Singing: it is the main way for characters to express or describe their inner feelings in traditional Chinese opera performances. According to different operas, different musical forms are adopted. As far as lyrics are concerned, they can be generally divided into two types: one is Qupai style, such as Kunqu Opera and Gaoqiang; One is banqiang opera, such as Beijing opera, Pingju opera and various bangzi operas.
Nian: It is the general name of dialogues or monologues between characters in China traditional opera performances, and it is a poetic and musical drama language. Generally, the intonation used by operas is roughly the same as the local accent in the province where the operas are located. There are two kinds of singing styles in Beijing Opera: Jing Bai and Yun Bai. The former is slightly changed in Beijing dialect, while the latter uses Huguang accent and Zhongzhou rhyme. Kunqu opera uses rhyme white or Su white.
Zuo: It is the general term for the performances of China traditional opera actors in terms of figure, expression, style and manner. It is the main part of China traditional opera performance and stage action. The production of Chinese opera is mostly procedural movements, mostly freehand brushwork.
Beating: It refers to the expression of nodding in traditional Chinese opera, also called "beating". Sometimes it is a fight between two people, and sometimes it is a scene of collective war. The opening of Chinese opera has strong dancing, stylization and expressiveness, and it is also freehand brushwork rather than realism.
2. freehand brushwork
The stage layout is freehand: one table and two chairs
The traditional stage of China opera can be summarized in one sentence, that is, simplicity or freehand brushwork. It has no complicated stage scenery and dazzling stage devices (of course, the institutional setting that appeared in Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s was a stage with another style, but that was the result of absorbing the western stage), and it only has simple tables and chairs and even an empty stage. Tables and chairs on the stage of traditional Chinese opera have different meanings according to their different uses. Sometimes tables and chairs are tables and chairs, such as studio, study room, government affairs hall, golden hall and other environments. Sometimes tables and chairs are not tables and chairs, but tables can be beds and mountains; Chairs can be used as kiln doors and wells. Tables and chairs specifically refer to the decisive actor's performance. To some extent, it can mean everything.
The freehand brushwork of figure makeup: traditional Chinese opera facial makeup
The makeup of China opera characters is also freehand, which can be summarized in one sentence, that is, "those who are loyal to the public carve the right shape, while those who are evil carve the ugly shape", with the purpose of "different praise and criticism" (Wang Guowei's language in the late Qing Dynasty), and the most concentrated expression is the facial makeup of the opera. On the whole, the symbolic meaning of Facebook is "red loyalty and white treachery", so traitors like Cao Cao are more white-faced, and brave people like Guan Yu are more red. In addition, grumpy people are often blue-faced, honest and selfless people are often black-faced, happy people smile, sad people cry. The face is bright, everyone is vivid, and the audience will know this person when they see the face. This is the simple side of opera, but also the image side.
Freehand brushwork in figure costumes: long sleeves and good dancing
China opera costumes are mainly in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and some changes are made according to the dynasties that show stories. Its freehand brushwork is manifested in ignoring the characteristics of costumes such as seasons, times and regions, and only considering whether opera costumes meet the identity, status and age related to characterization. In addition, the focus of traditional Chinese opera costume is whether it is suitable to appear on the stage of traditional Chinese opera and whether it has the ability to dance. Traditional Chinese opera costumes should be not only decorative, but also dancing, and play their due role in shaping characters. In traditional Chinese opera, sleeves, flags, big belts of arrow clothes, hat wings of gauze hats and thick soles on feet all have the characteristics of dancing, and they all participate in the shaping of characters.
Freehand brushwork in stage movements: long words are short.
