2023學(xué)年完整公開課版ReadingmaterialsBeijingopera

BeijingOperarepresentsthefinestcombinationofliterature,music,dance,martialarts,finearts,acrobaticsandmanyotherartsavailable.Itswayofperformingisofasmuchafeature,differingfromopera,pantomimeanddrama.ThePekingOperaisakindofartthatpaysequalattentionto'Chang(Singing)','Nian(Speaking)','Zuo(Acting)'and'Da(Fighting)'.SinginginBeijingOperahasthecertaintunethatexpressesthesentimentofthedramaticpersona;Speakingintheplayisthespeechexceptsinging;Actingistheperformanceofmovementandexpression;Fightingisthemartialartsperformedbydancing.Itenablestheaudiencetobeinspiredbytheaffection,notonlyfromthelanguagebutalsofromthemusic,thephysiqueandthefinearts.Simultaneously,BeijingOperaprovidestheopportunitytoappreciatethepleasingstylisticandartisticharmonyofthedanceandmusic,thestrengthoftherhythmanddesignsevenfromonlyexperiencingoneact.

Derivation

BeijingOperaoriginatedfromthemiddleperiodoftheQingDynasty(1644-1911).Inthe55thyearreignedbytheEmperorQianlong(1790),themostfamousfourtheatricaltroupesinAnhui–SanqingTroupe,SixiTroupe,ChungongTroupeandChunTroupewenttoBeijinginsuccessiontoshowtheiroperaperformanceandthenobtainedtheunprecedentedsuccess.Then,basedon'AnhuiOpera','HanOpera',absorbingtheessenceofthelocalfolkdittylikethe'KunOpera','YiyangOpera'and'ShaanxiOpera'andalsomixedwithcharacteristicsofBeijingdialect,BeijingOperawasformed.AlthoughformedinBeijing,itisnotthenative-bornbutameltingopera.

ThereweremanynamesforBeijingOperainitshistorysuchasPihuang,Erhuang,HuangQiang,PekingOpera(JingdiaoorJingxiinChinese),PingjuOperaandChineseOpera(GuojuinChinese).TheearliestnameoftheBeijingOperawasseeninthenewspaperofthattime–'Declaration'inthesecondyearoftheEmperorGuangxu(1876).

TheBeijingOperawasofficiallyformedafterthe20thyearoftheEmperorDaoguang(1840).Atthattime,theformatsofeachkindofariasandthelanguagecharacteristicofBeijingOperainitiallycameintobeing.NewchangesappearedintheOpera'srole.AlistofplayspossessingthecharacteristicsoftheBeijingOperaandthefirstgenerationoftheoperaactorswerealsotakenon.

Characteristics

Similartothewesternopera,theBeijingOperaisacombinationofsinging,dancing,martialarts,musicandliterature,soitisalsocalledthe'OrientalOpera'bywesternpeople.Intheirownculturalbackgrounds,theyallhaveobtainedclassicalstatus.

Aria–ThemusicforthevoiceofBeijingOperabelongstotheBan-qiang(akindofstructuralstyleindrama),includingtwoarias

ofErhuangandXipi,sotheBeijingOperaisalsocalled'Pihuang'.TheariascommonlyusedinBeijingOperaalsoincludeothertunesliketheNanbangzi(anariainBangziOpera),Sipingdiao(anariainSichuanOpera),Gaobozi(anariainAnhuiOpera)andChuiqiang(theAnhuiOperawithfluteaccompaniment).

Theme–TheBeijingOperaisalwaysbasedonthepoliticalandmilitarystruggleofanhistoricaltheme;thestorymostlyistakenfromanhistoricalnovel.

Role–BeijingOperahasverystrictroledivision.Thereweresevenintheearlytime:Sheng,Dan,Jing,Mo,Chou,WuhangandLongtao(Walking-on).Lateritwasconvergedintofour:Sheng,Dan,JingandChou.

'Sheng'actsthemasculinepositiverole.Accordingtothedifferentage,identityandcharacter,itisalsodividedintothreekinds:Laosheng(OldMen),Xiaosheng(YoungMen)andWusheng(MilitaryMen).

'Dan'actsthefemininepositiveroleandisalsodividedintomanykinds:Qingyi(thehonorablewomenattiredindistinguisheddress),Huadan(theinnocentandextrovertedyoungladiesortheshrewishandextravagantfemale),Laodan(OldLadies),Wudan(MilitaryWomen)andsoon.

'Jing'actsthesupportingroleofgreat-heartedmasculine,thecharacteristicisthattheirfacesmustbepainted;ThereforeJingisalsocalled'Face-PaintedRole'.

'Chou'actsasalively,humorous,quick-wittedmasculine;sometimestheyalsoplaythereverserolewhichissinisterandsly.

Eachkindofrolealsohasdifferentface-paintinganddressingtoindicatetheiridentity.

