Relevant knowledge about Henan Opera (development history, popular areas, classic plays, characters, etc.)

1. Development History

Henan Opera originated in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. It is based on the fashionable Xiaoling (folk songs and minor tunes) popular in Henan, and absorbs the Northern Opera Xiansuo and Qinqiang Opera. , Puzhou Bangzi and other singing arts developed after.

During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1795), Bangzi Opera became popular in Henan. According to the inscriptions recorded at that time, the Ming Palace was the place where theater classes prayed and had banquets. It was lost to history and it is unknown when it was built.

According to "Qi Lu Deng" written by Li Luyuan in the Qing Dynasty in the 42nd year of Qianlong's reign (1777) and "Qi County Chronicles" in the 53rd year of Qianlong's reign (1788), Bangzi Opera was already popular in Kaifeng and Qizhou at that time. It is popular in the county and has been performed in a group with Luo Opera, Juan Opera, etc., and is called "Bang Luo Juan".

During the Daoguang period (1821-1850), "river banks burst, temples collapsed, and no tiles remained." It can be seen that Bangzi Opera existed in Henan before Daoguang.

After the formation of Henan Opera, due to the differences in pronunciation and dialects, multiple schools with unique characteristics were formed during the spread in various places: the singing method centered on Fengqiu is called "Xiangfu Diao";

The singing style centered on Shangqiu is called "Eastern Yu Diao", also known as Donglu Diao; the singing style centered on Luoyang is called "Western Henan Diao", also known as Xifu Diao and Kaoshanhuang; it is spread in the Shahe River Basin in southeastern Henan The singing method is called "Shahe Diao", also known as local Bang.

Henan Opera is continuously inherited, reformed and developed on the basis of Henan Bangzi. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Henan was called "Yu" for short, so it was called Henan Opera.

2. Popular areas

According to statistics from the Ministry of Culture, in addition to Henan Province, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Beijing, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai and There are professional Yu opera troupes in Xinjiang, Taiwan and other provinces and cities.

3. Classic plays

1. "Spring and Autumn Matches"

Henan opera "Spring and Autumn Matches" is a representative play of Henan opera master Chen Suzhen and a traditional play of Henan opera.

The play tells the touching story of Li Chunhua and Jiang Qiulian finally getting married after going through ups and downs. The title of the play is derived from the characters "spring" and "autumn" in the play.

"Spring and Autumn Match" is an old traditional singing opera, which can be found in many operas. It has many characters and a long and twists and turns plot. In the end, it was mostly just "gathering firewood" and "breaking the stream".

In particular, the scene of "Gathering Firewood" is the most classic. This is also a work that Chen Suzhen has worked hard to strive for. It is an excerpt that integrates singing, narration and performance. It shows the ancient male and female protagonists, taking advantage of the wilderness. The scene of falling in love while collecting firewood shows the protagonist Jiang Qiulian's straightforward character and her courage to boldly pursue love.

2. "Mu Guiying Takes the Command"

"Mu Guiying Takes the Command" is a Henan Opera work, formerly known as "Lao Zhengdong" or "Yang Wenguang Seizes the Seal"; in 1954, it was Adapted from Song lyrics and renamed "Mu Guiying Takes Command", it was performed by the Henan Opera Troupe in Luoyang City, Henan Province;

The script was published in 1956 and included in Volume 3 of "Selected Operas" (1959); its main plot is: The generals of the Yang family repeatedly led troops to defeat the Liao army, preserving the Song Dynasty and bringing peace to the world;

Taijun She left the court and led his family back to Hedong. However, the loyal Taijun She was concerned about the safety of the country, so he Wen Guang and Jin Hua were sent to Beijing to investigate. At this time, King An rebelled, and King Song selected a commander in the school. Wen Guang and Jin Hua, who were young and energetic, stabbed Wang Lun in the school field and won the handsome seal.

The King of Song Dynasty learned that the son of the Yang family made Mu Guiying the commander-in-chief and went on an expedition. For the sake of national security, the old Mu Guiying put on the old armor and beat the war drum again with pride.

3. "Three Ascents on a Sedan Chair"

"Three Ascents on a Sedan Chair" is a traditional play of Henan Opera, and is a fragment of the complete play "Fake Gold Medal". It was originally a piece of barbarian singing and eight-singing opera (seeing off guests). In 1932, in the 21st year of the Republic of China, it was adapted and edited by Chen Suzhen, the Queen of Henan Opera, and became a sensation in the Central Plains.

Fourteen years later (1944), Chen Suzhen taught this play to Cui Lantian, a master of Henan opera. Cui Lantian was a master of the deep and tragic Yuxi tune. She changed the play to the Henanxi tune, which still caused a huge sensation.

It has since been transplanted by other operas such as Yue Opera, Ping Opera, Qin Opera, Huangmei Opera, Lu Opera, Hebei Bangzi, Jin Opera, Pu Opera, Sichuan Opera, Ping Diao, Huaihai Opera, Huai Diao, Sizhou Opera, Huai Opera and so on. This drama.

4. Representative figures

1. Chen Suzhen

Chen Suzhen (April 30, 1918 - March 29, 1994), female, nickname: Peiyu , original name: Wang Ruoyu. Ancestral home: Fuping, Shaanxi Province, born in: Kaifeng, Henan Province, into a distinguished family, a family of officials. He once lived in: Shaanxi, Hubei, Gansu, Hebei, and then settled in: Tianjin.

