A Study Of Aesthetic Issues In Kunqu Opera Singing

This paper makes a preliminary study of the aesthetic problems in Kunqu singing from the historical dimension and the paradigm itself.The historical dimension includes the origin background of Kunqu,the establishment of the singing system and the aesthetic evolution of Kunqu singing.The paradigm itself starts from three aspects:first,the processing of Kunqu’s enunciation and the aesthetic perception of the lasting appeal;second,the way of Kunqu’s lubrication and the aesthetic perception of the lasting appeal;third,the processing of Kunqu’s respiration and the aesthetic perception of the lasting appeal.These three aspects are unique in the aesthetic problem of Kunqu singing.This paper holds that Kunqu singing is a perfect combination of literature and music,and is"the most complete paradigm of traditional vocal music singing".It expresses the literati’s aesthetic taste of"Ya Yin(雅音)"and"Zheng Sheng(正声)",and embodies the"aestheticism characteristics"of Kunqu.The first chapter argues that the precursor of the Kunqu operaKunshan brogue of Stage Performance can be letters like and modification because of its own advantage of"Liu li you yuan(流丽悠远)",But Kunshan local operas uses the dialect of Southern Opera,which shows the singing characteristics of"Yi qiang chuan zi(依腔传字)",the phonology has not yet been regulated and the singing style has not yet been refined,so the literati group has been transformed from"vulgarity"to"elegance".the reformed Kunshan new vocal style adopts the singing mode of"Yi zi xing qiang(依字行腔)".Among them,Wei Liangfu’s contribution is the most outstanding.The author discusses and interprets the aesthetic standards of"Zi qing(字清)、Qiang chun(腔纯)、Ban zheng(板正)"proposed by him in Qu Lv(曲律),hold the point that the aesthetic standards of"Zi qing(字清)、Qiang chun(腔纯)、Ban zheng(板正)"is not only suitable for the study and singing of Kunqu,but also suitable for the appreciation and criticism.In addition,also discuss the stylistic differences between Beiqu(北曲)and Nanqu(南曲)、the cultivation of Kunqu opera singing;Liang Chenyu and his literati group"studied Yuan opera and adapted their tunes",created excellent plays suitable for Kunshan new style performance,thus contributing to the formal formation of Kunqu opera and its singing system as a comprehensive performing art;Kunqu singing style has experienced three stages of evolution,the first stage from the middle period of Ming Dynasty to the end,it presents an elegant singing style of"Qing liang(清亮)"and"Gao lie(高裂)";the second stage from the beginning of Qing Dynasty to the middle,it presents an vulgar singing style of"Mie huan rou man(咩缓柔曼)"and"Mian ruan you xi(绵软幽细)";the third stage from the middle of the Qing Dynasty to the end,it presents an coexistence of elegant and vulgar singing style of"Yuan qi li lin(元气漓淋)"and"Ai mi zhi sheng(哀秘之声)".The evolution of Kunqu singing aesthetic thought divides into two paths:First is the continuous improvement of the Kunqu opera phonology theory and correction,this is the enunciation embodiment of elegant singing style and aesthetic concept,Second is the development of kunqu opera singing emotion aesthetic concept evolve,this is the Kunqu singing style’s differentiation from elegance to vulgarity.With the development of the era and the"vulgarization"of mass aesthetic taste,the elegant and the vulgar singing style and aesthetic concept of Kunqu opera pay equal attention to both phonology and emotion、suit both refined and popular tastes.The second chapter discusses the enunciation and the aesthetic perception of the lasting appeal from three aspects:initials,finals and tones.The Zhongzhou phonology(中州韵)pronunciation of Kunqu was influenced by the Wu dialect and takes on the characteristics of localization;The pinnacled and spoken words of Kunqu enhance the loudness and brightness of the pronunciation,endue more changes in timbre,and improve the performance of singing;From the perspective of phonetics,the principle of"indicating the pronunciation is singing pronunciation"in Kunqu Opera,elongated syllables of the pronunciation,so that the speed of speech is slow,the word sound become three-dimensional,and the various organs in the oral cavity can be integrated with force,forming a movement track similar to the"parabolic sound shape"in the oral cavity.In terms of the word sound effect of the characters,not only the meaning of the characters can be clearly conveyed,but also the changes in the strength and timbre are very obvious,this makes the singing of Kunqu opera not only have the clear pronunciation and mellow voice,but also euphemistic.At the same time,"indicating the pronunciation is singing pronunciation"achieved the perfect expression of the vocal and emotional aspects and provided the basis for the length of the voiced-tune;In terms of the phonetic tone pattern of Kunqu Opera,monophonic tone pattern is more common in Beiqu and polyphonic tone pattern is more common in Nanqu.The four tones of Yin and Yang provide abundant possibilities for the melody direction,melody combination and rhythm pattern of kunqu opera,and also is the influencing factors for the beauty and emotion of Kunqu singing.In the third chapter,it is divided lubrication into five categories according to the function and the emotion performance:the lubrication of tone-oriented;the lubrication of breath transition;the lubrication of beautify tone;the lubrication of speed change;the lubrication of vocal skills.The functions mentioned above can not only ensure the correct pronunciation and beautiful sound effect,but also express the emotion,style and lasting charm.more importantly,it can create sound tension,so that let the singing(especially Beiqu)of Kunqu energetic,strong and full of "tendon" and "bone".The fourth chapter points out that there are similarities and differences between the respiration processing in Kunqu singing and other traditional operas and national singing methods.The similarity is the breath should sunk tanda and mind-driven breathing;The uniqueness lies in the following aspects:firstly,the special"logical and grammatical mood"of Kunqu prose determines the"breath of singing",and the processing principle of Kunqu’s"logical and grammatical mood"corresponds to the breathing principle of Kunqu’s"breath of singing",that is the process of transforming the sentiment of the lyrics into the sentiment of the songs through the lubricated sound.Therefore,the author discusses the syntactic rhythm layout,the combination of level and oblique tones in a sentence of Kunqu’s literature,and also Combine with the specific elements of Qupai music,summarizes the general principle of respiration processing which affects the breathing and emotional expression,and also the two factors that can most influence and embody the charm and style of Kunqu’s singing,that is:the words of exclamation and Wu tou(务头);Kunqu’s breathing style of"Qi wu yan huo(气无烟火),close to nature"is deeply influenced by the traditional Chinese cultural philosophy(Taoist philosophy of nourishing breath),and has the characteristics of"combination of Taoism and art".This kind of respiration feature has gone beyond the age limit in shaping the voice,which is very prominent in Kunqu Xiao sheng(小生)and Danjue’s(旦角)singing.In the mixed singing of true and falsetto vocal of Kunqu Opera,Xiao sheng and Danjue should achieve the resonance of the head cavity at a high position,and produce the voice of"tenuous as silk"and"crack the stone through the cloud",the most fundamental point is that Kunqu opera share with genuine qi at the bottom of throat of tenuous、lasting、quiet、tardily and close to nature,which is same as that of Taoism.