Since I was a child, I have loved to go to the theater with my elderly grandmother, often immersed in the gentle and smooth singing voice, indulging in the twists and turns of the bizarre story, and forgetting to return home. It wasn't until Grandpa came looking for us that we were surprised to learn that the sun was setting, and the two had been in the troupe for most of the day.
Grandma's family is in Lüyi Town, which is the birthplace of Lü opera. In the town, like grandma, there are not only people who watch and understand drama, but also sing and act. From the elderly to the elderly, down to the children in their seven or eighties, any one of them can hum a few words. This is Lu YiZhen.
Every time in the agricultural leisure season, the Lü opera lovers in Lüyi Town spontaneously gather together, set up a team to practice drama, perform some small programs, pass their leisure time, entertain themselves, and please others. Listening to Grandma, Lü Opera has developed from the initial Leaning Door Minor to the current Pear Garden Pearl, but there is a long process and story.
During the Reign of the Qing Dynasty, Boxing County was located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, with frequent floods and disasters. The people lived in hardship, and they had to leave their homes and wander around to make a living through art. People carry simple musical instruments such as falling pianos and bamboo boards with them, mainly singing popular folk songs at that time, or making up interesting stories in passing, and begging while singing. After the performance, the spectators gave a few copper plates, and some gave a few nest heads, and the income was not much, but the ration problem was finally solved.
Gradually, there were more and more refugees, and begging for food by "singing songs" became the main means for some people to support their families. During the wandering, they continued to absorb the opera singing voice and folk minor tunes, and gradually formed their own singing voice and characteristics. The form of performance has also continued to evolve, from the initial "running door" to "plate stool", and then to the "pulling stall" makeup performance, gradually forming a good audience base. Lu opera ushered in the initial bud.
At that time, there was a performer named Sun Zhongxin, who was versatile, both able to sing, and good at drumming and playing the piano, often performing with folk artists, which was deeply appreciated by the audience. Later, he cooperated with Liu Luanfeng, Zhang Guilan, Zhang Baoguang and others to create the first makeup Yangqin. The original form of actors and instruments, sung in the third person, was changed to the performance form of actors playing roles in tops, and the accompaniment was withdrawn to the backstage, forming the prototype of Lu opera. Sun Zhongxin is also known as the founder of Lü Opera.
Later, these folk artists creatively compiled performances such as "Wang Xiao Rushing Feet" and "Lü Dongbin Play Peony", and gradually formed their own unique style. Because the main accompanying instrument at that time was the falling piano, the player moved up and down according to the fingers of the falling piano, so it was called "playing"; and because there were six kinds of rhythms in the twelve laws of Chinese music, collectively called "Liu Lu", the "play" was renamed "Lü Opera".
Later, Lü opera ushered in its own great development, widely disseminated in Qilu, and gradually developed into the most representative local opera genre in Shandong Province, and ranked among the eight major drama genres in the country. The hometown of the original folk artists was therefore renamed "Lüyi Town".
Nowadays, the people of Luyi Town live and work in peace and contentment, and their living conditions have been greatly improved, and there is no need to go to the streets to sell art, but the tradition of organizing Lü opera performances in the agricultural leisure season has still been preserved.
When I grew up, I still like to listen to Lu opera, like the simple and fresh lyrics, like the gentle and natural singing voice, and also like the old stories it tells, telling all the vicissitudes of the world...