Regrets about the inheritance of the Henan opera genre

In the Henan opera circle, there are currently recognized artists who can form their own school, including Tang Xicheng and Wang Sujun in the birth line, and Chen Suzhen and Chang Xiangyu in the Dan line. There are eleven masters of Henan opera including , Cui Lantian, Ma Jinfeng, Yan Lipin, Sang Zhenjun, Li Sizhong of pure conduct, Xing Xingwang and Niu Decao of ugly conduct. In their long-term artistic practice, they gradually formed their own performance styles. From the 1950s to the 1980s, they jointly promoted the prosperity of Henan Opera and pushed Henan Opera to its peak. With the passage of time, except for Ma Jinfeng and Wang Sujun who are still alive, all others have left us. Although every art master has many direct disciples and re-disciples, these disciples have many regrets in inheriting the teacher's artistic achievements. After careful consideration, the author boiled it down to the following aspects, which I discussed with my theater fan friends ***.

1. There are mistakes in inheritance and development. Each old artist of his own school has his own performance characteristics, which are formed by slowly exploring in practice based on his own conditions. Being lucky enough to be their disciple is equivalent to taking a shortcut and avoiding detours to inherit. Teacher’s artistic achievements. However, many disciples did not even fully understand the teacher's performing arts, so they deliberately created new ones, which led to misleading many audiences. One of the more typical ones is the inheritance of the Tang School. Although the disciples of the Tang School have a strong lineup, few can reach the performance level of Tang Xicheng himself. The answer can be obtained after observing and analyzing the performances of Mr. Tang and his disciples. Tang Xicheng mainly pronounces falsetto, but his vocal range is broad and his singing voice is high-pitched, extremely explosive and penetrating, and he can quite express the masculine beauty of men. For example, in the section "Li Shimin ascended the dragon throne and all the people praised him" in "Three Crying Halls", the high and low ranges are an octave different, but the singing is smooth and natural, fully demonstrating the profound artistic skills, and the singing and style are both excellent, and he can perform every move. Show the boldness of the emperor. Many descendants of the Tang School are inferior in comparison. For example, Jia Tingju, the eldest disciple of Teacher Tang and the most talked about among the descendants of the Tang School, his second accent is not as mellow and mellow as Tang Xicheng. When he played the role of the Tang King in "Three Crying Palace", he added some unnecessary eyes and words. The movements have lost the poise and majesty of an emperor; the deliberate drawling and fluttering of the sentence "How can the water of the Yangtze River turn back" are not as natural and smooth as Tang Xicheng's singing. This is considered by some to be the development of the Tang School. Teacher Jia has many disciples, which has played a certain role in expanding the influence of the Tang School. However, at best, it can only be regarded as carrying forward the Tang School without truly developing the Tang School. Moreover, it is easy for people to misunderstand that what Teacher Jia sings is authentic Tang music. sect, or the development of the Tang sect. On the contrary, the author believes that Yang Zhili, who can best inherit Tang Xicheng's performing arts, has not received much attention. Another example is Zhang Baoying, the successor of Cui School. Her performance characteristics are also far from those of her teacher. Cui Lantian's rich and deep singing style has been downplayed intentionally or unintentionally, and the unique charm of Cui School has been lost. This is not to deny actors the ability to pursue their own individuality. Cui Lantian once quoted Qi Baishi's famous saying at the apprenticeship ceremony, "Those who learn from me will live, and those who resemble me will die." He used this to warn his disciples, hoping that they can reach a new level. In addition, every art master also has his own shortcomings, which need to be developed and innovated by younger generations to make them more perfect, otherwise art will only stay at one level. However, this kind of development is premised on comprehensive inheritance. If you don't even learn the teacher's art, you will blindly pursue innovation, so that it is very different from the teacher's performance style, and you will be considered to be a successor of a certain school, which will inevitably mislead the audience. The effect is not conducive to the inheritance of the genre.

