Qiu Pai Singing Style Music Score Collection

Author: Fei Yuping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This book collects the main arias of 32 plays created and performed by Mr. Qiu Shengrong, accompanied by piano scores for the accompaniment, as well as corresponding plot introductions and singing tips, to meet the different needs of the. It is a relatively comprehensive collection of Qiu-style arias and accompaniment pieces. The renowned playwright Weng Ouhong once summarized the development of Peking Opera's vocal performance in the face role category over two centuries into five stages: "Four Mountains," "Four Liu," "Li Qiu Ne Dong," "Jin Hao Wang Ma," and "Three Kui and One Qiu," totaling twenty great artists. These were divided into two major systems based on vocal characteristics: "Vast and Resonant" and "High and Delicate." These two systems began to merge and intertwine during the era of Jin Shaoshan, gradually evolving toward "Melodious and Diverse" and "Emotionally Rich and Varied." By the time of Qiu Shengrong, this transformation was finally completed, not only forming the renowned Qiu-style face role art but also, by the 1980s, achieving the situation where almost all vocal face roles in the Peking Opera world were "ten face roles out of nine Qiu-style." Therefore, Qiu Shengrong's vocal art can be said to have concluded all explorations in Peking Opera's face role vocal styles before the 20th century, while also pioneering a new trend for the 21st century. It is truly apt to say that Mr. Qiu Shengrong played a pivotal role in bridging the past and the future, carrying forward the legacy of his predecessors. On the 90th anniversary of Mr. Qiu Shengrong's birth, the Peking Opera musician Fei Yuping and the traditional drama writer Wang Ruo'ao compiled and published 《Qiu-Style Vocal Scores and Piano Scores Collection》 by the People's Music Publishing House as a tribute. This book integrates the vocal scores and accompaniment pieces of classic Qiu-style plays, featuring 102 selected excerpts from 32 plays, including Mr. Qiu Shengrong's representative works such as traditional plays like 《Zhao's Orphan》, 《The General and the Prime Minister》, 《The Judge Who Sliced the Official》, and 《Judging Pan Hong》, as well as modern plays like 《Cuckoo Mountain》, 《Snow Falls》, and 《Letters from the South》, showcasing the essence of Qiu-style vocal art.
Mr. Qiu Shengrong (1915.8.25-1971.10.5), whose birth name was Zhenfang and who was affectionately called Daqun, was the fourth son of the renowned face role master Qiu Guixian. Due to the early deaths of his two elder brothers, he was ranked second in the family. At the age of nine, he began learning from his father. In 1927, he joined the Fuliangcheng Troupe and trained for seven years, specializing in the bronze drum role while also studying the framework role and martial face role. After graduating in 1933, he traveled south and north, practicing and performing with various troupes, learning from many masters such as Yang Xiaolou, Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu, Xun Huisheng, and Shang Xiaoyun, and performing alongside numerous renowned artists. After 1940, when he performed alongside Song Dezhu, he stayed in Shanghai for a long time and joined the troupe. Especially after 1943, he spent a long time performing as a supporting role for Jin Shaoshan, collaborating in plays like 《White Tiger Pass》, 《The True and False Li Kui》, and 《The Case of the Dual Bao》. In 1947, he performed alongside Zhou Xinfang, which allowed him to fully appreciate the essence of the Qipai art, which emphasizes acting and delves into the inner world of characters, building upon his comprehensive study of the Jin-style art.
Starting from 1949, during the mid-1950s when the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe had the five major stars—Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, Zhang Junqiu, Qiu Shengrong, and Zhao Yanyi—as its headliners, Mr. Qiu Shengrong gradually developed his unique artistic style through performing classic plays and participating in the creation and performance of new historical and modern plays. His style was characterized by a combination of strength and gentleness, grandeur, profound and delicate emotions, and richly developed characters.