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金東方 |
| 中國戲曲的特點 |
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中國戲曲是綜合性藝術, 它包括舞、唱、誦、雜技、武術、詩韻、化裝、音樂、美術等等。現在試以觀眾角度來談談個人感受。
中國戲曲在世界戲劇領域裏有其自己的一套獨特旳完整體系, 世上沒有任何一種戲劇可與中國戲曲比擬。
首先是歷史悠久: 自秦、漢、隋、唐的優戲, 角牴戲, 歌舞戲, 到宋、金的雜劇、南戲, 再到元雜劇、明傳奇、清亂彈,
以至近代的京劇和各地方戲為止, 幾千年來, 我國舞台上推陳出新, 爭芳鬥艷未曾停止。最後京劇排眾而出君臨其他劇種, 成為世上獨一無二的舞台藝術極品。
其次, 京劇四大要素"唱、做、念、打"中的 "做", 不是東方各國如印度、日本等國起著符號作用的古典舞蹈,
或西方的與生活脫節的古典舞蹈。中國戲曲是由規矩的"程式"和優美的"身段"構成, 從現實生活裏提煉而來,
與戲劇連成一氣水乳交融, 綴出豐富動人的故事情節。
還有, 京劇之中有"短打"即武術與雜技, 是在清代與京劇同步成長的, 那時接近北京的幾個省份如山東、河南、山西及東北一帶交通不便,
旅行常有遇劫的情形, 於是出現了"保鏢"的行業, 專責護送商旅, 或替豪門府邸看護庄院, 會發生一些離奇曲折的命案,
於是文藝各界根據案情, 經過藝術加工, 有編成說書人話本的, 有寫成武俠小說的。反映在京劇中, 則產生了"彭公案",
"施公案"一類以短打為主的劇目。鴉片戰爭後, 北京一帶水陸交通漸漸便利, 原來幹"保鏢"的便轉業幹起掠地賣技或也有加入戲班的:
加入戲班的, 若再從唱、做、念等表演藝術方面勤功苦練, 有天才者則可以進而成為名角兒, 如京劇大師譚鑫培便是: 他的拿手戲目《秦瓊賣馬》中的耍間以及《翠屏山》中石秀的舞刀,
據說都是真實功夫。
京劇與貼近生活、風格寫實的地方戲比較, 是意境深遠、格調高古, 因為(我認為)京劇屬宮廷藝術。
二百多年前, 安徽的地方戲"徽班"進京, 從昆曲吸收養料發展成京劇。從清初起,
帝后就愛看京劇, 康熙在宮中就建迼了大大小小戲台共四十九個, 凡要看戲, 主事的便到宮外挑選頂尖兒戲班進宮作御前演出, 京劇便漸發展成為"宮廷藝術"。
御前演戲可不能隨便, 舉手投足必按既定程式, 一板三眼, 中規中矩, 萬萬不能"爆肚"、"洒狗血"。
因此磨練越來越精緻, 技巧越演越高超。不曾進過宮的戲班也以御前演員為模範, 漸漸建立起風格, 繼而形成流派, 便是雅緻、端莊、含蓄、意境深遠的京劇。
京人看不起上海的京劇, 指稱"海派"。因為海派京劇不守宮廷藝術的分寸, 誇張些、生動些,
但比起地方戲來仍不失規矩, 到底還是京劇嘛, 俱備京劇的一切特點, 只風格不同而已。
數中國戲曲的特點, 最重要的還是以抽象的手法, 虛擬的舞台裝置, 載歌載舞地演戲而感染觀眾。
就以京劇《打漁殺家》為例, 蕭恩與桂英兩父女是以打漁為生的, 劇中人要航船, 要在船上待客, 謀略,
要在船外打鬥, 這條船之重要不言而喻, 可是舞台上並沒有船。如果以西洋的"科學"方法處理, 當然非得有船不可,
多半是把漁船斷面切開。不過佈置得再逼真, 也只能是一隻頤和園的石船, 做不到浮在水上的效果, 總不成泵一江水上舞台吧? 蕭恩一聲〝開船哪!〞怎麼辦?
