Comparative Analysis of the Differences in Aria Melodies at Different Stages of Chinese National Operas

Abstract

Since the New Culture Movement, Chinese national opera has been developed by generations of composers, giving birth to a large number of excellent operatic works. Chinese national opera, based on traditional Chinese musical elements, and at the same time borrowing the advanced Western experience in opera composition and creative techniques, is deeply loved by the Chinese public. Adopting the methodological framework of comparative study, this thesis selects six operas from three different stages of Chinese national opera, and chooses representative vocal excerpts with rich musicality for research. Based on the analysis of the existing literature and the musicality of the pieces, this thesis aims to comprehensively illustrate the differences of the chant melodies in the Chinese folk opera works of different stages from different levels and dimensions (e.g., melodic ranges, modal tonalities, musical elements, rhythms, etc.), so as to provide methodological frameworks and conclusions for more in-depth studies by scholars in the future.