String drama, also known as "high cavity" and "string cavity", is a kind of local small drama popular in Pingli County, Ankang City, Shaanxi Province, named for the accompaniment of "string" (string Hu). It is centered on Pingli County and is located in the adjacent shan rural towns of Zhenping County, Xunyang County South District, Baihe County West District, Ankang County Nanshan, Northeast Corner of Langao County, Zhushan and Zhuxi Neighboring Areas of Hubei Province.
String opera has long been performed only in the form of shadow puppets, but in 1958, the Pingli Theater Troupe tried to put string shadow puppets on the opera stage and played them as human beings, which was welcomed by the masses. Since then, string drama has been divided into two performance forms: string shadow drama and string drama.
String shadow drama has a complete set of singing voice and shadow puppet performance techniques. The string play played by people is still a string shadow play in the musical singing voice, but in the performance form, it is to learn and learn from the Chinese tune erhuang. The most prominent singing feature of the string play is the lead singer and the helper singing. All the singing segments have the characteristics of half-talking and half-singing, and when they are suddenly listened to, it is like a schoolboy reading. Each lyric ends with a "lost voice" and a "shouting voice". "Lost cavity" is the last four words of the last sentence of the lyrics, do not need to be sung, is said in the accompaniment of strings, also called "lost cavity dry white". After the "loss of cavity", it is the beginning of the "shouting cavity". The "shouting cavity" is divided into four modes: "male shouting cavity", "female shouting cavity", "bitter flat cavity" and "Wu Zi cavity". "Lost Voice" is sung by the actor, while "Shouting Voice" is the echo of other actors. Generally shouted, like a mountain song trumpet, gentle and melodious, the song is full of stages, fully showing the rural charm of mountain folk art.
The traditional repertoire of string opera is relatively rich, with more than 1,000 copies according to statistics. Most of these plays are transplanted from dramas such as Qin Cavity, Han Tone Erhuang and Sichuan Opera. The content of the repertoire is based on historical stories such as "The Biography of the Nations", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Sui and Tang Dynasties", "Yang Jiajun" and other historical stories, as well as legends from folklore. These plays, when performed, use the local dialect of southern Shaanxi, which is easy to understand and the local colors are very distinct. "Old with young" is another prominent feature of string opera singing. That is, the singing voice adopts a combination of true and false voices, which is completely different from the singing method of other stage plays.
(1) The formation and development of string plays
String drama was produced during the Qianlong and Jiaqing years of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, the string play was not called the string play. Because of the singing with gongs and drums to beat the festival, "Lotus Fall" beating, rap folk stories, no silk strings accompaniment, commonly known as "Lotus Fall Drama". From the end of Jiaqing to the early years of Daoguang (1815-1825), Li Jingmo (stage name "Milk Maoer") was based on local folk songs and small songs, absorbing the high-cavity opera music of the neighboring province of Sichuan, accompanied by the main performance of "String Hu" and the accompaniment of three strings and bamboo flutes, and shouted with mountain song trumpets, so that the singing cavity plate style changed from before, and gradually formed a regular type of shadow drama, and renamed "String Drama". Since then, Li Jiaban has become the most famous shadow puppet class in Pingli County, and the influence of the string cavity has also expanded day by day.
In the twenty-fifth year of Daoguang (1845), Wang Chaoyan, a private school teacher at Lianxianghe Private School in Pingli County, read poetry and books, loved to talk about ancient and modern times, and was good at singing folk songs, he bought a shadow puppet box, and invited Wei Ruxianzi artist Li Xiaozi to lead the box and teach his son Wang Xuedou. In the ninth year of Xianfeng (1859), he learned to fight out of the foreman class and was famous for the Wang family class. During the Tongzhi period, Li Jiaban and Wang Jiaban not only operated in Pingli County, but also performed in the countryside adjacent to ZhenpingBei District and Zhuxi in Hubei Province. In the repertoire, in addition to singing folk tales, there have been many big-book myths and legends and historical repertoire.
During the Guangxu years, the third generation of Li Jiaban, Li Junzhi, Li Junjiang, Li Junhui, Li Junhou and other inherited art to perform in the apprentice class. In the eleventh year of Guangxu (1885), the third generation of Wang Jiaban' Wang Jun, Wang Guoshun, Wang Guoxi, Wang Guoyin and other ancestors performed. In the twenty-first year of Guangxu (1895), Li Junzhi (the name of Liansheng) began to be a foreman, in addition to his uncle Li Zhengye, he also visited the Henan Yue tune artist Li Changlin as a teacher, and made friends with the artists of the Erhuang opera class, exchanged artistic skills, introduced the Erhuang and Yue opera repertoire and artistically could be used for their use, and contributed to the development of string opera. From the end of Guangxu to the beginning of the Republic of China, the li and Wang families broke the stereotype of "art is not passed on", passed on more than 50 disciples, and added hundreds of court dramas, public case dramas, mythological dramas, etc. to the repertoire. The activity area is extended to the adjacent Xunyang South District, Ankang East District, Zhenping North District, Langao Northeast, Baihe West District and Hubei Zhushan, Zhuxi and other places.
