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Artistic Characteristics of Opera Art

Simply put, it is virtual, programmed and written.

Opera is a very unique category in this system of Chinese literature and art. As we all know, traditional Chinese art is dominated by lyricism, writing and evocation, and poetry, music, calligraphy and painting are typical representatives. In contrast, the narrative and reproduction arts were less emphasized by the orthodox literati. In fact, the rap art, opera and novels that flourished after the Tang and Song dynasties marked the rise of narrative literature in China. Compared with poetry, literature, lyrics, music, calligraphy, painting and other art styles, opera, although it also has elements of the previous arts, is narrative and reproduction. In opera, while it is important to write and express emotions, the more basic element is to write and act the story, and the plot and characters are its basic elements. Therefore, when we define the essential characteristics of the art of opera, we should not forget first of all that it is the art of presenting plots and shaping characters through stage performances. From the point of view of aesthetic consciousness, opera marks the conversion of an aesthetic vision and aesthetic taste from the elegant and spiritual pursuit of art to the secular and living aesthetic preference. In the opera, the ethereal, transcendental, pure and refined artistic realm is no longer dominant, replaced by the depiction and lamentation of the sorrows and joys of secular life, the marvelous organization and exquisite arrangement of the plot and story, and the static view of orthodox literature and art on all things in the world that are absolutely wise and desirous is replaced by a dynamic demonstration of love and hate for secular life itself. Therefore, comparing opera with poetry, music, books and paintings, opera shows a distinctive narrative character, and the reproduction factors such as storyline obviously outweigh the expression factors such as mood and interest. Neglecting this point, it is impossible to truly grasp the nature of the art of opera. The traditional music theory confines the aesthetic value orientation of opera to the combination of poetry and music, which seriously hinders a comprehensive grasp of the laws of opera art. From the perspective of conceptual consciousness, this reflects the assimilation and transformation requirements of the literati's aesthetic consciousness of the art of opera.

On the other hand, if we take the novel as a reference, and look at the characteristics of opera through the comparison between opera and novel, we will get a new understanding: in terms of narrative, opera is inferior to the novel, and the combination of songs, dances, poems, and music makes the depiction of secular life in opera not as real and free as the white descriptions of the novel language after all. In terms of artistic form, opera pursues more formal beauty, such as the singing of the words, and smooth, the body of the program, the action of the dance, etc., while the novel seems to pay less attention to the form of the exquisite beautification, but more exposed, true description. In the aesthetic sense, although the opera is mainly vulgar, but compared with the novel, it is not vulgar, but with a certain elegant components, especially part of the literati, the court of the opera works more elegant temperament of the orthodox art, while the novel does not have this elegant temperament.

The above three comparisons belong to different levels, reflecting the nature of different aspects of the art of opera. The first level is the comparison between opera and poetry, music, books and paintings, from which we can get the first basic provision about the art of opera: opera is a narrative vulgar art, storyline and characterization are its basic elements, the second level is the comparison between opera and novel, from which we can get the second provision about opera: opera is a stage art that performs stories with songs and dances, and in addition to its vulgar side, there are certain elegant elements, it can be said that it is a combination of elegance and vulgarity. The third level is the comparison between Chinese opera and foreign theatre, which makes us realize that Chinese opera has the elements of general theatre (such as plot, characters, stage performance, etc.), but also the features of writing, programming, virtualism and freedom of time and space, which are the national characteristics of Chinese opera. Of course, the comparison of the above aspects is only a preliminary methodological attempt and not a perfect form. Here I just want to illustrate that the use of the comparative method to grasp the unique nature and laws of the art of opera requires a multi-faceted, multi-level frame of reference, and the need for a holistic perspective from different directions, which can help to avoid a narrow, one-sided view of opera.