breaking into the Hall, Qin Xianglian, Mute Woman Sueing, Fox Fairy Xiao Cui, etc., which were performed in Su County, Guanyun, Pixian, Zhengzhou, Xinyi, Xuzhou, etc., and were well received by the public. By now, Cangshan Troupe enjoyed a high reputation in Lunan and North Jiangsu, and Liuqin Opera formed a unique local theater in Cangshan.
The status and development of liuqin opera in the new period
In 1984, after the restructuring of the Cangshan Liujin Troupe in maintaining the inheritance of liuqin opera's origins and characteristics, to send the opera to the countryside and hold large-scale cultural activities to play its due role, while based on the market to play to its own advantage, seeking development, out of a marriage of culture and enterprise, has organized the " Three to the Countryside", "Four to the Countryside" and "Hundred Troupes to the Countryside" activities, resumed staging some traditional and modern plays, and recorded traditional plays such as "Qin Xianglian", "Lotus Nunnery", "Sisters Marrying Easily", and "Xiaoguxian". The troupe has participated in drama competitions organized by the Provincial Department of Culture, the first Linyi Liuqin Opera "Runtong Cup" Excellent Chanting Television Competition, the Shandong Ludongnan Theatre Troupe Exhibition (Juxian County), and the Chinese Opera Laxing Cavity Singing Competition (Siachen County, Anhui Province). During the period, the Liuqin opera "Double Happiness", "I'll Marry Him", "Wish" and other plays created by the troupe took part in the Xuzhou Liuqin Opera Festival, the Eighth Linyi Square Culture and Art Festival and the First Linyi Xuedi Tao Cup Drama Competition, respectively. Through the above exhibitions and performances, the troupe has expanded cultural exchanges and made unremitting efforts for the prosperity and development of Liuqin Opera.
But due to the streamlining of personnel in 1990, only 15 people remain unchanged in the establishment, to carry out the business to small performances, in the county to participate in large-scale cultural performances and local invitations to perform large-scale plays, due to the small number of personnel, only seconded to external personnel, the performance of the show when they meet, the performance is over and disbanded, the troupe lineup is still in the original position, which seriously affects the quality of the performance. Secondly, the serious shortage of funds, the troupe's equipment and props are outdated and increasingly do not meet the needs of the current situation. Therefore, the troupe is facing a worrying situation.
Liuqin opera stretches more than 200 years of dissemination, has developed into four provinces across the Soviet Union, Lu, Henan, Anhui, a large variety of theater, with any kind of Chinese theater history is irreplaceable charm, its careful care, inheritance and development, is the whole society **** with the sacred duty.
We believe that in the love of the Liuqin theater career artists struggle and the support of all sectors of society, Liuqin theater this rooted in the fertile soil of the people's art flower, will be presented in a new look on the stage of arts and culture.