Unit-10-Chinese-Operas

emergence
Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty
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Zaju (杂剧)
Zaju (杂剧) (literally meaning "variety show") was a form of Chinese drama or Chinese opera which provided entertainment through a synthesis of recitations of prose and poetry, dance, singing, and mime模仿 , with a certain emphasis on comedy (or, happy endings). Zaju is a genre of dramas that had its origins in the Song Dynasty. It has particularly been
associated with the time of the Yuan Dynasty, and remains important in terms of the historical study of the theater arts as well as Classical Chinese literature and poetry.
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Zaju (杂剧) cont.3
四大悲剧： 《窦娥冤》 《梧桐雨》 《赵氏孤儿》 《汉宫秋》
四大爱情剧： 《西厢记》 《墙头马上》 《拜月亭》 《倩女离魂》
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Kunqu (昆曲)
Kunqu (昆曲 also known as Kunju ), Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from the Kunshan melody, and dominated Chinese theatre from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The style originated in the Wu cultural area. It is listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2001.
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Contents
1 Chinese Opera (para.1)
1 Three Ancient Dramas 2 Definition for Chinese Opera
3 Development of Chinese Opera
2 Beijing Opera (para.2---para.13)
Unit 10
Chinese Operas
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Maria Callas
Maria Callas as Violetta in La traviata 《茶花女》, 1958
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• Maria Callas, (December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977), was an American-born Greek soprano女高音 and one of the
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• The press exulted in publicizing Callas's allegedly temperamental behavior, her supposed rivalry with Renata Tebaldi and her love affair with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. Although her dramatic life and personal tragedy have often overshadowed Callas the artist in the popular press, her artistic achievements were such that Leonard Bernstein called her "the Bible of opera" and her influence so enduring that, in 2006,
Opera News wrote of her: "Nearly thirty years after her death, she's still the definition of the diva歌剧女主角；著 名女歌手 as artist—and still one of classical music's bestselling vocalists."
Highlights Identification
Time
songs and dances
Yuan Opera (Zaju)
Kun Opera (Kunqu)
Beijing Opera
origin maturity
the primitive society Yuan Dynasty
mother of operas Emperor Jiajing of Ming Yunasty
“四折一楔子”是元杂剧最常见的剧本结构形式， 合为一本，每个剧本一般由四折戏组成，有时再加一个 楔子，演述一个完整的故u (杂剧) cont.2
Within the acts, lyrics were written to accompany existing tunes or set-rhythmic patterns; and, the major singing roles were restricted to one star per act. The zaju featured particular specialized roles for performers, such as Dan (旦, female), Sheng (生, male), Hua (花, painted-face) and Chou (丑, clown).
There are numerous regional branches of Chinese
opera, of which the Beijing opera (Jingju) is one of the
most notable.
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Development of Chinese Opera
1 Definition for Beijing Opera 2 Four Basic Performing Methods on Stage(para.2-5)
3 Four Main Roles in Beijing Opera (para.6-10)
4 Music and Musical Instruments of Beijing Opera (para.11-13)
in Italy. Forced to deal with the exigencies急切需要 of wartime poverty and with myopia近视；缺乏远见 that
left her nearly blind onstage, she endured struggles and scandal over the course of her career. She turned herself from a heavy woman into a svelte苗条的；文雅的；和蔼的 and glamorous one after a mid-career weight loss, which might have contributed to her vocal decline and the premature end of her career.
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Three Ancient Dramas
Chinese opera (survivor) Greek tragedy and comedy Indian Sanskrit 梵文 drama
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Definition for Chinese Opera
Chinese opera (戏曲) is a popular form of drama and musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is a composite performance art that is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more than a thousand years, reaching its mature form in the 13th century during the Song Dynasty. Early forms of Chinese drama are simple, but over time they incorporated various art forms, such as music, song and dance, martial arts, acrobatics, as well as literary art forms to become Chinese opera.
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Chinese Opera (para.1)
1 Three Ancient Dramas 2 Definition for Chinese Opera 3 Development of Chinese Opera 4 Zaju 5 Kunqu 6 Four Great Characteristic Melodies
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Zaju (杂剧) cont.1
The Yuan zaju were poetic music dramas comprising four acts, with the "act" defined as a set of songs following and completing a certain musical modal progression. Occasionally one or two "wedges," or short interludes in the form of an aria 咏叹调；唱腔 performed by another character might be added to either support or enhance the plot.
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• Born in New York City and raised by an overbearing傲慢 的；骄傲自大的；蛮横的 mother, she received her musical education in Greece and established her career
most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th
century. Critics praised her bel canto美声唱法 technique, wideranging voice and dramatic interpretations. Her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti (Italian composer of operas (1797-1848) ), Bellini ( (1801-1835) )and Rossini ( (1792-1868) ) and further, to the works of Verdi ((1813-1901) ) and Puccini((1858-1924) ); and, in her early career, to the music dramas of Wagner. Her musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina.