Overview of Yuan miscellaneous operas?

Song and Yuan Southern Opera marked the maturity of Chinese opera art, while the slightly later emergence of Beiqiu Miscellaneous Opera brought Chinese opera into the golden age. Beiqi miscellaneous opera is a unique form of theater that was gradually formed on the basis of Song and Jin miscellaneous operas and courtyard books by integrating the nutrients of music, dance, rap and other arts that were popular in the north. The northern miscellaneous operas of the Yuan Dynasty are also known as Yuan miscellaneous operas. It displays a landscape of rolling waves and clouds, and is worthy of being a grand and magnificent miracle of human culture. "Han literature, Tang poetry, Song lyrics, and Yuan operas, each excelled for a time." (Preface to Shengming Miscellaneous Operas) Yuanqu is a representative of a generation of literary art, which includes both dramatic and prose operas, and is dominated by dramatic operas - i.e., miscellaneous operas.

The Yuan miscellaneous operas are the result of the development and evolution of the art of opera itself, and are closely related to the political, economic, and human factors of the time. The Yuan Dynasty was ruled by darkness and barbarism, and the national and class conflicts were exceptionally intense and complex. Under the policy of national discrimination and national oppression, the various ethnic groups were divided into four classes: the first class was the Mongols, the second class was the Semyonians, i.e., the ethnic minorities in the northeast and northwest, the third class was the Han Chinese, mainly the Han Chinese in the north, and the fourth class was the South Chinese, i.e., the Han Chinese in the south and the Southwestern people of various ethnic groups. The Mongols enjoyed all kinds of privileges, they killed the Han Chinese, the Han Chinese may not fight back, the murderer does not pay for his life, only punished to go out to war, exempted from the crime and free from stabbing words. Mongol rulers of the Han and the South to harsh laws and harsh punishment, the implementation of the system of armor, strictly prohibit assembly, association, hunting, martial arts, not allowed to collect weapons, and even not allowed to pray [qiqi] God race society, night lighting. Yuan Dynasty taxes as much as hair, corrupt officials everywhere, wrongful convictions one after another, coupled with droughts and natural disasters, brewing people do not want to live, the situation of unrest. Such a social reality, for the Yuan miscellaneous plays provide an inexhaustible source of material.

Theater is a comprehensive art, and its development requires a certain material foundation. The localized prosperity brought about by the unbalanced economic development of the Yuan Dynasty was another important reason for the prosperity of Yuan miscellaneous operas. As a result of the ravages of successive years of war, the agricultural economy and handicrafts of the Central Plains were seriously damaged. However, the Mongolian aristocracy, in order to satisfy their extravagant life, detained a large number of artisans in cities and towns and set up official workshops and management organizations, forcing them to produce munitions and luxury goods. A large number of people who were displaced by the war, abandoned their homes due to poverty, and migrated due to loss of land also flocked to the cities and towns to make a living. At that time, Dadu (now Beijing) was a metropolis famous in China and abroad. "The daily flow of merchants, travelers, and foreigners was uncountable, so they were all overwhelmed." (Marco Polo's Travels) In addition, Zhending (now Zhengding, Hebei) and Pingyang (now Linfen, Shanxi) were also very prosperous. These towns then became the bases and centers of Yuan miscellaneous operas, which provided a large number of actors, audiences and places of activities for the prosperity of Yuan miscellaneous operas under the treacherous and turbulent historical conditions.

After the Yuan Dynasty destroyed Jin, only held an imperial examination, nearly 80 years without the imperial examination, blocking most of the intellectuals of the career path. Literary people had to give up "two ears do not hear things outside the window, a heart only read the book of the sages" closed life, to the community to make a living, to the lower classes of people "hang out". Traditional poetry is difficult to reflect the reality of the world that they have heard and seen, and how can they express their deep and wide-ranging sorrow and anger through refined chants? So, they and folk artists together, **** with the creation of a lot of real feelings, suitable for the performance of miscellaneous plays.

