Chapter 15 Section 1 The Rise of Ming and Qing Legends

The flame of Beiqu Zaju gradually dimmed, and another new style of opera—the legend of Ming and Qing Dynasties, followed the operas of Song, Yuan and early Ming, and occupied nearly 400 operas from the early Ming to the late Qing (about 1368-1768 A.D.). The opera stage of the year. Regarding the birth of legends in Ming and Qing Dynasties, the academic circles have different views: some people use Gaoming's "Pipa Ji" as a boundary, and collectively refer to the dramas adapted and created by literati as Ming and Qing legends; After "Records", the operas mainly created for Kunqu opera and Yiyang tune are called Ming and Qing legends.Obviously, it's just a difference in time.In fact, from the point of view of script literature system and music form, there is not much difference between Ming and Qing legends and the dramas of Song, Yuan and early Ming.Therefore, it is difficult to completely separate the two.Gao Ming's "Pipa Ji" can be regarded as the first masterpiece of Nanxi opera after the Zhongxing, and it is also called "the ancestor of the legend", which is the reason.

Ming and Qing legends are the main literary system of opera scripts in Ming and Qing Dynasties.The original meaning of "Legend" refers to the short stories in classical Chinese that emerged in the Tang Dynasty, that is, Tang Chuanqi, which means "everything is legendary".During the Song, Jin, and Yuan Dynasties, people also called Song Zaju, Jin Yuanyuan, Yuan Zaju, Nanxi, and even Zhugongdiao "legends".What I want to talk about here is of course not the above-mentioned legends, but specifically refers to the Ming and Qing legends that have a close inheritance relationship with Nanqu dramas.

Legends of the Ming and Qing Dynasties inherited the Southern Opera system and adopted a separation form that flexibly handles stage time and space.Generally, it is a long and huge zhi [zhi system], ranging from twenty to thirty, as many as forty or fifty, or even fifty or sixty.Such a long space can accommodate rich story content, organize complex dramatic conflicts, portray characters calmly and delicately, intersperse different scenes such as literature, martial arts, cold, and heat, and make singing, reading, doing, and playing all kinds of artistic methods have a variety of artistic methods. It has become a big drama with beginning and end, singing and dancing.However, such a large structure is difficult to navigate.Some legendary writers made up random pieces in order to piece together the length, resulting in a loose structure, bloated and messy, unsuitable for stage performances, and became the so-called "desk song".

The rhythm of Ming and Qing legends is slow, and the form is fixed: the first part must be "the beginning of the sub-mo" (that is, "the general idea of ​​the family"). From the end or the sub-mo, two or one words are used to briefly describe the main idea of ​​the whole play, explaining the creative intention, This is a rule inherited from Song and Yuan Nan operas. As usual, the second and third appearances are "Shengdan's Family". The male protagonist played by Yousheng and the heroine played by Youdan appeared successively and introduced themselves.Generally, starting from the fourth play, other characters will appear one after another to unfold the story.Among them, family banquets, farewells, examinations, appointments, plans, sending invitations, spring outings, autumn appreciation, boudoir thoughts, marriages, and success stories are indispensable. There are also scenes such as green forests occupying mountains and barbarians mobilizing troops. It is a happy ending for getting married, getting rid of adultery, expressing loyalty, or becoming a Taoist.

Legendary characters do it all.The Kunqu opera troupe in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty had the saying of "twelve characters in the rivers and lakes". (See Li Dou's "Yangzhou Painting Boat Record") There are generally ten roles in Kunqu opera legends, namely Sheng, Xiaosheng, Dan, Laodan, Tie, Wai, Mo, Jing, Vice, and Chou. Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou are the most important.Legendary scripts always take one lifetime as the guideline of the whole play, connecting characters, unfolding stories and reflecting social life through their joys and sorrows. In terms of music, the legends of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, like the Southern Opera of the Song and Yuan Dynasties and the Zaju of the Yuan Dynasty, adopt the music structure of the combination of tunes and cards.However, the legendary music of the Ming and Qing Dynasties is not as restrictive as the Yuan Zaju, and it is more rigorous and standardized than the early Southern Opera.Every character in the legends of Ming and Qing Dynasties can sing, in addition to solo singing, there are also duet and unison singing.Legends of the Ming and Qing Dynasties not only inherited the Southern Qupai, but also absorbed the Northern Qupai, and used musical methods and musical forms such as "borrowing palaces", "collecting songs", and "combined sets of north and south" to enhance expressiveness.

