Huangmei Opera was formed in eastern Hubei. Due to the unique phonetic environment in the middle of several phonetic areas, eastern Hubei has formed a very rich local music. Under the influence of Qing Opera and Han Opera, people in eastern Hubei took tea-picking songs as the tune, forming a flower drum tea-picking drama. At this time, the local people regarded Hu Huangmei tune as a tea-picking drama, or Er Gao Qiang. That's because the high-pitched voice of the Qing Palace Opera left a profound influence on Huangmei Opera, so it used a name that was not widely used, but it never brought the place name of eastern Hubei, that is, the name of Huangmei Opera.
The naming method of melody names and place names originated in eastern Hubei. Because tea-picking operas are adapted to the musical characteristics of counties in eastern Hubei during their formation, people often add place names to these operas, namely Huangmei tea-picking opera, Qichun tea-picking opera, Xishui tea-picking opera, Luotian tea-picking opera and Wuxue tea-picking opera. After the tea-picking drama in eastern Hubei spread to Jiangxi, the names of tea-picking drama and flower drum drama were retained locally. In the middle of Qing Dynasty, tea-picking opera was still called tea-picking opera and flower drum opera after it spread to Nanchang and Nanjing through Jiangxi. Some people also call it Huangmei tune and Beiqiang tune, because this tune comes from the north of Jiangxi.
Since there is no name Huangmei Opera in eastern Hubei, it is certain that Huangmei Opera was named by a foreigner. According to historical records, Sichuan, North China, Guangdong, Shashi, Hubei and other provinces and cities named operas by place names as early as 100 years ago, calling Huangmei tea-picking opera Huangmei Opera. This theory will be discussed in a special article. The first name of Huangmei Opera is Shanghai. Before liberation, Shanghai Ta Kung Pao published an article on the legend of yangko in its supplement, which mentioned: "In southern Anhui, Ningguo and other places, there is still a small troupe called Huangmeidiao. Its sphere of influence has also expanded to Xixiang Village and Jiande in Zhejiang. " He added: "This Huangmei Opera Troupe should be Yangko Opera. Judging from the names of Kunqu Opera and Fengyang Opera, the so-called Huangmei tune should originate from Huangmei County in eastern Hubei, right? " There are also authoritative theorists who affirm that Huangmei Opera originated from Huangmei Opera: Zhou Zeng, a China opera theorist, pointed out in "China Opera Research Materials" and "On Chu Opera" published by China Drama Publishing House 1957: "Huangmei Opera is still popular in western and southern Anhui, from eastern Hubei to western Anhui and then to southern Anhui. Its original tone is unaccompanied.
Later, he explained in the book Outline of the Development of China Opera: "Huangmei Opera originated from Huangmei Tea-picking Opera in Hubei. According to legend, at the end of Qing Dynasty (1776- 1795), the Huangmei area in Hubei suffered from floods and droughts in successive years. The victims had no livelihood, and some of them fled to Susong, Taihu Lake and Huaining in Anhui Province ... Huangmei County in Hubei Province and Susong County in Anhui Province are two counties at the junction of Hubei and Anhui, which saved Huangmei from famine. " "Wan You Pu" written by Mrs. Tianzhu said: "There are also some villages in Anhui today (referring to Anqing), and there are so-called Caotai operas, all of which sing Huangmei tunes. "This record omits the tea-picking opera as Huangmei tune, emphasizing its origin as Huangmei tune. In the 9th year of the Republic of China (1920), it was recorded in Susong County Records: "In the southwest of the city, Huangmei is adjacent, and Meihua is good at performing tea-picking operas, also known as Huangmei Opera. "This county records that tea-picking opera is Huangmei opera. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Anhui Province sent a large number of experts and scholars to Huangmei County to find the roots of Huangmei Opera and did a lot of work. These people later became theorists and writers of Huangmei Opera, such as Shi Bolin. After searching in Huangmei, they came to the conclusion that Huangmei Opera originated in Huangmei County, Hubei Province. First-class screenwriter of Anhui Art Research Institute. Lu Yu 198 1 year, director of the Chinese Dramatists Association, vice president of the Huangmei Opera Research Association, a famous playwright of Huangmei Opera and a lifelong beneficiary of the special government allowance of the State Council, wrote "Exploring the Origin of Huangmei Opera" on Huangmei Opera, saying: "At present, tea-picking operas in eastern Hubei and northeastern Jiangxi are developed through picking tea. A branch that moved eastward to Anhui, some people also called it tea-picking tune or tea-picking drama. In the past, Huangmei Opera was called tea-picking tune or tea-picking opera in Guohezui, Wangjiang County. Shi Bolin, president of the Chinese Opera Music Society, assistant to China Music Association and vice chairman of Anhui Music Association, wrote in the book Appreciation of Huangmei Opera: "Huangmei Opera was born in Huangmei County, Hubei Province, and its local name is? Tea picking grew up in Anqing, Anhui. Because most of the vocals used in the past were Huangmei's tea picking, the gang called it Huangmei Opera or Huangmei Tune. "
Shao Yong, the first-class composer of Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre, pointed out in the article "Talking about the Singing Music of Huangmei Opera": "Why is it called Huangmei Opera? Huangmei County, Hubei Province is adjacent to the west of Anqing area, Anhui Province. Historically, due to the close relationship between economic life, Hubei Huangmei tea-picking drama spread to Anhui ... Huangmei tea-picking drama first spread to Susong, Taihu Lake, Wangjiang and other places in Anhui bordering Huangmei. " Jin Meng and Xiao Yang wrote in Huangmei Opera Art 1983, "As the first county in Anhui to welcome Huangmei Opera to take root and blossom, Susong, as the first directory disseminator of Huangmei Opera, the people of the two counties have made indelible and fruitful achievements in the long-term artistic life struggle." 1988, Zhang Yang introduced in the article "Summary of Drama Records in Qian Shan County": "The embryo Huangmei, which flowed into Huangmei Opera in Qian Shan, picked tea as early as the Qianlong period in the middle of Qing Dynasty. According to Liu Fakun, a late old artist, in the middle of Qing Dynasty, Huangmei people in Hubei province sang Huangmei tune and begged for help to escape the water shortage. Because of their moving songs, the locals have been letting them sing and listening to them learn. " These historical records and the writings of experts and scholars on Huangmei Opera show that Huangmei Opera is a tea-picking opera from Huangmei County, Hubei Province, and its name is named after artists and people in Anhui, Jiangxi, Sichuan and North China.