User:Li Zuyi

Chinese Original Musical: Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen

Li Zuyi

ⅠIntroduction to the Development of Chinese Musical

Musicals originated in the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1920s, with Broadway in the US and the West End in the UK being the most prosperous. Over a long period of development, Western musicals have become a diversified industry integrating culture, entertainment, and economy.
With China's continuous opening up to the world following the reform and opening-up policy, musicals began to truly enter the Chinese field of vision in the 1980s. The introduction of this new art form from Broadway enriched people's entertainment lives and was well-received. Consequently, the music market started to focus on the importance of musicals, and many forward-looking musicians conceived the idea of creating original Chinese musicals. After long-term exploration and practice, it was not until 1989 that The Game in the Wilderness marked the birth of China's first truly original musical. In his book A Comprehensive History of Chinese Operas and Musical, musicologist and critic Ju Qihong wrote: "Any musical created by Chinese artists in line with the aesthetic tastes of Chinese audiences and the cultural market's consumer demands is considered a 'Chinese musical.'"(Ju 2014)
In recent years, the development of musicals has been particularly rapid. This is not only reflected in the increasing number of original productions and the growing number of theater performances but also in the strengthening of musical talent cultivation and the in-depth research of musical theory. The audience for musicals has also expanded significantly in terms of both coverage and size, and there are more extensive entertainment platforms and variety shows that provide more opportunities for musical exposure. Overall, Chinese musicals present a broad prospect for development.(Wu 2023)

ⅡPlot Summary

Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen is adapted from Pu Songling's classic masterpiece Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Jointly created by the renowned playwright Guan Shan and musician San Bao, it premiered in Dongguan in 2014 and is one of the representative works of Chinese original musicals.
The musical tells a poignant love story between a human and a ghost. Ning Caichen, a scholar who prides himself on being uninterested in wealth, sex, and unafraid of ghosts, is intercepted by female ghosts on his way to the capital for the imperial examinations. Despite the ghosts' successive attempts to lure him with various temptations, Ning Caichen remains integrity. On the second night, Nie Xiaoqian, who had been betrayed and abused by twelve men in her lifetime, approaches Ning Caichen again, trying to tempt him with beauty, wealth, and the promise of life. However, Ning Caichen maintains his integrity. Nie Xiaoqian is touched by his character, and the two spend the night together, developing deep feelings for each other. Nie Xiaoqian decides to have sex with Ning Caichen, even though it means she will have to endure the torments of the eighteenth hell and never be reborn. After their night together, Ning Caichen tries to find Nie Xiaoqian, who has gone to hell. He is told that he must commit suicide by sword to be reunited with her. Ultimately, the fear of death and the attachment to life lead him to discard the sword, leaving Nie Xiaoqian to suffer alone in hell.

ⅢThemes 1.The musical reflects the different spiritual wills of people in society when pursuing their life ideals.

 The character Ning Caichen embodies the playwright Guan Shan's profound contemplation and sharp satire of contemporary life. He claims to be an upright gentleman who is not greedy for wealth, sex, or life. However, when Nie Xiaoqian needs him the most, he surrendered to the fear of death, leaving her to suffer in the eighteenth hell. Compared to the twelve men who had betrayed Nie Xiaoqian before, he is actually the one who causes her the deepest pain. In today's "profit-driven" society, people talk about ideals, but when it comes to making sacrifices for those ideals, they all start to be self-interested.

2.The tragic plight and spirit of resistance of women in feudal society.

 Nie Xiaoqian is a realistic character. She suffered abandonment by her father, brutal sexual assault and cruel shackles by other men in her lifetime. However, she is not an isolated case; she represents the misfortunes of all women in feudal society. Despite her struggles, she cannot escape the injustices of a patriarchal society. Yet, she is also an idealistic character. Her portrayal does not lead to complete pessimism and despair. This woman, who has endured countless humiliations and injuries in the human world, should have just endured. However, when facing her innermost desires, she still chooses to follow her heart, indicating that her spirit of resistance has not been completely eroded.

Ⅳ Indigenous Features of the Musical As a representative of Chinese original musicals, "Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen" exhibits many indigenous features that distinguish it from Western musicals: 1.Indigenous Script Creation

 The most significant indigenous feature of this musical is its adaptation from Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, specifically the third story in it named “Nie Xiaoqian”.
 Firstly, as a well-known tale from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, the story of Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen is familiar to most Chinese audiences, providing a broad popular base for the musical. In recent years, there have been numerous adaptations of this story in the form of plays and films. By adapting a classic literary work, the musical reduces the risk of audience misunderstanding or lack of backgrounds with the plot and characters, which might otherwise affect their viewing experience. Moreover, the original story offers rich plotlines and dramatic conflicts, allowing the musical to retain some of the classic elements without the need for extensive alterations. Additionally, the two main characters are vividly and deeply portrayed in the original novel, which is advantageous for their inclusion in the musical. The combination of music, dance, and other elements further enhances their portrayal.(Li 2022)