Yuan miscellaneous plays are different from the Tang and Song period of improvisation of comical performances and loosely structured sketches, which fundamentally reversed the Song miscellaneous plays to the tendency of the main playful entertainment, so that the opera to the real maturity. Yuan miscellaneous operas have a unique and new system, strict and rich in changes in the musical structure, this musical structure is mainly affected by the rap literature and the influence of the Gongtiao. Singing earn can choose a number of tunes in the same Gongtong to form a set to sing the story. After Zhang Wuniu's reforms, it became more and more expressive. It is rumored that the Gongtong was created by Kong Sanchuan, a folk artist from Zizhou in the Northern Song Dynasty. It can be sung according to the needs of the content and plot by linking a number of sets of different Gongtongs together, which not only overcame the monotony of the music of the Singing Earnings but also enriched its content and increased its length, which provided a reference and influence on the formation of the Yuan miscellaneous operas.

The basic form of the Yuan Yuan miscellaneous dramas is four folds of a wedge [xie some] son. Folding, roughly equivalent to the modern theater "curtain". From the content point of view, a fold is the natural development of the storyline paragraph, each fold content generally have a center. From the music point of view, within a fold is a complete suite, a relatively independent music unit. There is a certain pattern of the palaces used in the Yuan miscellaneous dramas: Xianlv Gong for the first fold, Nanlv Gong for the second fold, Zhonglv Gong for the third fold, and Shuangtong for the fourth fold. Of course, there are variations according to the plot. Within each fold, the same Gong tone of a set of cards also have a general order, the cards can be repeated, called "Missy". Yuan miscellaneous dramas actually use the palace tone (ancient use of music tunes) **** nine, namely: the Palace, Lv Palace, Lv Palace, Lv Palace, Xian Lv Palace, Huang Zhong Palace, Dashi tune, double tone, Shang tune, Yue tune. There are about one or two dozen commonly used tunes for each palace tone.

Wedge, originally refers to a piece of wood that is inserted into the mortise and tenon [sun loss] of a wooden vessel to make it more firmly articulated. Derived from the Yuan dynasty miscellaneous dramas, it became a short opening or overplay to make the structure of the play more complete and compact. Placed in the beginning, it can play the role of prologue. Placed in the play, the function of the beginning and the end, and become an organic part of the play. The number of wedges is not certain, can be used one, can also be used two, some plays are not used, according to the need to determine.

The vast majority of Yuan miscellaneous dramas is a four-fold wedge, there are a few exceptions, such as Guan Hanqing, "Feast of the Five Husbands" is a five-fold, "The Swing" is a six-fold, "The West Wing" is a five-fold 21 fold, "Journey to the West" as much as a six-fold 24 fold. In order to summarize the main plot of the play, pointing out the story of the characters, Yuan miscellaneous plays and the "title of the name", generally two or four rhyming words. Some are placed at the beginning of the play, some at the end of the play. Put in front is to introduce the plot, put in the back is to summarize the plot, can play the role of publicity and advertising, in order to recruit the audience.

Yuan miscellaneous dramas by singing songs, doi moi, performance of three parts, the singing form is very unique, mostly by the positive Dan or the end of the positive from the beginning to the end of the song, called "one person singing". Zheng Dan sings the script called "Dan Ben". The end of the script is called "the end of the script". This form of singing is obviously borrowed from or derived from the art of rapping, such as the Palace Tunes. Wang Gide's "Songs and Laws" pointed out that "only one person sings in the Northern Songs", and "one person sings so that the meaning of the song can be relaxed". Singing is the main means of molding and portraying characters, the main characters in the plot development of the play several important places in a row singing suites, you can fully express the emotions of the characters, character performance, to achieve a coherent and complete artistic effect. However, with one person singing from beginning to end, even if the actor's voice is good, it is also very strenuous. If there is no deep singing skills, it is difficult to be competent. Moreover, adhering to the system of one-person lead singing to the end, so that the other characters can only talk about the white, can not sing a proper song, will also make these characters monotonous, dry. Sometimes, in order to accommodate the role of the lead singer, often have to be hard to add characters in the drama, cobbled together the plot, more exposed the shortcomings of the one-person lead singer.