2. The use of dialects is still insufficient. Henan Opera is an art form native to Henan and will inevitably be influenced by the Henan dialect. This is a phenomenon that exists in many local operas. For example, the narration in Henan Opera has the meaning of the Henan dialect. Henan dialect belongs to the northern dialect, and Mandarin is developed on the basis of the northern dialect. However, there are still certain differences between Henan dialect and Mandarin. For example, Henan dialect distinguishes sharp sounds and tuan sounds. The sharp sound refers to the final consonants of z, c, and s spelled out by i, u or i, and ü, and the round sound refers to the final consonants of j, q, and x spelled out by i, u, or i, or ü. In Henan dialect, "jian, qian, and xian" are pronounced as "zian, cian, sian" respectively, and "jian, qian, and qi" are pronounced as "jian, qian, xian" respectively. However, in Mandarin, there is no distinction between jian and tuan sounds. Another example is that although some lyrics of Henan Opera do not comply with modern Chinese grammar standards, they can fully reflect the local characteristics of Henan. Many old artists are either limited by their cultural level or out of the protection of local dialects. Many pronunciations or words have strong local color and are relatively easy to understand, which has promoted the spread of Henan Opera among the people. For example, in the play "Qin Xuemei" by Yan Lipin, the pronunciation of the word "Qin" in "Qin Xuemei burst out in grief when she saw her husband's spirit" is close to "cin" instead of "qin"; in Niu Decao's "Qipin Zhima Guan", There is a line that goes "I am a seventh-rank official sitting in a green gauze sedan chair" instead of "I am a seventh-rank official sitting in a green gauze sedan chair", which is more suitable for the local taste of Henan and gives people a sense of intimacy. However, some genre successors do not pay enough attention to this, and this is especially obvious among young actors. For example, in Tang Xicheng's "Nanyang Pass", the pronunciation of the word "西" in "Just fire the formation cannon outside the west gate" is close to "si", but it became "xi" in the mouths of some of his disciples; another example is Ma Jinfeng's "Mu Gui" "The Hero Takes Command", one of the lyrics is "I am not greedy for life and fear of death, but do not bear the seal of commander", which was also changed by some actors to "It is not that I am greedy for life and fear of death, but do not bear the seal of commander".

It is so deliberately close to the pronunciation and terminology standards of Mandarin, but unconsciously reveals the local color of Henan, which can only give people a nondescript feeling.

3. Endangered plays are not explored enough. In the inheritance of genres, it is very necessary to discover and sort out the endangered repertoire of artistic masters. Many deceased old artists performed a large number of excellent plays during their lifetimes, but failed to leave audio and video materials, and many of them are now facing loss. As their disciples, if you are lucky enough to be taught by a teacher or have information in this field, you have the responsibility to dig out and organize these plays, publicize them, and promote them so that they can be passed down better. Many disciples are often deficient in this aspect. Either they have not explored it, or they have not explored it to a sufficient degree. Let’s take the Tang School as an example. Although there are sayings in the Henan opera world that "nine lives are born in the Tang Dynasty" and "no one is born in the Tang Dynasty", it always gives people a sense of illusory prosperity. For several plays such as "Splashing Black Shape", for famous Tang dramas such as "Qu Yuan", "Beheading the Yellow Robe", "Fifteen Guans" and "Shouyang Mountain", only a few arias are performed without compiling the whole play; A large number of excellent plays performed by the Tang Dynasty during his lifetime, such as "Cuiping Mountain", "Eight Hammers", "Generals and Prime Ministers", "Lying on Fire and Tasting Brave", "Changban Slope", "Strike the Golden Branch", "Luoyang Order", "Baling Bridge", etc., are not mentioned at all. . Many descendants of the Tang School work in large state-owned theater troupes, but they do not use this platform to promote these plays of the Tang Dynasty. Another example is the Yan School, which seems to have only left "Qin Xuemei" and the aria "Qin Xuemei cried out in grief when she saw her husband's spirit", but did not mention "Pan Fu Suo Fu" and "Zang Zhou", which also left video materials. There are many, not to mention "Jasper Hairpin", "The Romance of the West Chamber", "Snowstorm", "Luoyang Bridge", "Phoenix Returns to the Nest", "Peach Blossom Temple", "Wufeng Ridge" and "Sun and Moon Pictures". It seems that Yan Lipin only acted in "Qin Xuemei" during his lifetime. ", only that one aria is sung well. Every art master has a representative repertoire, but it is not a limited number, let alone the only one. Otherwise, it will not become a school of its own and will not have a wide influence among the masses. Therefore, it is necessary to fully understand the repertoire of their artistic peak period. The repertoire that reflects its performance level and artistic characteristics should be organized to be more conducive to the inheritance of the genre. The Anyang Yu Opera Troupe has recorded audio and video recordings of Cui Lantian based on the recording materials of Cui Lantian during his lifetime, and Guo Zhicheng, the third generation descendant of the Tang School, recently compiled and performed the Tang School's "Fifteen Guan". The author believes that there is no shortage of useful information. Try it, it’s worth learning from.

