Mr. Shang Xiaoyun (1900-1976)
In the "Four Famous Dans" of Peking Opera, Shang Xiaoyun stood out with his vigorous singing and vigorous and beautiful martial arts, and founded the Shang School of art, which attaches equal importance to both civil and military affairs.
Shang Xiaoyun, known as Dequan, whose name is Qixia, is a native of Nangong County, Hebei Province, born in 1899, and entered the Beijing "Sanle Society" to study opera at an early age, with the stage name "Sanxi". He began to learn martial arts, and later changed to Danjiao. After the "Sanle Society" was renamed "Zhengle Society", Shang Xiaoyun, Xun Huisheng, and Furong Cao (Zhao Tongshan) were called the "Zhengle Sanjie".
Shang Xiaoyun and Mei Lanfang (1949)
Shang Xiaoyun began to learn art from Sun Yiyun, and later sought advice from predecessors such as Chen Delin, Wang Yaoqing, and Lu Sanbao. He is handsome and has a good voice when he was young. At that time, someone wrote an article praising him for his "gifted singing voice" and his ability to "pierce clouds and crack stones". When he was a teenager, he performed on the same stage with Sun Juxian, a veteran actor who was famous in the north and south at that time.
In 1918, when Shang Xiaoyun was not yet twenty years old, the new rehearsal of "Chu Han Zheng" on the first stage in Beijing, played the role of Chu Bawang by the famous martial arts actor Yang Xiaolou. The agent thinks that the role of Xiang Yu has such an excellent actor to play, and the role of Yu Ji, if there is no equivalent actor to play it, it is a pity. Someone recommended Shang Xiaoyun to play Yu Ji. Sure enough, this drama is popular! The majestic Chu Overlord and the beautiful and amorous Yu Meiren are all vividly and moving. Later, in his decades of stage career, Shang Xiaoyun created many moving artistic images with his hard work, and created a unique style of Shang School art in singing, reading, doing and playing. It is very appropriate for some people to use the sixteen words "singing and dancing, strong and upright, fresh and heroic, free and generous" to summarize the characteristics of Shang School art.
"The Legend of the West Chamber" Shang Xiaoyun as Zhang Hui and Cheng Yanqiu as Cui Yingying
Shang Xiaoyun's singing voice is profound, strong in the high-pitched, and full of charm. Singing a large section, he can sing full of bows and full tunes, in one go, and can make the audience "sing hot". The reason why Shangpai sang like this was influenced by the famous Dan actor Chen Delin, who was called "Old Master" in the Peking Opera industry at that time. Norman Chan was originally a well-known "iron voice", and Shang Xiaoyun combined his own voice characteristics to learn Norman Chan's singing art and developed. Shangpai's singing voice is mainly rigid, rigid and soft, with distinct rhythm and sonorous power.
Shang Xiaoyun also learned drama from Dai Yunfang, Zhang Zhiquan, Wu Lingxian and other elders in Tsing Yi. Old artists pay attention to "tight mouths and tight words". Shang Xiaoyun's recitation also reflects this characteristic. The Shang school sings tightly, although there is the legacy of the old generation, but it is not that people can't hear the words.
In terms of performance, Shang Xiaoyun learned martial arts in his early years, and later cooperated with Yang Xiaolou on the same stage, so he often blended the characteristics of martial arts performances into Danjiao's performances. For example, "collapsing to run a circle" and "one-legged stepping" are all absorbed from martial arts performances. Shang Pai's performances are required to be charming, powerful, and angular. Shang Xiaoyun once summed up the performance as: "charming, beautiful, soft, and crisp", and said that "softness is the key, beauty is the requirement". The performances of the Shang School particularly highlight the sense of rhythm, strong dance, vigorous and graceful. Martial arts are not what Xiaoyun is good at.
These characteristics of Shang Xiaoyun's performing arts have been fully reflected in his representative repertoire.