The Yuan miscellaneous dramas are called "bingbai", often prompted by the word "cloud", which is divided into monologue, dialogue, back white, side white, the same white, white, white, with white, white, with white and other categories, some of which are scattered and unrhymed loose white, and some are rhymed rhyming white, and some of them are similar to Some of them are scattered and unrhymed prose, some are rhymed rhymes, and some are similar to fast boards and jokes. Generally speaking, the song is lyrical, and the narration is in bingbai. The so-called narrative, roughly including the characters to inform the name, recount their own lives, explain the context of the event, explain the environment of the character's activities, the dialogues between the characters, or a solo expression of the heart, and so on. Since Yuan miscellaneous dramas use one person to sing, so besides the main role of singing and white, all other characters explain their mutual relations, express their own situation, reveal their inner world, and show their character traits through bingbai. In particular, the wedge of Yuan miscellaneous dramas, generally only sing one or two tunes, and the main body of the bingbai, but also to give full play to the role of bingbai.

On the performance of Yuan miscellaneous operas recorded less, according to the only records can be seen, generally in the hook in the field before the first in all directions to post or hang colorful signs, in order to solicit the audience. Before the opening of the show, there is a "participation field", all the actors and actresses to meet the audience, showing the lineup. Then, through the "Kaihao" curtain call, the audience is introduced to the plot. At the end of the opening, the main play is performed. After the main play, there is a "break", plus a small program to send off the guests.

The performance of the Yuan Yuan opera movements, expressions and stage effects called "Section" or "Section", which mainly includes two aspects of work and martial arts. The section of the Yuan miscellaneous dramas is not a realistic imitation of real life, but some distillation, some omission, some rendering, some exaggeration. Through the virtualization of the performance action, combined with certain "masonry end" (props), artistic expression of life. The roles of Yuan miscellaneous operas are divided into five categories, namely, the Dan, the end, the net, the outside, and the miscellaneous, and each category is divided into several types. For example, the end is divided into the end, the end of the outside, the end of the small, the end of the punch, and so on. Dan is divided into the main Dan, vice Dan, outside Dan, sticking Dan, small Dan, old Dan, color Dan, applying Dan and so on. Outer roles include all male roles other than the end and the net. The net is divided into net, vice net, and outside net. Miscellaneous roles include Marco Lao (old man), Bu'er (old woman), Gang Lao (robber), Jie'er (child), Gao (emperor), Liao (official), Wo (farmer), Xiaolai (scholar), Hilat (foot soldier), and Zongsong (attendant), etc. Among all the roles, the most important ones are the male role, the male role, the female role, the female role, the female role, the female role, the female role, the female role, the female role, and the female role. Among all the roles, Zhengmu and Zhengdan are the main roles.

Yuan Miscellaneous Opera is a natural color "living literature" (Wang Guowei). It has a wide range of subjects, rigorous structure, reasonable plot, sharp contradictions, strong suspense, beautiful lyrics, simple dialogue, distinctive characters, stage action, very suitable for stage performances. The Yuan Dynasty frequent theater activities, theater, a lot of large-scale theater are in the metropolis or other cities, is in charge of the Department of Education, the actor called the official play. Family theater throughout the region called "Luqi", the artists are called "Luqi people". Rural amateur temporary theater called "social fire", more in the temple theater or temporary paddock "playing wild ho" performance.

The Yuan dynasty emerged as a large number of writers of miscellaneous plays. According to the Yuan Zhongzhi Cheng "book of ghosts", early Ming Zhu Quan "Taihe Zhengyin spectrum", Ming Jia Zhongming "book of ghosts continued", the late Qing dynasty Wang Guowei "Song and Yuan Opera Examination" and the recent Fu Shihua "Yuan dynasty miscellaneous plays," we can see that the Yuan miscellaneous writers about 200 people, Yuan miscellaneous repertoire of about 737 kinds of plays, scripts are preserved nearly 200 kinds of preservation of the remnants of 29 kinds of songs.