4. The additions and deletions of the plot are not reasonable. Classic plays have been refined and processed over and over again, and some even took the life-long efforts of veteran artists. Each scene, plot and even words are often carefully considered, so they can be performed for a long time, be widely circulated, and become immortal. work. As a successor of the genre, it is necessary to cherish these artistic treasures, provide precious spiritual food for theater fans, and leave a complete performance model for future generations so that the genre can be effectively passed on. However, in order to increase ratings or for other purposes, some actors make unnecessary changes to some excellent plays, which can only be counterproductive. For example, "Qin Xuemei", which has been created by Yan Lipin for decades, has become a classic, but it was re-released by a certain director a few years ago, and a so-called "new version of "Qin Xuemei" appeared, which is very different from the original version. He claimed that with the changes of society, With the development, "people's aesthetic needs are getting higher and higher", the old version has "appeared to be delayed, lengthy, and outdated", and staging a new version is "a historical necessity, a need of the times, and an expectation of the audience." I don’t know how the fixed plot can adapt to the needs of the development of the times. The originally popular version did not suit “people’s aesthetic needs”, but the changes have become “the expectations of the audience”. I don’t understand where the reason for this comes from. . This kind of random fabrication that ignores the real needs of the masses will only arouse the disgust of the majority of theater fans. Moreover, originally there were not many plays that were taken seriously by the Yan sect, but now the most influential one has been changed for various reasons. I wonder if it can still comfort Mr. Yan's spirit in heaven. Another example is "Zhenguan Family Affairs" adapted from "Three Crying Halls". The necessary plots of the original version were deleted in the name of "complicated and lengthy", and some irrelevant scenes were added, claiming that this would make "the context more complex." "Clear, the characters are more fleshed-out, the plot is more touching, and the rhythm is more compact." What's even more ridiculous is that there are absurd plots in the play such as Qin Ying speaking English and lighting cigarettes for the father-in-law in his hometown, and they are euphemistically called " "Surprise modernization change". Such an adaptation not only ruins the classic, but also makes it difficult for the audience to accept it. Art is for appreciation and taste, not for making cheap jokes in the name of development. Some so-called "famous performing artists" not only do not explore endangered repertoire, but also do not let go of the few remaining classics. It is worth noting that many of the actors participating in this play are from the Henan Drama Association, including the main leaders of the Drama Association. Another example is "Three Crying Halls" which has become a household name in Henan, but during a CCTV performance by Jia Tingju, the title was changed to "Qian Kun Belt". "Three Crying Halls" does have titles such as "Cai Xian Qiao", "Qian Kun Belt" and "Beheading Qin Ying", and other opera types also have this kind of play, but the title of "Three Crying Halls" has become a stereotype in Henan Opera Under the circumstances, I don’t know what the significance of such a change is.

5. Insufficient internal skills and excessive external packaging. Nowadays, the media is becoming increasingly developed. The Henan opera genre relies on the power of the media in the process of inheritance, which is helpful for the promotion of the plays and the improvement of the actors' popularity. However, the influence of the actors still depends on the level of their artistic level.