During the Republic of China period (1920-1940), string cavity shadow puppetry became increasingly popular. Li Jiaban's fifth-generation descendants Li Jiande, Li Jianhao, Li Jianyi, etc., and the fourth generation of Wang Jiaban's descendants, Fan Lisan and Fan Yinglong, actively accepted apprentices with foreign surnames to teach art. At this time, the number of family classes, father and son classes, and brother classes in Pingli has grown to 14, with more than 100 employees, and individual classes have been going to villages all year round. The repertoire has been increasing; the performance form system has become more and more standardized; the famous organist Guo Dashen has introduced more than 10 kinds of mountain song minor tunes and folk songs such as [Yu Meilang], [Dresser], [Nail Cylinder Tune], [Flying Kites], [Snowflake Drifting], [Blowing Ground Wind], etc., and developed musical expression; a number of well-known door blockers, drama mothers and children, drummers and organists have emerged; and string cavity shadow puppet plays are famous in the border area of Shaanxi and Hubei. According to the Shaanxi Opera Zhihan Called Regional Volume, in the seventeenth year of the "Republic of China" (1928), at the Pingli County God Temple Fair, the leaders of the congregation ignored the stipulation that "rural folk dramas must be prohibited" in previous counties, and for the first time invited Li Junzhi's string cavity shadow puppet class into the county seat to sing against the Erhuang opera class.
In the more than ten years before the founding of New China (1940-1949), due to natural and man-made disasters and the people's lack of livelihood, the string cavity shadow puppet play was also on the verge of extinction. After the founding of New China, the String Cavity Shadow Puppet Theater Club gained a new life along with the gradual recovery of the urban and rural economy. Li Jiaban and Wang Jiaban continued to be active in the rural areas of Pingli and Zhenping. In the spring of 1956, the People's Government of Pingli County organized Li Jiande, Fan Lisan, Wang Guojun, Wu Shikai and other old artists with string characters to process and rehearse the traditional drama "GuJiu", and successively participated in the first shadow puppet and puppet opera performances in Ankang Special Zone and Shaanxi Province, and received commendations and awards. In 1958, the Pingli County Han Opera Troupe invited veteran artists Li Jiande, Fan Lisan and Ke Zhouting to systematically record and sort out the musical heritage of the string cavity, and for the first time performed the modern play "Feishanyan" in a human role. In the practice of putting the string cavity on the stage this time, the performance program of the Han tune Erhuang is quoted, and the performance characteristics of the shadow puppets are integrated; the percussion of the Han tone Erhuang is absorbed, and the erhu, yueqin, Yangqin, pipa, Zhongruan, violin, cello and small bronze are added, and the stage art has a unique style, adding different flowers to the local opera stage. In 1960, the troupe renamed the traditional drama "GuJiu" to "Three Stones, Two Two Sevens", which was sorted out and rehearsed, and participated in the new stage drama performance in Shaanxi Province, and the provincial radio recording was broadcast to the outside world, which was well received. Since then, "Xiangluopa", "Traveling to the Countryside", "Returning to the Mother's Home", "Picking Plaques", "Sea Dragon Descending the Mountain", "Picking Jade Bracelet", "Songling Bells", "Chasing Boxes", "Two Xiang Xi", etc. have been sung by the Pingli County Red Flag Troupe with string plays, toured to Hubei Yunyang, Sichuan Wanxian and other places and participated in previous performances in Ankang District of Shaanxi Province, and won praise and rewards. In recent years, with the development of the modern economy, string drama has been hit by an unprecedented impact, and the situation is more difficult.
(2) String play music
The string opera singing cavity belongs to the plate cavity, and the seven-tone scale palace mode. There are 13 types of singing chamber plates, such as [Wen Shuzi], [Wu Shuzi], [Selling Tone], [Yizi], [Second-rate], [Flipping Mountain Tune], [Stepping on the String Tune], [Huanyang Plate], [Guide Plate], [Kuping], [Rolling Plate], [Lesson Lessons], [Shouting Cavity], etc. The tone of the string drama is based on the Local Voice of Pingli, and the singing cavity is divided into flower tones and bitter tones, which are also greatly influenced by the music of Shaanxi Flower Drum Opera, and the singing cavity has a strong color of flower drum music.
1. Basic plate type
[Wen Shuzi] one board and one glance, that is, 2/4 beat. The singing cavity is strong in chanting, and its singing method is: under the accompaniment, the first half of the sentence is a rhythmic white, and the second half of the sentence turns into a melodic singing voice. This board is mostly used for the singing board of weak scholars, this kind of board, strong freedom, lyricism.
