- Xian Xinghai
Xian Xinghai (
June 13 ,1905 –October 30 ,1945 ) (Chinese: 冼星海;pinyin : Xiǎn Xīnghăi) was a Chinese composer. Although he composed in all the major musical forms (two symphonies, a violin concerto, four large scale choral works, nearly 300 songs and an opera), he is best known for his "Yellow River Cantata " upon which the "Yellow River Concerto " for piano and orchestra is based.Early life and education
Born in
Macau with ancestry fromPanyu ( _zh. 番禺;Pinyin : Pānyú) into a poor sailor family, Xian Xinghai started learning theclarinet in 1918 at theYMCA charity school attached to theLingnan University inGuangzhou (Canton). In 1926 he joined the National Music Institute atPeking University to study music and in 1928 he enteredShanghai National Music Conservatory to studyviolin andpiano .The same year he published his well-known essay "The Universal Music". In 1929 he went toParis under government sponsorship and two years later he was admitted to theParis Conservatory to study composition with bothVincent D'Indy andPaul Dukas . During this period he composed "Wind", "Song of a Wanderer", "Violin Sonata in D Minor", and other works.Musical career
Xian returned to
China in 1935. During theSino-Japanese War (1937-1945) he wrote vocal works that encouraged the people to fight the Japanese invaders, including "Saving the Nation", "Non-Resistance the Only Fear", "Song of Guerrillas", "The Roads Are Opened by Us", "The Vast Siberia", "Children of the Motherland", "Go to the Homefront of the Enemy", and "On the Taihang Mountains", among others. In 1938 he became dean of the Music Department atLu Xun Institute of Arts inYan'an . It is at this time that he composed the famous "Yellow River Cantata " and the "Production Cantata".In 1940 Xian went to the
Soviet Union to compose the score of the documentary film "Yan'an and the Eighth Route Army". Before departureMao Zedong invited him to dinner. In 1941 the German invasion of theSoviet Union disrupted his work and he attempted to return toChina by way ofXinjiang but the local anti-communist warlord,Sheng Shicai , blocked the way and he got stranded inAlma Ata ,Kazakhstan . It was here that he composed the symphonies "Liberation of the Nation" and "Sacred War", and the suites "Red All Over the River" and "Chinese Rhapsody" for winds and strings. He developed pulmonarytuberculosis due to overwork andmalnutrition . After the war, Xinghai went back toMoscow for medical treatment but could not be completely cured and died in October, 1945 in a hospital nearby theMoscow Kremlin at the age of 40.Legacy
Xian Xinghai composed over 300 works, published 35 papers, including "Nie Er--the Creator of New Chinese Music" and "On the National Styles of Chinese Music". His influence in Chinese music won him the title People's Composer.
During the
Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), when all the Western and some Chinese art was forbidden, the pianistYin Chengzong arranged theYellow River Cantata into a concerto for piano and orchestra, by the name ofYellow River Piano Concerto (1969).After
China opened its doors to the world in late 1970s, Yin planned the performance of the piano concerto. There was a debate whether some politically incorrect anthems likeThe East Is Red , which Yin interpolated into the concerto, should be removed. It was decided that the work itself was a cultural legacy of the time when it was created, the melodies reminding listeners of that period and creating a unique sense of history. Hence, the work remained intact as it was originally arranged.Beginning in the 1970s, the Yellow River Concerto has been heard in the West, often performed by Yin Chengzong himself.
Both the
Xinghai Conservatory of Music and theXinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou were named after Xian Xinghai.ee also
*
List of Macao-related topics
* [http://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E5%86%BC%E6%98%9F%E6%B5%B7&variant=zh-cn The Wikipedia Chinese entry of Xian Xinghai]External links
* [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000036AR Amazon.com] - Riccardo Caramella performs the "Yellow River Concerto" and other works.
* [http://www.russiandvd.com/store/person.asp?id=189288type=artist&media=2&orderby=0 ] at www.russiandvd.com - Riccardo Caramella performs the "Yellow River Piano Concerto"
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