2.Indigenous Music Creation

 Unlike the arias and large choral pieces commonly found in Western musicals, Chinese original musicals place greater emphasis on integrating national musical characteristics to cater to the aesthetic preferences of Chinese audiences. For example, in Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen, many songs incorporate traditional Chinese vocal styles. A prime example is the song "Linglong Tower," which Ning Caichen sings while being tempted by various ghosts to stay at the inn on his way to the capital. This song is based on the classic melody of the traditional Chinese folk art form, Xihe Dagu, a type of drum ballad from Northern China. The familiar melody, combined with catchy lyrics, depicts the life appearances of different social classes in the tower, making the content more profound.
 Moreover, in addition to the commonly used Western instruments such as the piano, cello, and violin, the use of traditional Chinese musical instruments is another important feature of Chinese original musicals. This musical features a significant incorporation of traditional instruments like the pipa, bamboo flute, and erhu. For instance, when Nie Xiaoqian recounts her tragic past, a mournful flute sound introduces the song, setting the emotional tone. During the musical climax, Western instruments are added to create a more layered and powerful performance, expressing Nie Xiaoqian's anger towards her fate. It is evident that traditional Chinese musical instruments contribute to the "indigenization" of the musical. Their unique craftsmanship, timbre, and playing techniques differ from those of Western instruments, creating a distinct musical color and adding a unique charm to the "indigenization" of the musical.

3.Indigenous Performance Style

 Western drama follows Aristotle's dramatic concept in his Poetics, "Epics, tragedies, comedies, dithyrambs, and most of the music of the aulos and the lyre - all these are imitations"， emphasizing the imitation of real life and real people, striving for artistic authenticity. Therefore, Western dramas often use elaborate stage settings to recreate realistic scenes. In contrast, Chinese original musicals adopt the Peking Opera principle of " the convergence of the virtual and the real," simplifying the stage settings and using the actors' movements and expressions to recreate the scenes. For example, during the song "Linglong Tower," the stage does not have a physical representation of each floor of the tower. Instead, the actors' movements of going up and down the stairs convey the existence of the tower. Another example is when Nie Xiaoqian appears as a ghost, which should visually create a sense of floating and duplication. To achieve this effect, three people dressed identically to Nie Xiaoqian move in sequence around her, creating the illusion of her ghostly, ethereal movement.（Li 2019,13）

Terms and Expressions musical 音乐剧 Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen 聂小倩与宁采臣 Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio 《聊斋志异》 imperial examinations 科举考试 the eighteenth hell 十八层地狱 Xihe Dagu 西河大鼓 Pipa 琵琶 bamboo flute 竹笛 erhu 二胡 Aristotle 亚里士多德 Poetics 《诗学》 the convergence of the virtual and the real 虚实结合

References [1] Ju Qihong. A Comprehensive History of Chinese Opera and Musical. Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House, January 2014. [2] Wu Minna. The Characterization of "Nie Xiaoqian" in the Original Musical "Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen" [D]. Shanghai Conservatory of Music, 2023. DOI: 10.27319/d.cnki.gsyyy.2023.000192. [3] Li Xiushu. The "Indigenous" Artistic Features of the Musical "Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen" [D]. Nanjing University of the Arts, 2022. DOI: 10.27250/d.cnki.gnjyc.2022. [4] Li Yi. "The 'Chinese Innovation' of the Original Musical 'Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen'" [J]. Northern Music, 2019, 39 (13): 94-95. [5] (Ancient Greece) by Aristotle; Translated by Luo Niansheng. Poetics. Beijing: People's Literature Publishing House, January 2002.

Questions : 1.When did Western musicals begin to be introduced to China? 2.What is the first truly original Chinese musical in China? 3.What kind of character image is Nie Xiaoqian ? What themes does her image reflect? 4.Which Chinese classical masterpiece is Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen adapted from? 5.In which aspects is the "indigenization" of Chinese original musicals reflected? Answer 1. The 1980s 2. Games in the Wilderness 3. Nie Xiaoqian is a realistic character. Before her death, she suffered from her father's abandonment, brutal sexual assault, iron shackles, and other painful torments. She is a microcosm of the misfortunes of all women in feudal society. However, at the same time, she is also a character full of idealism. This woman who has endured countless insults and damages in the human world should have just muddled along, but when facing her inner desires, she still chose to follow her heart, indicating that her spirit of resistance has not yet been extinguished. 4.Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio 5. Plot creation, music composition, performance style

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                                                   中国原创音乐剧：《聂小倩与宁采臣》
                                                             李祖熠

