Beijing+Opera+of+China

=Illustrations from the Peking Opera=

The following link takes you to Youtube and is an excellent illustration of a flight scene concerning The Highway Man at the Inn. It was taken from a visit by a company from Beijing that was touring Europe in the early days. Although the reproduction is old the performance is masterful.

media type="youtube" key="xYWiQ_RnLWE&hl=en&fs=1&" height="364" width="445" A clip from Beijing Opera.

media type="youtube" key="6NRtReM8Vxw&hl=en&fs=1&" height="364" width="445" Pictures of the beautiful costumes and makeup of Beijing Opera.

The following are recordings from Picking up the Jade Bracelet.

media type="youtube" key="2_LpDKjq6pQ" height="344" width="425" media type="youtube" key="Gz356W1dMjE" height="344" width="425" media type="youtube" key="j7zG5Lwicog" height="344" width="425"

Notes from Nov. 2


 * Voltaire translated a Beijing Opera play
 * Bertolt Brecht found that Chinese theatre corresponded to his theory of alienation
 * Thornton Wilder lived in China for a while and the influences are widely seen in his work
 * The style will have similarities with the forms already studies
 * the Chinese put a lot of value in hearing the performance
 * the sounds of singing a particular phrase are essential and important Dr. Richmond's anecdote about a long discussion in a conference
 * the sound is in a strong high falsetto, it seems like a group of cats mewing
 * the pantomimic qualities, the costumes are more attractive to us
 * similarity to Kathakali since less use of backdrop
 * However, some of the plays have backdrops
 * Schecner calls it "Total theatre", involves all elements of theatre
 * something or other keeps happening musically duriing the entire course of the performance
 * The little drum, string instrument played with a bow
 * the musicians to the stage left, visible
 * characters enter stage right
 * male (virtuous, military{martial arts and use of weapons}, young men appearing in love stories, flirtatous one), female (virtuous women (languid movements), coquettish female) clowns(white patch on actor's nose)
 * evil person has white face
 * the stylized beards are hung over the ear with metal frames
 * all female characters played by men till the 20th century
 * the stringed instrument was a middle-eastern instrument that came in with Kublai Khan in Northern China
 * female characters wear a special footwear, like a ballet slipper, shows the bound feet
 * painted face - red(bravery), white (treachery), gold and silver (supernatural)
 * many of the movements are based on real life then distilled on stage
 * zang shong-performers stop to accept applause
 * music from great many regions and theatrical genres
 * not only singing but other sounds have been created for musical qualities
 * grieving-"o my mother"
 * words spoken in anger
 * diff. kinds of stringed instruments
 * words spoken with deep sorrow
 * patches in clothing suggest he is in poverty
 * chinese violin, the moon shaped guitar, the three stringed fiddle, an instrument like the viola
 * the conductor is a percussionist
 * drum sticks or clappers as directors tools
 * banned for 15 years
 * staging essentially bare and suggestive: a living room, a court, a girl's bedroom, a bridge and a general defending it
 * two stage hands can remove the setting in 30 seconds
 * the bare stage can become a battle field
 * economy of style
 * ancient art of embriodery
 * win: civilians, wu: generals, people versed in martial arts
 * the rich have more colorful clothing
 * the poor people dress simply
 * virtue is indicated with the color coding of the clothes not confused with facial colors
 * costuming is by tradition, not by historical accuracy
 * training: early morning training to strengthen voice
 * lifetime learning and practice if he hopes to make it his career

Note for Nov. 6
 * the play would be entertaining but might not be funny
 * he play was written by a deposed administrator: shows disgust with the unjust admins.
 * Confucianism: way of life, hierarchy of the emperor, the inner palace of the Forbidden City is at the highest point of the city
 * honouring of the dead strong in India
 * Confucius: politically advanced for his time (Mandy)
 * the political structure and the social structure of the period as seen in China can be found in almost all of South-East Asia.

Notes for 11/11/09 (By J.D. "who knows he is better at taking notes than Alicia" Brandon)
 * There are three types of clown characters. They differ in appearance and personality. The chopou, comical old woman roles. Her costume is not very elaborate. (Matchmaker Liu is a good example) The Tai-Dun role- The shrew. Is a funny clown character. The eyebrows, lipstick, and mouth are exaggerated. (The role of May-Shun is a good example May-Shun is a character who puts on dignified airs because she is the well loved servant of a rich young lady). She is heavily done in makeup.
 * The clown role typically uses Mandarin.
 * The hooded clown roles involves very studied roles. This role has a more learned flavor.
 * Candles are used to suggest nighttime.

