Classic Peking Opera aria

Author: Cao Baorong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: The play includes - time-honored traditional representative works that have been widely sung and passed down, as well as modern Peking Opera masterpieces that have deeply influenced people's hearts. Chinese opera has a long and profound history, and is considered one of the world's three oldest theatrical cultures, alongside Greek tragedy and comedy and Indian Sanskrit drama. There are over 300 existing opera genres in China, and among them, Peking Opera is recognized as the representative of Chinese opera. This is because, during its formation, Peking Opera extensively absorbed the essence of other art forms, standing out in scriptwriting, performance, music, stage design, and direction, accumulating great wealth and achievements. It has become a gem in China's national artistic treasury and shines with unique brilliance in the world's artistic treasury. Since its inception, Peking Opera has produced countless plays. Some of these plays have been refined over generations by artists, becoming timeless masterpieces. The core arias from these masterpieces have become the "classic arias" most beloved by Peking Opera enthusiasts. For ordinary Peking Opera enthusiasts—whether singers or instrumentalists—the study of Peking Opera primarily involves learning these classic arias. In a sense, the popularization of classic Peking Opera arias is a key indicator of the popularization of Peking Opera. The author has been teaching at the Chinese National Academy of Opera for over 40 years and has accumulated a large number of teaching materials during this time. However, these materials are generally not accessible to the general public. Considering the readers' needs, I have selected dozens of representative arias from our accumulated materials to compile this book, Classic Peking Opera Masterpieces.