Mei Lanfang, Cheng, Xun Xiaoyun and Xun Huisheng are called "four famous artists" in the artistic performance of Beijing Opera. They have led the stage of Peking Opera for decades with their unique acting skills and made great contributions to the development and prosperity of Peking Opera.
Mei Lanfang (1894 ~ 196 1), Gong Dan. Born in Liyuan family, his ancestral home is Taizhou, Jiangsu, and he has lived in Beijing for a long time. He studied the performing arts of Peking Opera seriously and was brave in innovation. He created many beautiful artistic images, developed a large number of excellent plays, reformed and improved the singing and performing arts of Beijing opera, and formed a unique artistic school, which was called "Mei School" internationally. Domestic audiences welcome and love it very much, and Mei Pai enjoys a high reputation in the world.
Mei Lanfang studied drama at the age of 8 and made her debut at the age of 10. At the age of 20, she was called "the king of music" by all walks of life in Shanghai. From the fourth year of the Republic of China (19 15), Mei Lanfang made a bold exploration of the contemporary theme of Peking Opera, rehearsing fashion dramas such as Official Tide, Deng Guxia and A wisp of hemp, exposing the darkness of officialdom and complaining about the tragic fate of women. He also carefully processed and arranged the traditional programs, and rehearsed Cosmic Front, Drunken Lady, Strange Double Meeting, Jinshan Temple, Broken Bridge, Fisherman and Killer, etc. Mei Lanfang broke through the limitation of traditional Gong Zhengqing's clothes, which focused on singing, but not on body expression, and integrated the skills of Hua Dan and even Peking Opera blues. In addition to inheriting the traditional singing method, she also made up a unique new cavity. His singing is clear in articulation, smooth in timbre, charming, smooth and sweet. Dan's singing, dancing, music, make-up and clothing have also been boldly improved and innovated, so that it can better express the delicate feelings of the characters and form an Ami style with simple, handsome and generous charm.
Mei Lanfang also exchanged ideas with famous performing artists such as Chaplin and stanislavski, and obtained a doctorate in the United States. He was the first opera performer who spread China's operas abroad and gained a high reputation. He is the author of Collected Works of Mei Lanfang, Selected Works of Mei Lanfang's Plays and his autobiography Forty Years of Stage Career.
Cheng (1904 ~ 1958), a native of Gongqingcheng. Manchu, from Beijing. He studied art at the age of 6, started performing at the age of 1 1, and participated in commercial performances at the age of 12. He studied under many famous Peking Opera artists and dabbled extensively in literature and various arts. Its performing arts are advancing by leaps and bounds, and its fame is growing. His performance skills are very profound, his expression techniques are exquisite, and he is original in art. He gradually formed his own artistic style and founded Cheng School.
In artistic creation, Cheng is brave in innovation and creation, and pays attention to four tones in stage performance. According to his unique voice characteristics, he created an indirect and intermittent singing style and formed a unique feature. The characters he created are elegant and dignified, just like white chrysanthemums in frosty days, with a sober beauty, and later became one of the "Four Famous Hunters in Denmark".
Cheng's pioneering work is first reflected in his own assessment of the situation. His talent is very good, but when he changes his voice (commonly known as displacement), his voice is not good because of lack of rest, especially his voice comes from the back of his head. Experts call it "ghost voice", which is the so-called "grandpa doesn't eat" But after hard study, especially under the guidance of others, it gradually formed a unique "Cheng School" art. Especially in singing, its innovative bearing and strength can be described as the pinnacle: meticulous and continuous, melodious and deep, soft and turbid, intermittent, ups and downs, persistent phonology, unique and novel, delicate and vivid ... the first person to combine these characteristics. At the same time, his performance is also self-contained, and the characters are integrated into traditional programs, especially the superb cuff technique.
Cheng's pioneering spirit is embodied in all-round innovation and creation. Cheng's pioneering spirit is not only reflected in his own performance scope, but also extends to all relevant levels, which is beyond the reach of many latecomers. After investigating the present situation of western drama and music, he opened his eyes and integrated into his own artistic practice, purifying the stage, improving makeup, enriching the band, using lighting, etc., which made the traditional Peking Opera look brand-new.
On the premise of bold innovation, he wrote and performed his last new play "Anti-Marriage between Britain and Taiwan" in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The drama has made a great breakthrough and innovation in the aspects of singing, lyrics, stage performance and art design, which has been unanimously affirmed by experts and audiences.
Shang Xiaoyun (1900 ~ 1976), Gong Dan. Zulihan military flag in Nangong, Hebei Province. As a young student in Beijing Sanli Science Class, he started to learn martial arts, and later corrected it, mainly acting in Tsing Yi Opera, and made some achievements. Shang Xiaoyun's vocals are clear and sonorous, especially when spoken in plain English, bright and clear, elegant and full of emotion. Shang Xiaoyun rehearsed a large number of new plays and created many artistic images of heroines and chivalrous women. It is unique in art and forms a "Shang School".
When Shang Xiaoyun was a child, he joined the Bangzi class of Sanle Club (later renamed Lezheng Club). He studied martial arts at first, but later he corrected it. He and (Xun Huisheng) and (Zhao Tongshan) are also called "three outstanding men". After studying Peking Opera, he worshipped Sun as a teacher and asked for advice. He is good at singing, and is known as the "iron noise and steel throat". He is also good at Beijing opera blues, and his performance style is vigorous. He is good at shaping the images of heroes and chivalrous women among women, and is known as "Shang School" in the world.
