A historical retrospective on the development of traditional vocal art in China

Abstract

As a genre and style, revolutionary opera is closely linked to traditional Chinese theatre, especially Peking Opera, and also draws on European musical art models. However, these aspects have not been thoroughly explored in art history, and a scientific and musicological analysis of revolutionary opera in the context of Chinese – European art interaction is lacking. This forms the basis for the relevance of this study. "Revolutionary exemplary performances" in the Cultural Revolution played a significant role in public opinion-building. Understanding their emergence as an outcome of art politicization and the content and genre-stylistic features of revolutionary opera, which is a result of the modernization of Peking Opera, are important research topics. Consideration of revolutionary opera as a historical phenomenon and an artistic phenomenon of contemporary Chinese musical culture is the purpose of writing this article.