Yuan miscellaneous drama writers can be divided into two periods before and after. The former talent, masterpieces such as forests, is the heyday of Yuan miscellaneous plays. Almost all of the writers in the first period of growth, active in the north of China, centered on the metropolis, most of them lost the opportunity to enter the civil service, depressed lower class, scribbling in the city, "the book will be talented people". In addition to Guan Hanqing, Wang Shifu, Ma Zhiyuan, and Bai Pu, there were also Yang Xianzhi, Gao Wenxiu, Li Wenwei, Shi Junbao, Ji Junxiang, Zheng Tingyu, Li Zhifu, Li Haoqiu, Shang Zhongxian, Wuhan Chen, Li Shouqing, Kang Jinzhi, Li Qianfu, Dai Shanfu, Fei Tangchen, Zhang Guobin, the red character Li Er, Li Xingdao, Meng Hanqing, Wang Zhongwen, Sun Zhongzhang, Yue Buchuan, Yu Jifu, Shi Zizhang, Shi Jiujingxian, Di Junhou, Kong Wenqing, Zhang Shouqing, Liu Tangqing, Gong Daiyun, and so on.

In the late period, the center of Yuan miscellaneous operas moved southward, showing the trend of decline, and many writers of miscellaneous operas were active in the region of Jiangsu and Zhejiang centered on Hangzhou. Many of them, or linger in the landscape, or buried in the classics, lost the courage and spirit of the writers in the early period, only a few writers achieved higher achievements. The later writers include: Zheng Guangzu, Qiao Ji, Zeng Rui, Gong Tianting, Qin Jianfu, Yang Zi [zi Zi], Jin Renjie, Zhu Kai, Xiao Dexiang, Luo Guanzhong, Wang Zi Yi, Liu Dongsheng, Gu Zi Jing, Jia Zhongming, Yang Wenkui, Yang Ne and so on. People generally refer to Guan Hanqing, Ma Zhiyuan, Zheng Guangzu, and Bai Park as the "Four Greats of Yuan Opera".

The writers of Yuan miscellaneous operas were complex, coming from various classes such as book club talents, hooker artists, doctors, merchants, lower-level officials, and famous ministers, forming a brilliant situation like a group of stars. Their styles or heroism and sadness, or overbearing and bold, or elegant work, or warm and mellow, or cold and craggy, or gentle and mellow, or natural color, or quiet and secular ...... is really the weather of a thousand.

Yuan miscellaneous plays widely and profoundly reflect the social life of the Yuan Dynasty, vividly and realistically expressed the mentality and emotions of the people of all classes. From the emperor's concubines, civil servants and military generals, literati, down to the police soap, hooligans, medicine, divination, astrology, johns and prostitutes, the three religions and nine streams are involved. Both military and state affairs, political disputes, battlefield campaigns, but also family disputes, women and girls Buxi [xi Xi], outlined a panoramic picture of social life in the Yuan Dynasty. For the Yuan miscellaneous plays of the subject matter, the former had a variety of classifications, such as Zhu Quan in the "Taihe Zhengyin谱" in the miscellaneous plays are divided into 12 sections, that is: the immortal Taoist, the hidden pleasure of the Tao, Phiqi Bingwu [hu household], loyal ministers and martyrs, filial piety, righteousness, honesty and integrity, scolding the treacherous and defamatory, the courtiers and orphans, cymbals [ba pluck] knife and drive the rod, the snow and the moon, the sadness and joy of the separation, the fireworks, God's head and ghost face. Although the categorization is very detailed, it is not scientific enough, and it elevates and highlights the content of feudal morality, and the content of happiness and seclusion. In fact, a large number of Yuan miscellaneous operas promote the ideals of patriotism and the traditional virtues of the nation, glorify the democratic spirit of rebellion against feudalism, the pursuit of freedom of love and marriage, commend the impartiality of the clean officials, affirm the uprising of the peasants, give vent to the grievances of the feudal intellectuals, and comprehensively expose and denounce the evils of the feudal ruling class and the ugly social realities. These are the essence of Yuan miscellaneous dramas. As for those advocating feudal ethics and morals, promoting feudal superstitions, slandering peasant revolts, advocating passive avoidance of the world, and envying the works of the rich and famous, although there are quite a few, but after all, they are only tributaries. These dregs can not cover the Yuan miscellaneous plays in the history of opera and literary history of the eye-catching luster.