Face-painting–Themake-upthattheBeijingOperaputsontheactor'sfacealsohasaspecialcharacteristicfordisplayingthecharacterofthespecificrole.Usingparticularcolorsontheactor'sfacetosymbolizetheircharacterandquality,roleanddestinyisnotonlythemajorcharacteristicofBeijingOpera,butalsothekeytounderstandtheopera'splot.Simplyspeaking,theredpainted-facehasthecommendatorymeaning,representingallegianceandgallantry;Theblackpainted-faceismoreneutral,representingvalorandwise;Theblueandthegreenonesarealsoneutrality,representingtheboldandcourageoushero;Theyellowandthewhitepainted-faceshasthederogatorymeaning,representingatrocityandduplicity;Thegoldenandtheargentitepainted-facesaremoremystical,representinggodoramonster.

Dressing–TheclothingusedintheBeijingOperaalsorepresentsparticularcharacteristicsandspecificimportancetoattracttheaudience'sattention.Ittooktheexampleofevery-dayclothinginancientChinesetimesasthefoundation,imitatingthedressing-styleoftheMingDynastyandlaterextractingtheattirecharacteristicandstyleoftheQingDynastyandthedressingofBaqi('EightBanners':militaryorganizationofManchuinQingDynasty).Aftermanyartists'refinement,recapitulation,beautificationanddecoration,theappropriativeclothingofacertainpatternwasthenformedandtheshoptalkofBeijingOperacalledit'Xingtou'(theactor'scostumes).Xingtouisthegeneraltermusedforclothingforallkindsofroles,includinglonggowns,shortclothes,armor,casquehats,bootsandshoes,aswellasassistantclothingorthingsattachedtodressing.

BeijingOperaperformancesarerenownedfortheirveryvibrantandgorgeouscoloredcostumes.Itisthemainpartofthecharactermodelingonthestage.ThePekingOperaclothingcapturestherichexperienceandcreatestheuniqueartisticstylethatissoadmiredandlovedtobeseenandheardbymassaudiences.

ListofPlays–BeijingOperahasmanyplays;itissaidthatthenumberoftheplaysisapproximately3,800.Atpresent,theplaysbeingperformedaremainlyofthreekinds:thetraditionalplay(nearly1,300),thenewly-writtenhistoricalplayandthemodernplay.

Genres

SincethePekingOperahasformed,manyoutstandingactorshaveemerged.TheyhaveallcontributedtoBeijingOpera'sinnovationanddevelopmentregardingtheaspectsofaria,performance,plays,rolemodelingandsoon.Thusmanygenreswithmuchstrongerinfluencehavebeencreated.

ThemostfamousgenreoftheBeijingOpera,whichisofmuchprevalence,iscreatedbytheFourFamous'Dans'(MeiLanfang,ShangXiaoyun,ChengYanqiuandXunHuisheng).Whilein'Jing'oftheBeijingOpera,JinShaoshan,HaoShouchenandHouXiruirespectivelyarethestyliststhathaveacertaingenreoftheirown.

MeiLanfang-oneofthemostremarkableperformingartistsinBeijingOpera,wasborninBeijingwithafamilyunderaverypoorcircumstanceinchildhood.Hislifewasbitterandhehadnoopportunitytogotoschool,sohewenttothetroupewhenhewas8yearsoldtolearntheBeijingOpera.Mr.Meimountedthestagewhenhewas11yearsoldtoperformtheplaysoftheBeijingOpera.Hehasbeenanoperaactorformorethan50years,performinghundredsoftraditionalplaysandover30modernplays.HeportrayedmanybrightandlifelikefemalefiguresonthestageandbecamethegloriousmodelinChineseBeijingOperaandevenwithintheentireartisticcircle.

Thisrenownedartisticmaster'sbackgroundwascertainlynotoutstandingorindeedacontributoryfactortohissuccess.Howeverheattributeshisextraordinaryartisticachievementsmodestlytothewayheemulatedhispeers,andtohistotaldedication,diligentstudyingandhardtraining,andhiscontinualspiritanddesiretostriveforperfection.HisstyleofspokenpartsintheBeijingOperaisunique;hisperformanceonthestagewithorderedsteproutines,accuraterhythmandgracefulposture,wasquiteexquisiteandexactlyaccordedwithhisrolestatus.Moreover,hisperformancewasoftenrefinedintotheexquisitedance,whichhasenrichedanddevelopedtheperformingartsofDaninBeijingOpera,finallyformingthefamousgenreofMei.

In1919,MeiLanfangledthetroupethatwenttoJapantoperform.ThiswasthefirsttimethatthisfamousChineseart-BeijingOperahadanoverseasdissemination;in1924,heledthetroupetoperformonceagaininJapan;in1930,heledtheoperateamwhichwascomprisedof20peopletoAmericatogiveavisitingperformanceandobtainedenormoussuccess;in1934,hewenttoEuropetovisitbyinvitationandperformedintheSovietUnion,receivingtherecognitionoftheEuropeantheatricalcircle.Thereafter,thewholeworldregardedBeijingOperaastheschoolofChinesehistrionics.

