Yuanqu is an artistic monument in the history of China literature, which is as famous as Tang poetry, Song ci, Sanqu and Zaju. Sanqu is a popular form of poetry in Yuan Dynasty. There are two kinds of zaju, Xiaoling and divertimento, which are developed on the basis of the previous generation of opera art and singing literature. Its appearance indicates that China opera art has entered a mature stage. Guan Hanqing's Dou Eyuan and Wang Shifu's The West Chamber are the representative works of Yuan Zaju.
The language of zaju includes lyrics, spoken language and scientific introduction. Lyrics and spoken language are lines and the language of the characters in the play; Jack is a stage cue, which is a brief explanation of the main movements, expressions and stage effects of the characters in the play. Compared with poetry and songs, the language of opera is popular and more spoken language is used. Compared with other drama types, drama language has the characteristics of poetic drama in the form of "qu"
Surrealist imagination, exaggeration and lyricism are important artistic techniques in China's traditional operas. The former depicts characters with peculiar plots and reflects life. The latter inherits the tradition of paying attention to the beauty of artistic conception in China's ancient poems, and it is a visual and poetic method to express the feelings of characters.
Expansion: the development of Yuanqu
Yuanqu is a general term for zaju and Sanqu, and Sanqu is different from others. The combination of Yuan Qu, Tang Poetry and Song Poetry is three important milestones in the history of China literature. With the demise of the Song Dynasty and the establishment of the Mongolian regime, Yuanqu began to spread in Dadu (now Beijing) and Lin 'an (now Hangzhou).
Yuanqu has a strict form, and each qupai has a fixed format requirement in sentence pattern, word number, level tone and so on. , but it is also very flexible, allowing the lines to be fixed, adding sentences to some qupai, and allowing the rhyme to be flat. Yuanqu combines traditional poetry, folk songs and dialects, forming a humorous and free-and-easy artistic style. The works describing love in Yuan Qu are also more vigorous and bold than the poems of previous dynasties. Compared with Tang poetry and Song poetry, the style of Yuanqu is closer to ordinary people, and it has also become a popular performance for ordinary people.
What is "poetry"
Xiao Ling is a kind of Sanqu in Yuan Dynasty, originally a folk minor. By the Yuan Dynasty, Song Ci was gradually dying, and most performers sought a breakthrough from folk tunes. Most of the literati's poems are elegant, while the folk poetry language is vulgar. This poem is mainly about description. Compared with Tang and Song Ci, it has a unique style and spirit. Generally, it is less than 58 words, but most scholars in modern times gave up the classification by word number. Volume 199 of the Catalogue of Sikuquanshu quotes the Summary of Poems of Leibian Caotang, saying: "The division of characters into small characters, middle notes and long notes began in this book. Later, the word spectrum was determined by its number of words, which was somewhat restrained, so it was ridiculed by Wan Shu's Lexical. " Poetry usually takes a piece of music as an independent unit, but it can be repeated and the rhyme of each song can be different.
Historical position
Yuanqu is another literary prosperity after Tang poetry and Song poetry, and it has its unique charm: on the one hand, Yuanqu inherits the beauty and gracefulness of poetry; On the one hand, the soldiers and men in the Yuan Dynasty were placed in the position of "eight prostitutes, nine men and ten beggars", which had political monopoly, thus making Song Yuan radiate extremely dazzling fighting brilliance and reveal rebellious feelings; Sharp-edged pointed at the drawbacks of society, denounced the society that "not reading is the highest, illiteracy is the best, and people who are not sensible are bragging", and pointed at the world trend that "everyone is embarrassed to live, and no one can see the money". The works describing love in Yuan Qu are also more inflammatory and bold than the poems of past dynasties. All these are enough to keep the artistic charm of Yuanqu forever.
The rise of Yuanqu has a far-reaching influence and outstanding contribution to the development of China's national poetry and cultural prosperity. As soon as Yuanqu appeared, just like other artistic flowers, it immediately showed great vitality. It is not only a convenient tool for literati to express their feelings, but also provides a brand-new art form to reflect the social life of the Yuan Dynasty.
Development history
rise
The composition of Yuan Qu includes two styles (Sanqu and Yuan Zaju): one is Sanqu, which includes a poem, a band of songs and a set of songs; Secondly, Wen Qu, which consists of several episodes, is a kind of zaju specially performed on the stage, which is a mixture of Bai Bin and Ke Fan. "Sanqu" is opposite to "drama". Drama is a script for performance, written for various roles, such as lyrics, narration, actions, etc. Sanqu is only used as the lyrics of oratorio. In form, Sanqu is similar to Ci, but in language, Ci should be elegant and implicit, and Sanqu should be popular and lively. In terms of meter, words are more rigorous, while Sanqu is more free. Sanqu can be divided into "Xiao Ling" and "San Tao". Xiao Ling, also known as Ye Er, has a short system and is usually just an independent tune (a few contain two or three tunes). Three peaches are composed of many songs, and it is required to always use a rhyme. Qupai of Sanqu also has various names, such as Daodaoling, Blower, Happy Spring, Alpine Sheep and Hong Xiuxie. Most of these names are vulgar, which also shows that Sanqu is closer to folk songs than Ci. With its profound reality, extensive theme, popular language, vivid form, fresh style, vivid description and changeable skills, Yuanqu radiated dazzling brilliance in China ancient literary garden.
develop
The development of Yuanqu can be divided into three periods.
Early stage: from the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty to the demise of the Southern Song Dynasty. During this period, Yuanqu has just entered the poetry world from folk slang, which has distinct characteristics of popularization and colloquialism. For example, Guan Hanqing's zaju is a parody of the world, with wonderful songs, changeable styles, lively and profound poems, glittering and translucent beauty, and several episodes are so spicy and rotten that they are soul-stirring Ma Zhiyuan's creation has a wide range of themes, lofty artistic conception, vivid images, beautiful language and harmonious phonology. He is known as the first master of Yuan Sanqu, "the first person of Qu Yuan" and "the father of Qiu Si".
Mid-term: from Yuan Shizu to the first year to Yuan Shundi, and then to the first year. During this period, the creation of Yuanqu began to make a comprehensive transition to knowledge and specialization, and Sanqu became the main genre of poetry. Important writers include Zheng Guangzu, Sue, George, etc.
The last period: from Yuan Chengzong to mindfulness, to the end of Yuan Dynasty. At this time, Sanqu writers were specialized in composing music. They pay attention to metrical rhetoric, deliberately strive for work in art, and advocate grace, exquisiteness, elegance and beauty. Representative writers are Zhang, Xu Zaisi and so on.
In a word, Yuanqu, as a "literature of one generation", has rich and diverse themes, broad creative vision, vivid life, full and touching characters, and easy-to-understand language, which is an indispensable and valuable heritage in China's ancient cultural treasure house.
The four masters of Yuan Opera: Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan, Zheng Guangzu and Bai Pu.
Three elements of Yuanqu: singing (lyrics), subject (action) and dialogue.
Representative work of Yuanqu Opera: Dou E Yuan, Sha Qiu Si, Tianjin.