In which dynasty was Kunqu Opera most prosperous, and what was the heyday of Kunqu Opera

The heyday of Kunqu opera was the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty.

At first, the Kunshan dialect was just a folk song and a small song. Its distribution area was initially limited to Suzhou, and in the Wanli period, it expanded to the south of the Yangtze River and the north of the Qiantang River with Suzhou as the center, and also flowed into Beijing in the last years of Wanli. In this way, the Kunshan dialect became the most influential vocal cavity opera from the middle of the Ming Dynasty to the middle of the Qing Dynasty.

Kunqu opera is the most influential vocal opera in the middle of the Ming Dynasty to the middle of the Qing Dynasty, many of which are developed on the basis of Kunqu opera, known as "the ancestor of a hundred operas, the master of a hundred operas", and has the nickname of "the mother of Chinese opera". Immediately, the Wuxi Kunqu Opera Society played a role in the prosperity and promotion of Kunqu Opera.

Introduction

Kunqu Opera is the most complete performance system in the history of Chinese opera, with a deep foundation and rich heritage, which is the result of the high development of Chinese Han culture and art, and occupies an important position in the history of Chinese literature, opera, history and dance. The performance of Kunqu Opera also has its own unique system and style, and its biggest feature is strong lyricism, delicate movements, and the combination of singing and dancing is ingenious and harmonious. In terms of language, the drama was originally divided into southern and northern songs

Nankun is dominated by Suzhou vernacular, and Beikun is dominated by Dadu Yunbai and Jingbai.

With its gorgeous singing, elegant recitation, delicate performances, elegant dancing, and perfect stage setting, it can be said that it has reached the highest level in all aspects of opera performance. Because of this, many local operas, such as Jin Opera, Pu Opera, Hunan Opera, Sichuan Opera, Gan Opera, Gui Opera, Yue Opera, Min Opera, etc., have been nurtured and nourished by Kunqu Opera in many aspects.

As a type of traditional opera in China, Kunqu Opera stands out among many operas in China with its gorgeous and tactful singing, elegant recitation, delicate performance and elegant dance, and according to research, many operas are developed under the influence of Kunqu Opera, which can be called "the ancestor of a hundred operas, the master of a hundred operas", and has the elegant title of "the mother of Chinese opera". <>

As early as the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Kunqu opera sprouted in the Kunshan area of Suzhou, and the Haiyan cavity, Yuyao cavity, and Yiyang cavity, which also originated in the south of the Yangtze River, are collectively known as the four major vocal cavities of the Ming Dynasty, and belong to the southern opera system. At the beginning, Kunqu opera was only a folk song and small song in Suzhou, and in the Wanli period, it formed a Kunqu opera circle centered in Suzhou until the south of the Yangtze River and north of the Qiantang River, and gradually formed the most widely used and influential vocal opera from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. <>

Kunqu Opera has the most complete performance system and profound foundation and rich heritage in the history of Chinese opera, and is the product of the highly developed culture and art of the Han nationality in China, and occupies an important position in the history of literature, opera, history and dance in China. The performance of Kunqu opera also has its own unique system and style, which is characterized by strong lyricism, delicate movements, and ingenious and harmonious singing and dancing images. Linguistically, Peking Opera was originally divided into Southern Opera and Northern Opera

Southern opera is mainly based on Suzhou vernacular, while northern opera is mainly based on Dadu Yunbai and Jingbai. <

From the perspective of the historical development of Kunqu Opera, the 400 years before the 18th century were a period of gradual maturity and prosperity of Kunqu Opera. During this period, Kunqu Opera presented the world in a perfect way. It is precisely this rich and beautiful performance atmosphere, as well as the deliberate pursuit of artistic style, that makes Kunqu Opera more and more elegant and complex.

At the end of the 18th century, as local drama began to rise, breaking the long-established performance model, the development of opera also moved from the aristocracy to the public, and Kunqu opera began to decline.

It was not until the middle of the 20th century that the decline of Kunqu Opera became more pronounced, and many Kunqu Opera artists turned to performing the popular Peking Opera. It was not until the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 that Kunqu opera was revived with the vigorous support and revitalization of traditional opera.

Kunqu opera originated in the last years of the Yuan Dynasty and was created by Gu Jian, a native of Kunshan. In the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, explosive development began to occur, and it slowly matured.

Kunqu Opera, formerly known as Kunshan Dialect or Kun Dialect for short, is not only an ancient Chinese opera vocal cavity and opera, but also one of the oldest operas in the traditional Han opera, and belongs to one of the traditional Chinese culture and arts. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Wei Liangfu, an outstanding Kunqu opera artist and reformer at that time, carried out a bold reform of the Kunshan dialect, absorbing the characteristics of the Yuyao dialect, Yiyang dialect and Haiyan dialect that were popular at that time, and formed a new sound cavity, so it was widely popular. Because this tone is soft and delicate, just like the glutinous rice dumplings made of water-milled flour eaten by Jiangnan people, it has a very interesting name called "Shuimo Tune", which is today's Kunqu Opera.

It originated in the Kunshan area at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. The heyday was at the end of the Ming Dynasty, which was the heyday of development, and after the Qing Dynasty, various local operas gradually emerged.