The stage movements of China traditional operas are free and flexible, which is similar to China's storytelling in this respect, that is, "Long story is short". On the stage of China traditional opera, a circus can be used to represent the change of place, and a song called Three Guns in a hurry can be used to express a rich content that has been mentioned before, that is, "there is nothing to say", because these contents do not need to be explained, and it is not conducive to characterization and plot performance. On the opera stage, you can also use the 20-minute "adagio" to express the inner feelings of the characters; It is also possible for a general to express his joy after winning with a long performance of "gun flower" or "knife flower". This is a "long story", because these contents are conducive to characterization and plot performance. The length of the stage action of traditional Chinese opera depends not on the reality of life, but on the needs of characterization and plot performance.
3. Genre
Expressing life with programmed movements: the dance of life movement
July 8th: Its name comes from the Kunqu Opera Qian Jin Miracle Eight, which shows the preparation work of Xiang Yu, the overlord of the western Chu Dynasty, and the enemy array. Later, it evolved into a set of programmed movements, which were specially used to show the soldiers' preparatory activities before going out. There are male tyrants and female tyrants. The former is masculine and the latter is feminine.
Riding a horse: Also called riding a horse, the performer holds a whip and performs a set of programmed movements of characters riding a horse, which evolved from the ancient "riding a bamboo horse".
Walking on the Edge: Its name comes from a 10% discount of "White Tiger Whip Walking on the Edge" by Shanxi Bangzi, which shows the light performance of people with martial arts. It is often used in specific occasions such as reconnaissance, patrol, night walking, sneak attack or charge, and is one of the basic skills of martial arts actors.
Formula of role costume: It's better to wear it out than to wear it wrong.
Helmet head: refers to the crown, hat and helmet worn by characters in traditional Chinese opera performances.
Crown: refers to the helmets worn by emperors and nobles, such as purple and gold crowns and rockhopper crowns.
Helmets: helmets worn by Wu Zhi personnel, such as handsome helmets and main helmets.
Towel: satin soft hat with flowers, which belongs to casual wear. Such as photo towels, Vincent towels, foreign towels, etc.
Hat: used for people with different identities, both soft and hard. Such as gauze cap and silk cap.
Costume: refers to the general name of the costumes worn in China's traditional opera performances, which are mostly decorative and dancing, and do not pay attention to realism, but only give symbolic expression to the identity and status of the characters.
Python: short for python robe. Embroidered Yunlong and sea water patterns are the official uniforms of emperors and generals, with various colors. Except for the emperor Ming * *, others are different because of their status, position (official position), age and personality.
Shit: Also called "A", it is a military commander's uniform, which can be divided into soft and hard. Hard tilt requires a triangular tilt flag. Soft on the flag. In addition, there are improvements. Shit. Color is related to the age and personality of the characters.
Pleat: the most widely used clothing. Shirts and casual clothes worn by emperors and generals. There are two kinds of flowers and vegetables. Most of them are inclined lapels (large lapels), with hard folds for men and soft folds for women.
Bi: internal points. The casual clothes of emperors, civil servants and gentry. When expressing the relationship between husband and wife in the play, wear more matching clothes, which is called "contrast method".
Clothes: refers to the clothes worn by various roles, such as official clothes, arrow clothes, underwear, tea clothes, etc.
Opera shoes: The general name of boots and shoes worn by characters in China traditional opera performances.
Boots: Also called "boots". High-top or long-top shoes commonly used in traditional operas are mostly made of cotton cloth or satin. There are two styles: thick bottom and thin bottom.
Shoes: Compared with boots, shoes that are not helpful.
4. Virtuality
The virtuality of spatial evolution: the drama stage is a flowing space, with characters constantly going up and down, and constantly showing the changes of time and place. The expression method of time change lies in the virtuality of time, which is explained to the audience by actors' singing and performance. The change of place, that is, the change of space, is realized through the "circus" of actors. When an actor walks half, one lap or more on the stage, it means that people have gone from one place to another, no matter how far or how close the two places are, it is enough to walk in the circle.
Virtual environment: The virtual usage of the surrounding environment on the opera stage is the most, because the performance principle of the opera stage is to express as much content as possible with the simplest scenery and devices, so the surrounding environment is mostly outside the performance scope of the stage, and they are mostly vague, and the actors' behaviors and vocals are used to "explain" the living environment of the characters. And the reproduction of this virtual environment also needs the imagination of the audience.
