In Tibetan, Tsetan Dolma means "longevity fairy".
From the daughter of the serf to the people's artist; from the age of 19 to the age of 84,
Tsetan Dolma once sang on a grand stage, and also sang for ordinary people at border posts, coal mines, and wards.
At the recently concluded 37th Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, she sang "Sing a Mountain Song to the Party" again, which made many people wet their eyes.
Her love for the party, for the country, for the audience, through time, like a wordless song, is long and deep.
On May 9, at 7:30 p.m., Tseten Dolma appeared on time in the rehearsal hall of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. For the closing ceremony of the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival the next day, she rehearsed "Singing Mountain Songs to the Party" with singer Fang Qiong.
Although she has been singing this song for more than fifty years, she still rhythms the band over and over again. Conductor Zhang Guoyong sighed: Teacher Caidan, your voice has not changed at all.
After the rehearsal, Tseten Dolma accepted an exclusive interview with reporters before he had time to eat dinner.
Tse-dan Dolma at the rehearsal site Jiang Diwen photographed
You must have it in your heart before you can have it in your mouth
Shangguan: Since 1958, you have studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music for more than 6 years, what places in the city are particularly memorable to you?
Tsetan Dolma: First of all, my alma mater, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, has left me with many memories. There is another place that impressed me deeply, and that is Pudong. When I was studying in Shangyin, I had to go to the countryside to work regularly, and I remember that the school organized us to take a wooden boat and cross the Huangpu River, which is a large area of farmland. Many years later, I went to Pudong again, and when I saw those high-rise buildings, it was really hard to imagine that this was where I used to work.
Shangguan: Sangtian, your feelings for Shanghai have always remained unchanged.
Tsetan Dolma: Yes, Shanghai is my second hometown. When I first came to Shanghai to study, I couldn't speak Mandarin well, and I couldn't even understand what others asked me, "Have you eaten?" Plus I'm not very accustomed to the climate here and often catch colds. My teacher, Professor Wang Pinsu, accompanied me to the hospital to see a doctor, and it was inconvenient to boil medicine in the school, so she boiled Chinese medicine at her home and brought it to school for me. When it was cold, she took the cotton clothes and shoes from her family to the school for a few Tibetan classmates to wear. For the New Year's Festival, she would invite us to her house. I will never forget her kindness in my life.
Shangguan: You were Professor Wang Pinsu's first Tibetan student, and at that time she couldn't understand Tibetan, and your Mandarin was not good.
Tsetan Dolma: I really didn't expect that Teacher Wang would learn Tibetan from me. She said that ethnic vocal music and language vocalization are closely related, and after learning Tibetan, I knew how to teach me to sing Tibetan well. She often asked me to go to her house to give me extra lessons, let me sing Tibetan folk songs to her, she wrote down the score, and then corrected my problem from the sound. I never knew what it was to practice my voice before, and I shouted when I opened my throat on the grassland, and Teacher Wang invented a special method in order to practice my voice. She asked me to use a certain sentence of a Tibetan folk song to open my voice, and then slowly use general vocal exercises to increase the flexibility and elasticity of my voice. I remember she made up the Tibetan words "the sun is out" and "the moon is out" for me to sing, and as soon as I sang it, I felt like I was back in the grassland.
In addition to Tibetan folk songs, she also let me learn northern Shaanxi folk songs, Shandong folk songs, Jiangsu folk songs, etc., and she always encouraged me not to lose the characteristics of ethnic singing. She would also make up some songs into stories to tell me, telling me that singing should have feelings, not only pursue sound, but first have it in the heart, before it can be mouthed.
Tsetan Dolma and Professor Wang Pinsu (second from left)
Shangguan: You were born in Shigatse, Tibet, how did you come to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to study?
Tsetan Dolma: My grandfather and father were serfs, and my family was very poor. My father loved Tibetan opera, and when he took me to herd sheep and cattle, he would often sing a few paragraphs. In the past, only the children of serf owners could go to school, and it was impossible for children of families like ours to receive an education. I was the youngest of the three sisters in the family, and like everyone else, I thought our lives were probably like this.
Shangguan: Since when did you realize that your destiny could be changed?
Tsetan Dolma: In 1951, tibet was peacefully liberated, and the People's Liberation Army came to Shigatse, and I saw the people of the army's cultural and labor troupe singing and dancing, and I was particularly envious. So I joined a youth organization under the leadership of the Party, like our local female artist Poor Buzhen to learn to sing folk songs. In 1956, when I went to Lhasa to attend the First Tibetan Youth Congress, I didn't even have a costume, I wore a borrowed herdsman costume, and sang a song "Dedicated to Chairman Mao" on stage. Everyone listened and said I had a good voice. After the meeting, I joined a Tibetan youth delegation to visit all parts of the country. I was not yet 20 years old at the time, and I had never left my hometown, and on that occasion I actually visited more than a dozen provinces and cities across the country, and finally went to Beijing and was received by Chairman Mao.