BeijingOpera,knownastheessenceofChinesenationaldrama,hastremendousinfluenceinbothChinaandabroad.Asakindofartisticform,itscontinualpathofdevelopmentisfulloftheChinesenationality'screationalfervorandalsodisplaysthecharacteristicoftheChinesenation:Sincereandwarm,optimisticandaspirant.Therefore,

today

cannotbeconsideredasthelateryearsofBeijingopera,becauseitwillneverbeold,andstillhasmuchpotentialnurturingtofulfillinitslife.BeijingOperawillcontinuetoaimforfuturedevelopmentasitstrivesvigorouslytoholditsworthyplace,astatusthatnootherformsofartcanbeallowedtobeasubstitutefor.

performextractsfromtwowell-knownPekingOperaworks,TheDrunkenConcubine(GuiFeiZuiJiu)andTheJewelryPurse(SuoLinNang)attheNationalCenterforthePerformingArtsinBeijingonarecentafternoon.

ChinaBeijingOpera

BeijingOperaisthequintessenceofChina.ThelargestChineseoperaform,itisextolledas'OrientalOpera'.Havingahistoryof160years,ithascreatedmany'firsts'inChinesedramas:theabundanceofrepertoires,thenumberofartists,operatroupesandspectators.

BeijingOperaisdevelopedfromabsorbingmanyotherdramaticforms,mostlyfromthelocaldrama'Huiban'whichwaspopularinSouthChinaduringthe18thcentury.Itisascenicartintegratingmusic,performance,literature,aria,andface-painting.Certainrulesaresetupandregulationsarestandardizedduringmanyartists'longpracticeonstage.Differentfromregionalplays,itisstricteronthevarietyoftheworkmanship.Thecombinationofvirtualandreality-aspecialtechniqueofexpression,keepsitlargelyfreefromtherestrictionoftimeandspaceonstageperformance.BeijingOperahashadmanyinterestingnamessinceitcameintobeing,suchasJinghuang,Daxi,Pingju,Jingxi.

FourMeansofArtisticPresentation

BeijingOperapresentsdramaticplaysandfiguresmainlybyinfusingfourartisticmethods:singing,dialogue,dancingand

.Singingisutilizedtointensifytheappealoftheartbyallkindsoftones.Dialogueisthecomplementofsingingwhichisfullofmusicalandrhythmsensation.Dancingreferstothebodymovementsrequiringhighperformingskills.MartialartisthecombinationandtransformationoftraditionalChinesecombatexerciseswithdances.

MainRolesinBeijingOperaPerformance

Sheng:

It'sacommonnameofmalecharactersandcomposedofLaoShengandXiaoSheng.LaoShengreferstothemiddle-agedmanwithabeardwhoactsasthedecencyfigure;forexample,Zhugeliangin'EmptyCityScheme'.XiaoShengmeansyoungmanwithoutabeard.Zhangshengin'TheStoryoftheWestRoom'isarepresentativeofXiaoSheng.

Dan:

ThegeneralnameforfemalecharacterscanbedividedintoZhengdan,Huadan,Laodan,Wudan.Zhengdanisalsocalled'Qingyi',whomainlyplaysthepartofthestrong-mindedmiddle-agedwomanwhobehaveselegantly.Huadanreferstolittlegirlswhooftenliveinthebottomofsociety.LaodanreferstotheseniorwomanandWudanindicatesthefemalewhoisgoodatfighting.

Jing:

Paintedfaceoftenreferstomalecharacterswithuniqueappearanceorpersonality,suchasBaozhengandCaocao.Besides,Chouisacomicroleorvillainouscharacterorrighteousperson.Theactor'snoseispaintedbyapieceofwhitepowder,makinghimorhereasilyrecognizable.

FacialPainting(Lianpu)

FacialpaintinginBeijingOpera

Lianpuisformedthroughdramaticartists'long-termpracticeandtheirunderstandingandjudgmentoftherolesinplays.Itisthecolorfuldressingonactors'faces.Byusingtransformativeandexaggeratedfigures,professionalspectatorswouldeasilytellthecharacteristicofarole.Inthisway,itiscalled'thepictureofhearts'.Therearecertainformatsofthefacialpaintingintheaspectofcolor,typeandshape.Usually,eyes,foreheadsandcheeksarepaintedlikewingsofbutterflies,swallowsandbats.

ColorsofLianpuarevariedwitheachrepresentingacharacteristic.Forexample,redsymbolizesloyalty,suchasGuanyu,agreatgeneralduringThreeKingdomsPeriod(220-280).Blacksignifieshonestyandfrankness,suchasLordBao,arighteousofficialduringNorthernSongDynasty(960-1127),orabruptnessandimpertinence,suchasLikui,animportantfigureinthefamousChineseancientnovel'AllMenAreBrothers'.Whitesta