[Wu Zi] similar to the Han tone of the two yellows in the tight play slow singing, for 1/4 beat, the tune is rough and bold, mostly using bronze to break sentences, the net horn in the drama, WuSheng often use this board, expressed in narrative emotions.
[Selling tone] a board at a glance, that is, 2/4 beat, the melody is strongly jumpy, often connected with the [second-rate] board to use, for emotional conversion. It is good at expressing a lyrical or narrative plot that expresses cheerfulness and joy.
[One word board] is a board of three eyes, that is, 4/4 beat, the singing cavity is opened by the board, and the board rises and falls. The singing of cross sentences is three, three, and four. [Word board] has a fast, slow and happy, bitter tone. Huanyin is called [tablet word], which is cheerful and lyrical; bitter sound is called [bitter flat word], which expresses a low, sad mood, and is often used in lyrical or narrative situations according to the dramatic plot.
[Di-flow board] a board at a glance, that is, 2/4 beat, the board rises and falls, two, two, three sentence structure. This board is the basic plate style of string play, such as [selling tone] [stepping on the string tune], etc. are derived from this plate rhythm form. The melody is stretched, the rhythm is bright, and it is often used to express narrative plots.
[Flipping mountain tone] has a board without eyes, that is, 1/4 beat, similar to [flowing water] board. The melody of the singing cavity is mostly carried out in the high-pitched area, and the tune is high-pitched and agitated, which is generally used in the plot of the two characters singing, arguing, and arguing.
[Step on the strings] one board at a glance, that is, 2/4 beat. Characteristics of the plate-style singing cavity: the last word at the end of the previous sentence is flipped high with a false voice, and the lower sentence is dragged flat at the end of the lower sentence, and the tune is undulating, lively and brisk, and is generally used for the singing section of humorous characters, such as the ugly Dan Liu Media po singing section of "Picking Jade Bracelet". The so-called "stepping on the spin" is the meaning of the character singing while twisting and singing while stepping on the melody beat.
[Huan Yang Plate] is a loose board form, no beat freestyle singing tone, the tune is low, mostly expressing the sad emotions of the people in the play.
[Guide plate] is a loose plate form with no eyes, free row cavity, exciting and unrestrained, not independent into segments, often imported into other plate types.
[Roller plate] is also called "rolling white". It has a chanting nature and mostly expresses the sad emotions of the characters.
[Number Board] [Lantern Moth] [Lessons] [Shinmaiko] and the like are all kinds of speaking boards in the form of a rhythmic allegro without singing melody. Different names have different uses, such as [Shen Maiko] refers to the use of the immortals after they come on the field; for example, [Lantern Moth], the number board has a gong and drum point, and the [number board] [lesson] does not have a gong and drum in the middle.
[Shouting] is also called "barking trumpet", similar to the mountain song trumpet. String opera artists learned the form of Sichuan opera high cavity gang cavity for singing cavity in the development of singing cavity. [Shouting] is used at the end of a singing segment. The last four words of the next sentence at the end of a singing section do not need to be sung, but are white in the accompanying string music, called "losing the cavity and dry white", "losing the cavity", before "shouting". The first half of the "shouting cavity" is free rhythmic, without string accompaniment, no singing words, only using imaginary words to shout out: hey - hey - shouting - trumpet——, and then rhythmic string accompaniment, followed by the second half of the sentence Oh, shout, hey, yell. "Shouting" plays a very important role in setting off the plot, rendering the atmosphere, revealing the feelings of the characters, and enhancing the dramatic effect. There are three types of "shouting voices":
[Flat cavity trumpet] crisp and high-pitched, melodious and euphemistic. It is mostly used in a joyful atmosphere, and is often used to shout after the [one-word] [second-rate] board.
[Bitter cavity trumpet] sad, deep. Used in sad, poignant emotions. Mostly shouted after [bitter plate] [yang plate], [rolling plate].
[Wu Xi Trumpet] Rough, agitated. This kind of trumpet can be shouted in both sentences in the singing cavity, and the "trumpet" is relatively short, mainly setting off the atmosphere, and is often used after the [guide plate] and [Wu Zizi] plate.
2. Qu card
There is no traditional song plate in the string cavity, but it is borrowed from other dramas or folk songs to perform (blow) the music. The commonly used silk string song cards are [Small Door Opening] [Hanging Hall] [Killing Ji] [Flying Kites] [Snowflake Fluttering] [Dresser] [Pouring Tea] [Ten Love Sisters] [Niang Weeping Girl] [Female Weeping Lady] and more than ten songs, which are used for memorials, garden tours, cleaning and other scenes.
