Cao Wenlan Recorded A Study Of Kunqu Opera Figure Spectrum

Movements transcription is a kind of text that records the specific actions in opera performance.During the period of Qianlong and Jiaqing,there were a large number of movements transcription for the first time,among which Cao Wenlan recorded the most.Cao Wenlan was a famous Suzhou actor in Qianlong and Jiaqing’s era.He was born between 1757 and 1767,and died after 1823.According to the inscriptions of his movements transcription,Cao Wenlan learned opera when he was young,and later entered Gengxin hall,where he recorded and ordered a number of scripts.He left Gengxin hall when he was more than 30 years old,and lived in the capital after 13 years.He went to all kinds of artists’ houses and worked as an opera teacher.When Cao Wenlan was in Gengxin hall,he made friend with Gong Lansun and often revised his movements transcription for each other.Cao Wenlan once studied Kun Opera performance or revised music scores from Suzhou and Yangzhou opera teachers Zhang Zhongfang,songwriters Feng Yunzhang and Zhang Hongcang,and had some contacts with later famous actor Jiang Yunlan.Cao Wenlan recorded at least 52 kinds of scripts,including 21 kinds of movements transcription,with 38 selected scenes.Cao Wenlan’s movements transcriptions were almost Kun Opera,created in Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty,most of which were often staged at that time.In order to meet the needs of teaching,personal recording and preservation of Kun opera performing arts,Cao Wenlan chose the key performance paragraphs to record.These scripts were handed down to Chen Jinque’s family through Sun Maolin,Cao Wenlan’s son-in-law.In modern times,they were collected by Mei Lanfang,Cheng Yanqiu,Fu Xihua and Fang Wenxi.Up to now,almost all of them have been photocopied and published.Cao Wenlan’s movements transcription shows the achievements and norms of Kun Opera performance accumulated to the Qianlong and Jiaqing’s era.For the use of body,customs,props such as hands,sleeves and sticks,has formed some stylized actions with fixed meaning or usage.These actions are based on the lines,through indicating the content of drama words,and combining them by means of image or concretization,so as to explain,emphasize and supplement lines.In addition to stylized actions,sometimes the characters’ emotions or states are expressed by lifelike actions,and the visibility is increased by martial arts like actions and dancing.In the combination of actions,symmetry and repetition are often used to enhance the aesthetic value of performance.The stage scheduling method takes into account the dramatic plot and aesthetic experience,and has a high degree of dramatic expression and rich scheduling techniques.There are similarities and differences between Cao Wenlan’s movements transcription and other Kun Opera’s movements transcription and modern performance versions,which shows a pluralistic Kun Opera performance inheritance system.Some of Cao Wenlan’s movements transcription are related to Collection of Tasting music and Appreciating the Ancient and the transcript of Du Buyun in Tongzhi era.Most of Cao Wenlan’s movements transcription are different from other movements transcription,but they are similar in the plot structure.Compared with the transcription of Cao Wenlan and other transcription of the Qing Dynasty,the modern version is more concise in the plot,and maintains the design method of interpreting lyrics by figures and the aesthetic tendency of paying attention to balance in the performance of Kun opera in the Qing Dynasty,and enriches in the skills of the performance.Represented by Cao Wenlan’s movements transcription,the movements transcription provides a new perspective and content for the history of Kun Opera.The creation,circulation and use of movements transcription are all based on the artists,which supplement the cognition of the artists group,the performance of Kun Opera in the Qianlong and Jiaqing era and the Qing Dynasty from the perspective of artists and performance.The creation and arrangement method of Cao Wenlan’s movements transcription is the common point among different movements transcription.It is also an important content of "Qianjia tradition",which will provide guidance or reference for the performance design of modern performance of Kun Opera.The similarities and differences between Cao Wenlan’s movements transcription and other performance versions show that Cao Wenlan’s performance art does not exist in isolation,but is a part of the history of Kun Opera performance development and inheritance.