"Leifeng Tower" Shang Xiaoyun as the White Lady
"Sacrificial Tower" is a Zhenggong Tsing Yi drama sung by Shang Xiaoyun in his early years. This play, like the dramas he often performed at that time, such as "Sacrificing the River", "Yutang Spring", "Erjin Palace", "Sanniang's Godson" and other dramas, is known for his singing. "Sacrificial Tower" is the last fold in the love story of Xu Xian and the White Lady. This is different from the ending of "The Legend of the White Snake" that is being performed now. The White Lady was pressed under the Leifeng Pagoda by Fahai, and her son Xu Shilin came to the Leifeng Pagoda to cry and sacrifice his mother after winning the championship. When the white lady and her son met each other, they sang a large section [anti-erhuang] when they cried about the past. This paragraph [anti-Erhuang], due to the restrictions of the layout of the recording at that time, the middle was compressed a lot, and only eight sentences remained. Shang Xiaoyun's singing is vigorous and passionate, high-pitched and upright, both dignified and simple, and majestic Lingyun, which fully expresses the white lady's sudden burst of sad and joyful feelings and unyielding character.
"Five Dragons" Shang Xiaoyun as Li Sanniang
Shang Xiaoyun is not only good at performing traditional Zhenggong Tsing Yi operas, but also rehearsing many new plays. Such as "Five Dragons", "Qianjin Quande", "Jieyu as a Bear", fashion drama "Modern Girl" and so on. At that time, the "Four Famous Dans" competed for new plays. Just when Mei Lanfang played "Red Line Stealing the Box" and Cheng Yanqiu played "The Legend of the Red Breeze", Shang Xiaoyun's play "Qingmen Red Silk", which depicted the Tang Dynasty singer Red Silk, was also very prestigious. Later, Xun Huisheng also launched his famous drama "Red Lady". In this way, each of the "Four Famous Dans" has a play describing ancient women in the name of the word "red". Shang Xiaoyun's play "Qingmen Red Silk" is adapted from Kunqu Opera. Scholar Cui Yun was ordered by his father to visit Guo Ziyi, the king of Fenyang. At the banquet, he fell in love with the singer Hongxuan. After Cui Yun went home, she missed Hongxuan. His servant Kunlun Nu Mole went to Guo's mansion at night to steal the red silk. Cui Yun and Hongxuan escaped together, and finally got married. In this play, Hong Xuan and Cui Yun met at night, and there was a [Nanbangzi] singing voice. The lyrics are:
Looking at the moon and the dark stars, the night is short,
Drop by drop, little jade leakage.
Could it be that he has failed my affectionate money,
At that time, it was the day of hatred.
This [Nanbangzi] rhyme is lingering and sweet, and it is very unique. Although Shang Xiaoyun's voice is high-pitched and loud, the place where he walks the bass is also beautiful and soft. This section [Nanbangzi] conveys affection in a low-key manner, tactful and delicate, and has a special taste.
Shang Xiaoyun, like all accomplished artists, is good at giving full play to his own characteristics. He once said that over the decades, he gradually found his way in the show. For a long time, he has either played a heroine or a heroine among women, like He Yufeng in "Thirteen Sisters", Liu Fang in "Woman in Green", Xie Xiaoyu in "Emei Restaurant", Liang Hongyu, Yang Paifeng, etc. Because he has a high-pitched voice and martial arts, he can play these characters in singing and martial arts, so his later repertoire always sings and fights, singing and dancing, and pays equal attention to civil and military.
"Liang Hongyu" Shang Xiaoyun as Liang Hongyu
After the liberation, Shang Xiaoyun rearranged and performed "Liang Hongyu". In the play "Zhan Jinshan", the "Hegemony" and "Fighting" melt some martial arts movements, with a distinct rhythm and neatness, which well shows Liang Hongyu's heroic spirit and general demeanor. Shang Xiaoyun's drumming is also very good, the drum beat is skillful, undulating, and varied, which shows Liang Hongyu's mood of beating the drum for Han Shizhong, and sets off the atmosphere of the battle at that time. The singing in this play is also very distinctive, in the "Marriage" scene, Liang Hongyu and Han Shizhong met and engaged each other, Liang Hongyu sang a paragraph [Xipi Flowing Water]. The lyrics are as follows:
A good marriage is a pre-born fate,
That month, the old line and the line were worn early;
The slave family has a lifelong dependence,
Like-minded people go to the army.
hated the gold people, entered the country rampantly, and slaughtered the people all over the city,
I swear here that I would like to go to the army.
