Shanghai Art Research Institute Chen Zhengsheng
--Speech at the Jiangnan silk and bamboo performing art seminar
Today, I listened to some seniors and peers of the silk and bamboo industry in Shanghai, on the source of Jiangnan silk and bamboo, repertoire, and performing art of the high opinion, it is very profitable. I have studied in Gan Tao, Jin Zu Li, Lu Chun Ling gentlemen, but in the Jiangnan silk bamboo knowledge is very shallow; despite this, still not afraid of the humble, take this opportunity to express my shallow opinion, in order to seek advice from the gentlemen.
I, Jiangnan silk and bamboo music with the relationship between the opera
Jiangnan silk and bamboo, Nanyin and Guangdong music, are important music in the south of China. They have a close relationship with the local opera. But this relationship is very different. Nan Yin (refers to the instrumental form), it is initially attached to the Nan Yin singing, Guangdong music, the instrumental form is initially attached to the Cantonese opera, played by the Cantonese opera over the song. This understanding is probably not too far-fetched. Therefore, it can be said that both Nanyin and Cantonese music have a shorter history than opera, and their origins can be traced from the history of local opera. Jiangnan silk bamboo and Shanghai's local opera Shanghai opera also has a certain relationship; but this relationship with the Nanyin and Guangdong music, compared to the relationship is very different.
Jiangnan silk and bamboo music is a form of silk and bamboo performance popularized in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. Shanghai's local theater is the Shanghai Opera, which was first known as the Flower Drum Opera and was produced around the end of the 18th century. At the end of the nineteenth century, the flower-drum opera flowed into the city from the countryside, and changed its name to the local beach spring (Bentan), from the sound (record) that survived at the beginning of this century, Bentan does not have the form of accompaniment in the forties and beyond. From this, it can be seen that there is no dependence between Jiangnan silk bamboo and Shanghai opera. At the beginning of this century, the performance form of Jiangnan silk and bamboo was introduced from the countryside to the downtown area of Shanghai, and became an important form of entertainment for Shanghai citizens. Since then, in order to raise its value, Shentan has followed the name of Kunqu and Jingqu (Beijing Opera) and changed its name to "Shenqu". At this time, the form of accompaniment, especially the bow and fingers of the Shenhu (the main hu), as well as the melody and flowers, had a strong Jiangnan silk and bamboo playing style. For this reason, the main hu (player) of today's Shanghai opera can play Jiangnan silk and bamboo without losing its true flavor. In addition, from the north of Jiangsu Province into Shanghai, and only in Shanghai to develop the Huai Opera, its main beard bowing, fingering, as well as sliding skills, also to varying degrees by the influence of the Jiangnan silk bamboo playing methods.
The Formation of New Silk Bamboo
In February 1924, Mr. Liu Yaozhang met Mr. Zheng Jiwen, the director of music affairs of the Grand Concert Association, and Mr. Zheng introduced Mr. Liu to Mr. Wang Yuting to learn the pipa formally.
In June 1924, the Grand Concert Association held the Ancient Music and Dance Conference at the then Shanghai Municipal Hall, and Mr. Zheng Jiwen gave Mr. Liu Yaozhang a ticket to watch the conference. After the meeting, Mr. Zheng asked Mr. Liu to give his opinion. Mr. Liu said, although the ancient music is good, but the music is high and low, and it is not easy to excavate, not as good as another selection of music adapted to become a familiar form of silk and bamboo, easy to be accepted by the people. In 1925, Mr. Liu Yaozhang was entrusted by Mr. Zheng Jiwen with the task of adapting Xunyang Night Moon taught by Mr. Wang Yuting into a silk and bamboo ensemble piece called Spring River and Moonlit Night, and in 1927, he also dug out Moon High from the pipa sheet music of Hua Qiuying, which no one knew how to play at that time, and named it Neishang Yuyi Qu Qu. On July 2nd, 1927, music lovers in Shanghai braved the pouring rain to hear the public performance of Neishang Yuyi Qu. for the first time, which was performed in public. On July 2, 1927, music lovers in Shanghai braved the pouring rain to hear the first public performance of "The Nezhang Yuyi Song" at the summer recital of the Daitong Music Club, which was still packed to the rafters.
The success of the performances of "A Moonlit Night on the Spring River" and "The Songs of the Nezhang and the Feathered Garments" led to a rush of requests for the scores from music groups in Shanghai. However, Zheng Jiwen regarded these two pieces as unique to the Society and refused to publicize them. In the autumn of 1929, Mr. Wei Zhongle joined the Da Tong Music Society, and was appreciated by Mr. Zheng Jiwen for his unique talent, and only then did Mr. Liu Yaozhang teach Mr. Wei Zhongle how to play these two pieces of music. Mr. Cai Jintai, the director of the Lelin Guomusic Society at that time, who had failed to obtain the pipa score of "Moonlit Night of Spring River Flowers," decided to join the Daitong Music Society.
Because "A Moonlit Night on the Spring River" was not released in time and had a wide influence, the Shanghai Guomusic Research Society and the Xiaoxiao Music Ensemble at that time transposed the pipa solo pieces "Night Moon in Xunyang," "Autumn Moon in the Han Palace," "Qinglian Lefu," and "Songs of the Seaside" into silk and bamboo music. At that time, Shanghai residents called these pieces "new silk and bamboo" to distinguish them from the original Jiangnan silk and bamboo music. Nowadays, these pieces are still frequently played by some Jiangnan silk and bamboo groups in Shanghai.
