10 points for an 800-word essay "The Value of Peking Opera"
A seemingly ordinary piece of news that Peking Opera has been included in primary and secondary school textbooks has unexpectedly caused huge waves on the Internet. Putting aside the debate over whether it is appropriate to introduce model operas, opinions on the artistic value of traditional Peking Opera have also formed sharply divided camps among netizens.
When Huiban came to Beijing and took root, they found the right place at the right time and the right people. In 1790, Qin Opera, once very popular in the capital, had been banned by the Qing government for five years. "People in the capital like to hear new voices." When Wulana, the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, brought the Anqing Hui opera troupe "Sanqing Troupe" headed by Gao Langting, which was well-known in the south at that time, to Beijing to celebrate the 80th birthday of Emperor Qianlong, history gave Peking Opera a golden opportunity. Peking Opera did not grow independently from small to large, from simple to complex, but developed on the basis of other local operas. It stood at a very high starting point from the beginning, starting with Hui and Han on the same stage and using Pihuang. It inherited and developed the fine traditions of Hui Opera, Han Opera and Kun Opera, and continued to absorb the traditions of Bangzi, Gaoqiang and various local operas. It enriched and developed itself with excellent repertoire, music and performing arts. It concentrated the excellent traditions of opera art into one, inclusive and applied them. It soon became a smash hit in the capital and then became a popular opera type all over the country.
As we all know, Kun Opera was the first type of opera that could be called "national opera" in the history of our country. It has dominated the scene for hundreds of years. Its artistic value has long been judged, but after it However, the artistic level of the rising Peking Opera has surpassed it. Peking Opera not only inherits the essence of Kun Opera, but also greatly expands its artistic expression. Kun Opera's "Shui Mo Tune" is too soft and charming, and its delicate and tactful characteristics are somewhat limited in expressing high-pitched and passionate content. Peking opera absorbs a lot of elements from northern opera and can express the generous and vigorous emotions vividly. Peking Opera's combination of strength and softness enables it to easily express the infinite realm of human life and emotions, surpassing other opera types in this aspect. Kun Opera uses the flute to support the tune, which is laborious and difficult to harmonize. After Peking Opera switched to Jinghu Tuo tune, the tone became calmer, more expressive and more expressive.
Some people look down on the large amount of percussion in Peking Opera and regard it as noise. In fact, the percussion in Peking Opera is for the needs of performance (for example, Peking Opera has many elements of martial arts, etc.), and the abundance of percussion does not mean that the music is lagging behind. Regardless of the shocking artistic effect of African drumming, in the hands of modern Western music masters such as Bartók, Stravinsky, Messiaen, etc., percussion has become the protagonist of many of their important musical works, while strings Music and so on will be relegated to a secondary position or even not used. Some people think that the stylized characteristics of singing and tunes in Peking Opera lack artistic value. In fact, stylization does not prevent the performance from being flexibly handled according to needs. The great German composer Wagner's musicals have many so-called "leading motives" (each one Important people, events and objects are represented by a short fixed melody), and the most touching music in his works is often achieved by the clever interweaving of several "leading motives".
In fact, appreciating Peking Opera is just like appreciating Western classical music. It is difficult to understand at the beginning. But as long as you put aside your prejudices and listen more, the rich artistic enjoyment it gives you is indescribable.