1. Characteristics of Suzhou Pinghua Suzhou Pinghua is an oral language art that tells stories in Suzhou dialect. Its language consists of two parts: the first person, that is, the language of the storyteller, and the third person, that is, the language of the characters in the story, with the former being the main part. This is qualitatively different from drama vernacular. It's about telling stories, not acting them out. The first-person language is called Biao, and the third-person language is called Bai. Both Biao and Bai are mainly prose, with more talking than singing. But there are also a small number of rhymes used for recitation, including praises, hooks, introductions and rhymes. Fuzan is used to describe scenes, objects and render, and highlight the psychological state and character traits of characters. The hook is the character's self-introduction. The introduction is the storyteller's introduction or topic. Rhyme is the expression or explanation of the rhyme, or the narration of the plot, or the summary of the previous paragraph of the letter.

Suzhou Pinghua attaches great importance to gimmicks, and there is a saying that "gimmicks are the treasure of the book". The comedy elements arising from the contradiction between characters and plots are called "gimmicks". Used as metaphor, foil, metaphor and explanatory interlude, it is called "external flower arrangement". Similarly, using a few words to elicit laughter from the audience is called "snacking."

2. Performances of Suzhou Pinghua

Performances of Pinghua include "hand face" and "face style". This kind of movements and expressions can also be divided into two categories: those of the storyteller and those of the characters in the story. The storyteller's movements and expressions are interpretive and used to express the storyteller's emotions, anger, sorrow, love and hate. The actions and expressions of the characters in the story are spoken by the storyteller in a language similar to the characters in the story, including voice and intonation, which is called "role-playing". The role is an imitation of the characters in the story, rather than the actor appearing as the character in the story. "I am still the same when I appear in the scene." The storyteller always appears as an actor on the desk. This is also qualitatively different from a dramatic performance.

Performances of Pinghua have different styles and genres due to the different characteristics of the actors' expressions, language, and roles. For example, some actors are rigorous in speaking, and their language is basically fixed after repeated tempering, which is called "square mouth". Some are adaptable to changing circumstances, have a smooth tongue, are good at improvisation, and adapt to different audiences and change as they wish, which is called "live mouth". Some actors say that their expressions are like linked beads, sonorous and powerful, which is called "quick mouth" or "quick mouth". On the contrary, it is "slow speaking". Some actors are good at speaking in appearance, but when they rarely play roles, they are "plain speaking". Some are good at playing a certain role, such as "Living Guan Gong", "Living Zhou Yu", "Living Lu Zhishen" and other reputations.

3. Bibliography of Suzhou Pinghua

There are more than 50 traditional books on Suzhou Pinghua. The first category is about historical stories, such as "Western Han Dynasty", "Eastern Han Dynasty", "Three Kingdoms", "Sui and Tang Dynasties", "Golden Gun", "Yue Zhuan", "Heroes", "Three Smiles", etc. "Long-standing books", also known as "Zhujia", are "short-term books", which tell stories about heroes and righteous knights, such as "Water Margin", "Seven Heroes and Five Righteousnesses", "Little Five Righteousnesses", and "Green Peony" , "Jin Tai Zhuan", etc.; there are also stories about gods and monsters and public cases, such as "Feng Shen Bang", "Ji Gong Biography", "Peng Gong An", "Shi Gong An", etc.

Suzhou Pinghua all tells long stories, divided into chapters and told day by day. Talk once a day, about one and a half hours each time. It can last for several months, and can last up to a year and a half. This characteristic of long and continuous speeches forms a special structural technique for commentaries. A single line of narrative, using the method of talking about the future first and talking about the past again. Use "passes" to create suspense to attract the audience. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Suzhou Pinghua created and adapted a number of new books, such as "Jiangnan Red", "Railway Guerrillas", "Lin Hai Xue Yuan", "Fire Metal Steel", "Martial Arts Team Behind Enemy Lines", etc. . There are also some short and medium-length works. The word "Tanci" first appeared in Tian Rucheng's "Records of West Lake Tours" in the 26th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1547), which recorded the tide watching in Hangzhou in August: "At that time, there were many kinds of games, including batting, Guanba, fishing drum, etc. "Tanci, the sound is loud." Chen Ruheng's article "Tracing the Origin of Tanci and Its Art Form" (1983) believes that "it is far from Tao Zhen, but has close origins from Cihua". Regarding "Tao Zhen", "West Lake Tour Zhiyu" records: "Blind men and women in Hangzhou often learn to play pipa and sing ancient and modern novels and plain language in order to find food and clothing. They are called Tao Zhen.

