Major tune

Major tune

The major tune was originally called "drum tune". Varieties of Quyiqu. It was first prevalent in Kaifeng, Henan Province, and then spread to Luoyang, Nanyang and other places. It has a history of about 200 years. By the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the artists who sang drum tunes used various kinds of miscellaneous tunes with concise melodies and easy to speak to make folk dance and singing when walking on stilts, which was called minor tunes, the predecessor of Henan Opera. At that time, the drum tunes in Kaifeng and Luoyang area gradually declined because of the prosperity of minor tunes, while the drum tunes in Nanyang area not only remained, but also had new development, which is the major tunes that have been developed so far. It has more than 200 opera cards, which can be divided into three categories: big, Kun and miscellaneous. There are two types of music structure: singles and combination of Qupai. The accompaniment instruments are mainly plucked instruments, such as three strings, Pipa and Zheng. The percussion instruments include sandalwood board and octagonal drum. In the old days, there were no professional artists. Most of them were amateurs singing around the table during their breaks, and they cut each other's skills. After liberation, professional actors were trained and put on the stage.

historical origin

From Ming and Qing folk songs. After the Guziqu of Bianliang was introduced into Nanyang, it absorbed some pieces of Shaanxi Quzi and Hubei Xiaoqu. After it was introduced into Nanyang during the Qianlong reign of Qing Dynasty, it gradually formed a variety of tunes different from Kaifeng Guzi tune. It absorbed the local opera tunes after Qianlong, such as "Shipai Tune", "Blowing Tune", "Xipi Tune" and "Erhuang Tune", and formed Nanyang Major tune different from Kaifeng Drum Tune.

In the 1930s, drum tunes were renamed major tunes because Henan operas were commonly known as minor tunes. Nanyang Major has a long history. Singing was performed in the Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, Nanyang Major tunes were frequently sung. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Nanyang major tunes have been greatly developed. In the 1960s, Nanyang's quyi writers created a large number of new tunes. Most of the tunes in Nanyang Major were rhyme style, short lyrics, and a few of the life tunes were added with narration.