The beginning of this singing is different from the ordinary [flowing water]. In order to accompany the performance, the rhythm of the passage is very distinct. The two words "one line" in the second sentence "the old line and the first line were worn early" were repeated once, and the tone was low and tactful, showing Liang Hongyu's shyness and deep affection for Han Shizhong when she agreed to get married; The sentence "hating the Jin people, rampant entry" is divided into several paragraphs, sonorous and powerful, showing the strong hatred of the invasion of the Jin soldiers. In this way, not only does the singing voice have ups and downs, but also expresses clear feelings of love and hate. With the performance, this singing is even more brilliant. When the theater performs, every time it comes here, it always wins a full house.
"Princess Shuangyang" Shang Xiaoyun as Princess Shuangyang
In 1959, Shang Xiaoyun performed "Princess Shuangyang" as a gift to the 10th anniversary of the National Day. This is a very heavy singing and fighting. The main character in the play, Princess Shuangyang, is also a heroine among women. In the play, the love between her and Di Qing is written, and the alliance between Shanshanguo and the Song Dynasty is also written, and the whole play is full of joy. In this play, Shang Xiaoyun played the role of Princess Shuangyang, giving full play to his acting talent of literature and martial arts. In the "Asking for Directions" scene, while digging out the feathers, while picking the red sword spike of the akane, like a wind-swept flower tree, full of brilliance. In this play, Shangpai's "horse trip" is also fully played. On the stage, I saw Princess Shuangyang galloping in the vast wind and sand, and she sang and danced, in a variety of postures. "Asking for directions" is the focus of the whole play. After Di Qing and Shuangyang got married, they went to the Indo-Tang Kingdom to steal the pearl fire flag and the sun and moon horses. Di Qing returned to the court privately on the way to ask for merit. Song Renzong listened to the slander and sent Di Qing to Lingnan. Princess Shuangyang led the troops to rescue Di Qing and asked the woodcutter for directions. "Asking for Directions" begins with a large section of [Sippi] singing. The lyrics are:
The shaking silk reins urged the peach blossom war horse,
Brave the wind and frost for the horses to run the world.
The green field is dark and the twilight smoke is slanting down,
Only a red glow was left between the green hills.
The swallow homing bird throws into the forest,
I Shuangyang went to Lingnan and left home.
The sound of Xiao Xiao is accustomed to the long march of thousands of miles of war horses,
Towering mountains and mountains, no one is seen.
I don't care about the rough road, and I hurriedly urge the war horse.
The lyrics are beautiful and the singing is also very beautiful. In 1959, Shang Xiaoyun was sixty years old, although his singing voice was not as strong as back then, but his skills were more proficient. Began to sing [Xipi Yuanban], [Huilong], and then sang [Xipi Adagio]. The singing is bright and unrestrained, showing the eagerness and heroic spirit of Princess Shuangyang to rescue Di Qing despite the high mountains and long roads. When singing the sentence "Shengxiao Xiao is accustomed to the long march of thousands of miles of war horses" in [flowing water], a small cavity was added after the word "thousands of miles", and then the two words "war horse" were sung by licking the board, which well expressed the proud and bold feelings of the characters. In the last song of "I can't care about the rugged road and rush the war horse", the word "road" is elongated, with the figure and dance, showing the ruggedness of the mountain road and the determination of Princess Shuangyang to defy difficulties.
The drama group photo of the opera art film "Shang Xiaoyun Stage Art".
In 1962, the color opera art film "Shang Xiaoyun Stage Art" filmed by Xi'an Film Studio photographed two folds in Shang Xiaoyun's masterpiece-"Zhaojun Out of the Plug" and "Lost Son and Crazy". These two folds are his artistic masterpieces that have been tempered through decades of artistic practice. He has reached a high artistic level in singing and reading, depicting characters, and expressing feelings.
"Lost Son and Crazy" Shang Xiaoyun as Hu Shi, Shang Changlin as Shouchun
"Lost Son and Crazy" is a fold in "Qiankun Fushou Mirror". The prefect's wife, Hu Shi, was framed and fled with Yahuan Shouchun, and suffered a lot. After Hu gave birth to a son, he had spiritual sustenance, but unfortunately he was robbed by the mountain bandits. She escaped from the mountain, but her son, who was dependent on her life, was lost again. According to the prescribed scenario, Shang Xiaoyun successfully portrayed Mrs. Hu's intricate psychological state of being happy and anxious, anxious and frightened, and frightened and crazy. In order to show the crazy demeanor of the character, Shang Xiaoyun used his dull eyes to keep his eyes on it for a long time, so that this crazy character stood in front of the audience. This scene focuses on performance, with no large sections of singing, only a few [Sipi Sanban] and dialogue. In order to express the sad mood of the characters, some old-fashioned singing voices were also absorbed. At the end of some singing phrases, the gong is not used to stop to indicate the character's abnormal demeanor. Shang Xiaoyun sang and performed here, showing the process of Mrs. Hu's "losing her child" and "going crazy" in a delicate and layered manner.
