How is jasmine used in Puccini's opera Turandot?

(1) Jiangsu folk songs.

There are always different opinions about the origin of the folk song Jasmine in Jiangsu. There is even a theory that jasmine originated from ancient Indian Buddhist music. At present, it is relatively certain and accurate in China that the predecessor of jasmine is the ditty "Flower Tune" (also known as "Fairy Flower Tune") which is circulated in Yizheng, Yangzhou and Liuhe, Nanjing. This tune was widely circulated in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The earliest extant lyrics of Flower Tune can be found in Fairy Flower Tune, a series of dramas "Flower Drum" in Baiqiu, a performance script of Yangzhou Opera in the 39th year of Qing Qianlong (A.D. 177 1). Now, the earliest music score found abroad is a minor recorded by John Bello in China's Travels (with music but no words, which was later applied to the opera Turandot by Italian composer Puccini). The earliest notation in China was the notation of Gongchi, which was recorded in Xiao Huiji published in the first year of Qing Daoguang (A.D. 182 1). Singing by Yangzhou Qingqu composer, recorded by Zhang, modified by Villy Vonka. Wang Wanqing's coloratura is closer to the popular Jasmine at that time.

/kloc-in the winter of 0/942, the Huainan Volkswagen Troupe of the New Fourth Army came to perform at the foot of Jinniu Mountain in Babaiqiao Town, Liuhe, Jiangsu Province. One rainy afternoon, He Fang, a young member who was only 14, heard from the local people that there was an artist nearby who not only played well, but also sang well, and his songs were full. He Fang found the artist in a small room. The artist was very enthusiastic and asked He Fang if he had heard Flower Tune. John young imitated and shook his head. The artist said that this song was sung during the Daoguang period, which is very nice. The artist took the piano and sang:

"What a good jasmine, what a good jasmine; The flowers and plants in the garden are not as fragrant as it is. I want to wear one, but I am afraid that it will not sprout in the coming year; What a beautiful honeysuckle! What a beautiful honeysuckle! Honeysuckle blooms like a hook tooth, and the slave has the heart to pick one and put it on, and the flower watcher will scold the slave. What beautiful roses! What beautiful roses! Roses in a bowl! The bowl is very big. I want to wear one, but I'm afraid of thorns. "

The young man He Fang was fascinated by this melodious coloratura at once. He spent most of his time not only writing down the songs by notation, but also singing them accurately according to the artist's method. Although "Hua Diao" is beautiful, after all, it comes from the folk, and its creation is inevitably a bit rough. After careful consideration, He Fang carried out a "major operation" on Hua Er Diao, changing three kinds of flowers in the song into one. The revised lyrics are: "What a jasmine, what a jasmine, even the flowers in the garden can't be smelled. I have a heart to wear one, and the flower watchers will scold me. A good jasmine, a good jasmine, jasmine can't be white when it snows. I want to wear one, but I am afraid of being laughed at by others; What a good jasmine, what a good jasmine, the flowers in the garden can't compare. I want to wear one, but I am afraid that it will not sprout next year. "

1957, He Fang, then composer and conductor of the frontline song and dance troupe, led the choir to Beijing to participate in the art performance of the whole army. The revised Liuhe folk song "Jasmine Flower" became an instant hit, and was soon officially made into a record, which soon spread all over the country and became a popular folk song. 1959, Molly officially went abroad and sang at the Vienna Opera House. Prior to this, He Fang revised the lyrics, changing Flowers in the Garden to Flowers in the Garden, and changing People Who Look at Flowers to People Who are Afraid of Watching Flowers to People Who Look at Flowers, which further enriched the melody and was highly appreciated in Vienna. Since then, "Jasmine Flower" has become a hit, singing from Austria to the former Soviet Union, Indonesia, Poland, Hungary, Albania and all over the world. It is also included in the album of world famous songs. 1At midnight on June 30th, 997, before the handover ceremony of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the China Military Band played the popular Jiangsu folk song Jasmine. 199965438+February19 at midnight, jasmine played again at the handover ceremony when China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Macao. 65438 On February 3rd, 2002, in the voting for the right to host the 20 10 World Expo held in Monte Carlo, Monaco, the propaganda film of China's bid for the Expo played the melody of jasmine more than ten times, which conquered the representatives of various countries and officials of the Bureau of International Exhibitions. At the closing ceremony of the Athens Olympic Games on August 19, 2004, the melody of jasmine once again fascinated the audience all over the world.

Development influence

China has a vast territory, a long history and many nationalities, so a large number of folk songs are widely circulated. They are like flowers in the garden in late spring and March. They are colorful, colorful and fragrant. One of the varieties has a long history of cultivation and is widely loved by the public. She is the well-known folk song Jasmine.

Her melody is euphemistic, with smooth ups and downs and delicate feelings. Through the praise of jasmine, the simple and gentle feelings between men and women are implicitly expressed. As early as the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, its lyrics were published in the script collection of Yangzhou opera "Hundred Autumn", which shows its long history.

At the end of the eighteenth century, a foreigner wrote down her tunes, and the lyrics were expressed by free translation in English and Chinese Pinyin. Later, an Englishman named John Bello came to China to serve as the secretary of the first British ambassador to China. 1804 published Travel Notes of China. Perhaps in his eyes, "Jasmine" is the representative of China folk songs, so he specially published the music score of "Jasmine" in his works, so this song became the first American folk song to spread overseas in the form of a publication, and began to spread in Europe and South America.

1924, Puccini, a world-famous opera master and Italian composer, finished the first draft of the opera Turandot among cancer patients and died. Based on the Yuan Dynasty in China, the play fictionalizes a beautiful and cold story of Princess Turandot. Puccini took the tune of Jasmine as one of the main musical materials of the play, and adapted its original song into a female chorus. In addition, all the characters in the play are dressed in costumes of the Yuan Dynasty, which makes the China story written and performed by foreigners have the color and flavor of China. 1926, the play premiered in Italy and was a great success. Since then, the fragrance of China folk song Jasmine Flower has spread abroad with the spread of this opera classic.

/kloc-in the winter of 0/942, Mr. He Fang, a famous military composer, former head of the front-line song and dance troupe, and a musician who collected and sorted out the folk song Jasmine from Jiangsu and Anhui, went to Liubaqiao Town to collect this folk song, which was widely sung locally, and recorded her tunes and lyrics one by one. 1957 He adapted the original words of the original song, and all three lyrics used the same tune, from singing three kinds of flowers to singing jasmine flowers in a concentrated way, ending in a melodious drawl, which became familiar to everyone now. This song was sung by the front-line song and dance troupe and then recorded by the Chinese record club, so it was further circulated.

At the beginning of this century, Zhang Yimou used "Jasmine Flower" as the background music in the propaganda films of Olympic bid and Expo bid. On August 3, 2003, the emblem of the 2008 Olympic Games-"China Seal Dancing Beijing" was grandly unveiled in the Hall of Prayer for the New Year in Beijing Tiantan Park. When Deng Yaping, a famous athlete, and Jackie Chan, a famous movie star, walked slowly to the Hall of Prayer for the New Year with their badges, the melody of jasmine sounded in the band. At the moment, the music of jasmine you hear is vigorous in euphemism, passionate in delicacy and firm in fluttering, which seems to tell the world that the hometown of jasmine, ancient China, is striding forward. With the broadcast of these TV series, I believe that the fragrance of jasmine will float farther and wider.