The virtuality of time: the time on the stage of traditional Chinese opera is flexible and free, which is the virtuality of life time. Some time is deliberately prolonged, such as a general playing with a gun or a knife after defeating the enemy. Is to lengthen the time or temporarily stop the time to show the happy mood of the characters to defeat the enemy. Some time is deliberately shortened, such as singing one or several paragraphs to express the past night, and omitting unnecessary confession with the tune of "three shots in a hurry" Sometimes it is an assumption of time, such as "San Cha Kou", which shows the night on a brightly lit stage.
The virtuality of the action object: The actions of characters on the stage of traditional Chinese opera sometimes have action objects, and sometimes they can be omitted. Some of them are omitted. For example, if a character goes up the stairs, he just lifts his clothes and legs upstairs, but the stairs are not. When people open the window, the window is also omitted. Some are partially omitted, such as the figure of riding a horse, which is omitted, but there is still a whip; People sail, boats and water are omitted, but there are paddles. This is the expression of the simplicity and virtual characteristics of China traditional opera.
Performance realization method
1, carpet technique: refers to the skills that traditional opera actors should master, such as "grabbing back", "hanging hair", "tiger leaping" and "somersault".
2. Waist and leg skills: refers to the waist and leg skills that opera actors should master, such as "bending", "washing waist", "kicking" and "wasting legs".
3. Bullet shooting: refers to the kung fu required by Chinese opera actors to express their emotions with the "bullet shooting" worn on their heads, which is generally used in situations of grief and panic.
4. Zi Ling Kung Fu: refers to the kung fu in which a small opera actor uses Zi Ling on his head to express his fixed emotions, which generally includes "ringing the bell" and "pulling the bell".
5. Word-of-mouth: refers to the skills that traditional opera actors use beards to express their emotions, such as "reasoning", "shaking" and "picking".
6. Sleeve skills: refers to the skills that dancers need to express their feelings by using "water sleeves" in traditional operas, such as "shaking sleeves", "turning sleeves" and "lifting sleeves".
7. Fan skills: refers to the skills required by opera actors to use fans in their hands.
Stunt performance
1. Face-changing: refers to the techniques used by opera actors to express certain emotions or situations by rapidly changing their facial makeup or masks, including eye rubbing (smearing between eyebrows and nose), powder blowing (blowing powder on the face to change the color of the face) and face pulling (pulling off the thin mask on the top of the head by quick means), among which "face pulling" is a common face-changing technique in Sichuan opera.
2. Fire-breathing: There are two ways. One is that the opera actor holds a round tube in his mouth in advance, which contains burning paper ash, and the actor slowly blows out sparks with gas; The other is to blow the rosin powder in the round tube in the mouth to the torch, causing a flame several feet long, which is quite spectacular. This skill is mostly used for ghost characters.
3. Fighter: It means that in a traditional Chinese opera performance, one actor is the center, and other actors cooperate with him or her to throw knives, guns and other instruments, plus gongs and drums to create a fighting atmosphere. Most of the "fighters" are Wu Dan in the Dan clan, and they are used in fairy plays to show that immortals use magic weapons to fight.
4. Chair skills: refers to all kinds of difficult skills made by opera actors using chairs.
5. Playing the big flag: refers to an actor waving the big flag in his hand, and other actors roll with the dancing of the big flag to show the battle scene.
6. Playing Siu Chu: refers to a clown actor who plays the difficult skill of a monk with beads around his neck (Siu Chu).
7. Playing with hats and wings: refers to a series of difficult technical performances performed by senior actors playing officials wearing hats and wings.
8. Walking short: refers to a technique used by clown actors to express short characters. Generally, the body is in a squat state, the thigh and calf are at right angles, the thigh and the body are at right angles, and the forefoot walks.