但是到了中國戲曲家手裏就妙了: 舞台裝置是虛擬的, 表演手法是抽象的; 舞台上有廣闊的場地給演員大展拳腳,
意識裏有漫無邊際的空間給觀眾的想象力馳騁。演《打漁殺家》的演員們, 只消幾個身段便能表現出船在水面蕩漾。幾句唱、白、幾個眼神即可交代出江上一派水色風光,
那隻虛擬的船要開便開, 要停便停, 它還能在台上旋轉: 一會兒橫在舞台, 一會兒船頭或船尾對著觀眾, 演員一會兒船外, 一會兒船裏,
演到出神入化。不但"形似" 而且"神似", 比如蕭恩往桂英處跨一大步, 跟著兩人便柔和地此起彼落一番,
表現出船在江面上搖晃盪漾。中國戲曲是無所不能的。
中國戲曲舞台上可以空無一物。
有人認為中國戲曲之所以運用抽象與虛擬的手法, 是因為古時演戲限於經濟力量, 置辦不起舞台裝置。那麼西方舞台之運用實景及寫實方法,
是因為他們置辦得起舞台裝置了?顯然此說不能成立。又有人說因為我國古代劇場形式特殊的緣故, 那是圈地為"台",
觀眾圍在四周, 台四面設有一尺多高的柵欄。宋元時代稱為"勾欄"。後來把一面隔起來, 成為三面, 演員從左邊上場,
右邊下場, 舞台上則空無一物。所以直到現在依然是台上沒有裝置。其實古希臘的"競技場"情形也差不多, 差別只是上下場不分左右(我國戲曲之〝左上右下〞是重要的固定形式)及他們規模大些而已,
唯其因為規模大, 故不常舉行。難道這便是東、西方戲劇日後會分道揚鏕的緣故?顯然此說也不能成立。
那麼是什麼原因使得東西方戲劇體系有截然不同的發展呢?個人以為主要是東西方兩種哲學觀念有分別; 西方文化基本是"智",
他們觀念裏只有合"理"與不合"理": 東方文化基本是"情"; 我們觀念裏只有美與不美;
他們對自然的態度是採取"征服"與'佔有"; 我們對自然的態度, 是採取"了解"與"調和";
他們對藝術的態度是靠"分析", 而我們對藝術的態度是用"感覺"; 這完全是南北極。反映在戲劇領域裏也是如此:
他們要"實實在在", 我們要"留有餘地"。以下再以繪畫為例:
西方文化最燦爛時期之一的"文藝復興", 他們的畫家是在幽暗的畫室裏, 面對著擺好姿態的模特兒,
目不轉睛, 年復一年地在同一幅畫布上摸索; 慘淡經營, 力求"形似"。是因為他們經濟力量能買到足夠的油彩以填滿畫布嗎?是因為他的畫布上原就並非空白嗎?當然不是。反過來看看同時代的我國元朝時期,
便有"抒我之情, 寫我之意"的說法, 已經出現了瀟灑簡逸的"文人畫"; 倪雲林說:"余之竹聊以寫胸中逸氣耳。"其作品崇尚清雅的"空靈"而成一代逸品。難道他是家窮,
而"惜墨如金"嗎? 難道因為我們的宣紙本是一片潔白之故嗎?--當然不是。
回頭來再說戲劇, 西方的舞台上裝置實景, 我們的舞台上可以空舞一物, 也是不同的哲學觀, 不同的審美觀所使然。
中國戲曲其實也曾試過精巧的立體舞台裝置: 明代演《唐明皇遊月宮》, 舞台上就可以做到五色雲氣繚繞,
有桂樹、輕紗、橋樑等。最後劇中人還能向月宮冉冉上升呢。如清康熙時演《目連》. 也曾將真馬活虎牽上舞台, 這種玩意兒不再是戲曲,
而是炫耀"工藝"與"技術", 出現不久便被否定, 被揚棄了。
舞台裝置是一種"工藝", 要在舞台上裝一片牆, 一扇門, 現代做得到, 古代也做得到,
但是我們的祖先知道, 一裝上牆門, 舞台空間多大便是多大了, 總大不過百千方尺, 而我們的劇情所需要的空間卻是無限的, 從咫尺到千里,
時間也沒有限制, 我們的戲曲人物需要在幾分鐘裏從某地(可能在千里外)到達某地: 如《穆桂英大戰洪州》, 穆桂英下令"眾將官,
帶馬兵發洪州!"曲牌中她在台上走一圈, 在下場門站定, 就到了洪州了。在這個時間她要同觀眾在一起, 她要演幾個絕妙的身段給觀眾看看,
她要乘這時間向觀眾交代一些情節和自己的情緒: 她可能徒步, 如《斷橋》中; 許仙從鎮江的金山步行到杭州的斷橋找白娘娘, 也可以騎馬,
