The Art of Peking Opera: Chinese and European Operatic Traditions: Commonalities and Divergences

Author

Portia Nicole Davis

Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Theater and Film

First Advisor

Robert Riggs

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Peking opera is an art form that combines music, singing, dancing, acting, and acrobatics. The skill necessary for performance is shown through the vigorous training required of the actors that portray characters on stage. A study of Peking opera’s history allows a better understanding of the developments and changes that have occurred to make Peking opera what it is today. Peking opera’s costuming and makeup, stylized movements, and stage presence set it apart from other Chinese art forms and operas that one could see around the world today. One major development of Peking opera occurred during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). These works are called model operas. These operas use elements of Peking opera fused with elements from Western opera. One opera in particular. The Red Lantern, was one of the eight model operas. A study of what made this opera fitting for the pro-Communist ideals of the day allows audiences to appreciate the work more. Finally, a comparison of model opera to Italian opera from the nineteenth century shows that although these genres were two centuries apart, there are similarities and differences that link them together, aurally, visually, and psychologically. There are many similarities and differences between Western opera and Peking opera and. Western opera and model operas. What is necessary to know in order for audience members with an appreciation of Western opera to understand and appreciate both Peking opera and model operas? For a Western opera aficionado, it is easier to understand model operas because of their parallel ideals of realism and everyday settings and plots. It is more difficult to understand Peking opera because of the stylization

Recommended Citation

Davis, Portia Nicole, "The Art of Peking Opera: Chinese and European Operatic Traditions: Commonalities and Divergences" (2013). Honors Theses. 2197.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2197

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