Interconnection Between Drama Literature And Opera Music

Traditional Chinese Opera is one of the shiniest pearls in Chinese arts, and typifies a Chinese’s aesthetic view. As a form of poeticized drama, it has its foundation in literary script and its soul in musical shengqiang; the two of them are inseparable and interdependent, forming an integrated whole. The literature for traditional Chinese Opera has gone through much change over time and as the society moves forward, the thoughts and feelings it represents, the concern for real life that it displays, all take on a new and unique artistic appearance. As a part of traditional Chinese Opera, the musical shengqiang still adheres to the essence of traditional play writing, but through incorporating and referencing other play genres and folk melodies, as well as learning from new musical composition techniques and experiences, it has been transformed into music exhibiting contemporary characteristics. For traditional Chinese Opera, the literary aspect is its poetic manifestation, while the musical aspect extends it further. Those two aspects both depend and put an constraint upon each other, forming a complementary relationship. Literary script is the foundation of the whole opera, the key to its success or failure; the music is also critical in that it is the other significant half of the opera. Therefore, studying the relationship between literary scripts and musical shangqiang is particularly important.