一路上可能漫天風雪(如《林沖夜奔》), 也可能景色宜人(如《白蛇傳》的"游湖")。在台上走了若干圈到達屋前,
還念一聲:"不覺來到了某某地方……"然後做一個進門的動作, 而屋內的人可能自他上場前便早已坐在台上了, 這屋子可能是華廈宮廷(如《二進宮》),
也可能是芧草寒舍……(如《汾河灣》)……總之天地之寬、世界之大, 小小的中國戲曲舞台一無所有, 又無所不包。
不過別以為我們的舞台上一無所有: 門牆都是虛擬的, 因而演員可以隨便演, "自由"得很,
其實不然, 這與國畫裏的 "意到筆不到"是一樣的道理。宣紙一片空白, 畫一葉小舟, 那空白處不必畫水, 我們也知道小舟在江上,
反之如空白處出現茅屋, 而又未交代陸地, 那不患水災了嗎?舞台也一樣, 雖然空無所有, 但演員出入門, 上下樓的動作都得交代得一清二楚,
推開門進屋時抬一下腳, 那表示跨進了門檻, 可能還有回身關門的動作, 他要走出屋子若是不開門也不抬腳, 他便絕對走不出這扇虛設的門,
否則觀眾同樣會質問: 怎麼牆和門都消失啦?這並非觀眾專從小處著眼, 乃是演員既做了進屋的動作, 那麼無論怎樣活動, 在觀眾的觀念裏,
他仍然是在屋子裏邊。
中國戲曲舞台上的一張桌子與兩把椅子是萬能的: 在屋外, 可作為山嶺、橋樑、城堡……等, 在屋裏又可作為衙門公案、臥床帳幕、宮廷龍座、或普通桌椅。這桌椅又可將空間距離拉近,
做到"天涯咫尺"。比如京劇《華容道》裏的關公站在台側桌上瞭望, 周圍立著周倉、關平及兵卒們, 那桌椅便是山坡了。曹操帶了幾名將官在台上走動,
表示他在狼狽中逃竄。關公與曹操之間的實際距離起碼也有數里之遙吧? 但雙方同台同時表演, 觀眾都能看得清楚, 聽得明白。
中國戲曲不但可以拉近距離, 還可變換方向。比如京劇《三堂會審》裏, 蘇三進入都察院, 最初是背對觀眾,
跪向王金龍等三位審官, 幾句對白後, 進入一段重要唱功時, 她可以轉過身來面對觀眾而跪, 為的是讓觀眾欣賞她的表演。
中國戲曲奇妙處還不止此, 如京劇《三岔口》, 焦贊被發配充軍, 途中投宿客棧, 任堂惠趕來保護,
半夜裏烏燈黑火的與店主打到落花流水, 兩位演員自然是在燈火通明的舞台上演的, 卻假裝在黑暗中摸索而顯得搏殺有些困難, 觀眾則也假裝認作演員彼此看不見,
欣賞著演員們精湛的表演。
在中國繪畫裏, 我們把解剖、透視的規律撇開; 在中國戲曲裏, 我們則把時間、空間作另類的解釋並加以演繹。形成了獨特的藝術體系,
境界之高, 無以復加。
原載1975年1月號<明報月刊>
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| Characteristic of Chinese Operas |
By Jin
Dongfang |
A Chinese opera
is a comprehensive art which involves dancing, singing, recitation, acrobatics,
martial arts, poetic rhymes, make-up, music, fine art and so on. Every
item of them is a specialized skill. Now I shall talk about my thoughts
and impressions about this from a spectator's view.
Chinese operas
form a complete system in the realm of world drama. No drama in the world
can compare with them.
