A Research Into Children’s Musicals By Spring Bee Music Club

Under the background of the social transformation from ancient to modern society in late Ming and early Qing,a kind of "New Music",which is different from traditional Chinese music,was born in the collision of Chinese and Western cultures.This "New Music" is a creation based on learning and borrowing from Western music.It has gone through a historical process of initiation,incubation,development,and prosperity."New Music" has become a major trend in the history of modern Chinese music with its rapid development.Under this music development trend,the art form of Children’s Musical Theatre has gradually emerged and has become a bright spot in the development of "New Music".According to the needs of the Chinese society at that time and the actual requirements of the development of school music education,Children’s Musical Theatre absorbs the composing technology of Western operas,and at the same time it carries out the localized transformation of Western opera forms.Children’s Musical Theatre shoulders the historical mission and responsibility,as for promoting the Mandarin,advocating the times,cultivating children’s personality,and making education function.The various music groups have emerged around the "May Fourth Movement".These groups not only played an important role in promoting the development of the Chinese music industry at that time,but also became a bridge connecting school music education and social music education.They use social music education resources to make up for the lack of school music education."Chun Feng Yue Hui" is the representative of a music group at that time.Its members composed a group of excellent Children’s Musical Theatre.These composing works,together with Children’s Musical Theatre composed by Li Jinhui and others,constitute a musical peak of this genre in the history of modern Chinese music.A research into the children’s musicals by the Club will increase people’s understanding of them and expand the research of Chinese music history,and provides some reference to the use of such in aesthetic education in modern society.The dissertation therefore conducts a thorough discovery of the data related to the children’s musicals created by the Spring Bee Music Club,and makes a comprehensive analysis of the scripts,music,dance,performance,and the combination of music and literature of their works from various perspectives.The historical exploration of the children’s musicals by the Spring Bee Music Club and the comparison and contrast of such works by the peers at the time is of great practical significance.The dissertation consists of seven parts,namely the introduction,five chapters and the conclusion.The introduction clarifies some key concepts,the reasons for choosing this topic,the significance of the research,the current situation of such a research topic by domestic and foreign scholars,the scope of the research,the methods used in the research and the innovations of this research.The first chapter looks into the background and the development of the children’s song and dance drama by the members of the Spring Bee Music Club.The author believes that the establishment of “new outlook of the children” is the theoretical foundation for the creation of children’s song and dance drama.At the same time,it was also influenced by the thoughts of the new cultural movement,the relevant educational policies issued and enforced by the government of the Republic of China,the Mandarin movement and the introduction of western songs,dances,and music into China.The children’s song and dance drama immediately entered a stage of rapid development since its invention in 1920.And since the comprehensive outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in 1937,school operation was affected by the war,leading to the change of the writers’ group of such children’s musicals,their themes and the audience of such dramas.With the invention and development of the drama on the topic of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and Chinese opera,the children’s song and dance drama entered a stage of transformation.The second chapter analyses the creations and the artistic achievements of the main writers of the Spring Bee Music Club,namely Chen Xiaokong,Shen Binglian,Qiu Wangxiang and Qian Junxiang.These four dramatists enjoyed some common educational thoughts and purpose for the play writing,but they also had their own exclusive creative fields and demonstrate their own styles of writing.The third and the fourth chapters analyse the scripts,drama structure,stage design and performance,music and melody,the integration of lyrics and music of these musicals written by the members of the Club from the perspectives of play element and music element,and also compare their works with those of Li Jinhui,Ye Shengtao etc.Such analysis,comparison and contrast help fully demonstrate the characteristics of writings by the Club members,and highlight their commonness and individuality.The fifth chapter discusses the value of children’s song and dance drama of the Spring Bee Music Club from the aspects of historical value,educational value and reference value.As a group,its common ideas of drama writing and purpose of writing pushed the artistry of children’s musicals to a new height,which had great bearing and influence on the promotion of mandarin,the preparation for the appearance of Chinese opera,the practice of aesthetic education and school music education in China.By means of historical exploration and reflection,it also discusses the feasibility and routes for such children’s musicals to be introduction into school campus.And the final part is the conclusion.It summarizes the characteristics of the children’s musicals by the Spring Bee Music Club.Writing for the children is what drives them in the creation of such works,which also encourages the current playwright of such dramas.And to keep providing aesthetic education is the current value of the writings of music club.