"Zhaojun Out of the Stopper" Shang Xiaoyun as Wang Zhaojun and Xiao Shengxuan as Wang Long
"Zhaojun Out of the Plug" is a fold in the famous drama "Concubine Han Ming" of the Shang School. This drama pays equal attention to singing and dancing, and has always been loved by the audience. "Zhaojun Out of the Plug" vividly portrays the image of Wang Zhaojun, an ancient woman, and also exposes the mediocrity and corruption of the feudal ruling class. "Out of the Stopper" is the climax of the whole play. Wang Zhaojun's mood of leaving the country and home, the invasion of the wind and snow outside, and the ruggedness of the road...... Shang Xiaoyun's performance of singing and dancing created a real artistic conception, making people feel that Wang Zhaojun was riding a horse and walking alone on the ancient road outside the Saiwai, and the feeling of nostalgia for his homeland became more and more aggravated, and the sad atmosphere gradually deepened. However, at this time, Wang Zhaojun's strong and brave character was further sublimated.
"Zhaojun Out of the Plug" Shang Xiaoyun as Wang Zhaojun and Shang Changchun as Ma Tong
"Zhaojun Out of the Plug" sings Kunqu Opera. The ancient, deep tune, the sad atmosphere and Wang Zhaojun's grievances blend together. Wang Zhaojun rode to the branch pass, and if he went further, he was about to leave his homeland. At this time, even the horse refused to go any further. Wang Zhaojun sang: "People are homesick, and Ma Shang has a love for the country, not to mention people!" "The singing voice is low, whimpering, crying like a complaint, and has a strong infectious power.
"Zhaojun Out of the Plug" Shang Xiaoyun as Wang Zhaojun
When bidding farewell in the long pavilion, Wang Zhaojun sang a passage. At this time, Wang Zhaojun had tears in his eyes and couldn't bear to leave. When the civilian and military generals lined up to see her off, Wang Zhaojun issued a complaint and grief of "The civil officials are useless, and the military generals are also in vain, but they call me red fans to go to peace". In the low and depressed singing, we can still hear the characteristics of the Shang School with a sharp rhythm and a distinct rhythm.
Mr. Shang Xiaoyun gave a demonstration for young actors
Shang Xiaoyun, a well-known Peking Opera artist, has founded an important genre in his stage life for decades with his exquisite and unique performing arts. In 1959, he traveled from Beijing to Xi'an. At this time, in addition to still practicing art and participating in a small number of performances, his main focus was on teaching. Shang Xiaoyun has been enthusiastic about the education of opera all his life, and in his early years, he assisted the "Fu Liancheng" class, and personally rehearsed "The Wine Beggar" and "Juanjuan" for the two subjects of "Sheng" and "Shi"; In 1937, he founded the "Rongchun Society" class and cultivated a group of artistic talents. After arriving in Xi'an in 1959, he was consulted not only by Shaanxi Province, but also by other provinces; Not only Peking Opera actors, but also actors from many other genres. He is always full of enthusiasm and hope for the successor of the art of opera. What's more valuable is that when he teaches actors from other drama genres, he always respects the characteristics of his brother dramas and pays attention to maintaining the styles of different drama genres. When someone asked him how he taught his disciples, he smiled and said, "Of course you can't change everything from others to Shang Pailuo!" This sentence not only shows Shang Xiaoyun's humility, but also shows that he has insight into the development of different types of drama and different genres of art. Although Shang Xiaoyun passed away, his important contributions to the cause of mainland opera are indelible. Today, when a hundred flowers are blooming and the art of opera is flourishing, we cherish the memory of this senior artist even more.
——Originally published on the Sohu platform of "Dong Dong Qiang".