First of all,
they have a long history. In the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties, there
was the "You Opera", "Jiaodi Opera" and song and dance
opera. In Song and Jin dynasties, there were zaju drama, potic drama set
to music, and South opera. In the Yuan Dynasty, there appeared Yuan poetic
drama, Ming legend drama and Qing Luantan drama. Up to the present time,
we have Beijing opera and various local operas. For thousands of years,
on the Chinese stage, newly created plays have been appearing to succeed
the old ones. They vie with each other for beauty and success. To our
era, Beijing Opera (to my appreciation, Taiwan calls it the National Opera)
has stood out and lords it over all other operas and has become the unique
opera in the world because of its supreme stage art.
Secondly, among
Beijing Opera's four major elements, "singing, acting, reciting and
fighting acrobatics", the acting is quite different from the rigid
symbolic actions in traditional dance in India and Japan and other countries
in the East, it is also different from the Western classical dance which
is divorced from real life. Instead, the acting of Beijing Opera is formed
by the standard acting norms and the graceful body posture of the actor
or actress. These norms and postures are derived from life and they become
flesh and blood of the play to add beauty and spirit to the moving story.
Besides, the
"fighting acrobatics" in Beijing Opera is in fact acrobatics
and martial act combined. It grew with Beijing Opera in the Qing Dynasty.
At that time traffic was not convenient in the provinces around Beijing,
such as Shandong, Henan, Shanxi and provinces of the Northeast. Travellers
were always robbed. Therefore the trade of bodyguards appeared. The bodyguards
were responsible for escorting traveling businessmen, or guarding the
homes for others. There would occur fantastic and complicated cases of
murder. Hence the literary people, based on these cases and through artistic
processing, compiled scripts for storytellers, or wrote novels about heroic
outlaws. In Beijing opera, they produced "Case Solved by Lord Peng"
and "Case Solved by Lord Shi", such plays as having short fighting
in the plot. After the Opium War, land and water transportation around
Beijing became more convenient than before, the original bodyguards changed
their profession into that of street-performers. Some of them joined the
dramatic troupes. These actors, if they worked hard at the performing
art of singing, acting and reciting, and were gifted enough, could become
famous actors. Tan Xinpei, the great master of Beijing opera was one example.
His masterpieces of performance, "Qin Qiong Sold his Steed"
in which he brandished his mace, and "Cuiping Mountains" in
which the character Shi Xiu flourished his sword were said to be done
with the actore's real martial feats.
I'd like to
add one more point. In my opinion, Beijing opera is the art of the court,
and it is superior to any other type of Chines opera. In China, there
were more than 300 different provincial operatic forms. The one originated
in Anhui made its way into Beijing, where it came under various theatre
influences and gradually evolved into a form of its own: the Beijing opera.
At the beginning
of the Qing Dynasty, emperors and empresses loved Beijing opera and they
often summoned outstanding troups for royal performances. This top honour
encouraged the operatic artists to further refine and perfect their art
and skills. That brought about the graceful, subtle and yet solemn style
for the art of the court, and has since become the model of Beijing opera
performances throughout the country.
China's operas
have many distinguished characteristics. What is the most important of
them is that they use abstract methods, imaginary stage setup, performance
with songs and dance so as to achieve the objective of affecting and impressing
the audience. Its powerful strength of infection finds no compeer in the
stage art of other oriental countries which takes song and dance as the
main form or Western drama which uses realistical approach to put real
things on the stage.
Let's take
Beijing Opera "The Fisherman and the Murderer" as an example.
In the play, the father Xiao En and his daughter XiaoGui-ying make a living
by fishing. The characters in the play must sail the boat. They must receive
guests on the boat, make strategies on it and fight against bad guys out
of it. So the boat is very important to them without saying. But on the
stage, there is no boat. If this is dealt with by the method of Western
drama, there must be a boat, most likely, a boat in cross section. But
this stage setup is so realistic, it is nothing but a static boat, like
the stone boat in Summer Palace, which cannot get the effect of the boat
floating on water. You cannot pump water of a river to flood the stage,
Can you? But as soon as the character Xiao En announces "Sail the
boat!" the image and the effect are there!