"Ye Dejun's "Song, Yuan, and Ming Lectures and Singing Literature" (1952) researched: "Tao Zhen and Tanci both use seven-character poems to praise the speaking and singing literature, and the only difference between them is their names. " He believes, "In terms of historical development, Taozhen in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties is the predecessor of Tanci, and Tanci in the Ming and Qing Dynasties is a continuation of Taozhen. The history of the development of the two is inseparable."

In the early Qing Dynasty, with the prosperity of Jiangsu's urban economy, Tanci became popular in Suzhou. In his novel "Journey to the West", Dong Shuo, a native of Wuxing, Zhejiang, who settled in Suzhou in the late Kangxi years, described a blind girl who used Tanci in Suzhou dialect. Performance situation. During the Qianlong period, there were more and more records about the formation of Suzhou Tanci. Wang Zhoushi, nicknamed "Purple Diarrhea", was good at singing "You Long Zhuan" and absorbed the music of Kun Opera and Wu Song. The performance of the vocal tune and tanhuang is famous for its "ten roles" in a single stage. According to the "Wuxian Chronicle" of the Qing Dynasty, when Qianlong visited the south, he summoned King Zhou Shi to play and sing in front of his palace in Suzhou, and was given a seventh-grade crown and belt, and he drove back to Beijing. . The historian Zhao Yi at that time commented on the "gimmick", "telling", "playing" and "singing" factors of his storytelling in "Oubei Poetry Notes: Presentation of Storytellers Zi Diao": "Relying on humor. mouth", "but the smell of rice filling the hall"; "wonderful storytelling", "self-acting slang"; "youmeng can know each other well", "unique actor and actor serve the supreme". Forty-one years of Qianlong's reign (1776 ), Wang Zhoushi founded Guangyu Office, a guild organization including Pingtan artists, in No. 1 Tianmen, Gongxiang, Suzhou, to express the meaning of "Guang Yu Hou" in Ping Tan art. He summarized his storytelling art from both positive and negative aspects. The empirical "Shu Pin" and "Shu Ji" were regarded as the creed of storytelling by later tanci artists.

During the Jiaqing period (1796--1820), Suzhou Tanci developed rapidly, and at this time, the Tanci was handed down from generation to generation. The bibliography includes "Three Smiles", "Japanese Pao", "Yi Yao Zhuan", "Double Gold Ingots", etc.; the number of well-known tanci artists increased, and the "top four masters" in the history of tanci development (specific explanations vary) were at this time appeared. They developed Wang Zhoushi's calligraphy skills, enriched the performance catalog, created genre singing, broadened the technical ideas, and established the basic form of Suzhou Tanci today.

Daoguang and Xianfeng periods (1821- In 1861), most of the female Tanci singers in Suzhou were from Changshu. The opening lines, titles, and tunes were basically the same as those circulated at that time, but most of them could not sing the whole piece, but only "a section of the book." Suzhou Tanci artist Ma Rufei. There is a more specific reflection in the opening chapter "The prosperity of the yin and the decline of the yang": "The styles in Suzhou change every year, and the bookshops all use female teachers." Wang | "Yingru Magazine" records that the Tanci woman at that time sang "with a voice like a spring oriole." , the song is so enchanting that people are far away at the end of the song, and the lingering sound is still lingering around the beams." Therefore, "every time he appears on the stage, the whole house is overwhelmed."