The day I got home, my family barely recognized me. Because when I left, I was very thin and my clothes were very old, and when I came home wearing the brand new clothes that my father had made for me, people also became cheerful. My mom grabbed me and cried happily. My parents used to think that how a little girl could run out and sing and dance, and my little sisters, who were about the same age as me, were all married early. But from then on, no matter what event I went to, they said with confidence, you go.
Soon after, I went to work in the Xigaze Cultural and Labor Troupe, and was sent to Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, to study at the "Tibet Public School" there. Having been uneducated since I was a child, I finally walked into the classroom. At the end of 1958, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music came to enroll, and I was fortunate to enter the ethnic class of the Vocal Music Department of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Tsetan Dolma, 19, sang at the first Tibetan Youth Congress
"For my song, you also want to live in the world"
Shangguan: Not long after studying in the Shangyin Ethnic Class, you sang a song "Turning Over the Serfs and Singing". This is one of your earliest famous songs?
Tsetan Dolma: Around 1959, Li Kun, the choreographer of the documentary "Tibet Today", co-wrote a theme song "Turning Over the Serfs and Singing" in collaboration with composer Yan Fei. They needed a Tibetan singer to sing, and when they heard that I was studying at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, they came to the school to find me. At that time, I didn't speak Chinese well, and I didn't have the confidence to sing this song well, so Teacher Wang Pinsu told me: You sing boldly, and I will teach you sentence by sentence. On the day of the official recording, I had only one thought in my mind: the daughter who turned into a serf should thank the party. "The snowy mountains are shining silver, and the Brahmaputra River is turning into waves." Dispel the dark clouds and see the sun... Turn over the serfs to sing. "I sang it from the heart.
Shangguan: The first time you heard "Singing a Mountain Song to the Party" was on the school radio?
Tse-dan Dolma: I was walking back to the classroom from the canteen that day, holding a lunch box in my hand, and when I heard this song sung by Teacher Ren Guizhen, I stopped unconsciously. "Sing a mountain song to the party, I bring the party to the mother. My mother only gave birth to my body, and the glory of the party shone on my heart..." Isn't this song what I want to say in my heart, I really want to sing it." So I went to Ask Teacher Wang to teach me. Teacher Wang asked me why I wanted to sing this song, and I said, "The whip of the old society whips me out", although I don't have it on me, I have personally seen Tibetan farmers and herdsmen being whipped. After the Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army came, my fate was changed, the fate of many Tibetan compatriots was changed, and I wanted to sing my love and gratitude to them.
I remember that when I first learned, there were some tail notes in the lyrics that I couldn't bite accurately, such as the word "heart", there was no such pronunciation in Tibetan, and Teacher Wang helped me pronounce it word by word. At the recommendation of Teacher Wang, I sang to the composer Zhu Jian'er, who said that I sang well.
Shangguan: Remember the first time you officially sang this song?
Tsetan Dolma: The first time I sang it was during a debriefing performance at the school. At that time, I was very nervous, and Teacher Wang was also a little nervous. When I sang "I compare the party to my mother", I completely forgot that I was performing, and the tears unconsciously flowed all over my face, and this song touched the teachers and classmates on the scene. The show was then selected for the 1963 "Shanghai Spring".
Because of this song, a lot of people know me. Teacher Wang is very calm, she reminded me: you have no reason to be proud, honor is given by the audience, if you do not sing for the audience, do not work harder, you are sorry for the audience's love for you.
Shangguan: 1963 was an important year for you, when you sang an episode from the movie "Serf", a very touching song called "Brother, Why Do You Say (a Wordless Song)". How did you get involved with the song?
Tsetan Dolma: I still remember the scene of recording that song. On that day, the recording studio of the Bayi Film Studio was very lively, and when Teacher Feng Guangtao raised his baton, the audience was silent. "For my song, you also have to live in the world..." This is the song that Rando sings for the serf Jamba in the film. When I sang this sentence, I somehow choked up, and the tears couldn't help but flow. The conductor said, do it again. The recording engineer said: Such feelings are really rare, and I am confident that I can synthesize it well. Later, the song became one of my repertoire.