But wonder
appears when it comes to the hands of the dramatic experts: the stage
setup is imaginary, the performing approach is abstract, on the stage
there is ample space for the actors and actresses to display their acting
feats, leaving the audience infinite space for imagination. When the actors
perform "The Fisherman and the Murderer", just by several body
postures, they can express the floating boat on the rippling waters, by
singing a couple of arias or some recitation, or by several glances, they
can show us the scene of a river. The imaginary boat is going to sail
or going to stop at the will of the actor according to the story. It can
also turn around: one time is stands horizontally on the stage, the other
time, its stem or stern faces the audience. The actor can act within the
boat or out of it. Their performance reaches the same of perfection. The
body posture of China's operas is different from the body language of
Indian classical dance. The dance posture of the Indian classical dance
is just a kind of symbol, while China's operas, though they are a bit
different from realities, are refined from raw material of life. They
act not only similar to life in form but also similar to it in spirit.
For example, Xiao En made a big stride towards Gui Ying, then they softly
dance up and down one after the other. If one has never seen Beijing opera,
he will get confused. He does not know what it means by the actor and
actress squatting and standing up by turns.
But after the
meaning is explained to him, he seems to wake up from a dream and strikes
the table in admiration. Now he has come to know that China's operas are
omnipotent.
The stage of
China's operas can be blank and empty.
Some people
think that China's operas use abstract and fictitious approach because
performance in the ancient time was limited by poor economic power. The
dramatic troupes could not afford to buy stage equipment. Then, the Western
stage uses real scenery and realistic method. Is this because they can
afford the stage setup? It is obvious that this theory is not true. And
some other people assert that it is because the shape of our ancient theatre
was different. The stage was made by circling the ground. The spectators
sat around the stage. The four sides of the stage was installed with railings
of one foot high, which were called "high rails" in the Song
and Yuan Dynasties. Later, one side was separated, leaving three sides
open. Actors enter the stage from the left side and exeunt from the right,
but the stage was blank and empty. That is why the stage is still void
of setup. In fact the ancient Greek arena was similar. But the difference
only lay in the fact that the actors could go up or leave the stage at
any side (but that was the set form of our ancient operas as well,) and
their scale was bigger. As their scale was large, performance was rarely
done. Isn't this the cause which makes the eastern and western operas
take different roads? Obviously this theory does not hold good.
Then what caused
the eastern and the Western dramatic systems to become so different? In
my opinion, it is the difference of the Oriental and the Occidental philosophical
concepts. The western culture is basically "reason". In their
concept, there is only reasonability or unreasonability. But the eastern
culture is basically affection. In our concept, there is only beauty or
non-beauty. Their attitude towards nature is conquest and possession.
Out attitude towards nature is understanding and mediation. Their attitude
towards art is by analysis, while ours is by perception. They are like
the North and South Poles. Reflected in drama, the case is the same. They
pursue what is real, we always want to leave a leeway. In the following
part I shall take painting for example.
One of the
most florious ages in Western culture was Renaissace. At the time, their
artists stayed in the gloomy studio, face to face with the posed model
and with gazing eyes, worked hard on the same canvas year after year,
taking great pains to pursue similarity in form. Was it that they were
rich enough to buy pigments to fill up the canvas? Or was it that his
canvas was not blank originally? Of course not. On the contrary, let's
look at our Yuan Dyansty which happened to be contemporary with Renaissance.
There was already such a saying, "I paint to vent my feelings and
to express my ideas." At that time there appeared "paintings
by literary men" which were lofty and concise. The painter Ni Yun-lin
said, "I paint bamboos only to vent my pent feelings in my bosom."
His works with grace and spirit became treasure of his time because they
"had something in nothing." Was he too poor and had to grudge
ink? Was it that our Xuan paper for painting is a piece of blank and clean
sheet? Of course not!
Let's return
to drama. On the Western stage, real scenery is set up, but our stage
can be empty. It is also because of the different philosophic views and
different views on judging beauty.
Actually, China's
operas have also tried to use fine and elaborate three-dimensional stage
scenes. In the Ming Dynasty, when "Tang Ming Emperor Visits the Moon"
was performed, on the stage they managed to get drifting colourful clouds,
the osmanthus tree, gauze, and the bridge. At last, the character of the
play rose slowly to the moon. And during the time of Emperor Kang Xi in
the Qing Dynasty when the play "Mu Lian" was performed, a real
horse and a living tiger were led to the stage in order to show off the
technique and martial skills, but it was not like an opera in consequence.
After a while, this practice was negated and discarded.
Essentially,
stage setup is a kind of craft. The job of building a wall on the stage,
or making a door on it can and could be done now and in the ancient time.