During the Republic of China, the number of Tanci artists in Suzhou increased sharply. According to the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927) According to statistics, Guangyu Society had 200 members at that time, while Weiren Guangyu Society had nearly 2,000 artists. The artistic competition was very fierce, which was reflected in the need for innovation in the bibliography, innovation in singing, innovation in performance, and innovation in performance venues. /p>

New works of tanci that emerged during this period include "Yang Naiwu", "Qiu Begonia", "Crying and Laughing Marriage", etc. The innovative tunes created by artists include: Wei Yuqing's "Wei Diao", Yang Xiaoting and Yang Renlin's "Xiao Xiao". Yang Diao], Xia Hesheng's [Xia Diao], Zhou Yuquan's [Zhou Diao], Xu Yunzhi's [Xu Diao], Qi Lianfang's [Qi Diao], Jiang Yuequan's [Jiang Diao], Xue Xiaoqing's [Xue Diao], Zhang Jianting's [Xu Diao] Zhang Tiao] and so on, there are many schools. During this period, the performance form of tanci also underwent great changes. With the resurgence of women's ballads, double-stage performances have become the main form of performance. Around the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, three and four performances appeared. At this time, there were many venues for Suzhou Pingtan performances. The ones with gorgeous decoration and spacious venues were called "new-style bookstores". Commercial radio stations that broadcast Pingtan are called "bookstores in the air."

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, 600 Suzhou tanci artists registered in 1956, including 480 from Suzhou city. After registration, these artists participated in Pingtan performance groups in various places, and made artistic reforms to the bibliography and singing tunes in accordance with the policy of "Let a hundred flowers bloom and introduce the old and bring forth the new".

Due to the high vocal range, I use falsetto in the first half of the sentence, and switch to my real voice in the second half. The transition is natural and the contrast is sharp. The strength and pitch of his real voice are close to those of his falsetto, and his singing voice is characterized by strong, upright, high-pitched and exciting, which can captivate and refresh the audience. At the falling tone, there is sufficient confidence and lingering sound. Representative repertoires include "Three Changes of Trustees", "Zhou Wenbin Goes to the Hall", etc. Zhang Jianting, Yang Zhenxiong, Ling Wenjun, etc. all sang "summer tune" when they played singles in their early years. Later, the formation of "Yang Diao" and "Zhang Diao" was also influenced by "Xia Diao".

Chen Diao

Xu Diao (Xu Yunzhi)

Created by Tanci actor Xu Yunzhi. Formed in the late 1920s. Xu sang "Yu Diao" and "Xiao Yang Diao" in his early days. Later, he drew musical materials from folk ditties, opera tunes and hawker cries, and developed his own independent genre by taking advantage of his talent of clear and high-pitched voice. It is characterized by slow rhythm, melodious and mellow melody, soft and supple tone, and strong musicality. It has nine basic singing tunes of different lengths, which is known as "Nuomi tune". Due to its higher tuning, the old string on the third string (i.e. the third string) is often paired with copper strings, which adds to the swaying sound of the tune and becomes one of its characteristics. The three representative pieces include "Kou Gongren", "Yingying Worships the Moon", etc. Chen Yuqian, the founder of Chen Diao, was a Suzhou native and a tanci artist in Suzhou during the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing Dynasty. In his early years, he sang Suzhou Kun Opera, and later changed to Tanci, using a voice similar to that of Kun Opera. He mainly sings with a big voice, the tone is generous and vigorous, and occasionally he sings with a small voice, adding twists and turns and a sense of pathos. Some accomplished artists have their own style when singing [Chen Tiao]. For example, Liu Tianyun's song "Lin Chong Steps on the Snow" is a popular repertoire. Another example is Yang Zhenxiong's "Wu Song Fights the Tiger", which is also unique. Nowadays, [Chen tune] is mostly used as the singing tune for elderly characters in books.

Yao Diao

Yao Yinmei (1907——), a native of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, is known as "Yao Diao" for her singing style. In her early years, Yao Yinmei studied under Tang Zhiyun and Zhu Yaoxiang, and played and sang long-form ballads such as "Plotting the Golden Phoenix", "Big Red Cannon", and "Jade Link". Later, she composed and sang "Cause of Crying and Laughing". Yao was good at telling stories, and he was especially good at writing and writing. He created a unique story-telling style. Characterized by the depiction of characters, the description of the world in a delicate and vivid way, and the humorous language, combined with his own voice conditions and the style of single story telling, he formed a simple and free singing style - Yao Tiao, which focuses on the expression of tone, semantics and tone.