In 2021, Tsetan Dolma won the "Special Honor Award" of Shanghai Spring International Music Festival
Flowers on the plateau should take root on the plateau
Shangguan: In 1964, when you received an invitation to beijing to participate in the large-scale musical and dance epic "Dongfang Hong", how did you feel?
Tsetan Dolma: I was very excited. I sang "The Glory of Chairman Mao" in "A Million Serfs Stand Up." After the performance of "Dongfang Hong", Chairman Mao received the actor's representative, and I sat behind his old man's house. At that time, Premier Zhou saw me and told Chairman Mao that I was the Tibetan girl who had just sung "A Million Serfs Stand Up." Chairman Mao turned around, smiled and greeted me, then put his hand to me, and I was so excited that I didn't know what to do. The chairman shook my hand and told me that I wanted to sing well and contribute more to the Tibetan people, and I was so excited that I could not speak. Later, all the actors rushed to shake my hand.
With the screening of "Dongfang Hong" across the country, many people are familiar with the song. At that time, I received letters from audiences from all over the world, telling me how I felt after listening to the song. I remember a border guard soldier who said in a letter that after listening to this song, it felt like I had tasted a steaming bowl of butter tea, and my body was warm and melting.
Shangguan: Premier Zhou has always been very concerned about your singing career. I heard that you once went to Premier Zhou's house with Teacher Wang Pinsu?
Caidan Dolma: Teacher Wang Pinsu was once a subordinate of Deng Yingchao, in the early 1940s, through Deng Yingchao's arrangement, she engaged in underground party work while studying vocal music, and studied bel canto with singer Si Yigui, and after the founding of New China, she went to work at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
In 1964, Teacher Wang went to Beijing on a business trip, and he wanted to see Premier Zhou and Deng Yingchao, whom he had not seen for many years. After Teacher Wang told Deng Yingchao's eldest sister, she said that she welcomed me to go with her. The next afternoon, we came to the residence of Premier Zhou of Zhongnanhai, and I remember that their home was very simple and simple. Teacher Wang and Sister Deng talked about many past events, and when they spoke, they shed tears, and Sister Deng's eye circles were also a little red. Sister Deng took my hand and said, "You know, we are tears of joy!"
When the lights were on, Premier Zhou came in from outside, dressed in a dark gray Zhongshan suit, and shook hands with us cordially. Premier Zhou asked Teacher Wang if he was married and had children. Then he asked me about my situation and asked if my job was fixed after graduation, and I told Premier Zhou that the Tibet Song and Dance Troupe wanted me to go back, and that the unit wanted to leave me in Beijing. Premier Zhou smiled and said, "Shouldn't you take root on the plateau?" Sister Deng and Teacher Wang also said that Tse-dan should go back to Tibet. I told Premier Zhou that I would definitely go back to Tibet to work and sing for the rest of my life for the serfs. The prime minister was very happy to hear this, and said yes in a loud voice.
Tsetan Dolma sang for coal miners
Emotions in art do not need to be translated
Shangguan: After returning to your hometown, your stage is wider, but sometimes the performance conditions are also very difficult, do you have a moment of regret?
Tsetan Dolma: Never regretted it. I returned to my hometown in 1965, and after many years of separation, Tibet has changed so much that I would like to go to various places to see it. After the debriefing performance in Lhasa, my first stop was to Chamdo, where we took a big truck over Mount Mira, which is more than 5,000 meters above sea level, along a river, into the forest. As soon as I arrived at the station, I sang 7 songs for the border guards in one breath, and seeing that everyone loved literature and art so much, I decided to sing for the people all my life.
Shangguan: You have been to many border posts to sing for the people's children and soldiers, what are some of your unforgettable experiences?
Tsetan Dolma: Once I went to a border post in the southwest border to give a condolence performance. The post was set up halfway up the hill, there were only three sentries in all, and there was a small platform in front of the post, and that small platform was a big stage for me.
Another time, when the snow closed the mountain, the actors and I could not go to the front-line post of the border defense according to the original plan, so I sang for the soldiers on the phone. Without a microphone, I felt comfortable.
It wasn't the only time I sang on the phone. When I first returned to Tibet, I used a hand-cranked telephone to make a call, which had to be transferred by an operator. Once the operator heard my voice and first asked me if I was in a hurry, and I said, "Just take a long distance to say hello to the teacher in Shanghai." The operator said to me that "Sing a Mountain Song to the Party" was so good, but she had never seen my performance on the spot, could you please ask me to sing for her, so I sang a passage into the microphone.
Shangguan: Since 1974, you have successively served as deputy director of the Tibet Autonomous Region Cultural Bureau, vice chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region CPPCC Committee, and vice chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Why do you still keep going to hospitals, outposts, coal mines... Singing for ordinary people?