Kunqu opera first originated in the Yuan Dynasty in China, and many of the inspirations in Kunqu opera came from Tang and Song poems and Yuan songs. It developed and matured in the Ming Dynasty.

Kunqu opera originated in the late Yuan Dynasty. It was developed and matured during the Ming Dynasty.

1. Kunqu opera was produced in the Kunshan area of Suzhou as early as the end of the Yuan Dynasty (the middle of the 14th century), and it is known as the four major sound cavities of the Ming Dynasty with the Haiyan cavity and Yuyao cavity originating from Zhejiang and the Yiyang cavity originating from Jiangxi, and belongs to the same southern opera system. Representative works include: "Peony Pavilion", "Palace of Eternal Life" and "Peach Blossom Fan".

2. Kunquopera, formerly known as Kunshan Dialect and Kunquopera, is an ancient Chinese opera vocal cavity and opera, known as Kunqu Opera since the Qing Dynasty, and now also known as Kunqu Opera.

3. Kunqu opera is a combination of singing, reading, fighting, dancing and martial arts, etc., and is known for its elegant lyrics, tactful lines, and delicate performances, and is one of the genres of music under the southern opera system known as the "ancestor of a hundred operas". Kunqu opera uses drums and boards to control the rhythm of singing, and uses qu flute and sanxian as the main accompaniment instruments, and its singing and pronunciation is "Zhongzhou rhyme".

Kunqu opera has a long history, and it represents the ancient Chinese opera voice and genre. Its repertoire is rich and colorful, the singing is graceful and soft, and the performances are full of singing and dancing.

Kunqu opera is a local opera popular in southern Jiangsu (Nankun), Beijing, Hebei (Beikun) and other places in China, and is sung in Kunqu dialect. "Kun dialect" is also called Kunqu opera and Kunshan dialect. Kun dialect (Kunqu opera), or as opposed to Beiqu, is called Nanqu and Nanzi.

It was originally in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, a popular opera tone, at that time the southern opera "tour" had flowed through the Kunshan region of Jiangsu, and the local voice and ** converged. Later, it was improved by the singing of Kunshan vocalist Gu Jian, and also promoted the formation and development of "Kunshan dialect". During the Jiajing and Longqing periods of the Ming Dynasty, Wei Liangfu and others who lived in Taicang Wharf in Jiangsu Province carried out a fusion and innovation of the Kun dialect, mainly singing legendary scripts, and using flute, sheng, flute, pipa and other accompaniments.

At first, it was only in Wuzhong, and then gradually spread to various places to make the Kun dialect particularly prosperous, and became the main opera voice cavity from the Ming Dynasty to the middle of the Qing Dynasty. Later, the Kun dialect had an important impact on the formation and development of other dramas.

Kun (cavity) opera, in the form of a couplet style, was initially limited to the Suzhou area, and only expanded to the south of the Yangtze River and the north of the Qiantang River in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. At the end of Wanli, Kunqu opera flowed into Beijing. It can be seen that the birthplace of Kunqu Opera, an ancient cultural heritage, should be Kunshan, and Suzhou was only a "transit station" for its centralized dissemination at that time.

The performance form of Kunqu Opera is beautiful and moving, and the repertoire is well-known. Over the past few hundred years, Kunqu opera has been inherited and developed with beautiful and beautiful songs (lyrics) such as "Drunken Flower Shade", "Gu Mei Wine", "Simenzi", "Folding Order", "Pink Butterfly" and "Water Dragon Yin", and has also been absorbed and used as a reference by other operas. For example, in the Peking Opera industry, the actors pay attention to "singing, reading, doing, fighting (dancing) are all connected, and the civil, military and Kun are unstoppable".

Among them, "Kun" is Kunqu Opera. For example, in Peking Opera, the martial arts opera "Pick the Pulley" and "Fa Zidu", the Danjiao Opera "Dream in the Garden" and "The Story of the Horse Seller", the Wudan Opera "Blocking the Horse" and "Hujiazhuang" are all Kunqu Opera, and Guan Yu sings "Blowing Cavity" in the Hongjing Opera "Ancient City Meeting" is also Kunqu Opera, and all the "Monkey Opera" belonging to Sun Wukong is basically singing Kunqu Opera.

It is not difficult to see that Kunqu Opera, which is famous as the "ancestor of a hundred operas" and is listed as the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage; It is dedicated to the audience with its profound, gorgeous and elegant artistic style. It is also a natural performance with the composition of the songs connected by the cards and the emotions of the characters, and it is loved by people.

Kunqu opera was created more than 600 years ago, and Wei Liangfu reformed the songs of the empty mountain dialect, combining the Haiyan dialect, the Yuyao dialect, and the Yiyang dialect to create Kunqu Opera.

More than 600 years ago, it was founded by Gu Jiancao, a native of Kunshan, and then during the Ming Dynasty, the famous reformer Wei Liangfu reformed the Kunshan dialect, and then formed a new sound cavity, which was particularly popular. This tone is very delicate.

The development is very long, and it first appeared in the late 16th century, and in this work it also combines a lot of modern elements, but also improves the original tone, and there are also many excellent Kunqu opera performance artists, and then it gives people a very delicate feeling, but also very elegant.

Kunqu opera originated more than 600 years ago, and the tone of Kunqu opera is particularly beautiful, and it also pays great attention to the control of sound, and the history of formation is also very long.