But our forefathers knew that once the wall was built, the space was narrowed
that much, no more than one hundred or one thousand square feet. But the
space demanded by the plot of the play is limitless, from ten feet to
a thousand miles. Time has no limit either. In our opera, the character
is required to go from one place to another (maybe a thousand miles away)
in a couple of minutes. For example, in the opera "Mu Gui-ying Engages
in a Fierce Battle in Hongzhou," Mu Gui-ying issued her order, "all
generals and men, ride your horse and storm and capture Hongzhou!"
In the stage directions, she just goes one round on the stage and then
she stands steadily at the stage exit, then and there she arrived in Hongzhou.
It only took her one minute! During this time, she displays several wonderful
body postures to the audience, briefing them some developments of the
play and telling them her feelings and determination. The character can
go on foot, such as Xu Xian in the play <<On the Broken Bridg>>
who walked from Jinshan (a neighbor province) it is far away to the Broken
Bridge in Hangzhou to look for his wife Bai Suzhen. The character can
also ride a horse, going through drifting snows in freezing cold, such
as Lin Chong in <<Lin Chong Fled at Night>>. Itmay be a pleasant
scene, such as the scene of touring the West Lake by boat in the play
<<The Legend of the White Snake>>. On the stage the character
struts several rounds and then recites, "Here I am, I have come to
---." And then an action of entering the door is done. Most likely,
the people in the house have already been there before he entered the
house. The house may be a luxurious mansion or a sumptuous palace (such
as that in <<Entering the Court Twice>>, or it may be a humble
thatched hut (such as <<The Fen River Bend>> ?In a word, the
spaciousness of the sky and earth and the immensity of the world, can
all be contained in the small stage of the Chinese opera.
But don't think
that our stage has nothing at all. Door and wall are imaginary, so the
actors can perform with freedom, they seem to be extremely free. But actually
they are not. This is similar to the idea of "the intention has come,
but the writing brush has not." The Xuan paper for painting is blank
and white. On it we paint a small boat. In where there is a blank place,
even though we don't have to paint water on it, still we know the small
boat is floating on the river. On the other hand, if a thatched hut appears
in the blank place and we do not indicate land there, will there be flood?
A stage is also like this: although there is nothing on it, still, when
the actor does the acting of entering and going out of the house or going
up or down the stairs with clear indication, pushes the door open, raises
his foot to show that he goes over the threshold, or he has the action
of turning back to close the door, then everything becomes clear. When
he goes out from the house, if he does not do the action of opening the
door and raising his foot, he can never go out of the door, otherwise
the audience will call to account: why is that the door and wall disappear?
It is not that the spectators like to pick fault, but that since the actor
has done the action of entering the house, no matter what he does in it,
he is still in the house in the eyes of the spectators.
On the stage
of a Chinese opera, a table and two chairs can be multifunctional. Outside
the house, they can be a mountain, a bridge or a castle. Within a house,
they can be an official table to try criminals, the curtain for a bed,
the throne of the emperor or an ordinary table and chair. The table and
chair can also shorten the distance of space, bringing the distant land
near. For example, in the opera <<On the Road to Huarong>>,
when General Guan Yun-chang stands on the table, with Zhou Chang, Guan
Ping and soldiers standing around, the table and chairs become a mountain
slope. When Cao Cao leads several of his generals to walk around, this
shows he flees from his lost battle, from far to near. There must be a
distance of several miles, right? But the performance of the two sides
allows the audience to see and hear clearly what it means.
An another
wonderful view, for example,
in Beijing opera <<On the Cross Road>>, Jiao Zan was exiled
to join the army. On the way he stays at an inn for the night. Ren Tang-Hui
comes to protect him. At the dark midnight, he has a fierce fight with
the owner of the inn. Of course the two actors perform on the brightly
lit stage, but they pretend to search and fight against each other at
night with some difficulty. And the audience pretend that the actors cannot
see each other but they themselves have eyes that can see at dark night.
This is also the case in <<Wu Song Fights at the Inn>>.
In Chinese
paintings, we brush aside the laws of dissection and perspective. In the
Chinese opera we discard the concept of time and space. It has formed
its unique artistic system. Its achievement and status are supreme.
Published
in <<Ming Bao Monthly>>, in the issue of January, 1975 |