Tsetan Dolma: Everyone wants to hear me sing, and this is a reward for me. Once, when we went to The Tibetan Pali to perform, the township we went to was in a big wind outlet. It was windy season, and the audience waited early in the barley field, and everyone regarded listening to our singing as a festival. Dressed in festive costumes and carrying barley wine, some of them crossed the mountains and some rode across the river. I was so moved that I sang three songs almost with one eye open and one eye closed, and when I finished singing, my mouth was full of sand. The faces of the audience were also thick with a thick layer of sand, but everyone laughed.
One year, I went to the Qamdo Mazara Coal Mine, more than 4,000 meters above sea level, to sing for the workers. Between performances, we saw that the local villagers were busy with the autumn harvest, so we went to the field with everyone to work, and the locals called us "yaks". I mingled with the peasants during the day and went to the homes of the common people at night, listening to their family history and folk songs around the fire, which was particularly happy.
Shangguan: There was no such thing as a "fan" in those days, but your "fans" were very loyal and sincere.
Tsetan Dolma: Yeah. Once when I went to Gansu to perform, a grassroots cadre excitedly said to me: "I want to thank you, your song saved my life!" "It turned out that many years ago, when he was locked up in a cowshed, he almost wanted to end his life. At that time, I sang on the radio, "For my song, you will also live in the world." He told me that it was the song that recalled his desire for life. I was so touched that I sang the song again for him.
I have traveled almost all over the Tibetan plateau, traveled all over the country, and visited dozens of countries and regions. No matter where I went, there was always someone in the audience who could sing along with me, and the emotions contained in the art did not need to be translated.
Caidan Dolma was interviewed by reporters jiang Diwen
Don't forget to sing for whom and why
Shangguan: In recent years, you have been active on the stage, and your singing voice is still young. How did you stay that way?
Tsetan Dolma: Singing not only with the voice, but also with the body, with the mind, the body is the instrument of our singers. So, I think it's important to stay in good physical condition.
Scientific vocal practice is a lifelong lesson for singers, and I am very grateful to Mr. Wang Pinsu for laying the foundation for me in those years, so that I can not only maintain the singing characteristics of Tibetan folk songs, but also play the best state through scientific training and practice good sound quality.
Shangguan: The singing of national songs should maintain the characteristics of various ethnic groups, and should not be "a thousand voices".
Tsetan Dolma: Right. Folk songs are the roots of a nation and represent the soul of a nation. The reason why the classic folk songs are unforgettable is because these songs sing the words in everyone's hearts and reflect the unique characteristics of each nation. For singers, only those who are deeply rooted in the people, rooted in the soil of national language and culture and art, can they sing the voice of the people. Once it leaves the soil of national art, the songs sung will change their flavor.
I was one of the first students of ethnic vocal music in Shangyinology. A few years ago, I returned to my alma mater and was very happy to see that the ethnic vocal music major had trained so many young people and had such a high level. More and more people sincerely hope to attach importance to national music and national culture.
Shangguan: You have sung "A Mother's Daughter" in many performances, what kind of feelings do you have for this song?
Tsetan Dolma: "The sun and the moon, the daughter of a mother... Tibetan and Han Chinese, the daughter of a mother. "Without the Communist Party, there would be no Tibet today. Over the years, different styles of folk art and folk culture in Tibet have been well protected and developed. As long as I can still sing, I hope that more people can understand Tibet today through my singing.
Shangguan: In 2008, more than 40 years after the publication of "Singing Mountain Songs to the Party", you sang "Sing Mountain Songs to the Party Again" with Tibetan female singer Solang Wangmu. Over the years, you have often shared the stage with young singers, and you have also set up the "Tsetan Dolma Art Fund" to encourage new artists to write new works. What would you like to say about young people?
Tsetan Dolma: When I was young, singing was like instinct, as natural as eating and sleeping, and I never thought about what singing for. After I went to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1958 to study, I knew what singing really was, why I sang it, how I sang it, and to whom I sang it.
At that time, Teacher Wang Pinsu told me that singing is to serve the people and dedicate to the motherland. I remember that she took me to see the movie "Nie Er", which made me understand how music and art inspire Chinese people to move forward together.
For today's young artists, they must not only maintain their own background, keep their own characteristics, but also do not forget who I am singing for and why.
Column Editor-in-Chief: Gong Danyun Text Editor: Chen Junjun Title Image Source: Jiang Diwen, reporter of this newspaper
Source: Author: Chen Junjun