一．中国音乐剧发展介绍

   世界范围内的音乐剧诞生于上世纪 20 年代的英美国家，其中以美国百老汇和英国西区的作品最为兴盛。经过长期的发展，西方音乐剧已然成为一支集文化、娱乐和经济为一体的多元化产业大军。
   随着改革开放后中国对世界不断地开放与接轨，20世纪80年代，音乐剧开始真正进入到中国的视野中。从百老汇引入的音乐剧这种新的艺术形式丰富了人民的娱乐生活，受到了人们的欢迎，于是音乐市场开始重视音乐剧的引入，同时许多具有前瞻性目光的音乐人萌生了创作中文原创音乐剧的想法。在经过多方长期的摸索与实践后，直到1989年，《山野里的游戏》才标志着中国第一部真正意义上的原创音乐剧的诞生。音乐学家，批评家居其宏在其著作《中国歌剧音乐剧通史》写道：“凡是我国艺术家结合中国观众的审美情趣和文化市场消费需求而创作的音乐剧，都是“中国音乐剧”。(居 2014)

而近几年，音乐剧的发展尤为迅速，不仅是原创剧目的增多，剧场演出场次的增加，更表现于音乐剧人才培养的加强，音乐剧理论的研究的深入。同样音乐剧受众群体的覆盖范围越来越广，受众数量也是前所未有的，并且拥有更广泛的娱乐平台，综艺节目增加音乐剧曝光的机会。中国音乐剧整体上呈现出广阔的发现前景。（吴 2023） 二．剧情概述

  《聂小倩与宁采臣》取材于蒲松龄的经典名著《聊斋志异》，由著名剧作家关山和音乐家三宝联合创作，2014年在东莞进行首次演出，是中国原创音乐剧的代表剧目之一。

该剧演绎了一段凄美的人鬼爱情故事。自诩不贪财色，不怕鬼妖的书生宁采臣在进京赶考的路上遭到了女鬼们的拦截。鬼魅们轮番上阵勾魂，宁采臣都不为所动。第二晚，生前受到各种男人背叛与虐待而死的聂小倩再次找到宁采臣，以色，财，生为诱引，但宁采臣依然行止坦荡，聂小倩心生好感，两人饮酒对坐至天明，互生情愫。聂小倩萌生了与宁采臣共度一夜欢愉的想法，尽管代价是她要经过十八层地狱的刀山火海，永世不得超生，但聂小倩依然坚定自己的选择。一夜偷欢后的宁采臣寻找已去往地狱的小倩，却被告之需得自剑殉情才能与小倩团聚，对亡的恐惧和对生的眷恋最终使他扔掉了宝剑，最终只留聂小倩一人在地狱里遭受折磨。 三．主题思想 1.映射出了社会当中不同的人在实现人生理想时不同的精神意志。

 宁采臣这个角色凝结了剧作家关山对当下生活的深刻思考和辛辣嘲讽。他自诩是不贪财，不好色，不贪生的正人君子，却在聂小倩最需要自己时，败给了对死亡的恐惧，让聂小倩一人遭受十八层地狱的折磨。相较于前十二个背叛过聂小倩的男人，他其实才是带给聂小倩最深重的痛苦的那个人。在“唯利是图”的今天，人们都在谈理想，但到了真正要为理想而奉献和牺牲的时候，却都在计算代价。

2.封建社会女性的悲惨遭遇与反抗精神。

 聂小倩是一个写实的角色，她生前遭遇了父亲的抛弃，残酷的性侵，铁镣的束缚等等惨痛的折磨，然而这并不是个例，她是封建社会下所有女性不幸遭遇的一个缩影。纵使她努力挣扎也无法逃出男权社会下对女性的不公。但与此同时她又是个充满理想主义的角色，形象设置又让我们不至悲观绝望，这个在人间遭受了无数侮辱与损害的女人理应得过且过，但她在面对心中的渴望时依然选择了追随自己的内心，表明她内心的反抗精神依然尚未磨灭。

四．剧中体现的本土化特征 作为中国原创音乐剧的代表，《聂小倩与宁采臣》这部作品呈现出许多区别于西方音乐剧的本土化特征： 1.剧本创作的“本土化”

