The Role of Pipa in Kunqu Opera

374 views · Organized by 苏肆 on 2022-06-02

Kunqu Opera is one of the oldest operas in my country, a treasure in the traditional arts of the Chinese nation, and an "orchid" in the Garden of Opera. It is an art composed of singing and dancing performances, euphemistic and delicate singing, gorgeous vocabulary, and graceful and charming music. It is the essence of opera art. The Kunqu Opera band is a tool to embody and enrich this treasure. Modern bands are mainly composed of flutes that sound like gossamers, plus pipa that touches the water, the pipa that rains on bananas, the guzheng that flows like water, and other lingering and tactful string music, which makes the music of Kunqu opera more perfect and has a unique fragrance like orchids. The music accompanied by the band is traditional. It can also be absorbed and accepted by the general public.

The Role of Pipa in Kunqu Opera

Pipa is one of the four major pieces of Kunqu accompaniment music. It appears in the music as a point-like note. Its timbre is delicate, the range is wide, and the expressiveness is rich. It has its unique effect and irreplaceable role in the accompaniment of Kunqu Opera. We know that Kunqu Opera is famous all over the world for its elegance, its slow rhythm and its many changes. Most of the arias are medium-speed, slow-speed, one board and three eyes, and there are also many protracted tunes. This is certainly possible to play in the ancient court, but in today's society, it will not work without proper reforms. Therefore, there must be stringed instruments to enrich the music, especially the pipa. Because the pipa has a wide range of sounds, it can be played in synchrony with the sanxian, and can also be played against the flute, which can enrich the singing and remind the actors when to sing. In this way, it can not only make up for the boringness of the procrastination, but also make the audience feel "long but not tired, and more but not tired", making the music more substantial and full. During the performance of the pipa, the low part can play the effect of three strings, and the high part can play the effect of the moon qin. There are many expressions of the pipa, in slow tunes. It can use more methods such as pulling strings, rubbing strings, overtones, octave bass, etc. to make the tune more beautiful and beautiful. In the fast tune, you can use the fast picks, overtones, and octaves to make the music more relaxed and lively. In the intense plot, the pipa can increase the atmosphere even more. It can be played by means of strumming and sweeping, which can push the plot to a climax.

As one of the four major pieces of pipa, it is not easy to play it well and skillfully. During the performance, we should not only pay attention to the singing and reciting of the actors, but also closely follow the flute, and cooperate with the flute tacitly. , in unison, like one, so that the effect of playing will be the best and will bring people enjoyment.

Reference materials and contributors
琵琶演奏在昆曲音乐中的实际运用

Involving musical instruments

Pipa (pinyin: pí pa), the first plucked instrument, is a traditional plucked instrument in East Asia, a plucked stringed musical instrument. Made of wood or bamboo, the speaker is half-pear-shaped and has four strings on the top. It was originally made of silk thread, but now it is mostly made of steel wire, steel rope and nylon.

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