In 1927 and 193 1, he was selected as one of the "four famous Dan" twice. Shang Xiaoyun's voice is broad, bright, round, flexible and vigorous, which is very suitable for singing Tsing Yi operas, such as the second, offering sacrifices to the river and the tower, etc., and the large and high voice is particularly prominent. His martial arts skills are profound and solid. In Yubeiting, Meng Yuehua plays a slippery step that is difficult to walk in the rain. In Losing a Child and Scaring Crazy, he plays Hu's various crazy steps and sleeves, especially in the circus of singing and dancing while riding a horse in Zhaojun, which is a stunt. Martial arts in Xiang, Jin Zhanshan, Qin Liangyu, Acacia Village, Princess Shuangyang, etc. Very skilled and agile.
Xun Huisheng (1900 ~ 1968), Hua Dan, boudoir. A native of Dongguang County, Hebei Province. The first stage is in Tianjin. 19 10 went to Beijing to study under the bangzi actor Hou Junshan. 19 (19 18) joined Xiqun Society at the age of, and has been engaged in Peking Opera performances ever since. Xun Huisheng has a deep foundation, a broad road to play and a bangzi class. Therefore, he can learn from the advantages of Bangzi's foot-carrying art, and integrate the performances of Beijing Opera Tsing Yi, Hua Dan, Guimendan and Beijing Opera Blues into one furnace, absorbing the skills of Beijing Opera students and martial arts students. He reformed and created from singing, chanting, characters to makeup, and gradually formed a novel style and unique style.
Born in a poor peasant family, he was sold as an apprentice to a Bangzi troupe in Tianjin and later to Pang Qifa, a Hua Dan in Hebei Bangzi. At the age of 8, he performed on stage, and studied under Hou Junshan with Hua Dan. 19 1 1 entered sanle class (later renamed) and studied under Lu and Xue Lanfen.
In the plastic arts of figures, Xun Huisheng reformed the traditional makeup as early as the fashion show. He doesn't use hanging eyebrow, and he doesn't often comb his hair patches. In the long-term practice, he created the style of ancient costume with partial phoenix bun (with fragrant bun), crescent eyebrows and red lips (changed to "three-point"), dressed in ancient costume with embroidered waistcoat, butterfly-shaped round neck shoulder and two skirts and three skirts, and also absorbed the wide flowers of Cantonese opera to decorate skirts and tops. After such a dress, the characters are novel and unique, radiant, revealing the unique modeling beauty of Xun school art.
Xun Huisheng's performance style can be summarized in five words: "beauty, rhyme, charm, stupidity and crispness". At the same time, there is a sweetness in his hoarse voice, which forms his singing style of winning with femininity. He has many wonderful aria, which has become a compulsory course for Xunpai disciples. His singing is euphemistic, beautiful and colorful, and his voice is touching and touching. He dares to be unconventional and open up a new cavity; Draw on the strengths of others and design new music. For example, everyone knows the "anti-four-level tone" in "Matchmaker". He is good at using decorative sounds that slide up and down. It sounds beautiful, light and humorous, and has a special charm. Xun Huisheng's arrangement of New Tune adheres to three principles: first, it makes people happy; The second is to make people understand; The third is to make people emotional.
Xun Huisheng's chanting style is unique, soft and mellow, full of rhythmic beauty. He does not copy the traditional rhyme, but starts from the feelings of the characters, enriches their thoughts and feelings, fully displays the inner world of the characters, gives proper priority to the voice, and is smooth and touching. It has both musical beauty and life beauty.
1927, Beijing Shuntian Times launched the election of famous actresses, and the election was conducted in an open and secret way. Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng, Xun Huisheng, Xu Biyun and Zhu won the most votes. At the beginning, they all said they were six famous soldiers. Soon, Zhu and Xu Biyun dropped out of school and became the four great stars.
Later, according to their own conditions and styles, Mei, Shang, Cheng and Xun competed to compile and perform new dramas, which prospered the performances on the stage of Beijing opera and developed the cause of Beijing opera. In the early 1930s, he commented on "four famous poets"-"Mei Lanfang's style, Cheng's singing skills, Shang Xiaoyun's greatness and Xun Huisheng's waves".
Mei Lanfang rehearsed The Red Line Stole the Box, Shang Xiaoyun introduced The Red Dry, Cheng created The Story of the Red Maid, and Xun Huisheng compiled The Matchmaker, which was known as "Four Red". Soon Mei Lanfang performed a sword (Cosmic Front) and staged a blue frost sword. Shang Xiaoyun presented an Emei sword and Xun Huisheng rehearsed a Yuanyang sword. The performance of "Four Swords" pushed the Peking Opera stage to a climax again. Then, they performed their own plays, in which Mei Lanfang led the performance of Mulan Joining the Army, Cheng arranged Nie Yinniang, Shang Xiaoyun introduced Pearl Shirt, and Xun Huisheng directed Xun Guanniang. These four famous dancers have a large audience and contributed to the prosperity of Beijing Opera.
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