Many old artists have won widespread reputation through word-of-mouth transmission by virtue of their superb skills, such as Chen Suzhen's "Henan Opera Mei Lanfang", Ma Jinfeng's "Luoyang Peony", Yan Lipin's "Jade Guanyin", Li Sizhong's "Om Bali" , Tang Xicheng's "One Take Three", etc. are all praises given to them by theater fans. These artists are approachable and low-key, yet they can have such a broad influence among the masses. Some of their disciples do the opposite and seem to be more willing to work hard on packaging and promotion, which is sometimes quite unrealistic and gives people a sense of self-promotion. For example, some young actors, regardless of their artistic level, will always form a sect, and Jin Buhuan, the successor of the Niu sect, is an example. In addition to learning Niu Decao's performing arts, he is also good at leveraging his own voice advantages and learning from other genres of singing. But if we analyze it carefully, regardless of his superficial understanding of other art schools, even the level of his main focus is unflattering. For example, in the play "The Seventh Grade Sesame Official", Niu Decao's performance is stable in ugliness, and the external ugliness reflects the inner beauty, while Jin Buhuai gives people the impression that he is deliberately pursuing comedy, and seems to deliberately perform the ugliness into "ugliness" Another example is the pace and demeanor of the drunk magistrate in "Three Willings". Jin Buhuan's performance is far less natural and in place than his teacher's. In this way, even the teacher's art has not been fully inherited, but the "founder of the Jin School" has emerged, which is ridiculous. Another example is the "Red-faced King", which is the reputation given by theater fans to Mr. Tang Yucheng, an artist from East Henan Province. Yang Qichao and Liu Zhonghe were once called the "Little Red-faced Kings" because they excellently inherited Tang Yucheng's performance style. Nowadays, almost every actor The actors and actresses of East Henan Diao Xu Sheng are all called the "Red-faced King", and there are even names like "Red-faced Monster King". There should be only one "Red-faced King", and the term "Little Red-faced King" is not a bad idea, but it would be inappropriate if every red-faced actor in East Henan is called "Red-faced King". In addition, titles such as Jia Tingju's "Xu Sheng Da Dou", Hu Meiling's "Queen of Henan Opera", Zhang Baoying's "No. 1 Qingyi Opera in Henan Opera", and Li Shujian's "No. 1 Lao Sheng in Local Opera" are not self-proclaimed, but they are not worthy of their names. As for statements such as "If you don't wear shoes for three days, you still have to look at Bian Yujie", it can only give people the impression of self-promotion.

When talking about the genre of Henan Opera, Mr. Tang Yucheng, a veteran artist of East Henan Opera, should also be mentioned. The performing arts he created are also of a certain school, but because he died early and there are not many audio and video materials handed down from generation to generation, what we can see so far are the performances of his later disciples, so it is often called the "Eastern Henan Red Face School". Speaking of the more outstanding ones in the inheritance of the school, we might as well take the successor of this school, Liu Zhonghe, as an example. Liu Zhonghe is a famous performing artist, a national first-class actor, and the former leader of the Henan Opera Troupe in Shangqiu City, Henan. On the basis of inheriting Tang Yucheng's singing style, he combined his own conditions to form a unique performing art. His style is free and easy and natural, and his singing voice is hoarse and vigorous. He has become an outstanding representative of red faces in eastern Henan and has had a wide influence among the masses, even in Shangqiu, Henan. There has been a popular saying in places such as Heze, Shandong and Suzhou, Anhui that "I would rather not eat steamed buns for three days than go see Liu Zhonghe". The reasons for his success can be roughly summarized as follows: First, the singing as a whole does not deviate from Tang Yucheng's melody, which is suitable for the taste of veteran opera fans; he combines his own voice characteristics to create and create new aesthetic feelings. Secondly, pay attention to details. For example, his performance in the "Visiting the Rat" episode of "Fifteen Strings". Kuang Zhong pretended to be a fortune teller in the temple, led Lou A Shu into a trap, and planned to arrest him by sending him across the river. After saying, "If you don't mind me, I will be in the same boat as the old man." Lou A Shu took him After looking up and down, he suddenly said, "I don't think you are a calligrapher." Kuang Zhong heard that his face suddenly changed, and he followed with "What?" and remained calm and motionless until he heard, "You are really my Lou A Shu." Living Bodhisattva who saves lives." He took a breath, softened his expression, and flashed an imperceptible smile. This detailed expression delicately expresses Kuang Zhong's process from surprise and vigilance to calmness and relief. Thirdly, we should pay attention to the protection of dialects. For example, the pronunciation of the word "小" in "Little Guo Yan is too rude" in "Da Jinzhi" is close to "siao" instead of "xiao"; "Brother, please take your time." "A sentence instead of "Brother, please take your time." Finally, some of the plays that Tang Yucheng had performed during his lifetime were processed and put on the stage, such as "Strike the Golden Branch", "Yuanmen Chopping Son", etc., to make the plot more concentrated, the lyrics more standardized, and with the help of personal influence, he carried it forward and made the east of Henan Province more popular. The red face genre moved from local to national level. Of course, Liu Zhonghe's performance also has shortcomings, such as being too free and easy, lacking a bookish atmosphere, singing in a repetitive tone, etc. Especially in recent years, his performances have become more casual and can no longer be compared with the heyday of the art. However, he has contributed to the inheritance of the genre. His unremitting efforts are worth learning from every young actor.

/f?kz=964741832