Three, the repertoire and the prosperity of the music
To be prosperous, a music to flourish, not only to have a well-educated team of performers, but also to have a large audience and a repertoire rich in characteristics. Jiangnan silk bamboo performance, although most with the purpose of self-entertainment, but there is no lack of entertainment role; not to mention that there are often some listeners will be enriched to the performance team. On the band, the audience and the repertoire of the three, I thought the repertoire plays a leading role. Because a large number of distinctive repertoire, not only for the band personnel has a strong cohesion, can improve the quality of band members, and to listen to? Also has a strong attraction.
The mention of Jiangnan silk and bamboo, people will naturally be associated with Jiangnan silk and bamboo eight famous songs. Jiangnan silk bamboo players will often affirm that Jiangnan silk bamboo is not only the eight famous songs. The fact is that people know that there are eight famous songs in Jiangnan Silk Bamboo, and no one will wrongly think that there are only eight famous songs in Jiangnan Silk Bamboo. However, can our Shanghai silk and bamboo group play all the eight famous songs smoothly? I am afraid that there is a little difficulty. Because of the eight famous songs in the "slow six boards", "slow three six", "four together as one", a lot of silk and bamboo groups are not often played. Jiangnan silk and bamboo band is very good at expanding their repertoire. In addition to the aforementioned group of "new silk bamboo" and outside, other provinces and cities of folk music is often absorbed, transformed into Jiangnan silk bamboo music. For example, Hunan folk music "partridge fly", Zhejiang folk music "small Nishang", Fujian folk music "Huai Gu" and so on is.
But the creation of new repertoire of Jiangnan silk bamboo, far less than the Guangdong music, the success of the new works is simply as few as the morning star. What is the reason for this? I thought this with the composer's creative thinking. Jiangnan silk and bamboo performance, never is each player according to the characteristics of their own instruments, according to their own personal preferences, the melody of improvisation and flowers. Nowadays, even the new works are also slow, medium and fast performance programs, although the slow plate is still the slowing down of the medium plate, adding flowers, fast plate is also the simplification of the medium plate, but the performance is often a large unison, the lack of Jiangnan Silk Bamboo music is unique to the branch of the polyphony, and thus lost the true essence of the music. For this reason, our composers (whether professional or amateur), if in the creation of the pianoforte polyphony can also give general hints, its effect will certainly be much better.
four, jiangnan silk and bamboo music in the flute and xiao
jiangnan silk and bamboo performance has two main characteristics, one is the performance of the lineup can be small, small as long as the two can partner; two is not a fixed lead instrument, the flute, erhu, pipa, yangqin, who seniority deep, who can temporarily act as a leader. Nevertheless, due to the flute's clear, penetrating tone, playing melody is easy to add flowers, so often in the lead position.
In recent years, listening to the Jiangnan silk and bamboo performance (including some published tapes), always feel that the volume of the flute is too large, the melody is too colorful, the rest of the instruments seem to become the accompaniment of the flute. The flute's refusal to give way is not only unfavorable to the various instruments to play their own strengths, but also often makes the performance lose the overall harmony. For example, in the Three Sixes, it is common to hear people play the melody as eight sixteenth notes from beginning to end. This way of playing, the disadvantages of at least three: First, the player does not have enough time to change air for each phrase (can only steal air), blowing hard; Second, although the rhythm is smooth, but the melody is lost in the contrast between dense and sparse, but it seems to be bland; Third, the sixteenth notes of the equalization, so that the phrase reading is ambiguous. When I was a teenager, my teacher Gan Tao often warned the author: "fast is not fast, slow is not slow; strong is not strong, weak is not weak; flower is not flower, about is not about." Prof. Gan Tao's words are the shallowest interpretation of the dialectic of art. Today's flutes are only complicated but not simple, and do not reflect the splendor of Jiangnan silk and bamboo music.
The Dongxiao is rarely used in the Jiangnan silk and bamboo bands today, and should be given enough attention. The noise of the flute contrasts with the softness of the dongxiao's volume. For this reason, the Dongxiao in the Jiangnan silk and bamboo band in the hidden, will be regarded as dispensable. In fact, the pipe belongs to the tenor part of the wind instrument, and its treble sound is like the flute, but far softer than the flute, which is exactly the same as the sound of the flute to play a complementary role. In addition, xiao and the function of the flute is not the same, that is, with the flute to play the jiangnan silk and bamboo music, such as "happy song", "three six", "cloud Qing", "street", etc., should be added with xiao, added xiao, it will enhance the effect of the performance. But Jiangnan silk and bamboo music, there is still a part only with xiao and completely without the flute, such as "small Nishang", "where the Palace" (also known as "inverted eight boards", "no work tune", the error is "Van Wang Gong"), as well as the so-called new silk and bamboo song "Spring River Flower and Moonlight Night", "Nishang Yuyi song", "Xunyang Night Moon", "Qinglian Lefu", "the Sequence of Songs", and so on. This kind of music in addition to the pipa's leading position, the hole xiao is playing the role of LiangZhou, no xiao, it is difficult to make the performance to get good results. But there is also a situation, the piper is mostly learn flute and, the player often only noticed the piper and flute "with", but ignored the "differences" between the two, the hole pipe blowing too much like a flute and lost the gentle elegant flavor of the hole pipe, which is bound to affect the performance of the Effect. The tone of the dongxiao is something that needs to be scrutinized in order to be mastered.
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