There are two main singing voices in Peking Opera, namely "Xipi" and "Erhuang", which form the basis of Peking Opera, and are collectively called "Pi Huang".
The "Xipi" in Peking Opera singing is derived from Hubei Han tune and is one of the most important vocal cavities in the Peking Opera system. It is known for its unique melodic style and rhythmic type, and the characteristics of the Sippi cavity mainly include:
Tonal characteristics: The overall tone of the Xipi cavity is bright, passionate and dynamic, and the melody is mostly carried out with small sixths and large jumps when the melody ascends, which is expressive, and is often used to express cheerful, excited or angry and other emotional scenes.
Chording and tonality: The stippi cavity is usually the chord on Jinghu"6 [lower bass]3 (i.e., D A strings), the key is mostly G or D, and its melody is mainly in the palace key.
Abundant plate types: As mentioned above, the Xipi cavity has a variety of different plate variations, including but not limited to guide plates, slow plates, original plates, 26 plates, flow plates, allegro, rocking plates, and loose plates. Each form has a unique rhythmic and syntactic structure, which can show different emotional intensity and speed changes according to the needs of the plot.
Accompaniment characteristics: In addition to Jinghu, the accompaniment instruments of Xipi cavity also have percussion such as Yueqin, Sanxian, gongs and drums, forming a distinct rhythm and rhyme.
Emotional expression: Compared with the calm and deep Erhuang cavity, the Xipi cavity is more suitable for expressing passionate, warm and bright emotions, and sometimes it is also used to express grief and indignation.
Peking Opera singing "Erhuang" is also one of the main vocal cavities in the Peking Opera system of traditional Chinese opera, and is known as the two pillars of Peking Opera together with "Xipi". The origin of Erhuang can be traced back to the early years of the Qing Dynasty, and after the development of local operas such as Hui opera and Han opera, it was finally integrated into Peking Opera. Features at a glance:
Tonal characteristics: The overall tonal style of Erhuang is more calm, solemn and deep than that of Xipi, with twists and turns in melodic lines, and is good at expressing emotional content of grievance, sadness, depression or contemplation.
String setting and tonality: The string setting on Jinghu is general"5 [lower bass] 2 (i.e., G D strings), the main key is mostly E or A, mainly in the palace key, but there are also other key transitions.
Variety of plate types: Erhuang cavity includes a variety of plate changes such as guide plate (inverted plate), slow plate (also known as slow three-eyed), original plate, loose plate, rocking board, returning dragon, stacking board, etc., each plate type has a different rhythm form and speed to meet the needs of plot development.
Accompaniment instrument: Jinghu is also the main instrument, supplemented by the moon qin, three strings and gong and drum percussion, etc., to create a more restrained and layered effect.
Emotional expression: Compared with the bright and passionate Xipi cavity, the Erhuang cavity tends to express the complex emotions in the deep heart of the characters, such as melancholy, longing, emotion or solemn and serious emotional state.
Anti-Erhuang Tone: On the basis of Erhuang, the anti-Erhuang tone has also been developed, which is more somber and more emotionally colored than Erhuang, and is often used to express deeper tragic emotions and heroic heroes.
It is worth mentioning that the singing voice of Peking Opera belongs to the plate variation, which shows the emotions of the characters and the development of the plot through different plate styles. In addition, the accompaniment of Peking Opera is divided into two categories: the literary field with the huqin as the main instrument, and the martial arts field with percussion accompaniment as the main instrument. The roles of Peking Opera are divided into sheng, dan, jing, and ugly, and each of them has its own specific singing voice and performance style when singing.