[On the Artistic Function of Guzheng in Chinese Opera] Beijing Vocational College of Chinese Opera Art

China Library Classification. : J6 16 file identification code: a guzheng, a treasure of national musical instruments, is a wonderful work that appeals to both refined and popular tastes, originated in Qin Dynasty and flourished in Tang Dynasty. With a history of nearly 3,000 years, it is one of the most representative musical instruments in ancient China. Judging from the characteristics of traditional Chinese opera art, any kind of spiritual connotation can not be separated from the artistic combination of sound, and its beauty lies in the artistic combination of sound. There are rich and colorful music changes in guzheng performance, forming multi-level music lines to express the music connotation, and the role of guzheng is vividly displayed in opera accompaniment. These objectively existing musical beauty shocked the audience's heartstrings.

There is a musical instrument in the world that can pull your thoughts out like a silk reel. Then it is wound on a spindle, round and round, which is the guzheng. In the noisy city, you can't feel its true rhyme; In the impetuous crowd, I can't feel its tranquility; In a busy space, you can't taste its emptiness; Only when the player and the listener are immersed in a quiet and selfless state, the left hand caresses the piano and the right hand approaches, fiddles, pulls up, picks up or slides down. When the sound of the piano collides with the airflow in the air, something called sound will vibrate in the ear and a feeling called music will flow in the heart.

Guzheng is inseparable from the stage of the founding drama. Guzheng is widely used in China traditional operas, which can make it more distinctive and attractive. This requires the designer's creative inspiration and the actor's own skills, so that a drama can be sublimated to the peak, and the actor's vocal cavity effect can be stimulated in the accompaniment, making the sound more vigorous, rhythmic and rhythmic. The artistic features of guzheng are not just these. Let me talk about the guzheng, which is the most artistic element in China traditional opera.

The most artistic element of guzheng in traditional Chinese opera-rhyme.

After more than 2,000 years of development, Guzheng has formed the performance characteristics of "right-handed tonic, left-handed tonic, supplemented by sound". It can be seen that the left hand grasps the "rhyme" of traditional Chinese opera music in guzheng performance.

What are the means of "rhyme" of guzheng in China traditional opera?

Trembling is one of the common and universal skills in guzheng performance, which means that the left hand vibrates evenly in the left string of the zither code, making the pure tone into a regular waveform, thus increasing the aesthetic feeling of the sound. There are many ways to vibrato, such as wrist-axis vibrato, elbow-axis vibrato, wrist muscle tension vibrato, a little tremor, pressing tremor, sliding tremor and so on. In traditional Chinese opera performance, we should choose the method of vibrato according to the different performance content and the change of mood. The accompaniment point of the same song should also choose the appropriate vibrato method according to the needs, which is not the same. In addition, local characteristics should also be considered: northern Zheng music, jumping tunes, rough vibrato, wide range, strong strength and warm emotions; The melody of southern Zheng music is simple, elegant and smooth, with a small vibrato, delicate and touching. Choosing the appropriate vibrato method can not only beautify the melody and soften the timbre, but also make the music more attractive and make the opera sound more touching to the audience.

Slippery is the aftersound after the left hand plays the string with the right hand. It is the main skill of the left hand, an important means of "supplementing the sound with rhyme" and an indispensable element in China traditional opera.

There are three basic types of sliding: upward sliding, downward sliding and backward sliding. Slippery is an important feature that distinguishes Guzheng from other musical instruments with fixed scales. Slippery gives music expression color in guzheng performance, which not only beautifies the voice of the right hand, but also increases the sense of cavity in traditional Chinese opera, and can fully reflect the local style of playing music score and the personality characteristics of the player. After sliding decoration, the melody of the music played by guzheng is more beautiful and delicate, giving people a sense of rhythm.

Pressing is the sound of left hand pressing, not the natural tuning of guzheng strings. Refers to the sound not used in the original sound sequence, which is improved by pressing the adjacent strings below it. This kind of sound is formed to meet different styles. When pressed, it always slides up with a smile. It doesn't sound like music, but a sound with strong style. If you don't press the tone, it will inevitably sound dry and stiff, not to mention the charm and style, which play an important role in the accompaniment of Chinese opera.

That is, while the right hand pulls the string, the left hand presses the string quickly and then leaves quickly. It is widely used in China's traditional drama.

The above points all express in detail the role of "rhyme" in opera accompaniment, which is the most important and distinctive artistic feature.

In China traditional operas, according to the composer's creative intention and requirements, special timbre is used. For example, the lightning performance in the opera "Qing Shan Qing" makes the rapid practice appear coordinated, which provides very valuable rest and transposition time for the rapid finger movement. The standardization, practice and application of breathing are particularly important in ensemble and concerto, far exceeding the status of solo. As an accompanist playing guzheng, there are generally three choices: one is to prepare strings, raise your head and wait for the conductor to put down his hand; The second is to inhale and prepare to suspend your hands, just like raising your head and waiting for the command to put down your hands; The third is to start at the same time as the conductor, put down your hand and play at the same time. Now let's discuss the different effects. First of all, everyone's hands are on the strings. Due to a certain degree of tension during the performance, when the conductor starts, someone will inevitably start playing next time-it is too late, thus invisibly prolonging the time when the first beat is blown away. There will be two consequences, one is that the command waits for the members flexibly, and the other is that the members adjust themselves, but they are all chaotic. The second one is similar to the first one. So I won't go into details. Third, the conductor and the members are synchronized, and the speed determined by the accompanist in advance and the conductor is more conducive to the later performance. At the same time, this paper expounds the aesthetic point of view. The author thinks that it is not beautiful to sit still on the stage. For example, if the hand is still on the string and hanging in the air, it will give people a feeling of tension and boredom. However, adding different breath-holding combinations between the beginning and the end of the third formula will produce different visual and auditory effects.

The use of guzheng is a highlight in the accompaniment of the whole drama. It can be eloquent when telling the development of the story, and it makes people excited when describing the climax of the story. In China traditional opera, the accompaniment of guzheng broke the unchangeable pattern of traditional national opera in timbre. It tells a beautiful story and touches the hearts of every audience.

For example, in the Chinese drama "Shake the Number in a People's Field", it is obvious that at the beginning of the song, after a beat, it suddenly jumps into Allegro. Guzheng is equivalent to conducting, and it is not enough to lead this band as a humanitarian (of course, the importance of conducting gestures is not ruled out). Then breathing during rest is extremely important, otherwise it is difficult for the band to cut people neatly. On the whole, a big handle action is completed in the rest beat to remind the accompaniment members to enter when they leave their hands. Guzheng is particularly important in the accompaniment of the whole drama. Here, I also feel honored. Of course, there are many such examples, so I won't list them here.

Guzheng art is extensive and profound. On the opera stage, it is not only the crowning touch of a opera, but also the sublimation of a opera, which brings exciting audio-visual effects to the whole opera. Of course, these are just some features of China's traditional operas, which need us to study, explore, develop and comprehend constantly. A small guzheng can make China traditional opera stand at the top of the highest art.