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| T H E A T R E |
  
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Musically,
the Sichuan Opera combines five different sonic systems which, until
the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic, were
each still represented by their own independent troupes. |
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Founded in the capital city of Chengdu in 1912, the Sanqinghui troupe officially combined all five of these systems and fused them into a unique system of acting, singing and instrumental music. All of the librettos are written in the Sichuan dialect of Chinese as it is spoken in the capital city of Chengdu. The best-known style, and the one which is most characteristic of southwestern China, is called gaoqiang. It is distinguished by the aforementioned solo singing, which is usually accompanied by sparse rhythmical |
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accentuation played on wooden clappers. This filigreed, highly ornamented vocal style is particularly distinguished by brilliantly artful glissando links, skillfully implemented vibrato and virtuosic embellishment around a single tone in the form of delicately elegant yet energetic melodic ornamentation. The simplicity of the folk songs' melodic structures is frequently left unstylized, as it is, for example, in the eight-bar accompanying formulae which are played along with the recitative passages. In addition, a chorus from the orchestra either comments upon or repeats what has already been sung. This chorus can also be represented by a solo voice. In the past, members of the chorus also often doubled as percussionists and, like the percussionists, were clad in everyday garments and in full view on stage. Nowadays, they perform in the orchestral area, which is situated along one side of the stage and concealed from the audience's direct view. An additional element, the barbarian fiddle or huqinqiang, was probably brought to Sichuan by the famous Peking Opera; shrill string instruments predominate here. Clearly of Sichuan origin, on the other hand, is the masked theater known as dengxi, which evolved from ceremonies of exorcism as practiced in the villages. Dengxi was only accepted very gradually and with much hesitation by the professional performance troupes in the cities. Removable masks contrast here with the painted-on, makeup masks which are traditionally worn by performers on stages elsewhere in China. Alongside the dominant dialogues (which are spoken), there are also numerous old folkloric themes which were typically heard in the past at rural festivals, weddings and funeral processions.The accompanying instruments are primarily small drums and gongs. Itinerant troupes from northern China probably brought the clapper opera style (tanqiang) to Sichuan. This style is characterized by cunning, emotionally fraught rhythms played on wooden clappers and by an accompaniment played on the so-called "moon guitar." The fifth stylistic element in Sichuan Opera is called chuankun. It originated in the southern Yangtze Basin and was later imported to Sichuan as a variant of the traditional and respected Kun Oper with its discriminating literary dramas and fluent, highly artful melodies. The dominant melodic instrument here is the bamboo flute (dizi). A single theater piece by the Sichuan Opera usually combines two or three of these musical styles. Only very rarely do all five systems appear together. The gaoqiang style is the most frequent one and its structures are most clearly developed.
You
can find more information about the ensemble  Meta Theatre 5/2001 |
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