What is Henan Opera?

Henan Opera, formerly known as Henan Bangzi. Because Henan is abbreviated as "Yu", it is called Henan Opera.

Henan Opera is popular in Henan and northern provinces. It was formed after Qin Opera and Puzhou Bangzi were introduced to Henan in the Ming Dynasty and combined with local folk songs and minor tunes. The rhythm is distinct with bangzi, and the main genres are divided into East Henan tune and West Henan tune. Influenced by the singing style of its neighboring brother opera Shandong Bangzi, Yudong Diao has high-pitched and exciting male voices and lively and dancing female voices. It is good at expressing comedy-style repertoire. Henan Western Diao partly retains the charm of Qin Opera. The male voice is desolate and tragic, while the female voice is low and melodious. It is good at expressing tragic-style repertoire.

The main musical instruments of the Henan opera band in the early days were Daxian (octagonal yueqin, the player also played the suona), Erxian (a high-pitched small banhu with a bamboo or wooden qin tube covered with paulownia wood surface) and Sanxian ( plucked instruments). In the 1930s, the banhu was introduced, and the big and second strings were gradually abandoned, and the alto banhu (commonly known as "ladle") was used as the main string. After the 1950s, erhu, pipa, bamboo flute, sheng, mongzi, cello, etc. were gradually added to the general literary scene. Some also added pendants, guzheng, etc. Some also add violins, violas, and Western brass and woodwind instruments to form a Chinese and Western mixed band. There are more than 300 traditional accompaniment tunes in Henan Opera, including more than 130 suona tunes, more than 20 transverse flute tunes, and more than 170 silk string tunes.

Famous actors include Chang Xiangyu, Niu Decao, etc. Representative plays include "Mu Guiying Takes Command", "Hao Hong", "The Seventh Grade Sesame Official", "Mulan" and "Chaoyanggou" wait.