The operas of Song, Yuan and early Ming belonged to the Nanqu system and were sung in four tunes, namely Yiyang, Haiyan, Yuyao and Kunshan.Yiyang tune originated from the folk, formed in Yiyang, Jiangxi, and spread widely. Anhui (now Anhui), Zhejiang (now Zhejiang), Su (now Jiangsu), Hunan (Hunan), Hubei (Hubei), Fujian (Fujian), (Guangdong), Dian (Yunnan), Guizhou (Guizhou), as well as Beijing and Nanjing have left its footprints.Yiyang tune "has no musical notation, but only follows local customs", can "wrongly use local dialects" and "sing along with the tongue", which has great flexibility and strong adaptability. "Its festivals are drums, and its tunes are noisy" (Tang Xianzu's "Yihuang County Opera God Qingyuanshi Temple Records").Without orchestral accompaniment, only gongs and drums are used to control the rhythm. The tone is high-pitched and loud [tiantian], and the style is rough and unrestrained, which is welcomed by the lower-class audience.The repertoire sung in Yiyang tune is very rich, and the most influential works are: "The Brocade", "Classmates", "The Golden Sable", "Pearl", "The White Robe", "The Great Wall", " "The Story of the Thatched Cottage", "The Story of the White Snake" and so on.

Haiyan tune was created by Yang Zi, a bureaucrat and opera writer at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, who invited famous musicians Guan Yunshi and Xianyu Qujin to process and create it on the basis of the popular local folk songs.It has a quiet style, is soft and graceful, and uses official language more, which is loved by bureaucrats and bureaucrats.Ming Jiajing and the early years of Wanli were the most popular, and the scope of popularity is quite wide. There are many descriptions of Haiyan tune in "Jin Ping Mei Ci Hua".The legendary works performed in Haiyan cavity include: "Liu Zhiyuan's Red Robe Story", "Yuhuan Story", "Four Festivals" and so on.

Yuyao tune got its name because it was formed in Yuyao, Zhejiang. During the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty (1465-1488 AD), there were opera performances. During the Jiajing period, it spread to Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Yangzhou, Xuzhou in Jiangsu, Huizhou, Chizhou, and Taiping in Anhui.Its "slang words and songs" and "singing mixed with white and white" are despised by literati and refined scholars, and they are mainly active among the people.Later, it gradually disappeared due to the prosperity of other tunes. Kunshan tune existed as early as the end of the Yuan Dynasty. It is said that Gu Jian created it on the basis of folk music.It was not until the Jiajing and Longqing years that the folk musician Wei Liangfu reformed that fundamental changes took place.

Wei Liangfu, nicknamed Shangquan, was born in Yuzhang (now Nanchang), Jiangxi Province, and lived in Taicang for a long time.At first, he learned Beiqu, but because he couldn't beat Wang Youshan, another famous Beiqu master at that time, he changed to Nanqu in anger.He got acquainted with Zhang Yetang, who is good at Beiqu, and recruited him as his quick son-in-law.There are also Zhang Meigu, a famous Dongxiao player in Suzhou at that time, Xie Linquan, a famous flute master, Guo Yunshi, an old music master, and students Zhang Xiaoquan and Ji Jingpo, forming a like-minded art group.Wei Liangfu studied assiduously, "one who has not gone downstairs for ten years", boldly absorbed the strengths of Beiqu and Haiyan tunes, and incorporated the nutrition of Wu Xia's folk songs, "turning the throat and pressing the tune" and "creating a new sound".Wei Liangfu pays great attention to the changes of high and low, slow and voicing, and pays attention to the harmony of flat tones, upshang [shang], go, and entry, as well as the distinction between the beginning, belly, and end of the word. The complete accompaniment including strings, strings, and drum boards, thus creating a "Shuimo tune" with silky, fluent and long-lasting sound on the basis of the original Kunshan cavity. People" (Xu Wei's "Nan Ci Narrative").

After Wei Liangfu's reform, the Kunshan tune was welcomed and loved by people from all walks of life in Suzhou, and the singing activities were in full swing.Soon, Liang Chenyu (Bolong) from Kunshan created the legendary "Huansha Ji" according to the new sound of Kunshan, which was successfully performed, making Kunshan tune leap from a cappella to an opera tune and rapidly expand its influence.Haiyan tune and Yuyao tune gradually declined and disappeared into obscurity.Yi Yangqiang had no choice but to back off.Kunshan tune was introduced to Beijing, where it was favored by the rulers, literati and bureaucrats, and won the title of "official tune". "Songs from all directions must belong to Wumen", and Kunshan tune has become the first tune opera genre with the most writers and works in Ming and Qing Dynasties.Because the legends of Ming and Qing Dynasties were mainly sung according to the rhythm and pomp of the new sound of Kunshan tune, some people call them "Kunqu opera legends".