There are 17 songs of the Song Tablets, including [Palace Tune], [Ascension Account], [Sitting Tent], [Chao Tianzi], [Wan Nian Huan], [General Order], [Fan Wang Order], [Liu Mo Ling], [Three Guns], [Dian Dai], [Shou Feast Kai], [Glass Cup], [Wind Blowing the Ground], [Busy at Both Ends], [Kitchen Tune], [Reunion] [Epilogue], etc., which are used for the emperor's ascension to the palace, the banquet of wine, and the promotion of the marshal's account.
(3) Singing structure
The lyrics of the string drama are mostly seven-word sentences and cross sentences, and there are also three uneven and long and short sentences, based on the above sentence and the next sentence, and also pay attention to the relationship between the two sides, and the division of the seven-word sentence, the cross sentence and the five-word sentence is the same as that of other dramas. Five-word sentences are mostly used in seven-word sentences or cross sentences, and three-inflexible and long and short sentences are mostly used in [counting boards] and [roller plates].
(4) Role line
The performance forms of string drama are divided into two kinds of shadow puppetry and big drama stage, especially in the role of human beings, and its industry is divided into thinner, that is, one end, two net, three lives, four dan, five ugly, six outside, seven small, eight stickers, nine old, ten miscellaneous, commonly known as "one end to miscellaneous".
(5) Instrumental music
The accompanying instrument of the string play, divided into two scenes.
1. Instrumental music in the literary field
The literary scenes of the string play are mainly string beards, with three strings, flutes, and sighs. The string opera band performed by real people also added erhu, yueqin, yangqin, violin, Zhongruan, pipa, cello and other instruments.
2. Martial instrumental music and gong and drum sutras
The martial arts scenes of the string drama are mainly sandalwood, with hall drums, violent drums, lotus drums, large gongs, cymbals, large trumpets, horse gongs, hook gongs, two and five sons (small reamers), bell bells, etc.
The gongs and drums of the string play are absorbed through the gongs and drums of the Chinese tone erhuang, and there are also starting gongs and drums, action gongs and drums, opening gongs and drums, and effect gongs and drums. Its name and use are basically the same as those of Han tone er huang, and will not be repeated here.
(6) Representative repertoire and influential actors of string plays
The repertoire of The String Drama is based on historical novels such as "The Evolution of the Fengshen Gods", "The Kingdoms of the Eastern Zhou", "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "The Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties", "Yang Jiajian", "The Complete Biography of Yue Yue", and "Water Margin". The script has a grand structure, a tortuous plot, a simple language, a vivid image, a strong atmosphere of life, and strong local characteristics. Its representatives of the existing Guangxunian manuscripts "Qilin Pavilion", "Gemini Gui", "Dragon Colt Horse", "Enmu Ancestral Hall", "Jade Tiger Fall", "Red Lantern Society" and so on were often performed at that time.
In 1959, the Opera Excavation Group of Ankang Special District counted that there were 853 traditional plays of string opera. Veteran artists Fan Lisan, Li Jiande, Wang Guojun and Wu Shikai donated 167 manuscripts of ancestral manuscripts, which are now in the Provincial Art Research Institute, including the newly carved wood version of the play "Parrot Song" and "Pearl Sweatshirt"; the signed Ankang Xinmin Bookstore to print the wooden version of "Broken Arm" and "Double-headed Horse", and the complete collection of xin ugly nian wooden version of "Qiaolian Zhu" signed by Yongning Lane Street, Hankou Town. It can be seen that the characteristics are: (1) some plays are rich in people's and patriotic ideas, embodying the democratic spirit of opposing the old etiquette and the old marriage system; (2) many plays such as "Bapanshan" have 36 times, "Heroes of the Crowd" (Song Dynasty story) 31 times, "Pocket Count" 23 times, "Yellow River Array" 24 times, "Broken Arm" 16 times (there are 41 characters, around Wang Zuo's broken arm said that Lu Wenlong returned to the Song, methodically unfolding plot, twists and turns) and so on can be performed for dozens of days; (3) the words are simple and simple, the colloquial language is vivid, and the atmosphere of life is strong. The local characteristics are strong, and the structure of the word grid is mostly regular cross sentences and seven-character sentences, and occasionally there are a small number of three uneven long and short sentences; (4) "Xue XianJing", "Wen Wang's Visit to Xian", "Plum Blossom Scroll", "Yunjin Tu", "Three Flowers Match", "Selling Miao Lang", "Gu Wine", "Zhongxiaoyi", "Purple Gold Bracelet", "Jade Crystal Bottle", "Bai Yu Guan", "Selling Bows", "Motianling" and so on are the special repertoire of string plays, of which 9 are included in the "Compilation of Traditional Plays of Shaanxi Province" published by the Provincial Bureau of Culture.
Source: Shaanxi Local Drama Genre/Qu Caojie, Xi'an: Taibai Literature and Art Publishing House, 2011