 该剧最显著的本土化特征就是取材于清代蒲松龄的小说《聊斋志异》中的卷三《聂小倩》。

首先，作为《聊斋志异》中的名篇，中国大部分的观众都熟知聂小倩与宁采臣之间的故事，为该剧提供了广泛的群众基础。而且近些年不乏有许多话剧、影视作品是对于同篇故事的改编，因该音乐 剧改编经典文学作品，可以减少观众由于不理解剧情、人物，对故事不认同影响观剧的 风险。而且该作品在影视作品中也不乏改编的作品。如今又以一种新的艺术形式进行改 编来展现，或是观众想与之前改编作品进行一个比较。这些因素无疑能吸引到很大一部分的观众。其次，原篇小说提供了丰富的故事情节与戏剧冲突，剧目可以保留原著小说中一些经典的故事情节，无需进行大幅度的情节调整删改。再而，原篇中两个人物形象刻画得十分深刻与生动，所以两个主人公添于音乐剧中，是十分有优势的，再加上音乐、舞蹈等其他元素与之相得益彰。（李 2022） 2.音乐创作的“本土化” 区别于西方音乐剧常见的咏叹调和大合唱，中国原创的音乐剧更加注重民族音乐特色的融合，以符合中国观众的审美习惯。如在《聂小倩与宁采臣》中，许多歌曲融合了大量民族的唱腔，最典型的唱段就是宁采臣在赶考路上众多鬼魅引诱他留宿在客栈时所唱的《玲珑塔》。该唱段取材于中国北方传统曲艺河西大鼓的经典旋律，观众熟悉的旋律配上朗朗上口的歌词，描绘了不同阶级的生活表象，使歌词内容更加深刻。 此外，除了西方音乐剧的常用乐器如钢琴，大提琴，小提琴等，中国民族乐器的使用也是中国原创音乐剧的重要特点。在这部音乐剧中就融入了大量传统乐器如琵琶，竹笛，二胡的使用。如聂小倩在诉说自己悲惨的身世时，就现由凄凉的笛声为引入，为歌曲奠定了感情基调，在音乐高潮时在加入西方乐器，使得演唱更有层次感，体现出聂小倩对命运的愤怒。由此可见，中国传统民族乐器也在为音乐剧的“本土化”添砖加瓦，而且因其制作工艺、音色、演奏技法的不同与西方呈现出了不同的音乐色彩，为“本土化”创造了独特魅力。 3.表演方式的“本土化” 西方戏剧遵循的是亚里士多德《诗学》的戏剧观念，“史诗和悲剧、喜剧和酒神颂以及大部分双管箫乐和竖琴乐——这一切实际上是模仿”，强调对真实生活和真实人物的模仿，是对艺术真实的追求，所以会最大程度地通过舞台背景地布置来还原真实的情景。而中国原创音乐剧则吸收了中国京剧”以虚写实”的表演法则，简化舞台的场景设置，通过演员的表演动作和神态来还原当时的场景。如《玲珑塔》这一唱段时候，舞台上并没有布置出每一层塔，而是通过演员上下楼梯的动作来表现出塔的存在。再如，聂小倩作为一个鬼出现时应该是飘忽不定的, 从视觉上来看应该是重影的效果, 于是聂小倩出现时同时会有三个与小倩衣着相同的人以小倩为原点依次移动, 形成鬼魅行动的飘逸形象。（李 2019，13）

词汇与表达 Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio 聊斋志异 musical 音乐剧 the eighteenth hell 十八层地狱 Xihe Dagu 河西大鼓 Pipa 琵琶 Bamboo flute 竹笛 erhu二胡 poetics 《诗学》 Aristotle 亚里士多德 the convergence of the virtual and the real 虚实结合

参考文献 [1] 居其宏 中国歌剧音乐剧通史 安徽文艺出版社 2014.1 [2]吴忞娜. 原创音乐剧《聂小倩与宁采臣》中“聂小倩”的人物塑造[D]. 上海音乐学院, 2023. DOI:10.27319/d.cnki.gsyyy.2023.000192. [3]李绣书. 音乐剧《聂小倩与宁采臣》的“本土化”艺术特征[D]. 南京艺术学院, 2022. DOI:10.27250/d.cnki.gnjyc.2022.000248. [4]李忆. 原创音乐剧《聂小倩与宁采臣》的“中国式创新” [J]. 北方音乐, 2019, 39 (13): 94-95. [5] （古希腊）亚理斯多德著；罗念生译. 诗学. 北京：人民文学出版社, 2002.01.

问题 1.西方音乐剧什么时候开始引入中国？ 2.中国第一部真正意义上的中文原创音乐剧是什么？ 3.聂小倩与是怎样的一个人物形象？她的形象体现了什么样的主旨？ 4.《聂小倩与宁采臣》取材于哪本中国古典名著？ 5.中国原创音乐剧的“本土化”体现在哪几个方面？ 答案 1. 20世纪80年代 2.《山野里的游戏》 3.聂小倩是一个写实的角色，她生前遭遇了父亲的抛弃，残酷的性侵，铁镣的束缚等等惨痛的折磨，她是封建社会下所有女性不幸遭遇的一个缩影。但与此同时她又是个充满理想主义的角色，这个在人间遭受了无数侮辱与损害的女人理应得过且过，但她在面对心中的渴望时依然选择了追随自己的内心，表明她内心的反抗精神依然尚未磨灭。 4.《聊斋志异》 5. 剧本创作，音乐创作，表演方式

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