BARITONE'S ROLE DESIGN AND SINGING SKILLS IN CHINESE FOLK OPERAS – ANALYSIS OF TWO OPERAS AS AN EXAMPLE

Abstract

Chinese national opera probably originated in the mid-20th century. This form of dramatic expression is the product of a special historical period and cultural background. Simply put, it is the result of the huge impact that Western culture has had on traditional Chinese culture after the influx of Western culture into China. At the same time, It is also the result of the self-transformation of China's local traditional drama - "opera" following the development of the times. When Western opera was introduced to China, it was very popular for a period of time (1980s-1990s). However, as this art form continued to develop under China's special cultural background, the influence of traditional opera on it gradually starting to show up. The main manifestations are that a large number of opera elements are incorporated into the tunes of Chinese national operas, the story themes and characters are more in line with Chinese folk customs and history, and the typical movements in traditional operas are more prominent. Since China's reform and opening up in the 1990s, China's opera creation has entered a stage of rapid development. It can be clearly seen that the unique charm of baritone in terms of dramatic expression has gradually been valued by composers, and more and more classics have been produced. Baritone roles and arias. Therefore, this paper is mainly based on the author's own performance experience, and studies the classic baritone role in Chinese national operas since the 21st century from two aspects: character design and performance skills. The villains Japanese translator Tada in Struggles in an Ancient City (2007) and Sun Jiulong in Yimeng Mountain (2018) were selected for comparative analysis, trying to analyze China's influence since 21 An overview of the development of baritone roles in dramatic interpretation and performance style in national operas over the past century is summarized and sorted out. Both operas are set against the backdrop of China's Anti-Japanese War, and the two baritone characters have both decent roles and villainous roles that are rarely attempted by baritones in Chinese operas. Therefore, it is more conducive for us to more comprehensively observe the role and influence of baritone in Chinese national opera. In Chinese opera creation, the baritone is a voice that has a longer acceptance process than the treble part, and lags behind the treble voice in terms of performance methods and forms of expression. But from the analysis of two baritone classic works, we can also see that this field is gradually receiving attention, and there are new and successful attempts in terms of musical style and role interpretation. Based on the issue of "Chinese music language system" that is currently being discussed by the mainstream forces in Chinese academic circles, if baritone, a completely foreign form of artistic expression, wants to be integrated into China, it should also consider the "combination of Chinese and Western" singing methods and the new era. Regarding aesthetic issues, the research in this article may provide certain case references and theoretical support for related creations.