Nov. 11
 * cho - clown role -
 * Clowns use stylized movement to create humor (short person walking in a crouch)
 * Ordinary people whose job is to provide
 * non-acrobatic minstrel, actobatic minstrel, shrewd comic female character
 * warn against disaster
 * exhibitions of happiness, laughter, anger, anger to provide examples for the audience
 * stimulate deep reflection
 * The Beijing Opera clown is more full of surprises and stimulates serious thought
 * The clown has a dignified, yet humorous, personality
 * Lines can be improvised on the spot
 * The 3 female characters are distinct
 * Chu'o po- somewhat masculine, evil -comical old woman roles
 * T'sai Puo - more elaborate makeup - more feminine movements - exaggerated performance
 * T'sai Dan - same makeup as the coquette role - mouth and eyes exaggerated -
 * Basic martial skills must be learned
 * Acrobatics are essential
 * Drunk walk, crab, and shrimp walk
 * Hand, eye, and body movement must be studied
 * Clown actors generally use Mandarin, but they must also study dialects to get the timing perfectly
 * Inherent content that benefits from the context of the piece
 * Candles indicate nighttime - highly symbolic art form
 * http://nycosi.org/ - New York Chinese Opera Society

Nov. 13
 * The small gong is struck in a downward slanting motion
 * Different sounds are produced from striking the middle, outside, and edge
 * Women or young men of letters are represented by middle gong strikes
 * Sleeves of the costumes used to accentuate music - flipping and arrangement of the sleeves
 * Jingju - Beijing Opera - Dr. Siyuan Liu
 * Ju means theater or drama
 * Jing means capitol
 * Together, Jingju means capitol theater
 * Kunqu - dominant since Ming (1368-1644) - Peony Pavilion
 * Qing Dynasty - 1644-1912
 * Xipi and Erhuang: tunes of Anhui and Hubei provinces
 * Total theater - incorporates singing, dancing, movement, acrobatics, speech
 * Anhui troupes in Beijing starting in 1790 - asked to go to the capitol for the emperor's 80th birthday - loved by the population
 * Took over Kunqu
 * Dominated Beijing stage by early 19th century
 * Peony lady - opera about two lovers, the woman pines after the man in her dream until she dies, goes to Hades, returns to Earth, gets married and lives happily ever after
 * Costume sleeve used to accentuate the longing of the lovers - pulled and manipulated sensuously
 * Beijing opera requires an open stage with no restrictions due to stage properties
 * There are 4 skills in Beijing Opera
 * Song (chang)
 * Speech (nian)
 * Dance acting (zuo)
 * Pure dance, pantomime, physical acting of the West
 * Combat (da)
 * Acrobatics, but also fighting with fists, swords, and other weapons
 * They are supposed to be incorporated if not together throughout the play
 * Displayed in the context of drama
 * Circle means traveling from one place to another, just like in Kabuki and Kathakali
 * The drum is the most important instrument because it keeps the beat and the rhythm of the piece
 * The drummer is like the conductor in the western orchestra - controls the tempo of the whole production
 * Fisherman's Revenge - famous scene with the boatman and his daughter
 * Movement of the actors shows the movement of the boat
 * Fabric is used to accentuate the movement and indicate water
 * Movement shows the boat movement - perfectly coordinated between actors
 * Stylized fighting - the eventual victor, interestingly, is made clear through the calmness of their movement in contrast with the frantic pace of the other generals
 * Aesthetic aim - xieyi versus xieshi
 * Xieyi - shay-yee - writing the essence - how it sends out the spirit of the piece
 * transcends a resemblance to life -
 * externalizes the thoughts and feelings through the display of skills - Lady Macbeth's nightwalk scene
 * Elaborates upon their actions and interactions
 * Conveys the very essence of life
 * Xieshi - shay-shyoo -
 * Acting the essence in the painting of the fruit, conveying the taste

November 18
 * Tang Xianzu- written around the same time as Romeo and Juliet
 * 55 acts
 * Doesn't need to be done all at the same time
 * This piece was written in 1598; instantly controversial and beloved
 * Mudan Ting- The Peony Pavilion
 * Support of Taoism and an attack on Confucianism
 * Nature is to be praised
 * Return to the natural is encouraged
 * Kunqu - different style than Beijing Opera - less harsh in sound
 * On YouTube - recommended to start