He once served as a member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, a director of the Chinese Dramatists Association, vice chairman of the Henan Federation of Literary and Art Circles, a representative of the Henan Provincial People's Congress, vice chairman of the Henan Provincial Dramatists Association, and honorary chairman of the Hebei Provincial Dramatists Association. Member of the Hebei Federation of Literary and Art Circles, vice chairman of the Tianjin Dramatists Association, consultant to the Tianjin Cultural Bureau, member of the Tianjin Performing Arts Committee and other honorary social positions.

She became an apprentice at the age of 8 and appeared on stage at the age of 10, becoming the first generation actress in the Henan opera industry. He accepted a disciple at the age of 13 and was known as Gan Luo of Henan Opera. She is an opera educator and Henan Opera reformer (incorporating classical dance and pantomime into Henan Opera).

He also pioneered the first genre of Henan Opera, "Chenmen (Chen School) Art", and was hailed by audiences, playwrights and opera masters as: the master of Henan Opera, a beauty goddess on the Henan Opera stage, and Henan Plum Blossom. Lan Fang, the Queen of Henan Opera, the first of the Three Tripods of Henan Opera, and the Bangzi King (the King of Henan Opera).

Chen Suzhen is the oldest among the six famous Dan actors in Henan opera. She is the earliest to practice art and the earliest to become famous. She is also the only master of Henan opera who has artistic skills in various fields such as life, Dan, Jing and Chou.

In addition, five of the six famous actors in Henan Opera mainly sing, while Chen Suzhen sings while playing, dances while singing, and comprehensively uses singing, chanting, acting, playing, and dancing, which is superb. Her art is regarded as the first of the six famous Dan Dan operas in China.

2. Chang Xiangyu

Chang Xiangyu (September 15, 1923 - June 1, 2004), formerly known as Zhang Miaoling, was born in Gong County, Henan Province (now Gongyi City), Henan opera performing artist.

Chang Xiangyu is a representative of the first, second, third, fifth, sixth and seventh National People's Congress, an honorary member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and has served as vice chairman of the Chinese Dramatists Association, chairman of the Henan Dramatists Association, Director of Henan Yu Theater, principal of Henan Opera School, professor of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, etc.

Chang Xiangyu’s singing voice is upright and round, her luck is smooth, her charm is honest, and her style is novel. She paints emotions with her voice and conveys her voice with emotion. Her performance is vigorous, fresh, delicate and generous, with profound connotation and distinctive character. In expressing the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters, they are meticulous and lifelike. ?

Representative works include "Mulan", "Red", "Broken Bridge", "Big Sacrifice Stake", "Human Joy", "Red Lantern", etc.

3. Ma Jinfeng

Ma Jinfeng, whose original surname is Cui and nickname is Jinni, was born in Caoxian County, Shandong Province in 1922. He is an actor in Henan Opera and one of the six famous actors in Henan Opera.

Ma Jinfeng learned Hebei Bangzi from his father at the age of 6. He appeared on stage as a supporting actor at the age of 7, and switched to Henan Opera at the age of 9. At the age of 14, she officially debuted on stage as the starring role in a play. Her early stage name was "Hua Mozi". In the late 1940s, she became famous in Jieshou City, Anhui Province, nicknamed "Gai Jiuzhou". Her representative works include "Two Flowers and One Hanging", namely "Mu Guiying Takes the Command", " "Flowers in the Morning" and "Flowers and Guns".

He once served as the director of Shangqiu and Luoyang Henan Opera Troupes, an honorary director of the Chinese Dramatists Association, and the vice chairman of the Henan Branch of the Chinese Drama Association.

4. Tang Yucheng

Male, born in 1895, from Shentaisi Village, Limin Town, Yucheng County, Henan Province. Tang Yucheng is the most representative red-faced (Laosheng) actor in Henan Opera. His original name is Zixin. He is known as the Red-faced King, a famous Henan Opera master, the founder of Henan Opera, the red-faced master of Henan Opera, and the representative figure of East Henan Opera. He is known as " "The Red-faced King" and "Qilin Boy" in Henan Opera.

5. Wang Sujun

Wang Sujun (1933), female, was born in Kaifeng City, Henan Province. He is a well-known Henan Opera performing artist of the older generation, a national first-class actor, who specializes in Dan roles, and is also a leading figure in Henan Opera literature. He was once a rare versatile actor on the Henan Opera stage who can be both a born and a young actor.

Since childhood, he joined the famous "Er You Bang" opera troupe in Xuchang to learn opera, and performed with the troupe in Xuchang and many surrounding counties and cities. Together with Wang Jingxian and Wang Xiulan, they are known as the "Three Kings of Bianjing".

Extended information:

Henan opera singing:

Due to the differences in pronunciation in different places, Henan opera has formed an artistic genre with regional characteristics in music. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, Henan operas in Luoyang and other places mostly used the lower five tones, while Henan operas in Kaifeng and other places mostly used the upper five tones, forming a sharp contrast.

For the sake of distinction, Henan opera artists call the singing styles in Luoyang and other places Henan West Diao (also known as Xifu Diao), and the singing styles in Fengqiu and other places as Yudong Diao (also known as Xiangfu Diao). After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Yudong Opera experts subdivided Yudong Diao into Xiangfu Diao, Yudong Diao and Shahe Diao.

This division is widely recognized, namely Xiangfu tune centered on Fengqiu; East Henan tune centered on Shangqiu; Western Henan tune centered on Luoyang; and popular in the Shahe area in southeastern Henan. Shahe tune is also called "local bang".

Among them, Xiangfu tune, Shahe tune, and Yudong tune mostly use the upper fifth tone, and Henanxi tune mostly use the lower fifth tone. Nowadays, Xiangfu tune and Shahe tune have declined, and Yudong tune and Henanxi tune have shown tenacity. vitality.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Henan Opera