Yao tune is based on ordinary Shu tune, and is influenced by Xiaoyang tune to a certain extent. It mainly focuses on the native voice, and occasionally also incorporates small tunes with falsetto. Its playing and singing pay attention to language factors, with clear enunciation and free flow of words, which fully demonstrates the storytelling nature of Dandiao music. Its lyrics are generally not restricted by the rhythm of the seven-character sentence. It is close to vernacular and easy to understand. Therefore, its singing style is also flexible and strives to understand the content. The expressions are appropriate and thorough.

He sang the aria "Junk Stall" from "The Cause of Laughter". Use the \Crow of Rooster\ song cards to put various goods on the secondhand stall. enumerate. In the middle, there is a long section of rapid-fire spoken words, which is lively and interesting.

"Yang Guanglin's Transformation" in "We Will Wait to Repair the Huaihe River" is used as "Feijia Tune" to describe the ideological activities and emotional changes of migrant worker Yang Guanglin when he faced the difficult life at the Huaihe River construction site. The song comes out in twists and turns, and is closely adapted to Yang Chuan's chant in "Double-pressing Courtyard·Refining Seal", which gives full play to the characteristics of Yao Diao's rap and depicts the anxious and nervous mood of Yang Chuan and Li Yi in the false seal-making hospital before refining seals. , clear layers and strong appeal. These are all representative works of Yao Diao. In addition, Zhao Banfu's singing in "Wang Xiaohe" can portray the sinister and vicious character, as well as Gao Yanei's singing in "Lin Chong". Absorb Jiang Tiaoxing accent. Another Yao style. It not only takes into account the unity of the tune throughout the novella, but also shows the different personalities of the characters. These all reflect the serious artistic attitude of the older generation of tanci artists towards singing, which requires a close combination of the love of the poem and the characters.

Yao Yinmei is also good at singing verses in vernacular. His early masterpieces include "Dance Hall" and "Rice Congee", etc. They are both good at describing the state of the world, analyzing human emotions, and are also humorous. These are also conducive to the freedom, flexibility and approachability of his singing.

Yang Diao

Yang Diao is a singing genre created by Yang Zhenxiong (born in 1920 in Suzhou, Jiangsu), a master of tanci. Because Yang Zhenxiong's nickname is Aaron, it is also called Long Tiao.

Yang Zhenxiong studied art with his father Yang Binkui when he was young. He appeared on the stage at the age of nine and acted as his father's assistant, rapping the two books "Painting the Golden Phoenix" and "Dahongpao", mainly singing Yu Diao. After turning 20, he switched to single-player and devoted himself to composing and narrating the long tanci "Palace of Eternal Life" adapted from Hong Sheng's original work. At first, he played and sang general Shu tunes and Xia (Hesheng) tunes. Later, according to the request of the letter, the singing style was developed based on the Xia tune. Finally, when singing "The Palace of Eternal Life: Buried Jade", the Yang tune with its own unique personality stood out.

Yan Tiao (Yan Xueting)

Created by tanci actor Yan Xueting. Formed in the 1930s, Yan is good at single-stage storytelling. His singing tune is mainly derived from the "Xiaoyang tune" suitable for self-playing and singing in single stage. It mainly expresses the feelings of the letter and embodies the language. The tone is simple and the enunciation is clear. , the tune is concise and smooth, combined with rap, flexible and appropriate. When singing, the real and false voices are used together, and the transformation is flexible. The low voice is often turned into a high voice, and a distinctive decorative small voice is used to express passionate emotions or portray the image of a woman. Representative tracks include "Yang Shuying Complains", "Meet in the Secret Room", etc. Yan Tiao is also good at singing narrative and rational vernacular songs, such as "Zhu Zhishan Speaks Big Words", "Brother Kong Fang", etc. The opening chapter "A Grain of Rice" is a masterpiece that fully exploits this feature and has a great influence.