Nov 20
 * 19 hour performance
 * 57 parts to the performance
 * Judge Hu - compare to the Nasty, Interesting Man
 * The problem of the father not recognizing his daughter
 * Review of the performance [|here]
 * Popular tunes were the basis of the plays
 * Chen Shi-Zheng - director -
 * born in Hunan province,
 * studied with some of the great Beijing Opera artists
 * PP instantly controversial - adapted and deleted - centuries have past since it was performed in its entirety
 * Tang Xianxu had too many political ides for the emperor's taste
 * The music is based on existing music, which is why many operas don't have notation
 * Sometime in the 19th century, the music was written down
 * The flute is equivalent to the first violin
 * Zhou Ming - music director - flute player
 * Lyrics were poetic stanzas meant to be recited
 * PP won great popularity in the 16th century - poetry recited to music by the literati
 * Singing is often improvised in this era
 * Ye Tang in the 17th century begins to make notation of the melodies, including a complete set for PP
 * 400 seamstresses working on the embroidery - area known for its embroidery
 * Difficult process of matching set to costumes to backdrop to props
 * rehearsal jacket for sleeve work
 * Objections to the piece were strong from the Chinese government
 * Pornographic, feudal, absurd -
 * gave too positive a take on the barbarians -
 * prostitution in a favorable light
 * cast refused exit from China
 * the play was too free about sexuality, which Chen Shi-Zheng believes was the real objection
 * Most opera in the 1920s and 30s were huge
 * After 1949, every opera had to be edited
 * Feudal society is not allowed to be discussed
 * The Chinese haven't had a chance to rediscover the history that they've lost
 * 300 different songs in PP
 * songs from Kunju have been turned into folk music
 * Cultural Revolution - the lost generation
 * It took the intellectuals and put them into the countryside
 * It eliminated the role of the intellectual
 * Banned education of all times
 * For ten years, no child learned anything
 * Dunce caps on professors - killing of intellectuals
 * The strongest male characters are slightly effeminate - intellectual abilities are indicated that way

November 30 Dr. Liu
 * The gesture language and detailed movement is similar to the ballet school
 * Actors must learn both body and voice
 * Emotion must be precisely described from the fingertips all the way body to the face and eyes
 * The physical language is like a dictionary - finding the perfect moment is about using the correct expression at the correct moment
 * Female impersonation had fallen into disfavor, but was brought back with the Peony Pavilion in the Lincoln Center
 * The puppet gestures are circular in the same away as the live performers.
 * Pianjian? scene - telling the story with a singer rather than an actor - deeper emotion can be conveyed
 * Serve as a reference for the renaissance of Chinese opera
 * Conventions - specific practices to which precise meanings have been ascribed by tradition
 * Meanings immediately recognizable: Dance-acting/pantomimic conventions
 * Opening and closing doors and windows - doors open back towards the actor, who pushes his body back to show the door movement
 * Mounting and descending stairs - girls will lift their skirt to move up
 * Tending fowl, sewing - The Golden Jade - feeding chickens and sewing - show the cloth, look at the pattern, very deliberate movements, it's a dialogue with the audience about which pattern to choose, highly pantomimic threading of the needle, but quick in its precision, music highlights the pantomime
 * Movement over rough terrain
 * Darkness, heat, cold, wind - Fighting in darkness (scene in the inn) - friend and the innkeeper fight in the dark because they don't realize they are on the same side - constant catching sight, then losing him again - very acrobatic and timed to show the catching of sight, then loss
 * Require preknowledge for comprehension
 * More formal conventions that require familiarity from audience members
 * Walking in a large circle to connote traveling considerable
 * Straightening of costume upon entrance to signal the arrival of an important character is about the speak
 * Coming from up right to the up right center, adjusting headdress, then moving towards the audience
 * Self-introduction - economic way of exposition - who the character is and what his task is
 * The point of acting is how you attract the audience through the use of the conventions - how does each performer use the convention
 * Backdrops aren't devised for shows in China - Like the Globe, the backdrops weren't necessary - 1920s and 30s brought experimentation with sets, but it didn't work because it disrupted the conventions -
 * Stage
 * Bare with a decorative rather than realistic backdrop
 * A carpet covering the floor for the protection of acrobatic performers
 * One or more tables and one or more chairs
 * They can stand for a city wall, mountain, bed, throne besides just chairs
 * Stage Properties
 * Frequently signals the presence and use of large objects not visually present on the stage
 * A whip signals the presence of a horse
 * An oar that of a boat
 * Large blue banners flung in arcs close to the stage floor symbolize rushing water
 * The essence of the stage prop is used to demonstrate the item, but in its simplest terms

Dec 4