At noon on March 14th, I received a message from a friend: "President Wu Zuqiang died of illness this morning. ”
Just a few words made my heart instantly become heavy.
In December 2019, the Chinese Musicians Association convened a meeting. At that time, I was sitting next to the famous pianist Professor Wu Ying, who said that his father, Dean Wu Zuqiang, had recently been in poor health and could not participate in concerts and social events. A few days ago, when I went to the Central Conservatory of Music to take the admissions exam, I heard a friend who had just visited Dean Wu say that the old man was now weak and very emaciated. At that time, I felt that It might be difficult for Dean Wu to fully recover, but I never expected to hear the bad news of his death so soon, and I really didn't want to believe that this was the truth!
President Wu Zuqiang is a famous composer, theorist, educator and social activist in mainland China, and a member of the Standing Committee of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. For us musicians, his name is even more thunderous.
In 1927, President Wu was born in a cultural family in Wujin, Jiangsu Province. His father, Mr. Wu Ying, was a famous archaeologist of cultural relics, good at calligraphy and painting, and was one of the founders of the Palace Museum. His elder brother Wu Zuguang is a master of literature and drama, and the famous dramas "Phoenix City", "Returning to people on a stormy night", the commentary drama "Flowers as a Medium", and the Peking Opera "Three Dozen Tao Three Springs" are all from his hands. The family is very knowledgeable and gives him the first life background of his life. In the subsequent growth, Dean Wu not only adhered to his father's artistic temperament and organizational skills, but also became a generation of "double bi" in the cultural and artistic circles together with his brother!
From a genius music teenager to a well-known music master at home and abroad, Dean Wu Zuqiang has dedicated his life to the development of modern Chinese music and music theory. He has been teaching in the Composition Department of the Central Conservatory of Music, teaching composition theory courses. In his teaching career of more than half a century, he systematically introduced the Western orchestral techniques he learned in the former Soviet Union into Chinese music teaching, and edited and published the theoretical textbook of composition techniques, "Composition And Analysis of Works", and other translations. These teaching materials have been passed down and used by generations of music students. Nowadays, the book "Composition and Composition Analysis" has been published in more than 100,000 copies in Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and has won the National Colleges and Universities Excellent Textbook Award.
In his lifetime, Dean Wu Zuqiang composed a large number of musical works in various genres and forms such as orchestral music, concertos, dance dramas, choruses, chamber music, solo pieces, etc., such as symphonic music painting "On the Land of the Motherland", oratorio "Fighting the Flood", dance drama "Fish Beauty" and "Red Detachment of Women" cooperated with Du Mingxin, and pipa and orchestra concerto "Little Sisters of the Grassland" cooperated with Liu Dehai. In addition, he adapted the famous traditional pieces "Erquan Yingyue" and "Listening to Song" into string ensembles, "Rivers and Rivers" into erhu and orchestra ensembles, and "Spring River Flower Moon Night" into pipa and orchestra concertos. These works created by Dean Wu Zuqiang express national emotions with Western orchestral techniques, and the perfect art form is unified with the deep ideological connotation, which has achieved the classic of stage art today and has also become an example in the teaching of mainland music colleges.
In 1979, Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa led the Boston Symphony Orchestra to visit China, and the concert specially selected "Erquan Yingyue" adapted by President Wu Zuqiang and the pipa concerto "Little Sisters of the Prairie" (with Liu Dehai and Wang Yanqiao). All of Ozawa's rehearsals and performances in Beijing, I studied carefully on the spot, and I felt a lot. Since then, I have learned more about the works of Dean Wu Zuqiang, so I admire him even more.
It is no exaggeration to say that President Wu Zuqiang's music creation has made outstanding contributions to the creation of Mainstream Chinese Music Culture and has made outstanding contributions to promoting the development of Chinese symphony.
As a master of the predecessors and the head of music, Dean Wu Zuqiang has always been helping newcomers and promoting the younger generations.
At the beginning of 1978, the backbone of the PLA Military Band was in short supply, and the orchestra's conducting talent was urgently needed. The regimental leader decided to select three members from among the many members to learn command. I was lucky enough to be one of them. The leaders of the regiment found Dean Wu Zuqiang, and with his enthusiastic help and introduction, we followed the best professional teachers of the Central Conservatory of Music as we wished, such as Professor Huang Feili, head of the Conducting Department, and Professor Li Yinghai and Liu Lin of the Composition Department.
In 1985, Wu Zuqiang, then the dean of the Central Conservatory of Music, learned that we, the backbone of the youth business who had been working for many years, were very eager to go to the school for systematic professional study, and then specially opened a special course for us. After the national unified examination, I was also fortunate to be admitted to the Conducting Department of the Central Conservatory of Music and studied with Professor Li Huade. Dean Wu Zuqiang cares deeply for our seminars and often attends our concerts and discussions. Three years of off-the-job study have benefited us a lot.
Most of the students in our specialized classes later became the backbone and leaders of various musical groups and art schools. Some of my classmates have become very famous musicians because of their outstanding artistic achievements. Such as Guan Mucun, Meng Weidong, Wu Yuxia and so on. Students still often lament that without the special care and help of President Wu Zuqiang in those years, how could we get to where we are today? I treasure my central conservatory of music diploma, which has the signature and seal of Dean Wu Zuqiang, I am proud to be a student of Dean Wu, and I will always be grateful to Dean Wu for the opportunity to learn at an important turning point in my becoming a music conductor.
△In 2006, he participated in the judges of the Second National Conducting Competition. (From right: Cao Peng, Han Zhongjie, Chen Yixin, Wu Zuqiang, Yu Hai)
President Wu Zuqiang is also very concerned about the operational construction of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Corps. When I was the head of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Military Band, I invited him to guide the work many times. He gave us a lot of good advice and paid special attention to the creation of our group. One year, when the whole troupe reported on its business, he was very appreciative after hearing the symphonic wind music "More Into the Wine" created by our composer Chen Qian with Chinese national tones. He said: "Chinese Western wind music should also be closely integrated with Chinese folk music. He encouraged us to create more symphonic wind works with Chinese characteristics for the country.
For decades, Dean Wu Zuqiang has been holding important positions in different positions, from the Central Conservatory of Music, the Chinese Musicians Association, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles to the Central Alternate Committee, he has always been a low-key person and does not put up a shelf.
In July 1994, as a young director, I attended the newly established meeting of the China Symphony Development Foundation. In the face of Zhou Weizhi, Wu Zuqiang, Li Delun, Han Zhongjie, Yan Liangkun, Lü Ji, Li Huanzhi and other senior masters, I carefully hid in the back row and did not dare to make a sound. Later, Professor Wu Zuqiang, who presided over the meeting, asked me to speak by name and praised me, which made me very moved.
In December 1999, the Fifth Council of the Chinese Musicians Association was held. I quietly used my camera to capture a few moments for President Wu Zuqiang in the speech. I hesitated for half a day before I nervously sent the photo to Dean Wu's room. Unexpectedly, he was as happy as a child, and he pointed to a photo of his side face and said, "So far, this is the most satisfying of all my photos." ”
His frankness and honesty made me relax, and suddenly narrowed the distance between the dean and the students, making me feel that the "high" Dean Wu was not only respectable but also more amiable.
In March 2008, I was honored to join President Wu Zuqiang as a member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. I took the initiative to report to him, and I said that the national anthem is the first song of the country and the first symbol of the national voice, but now our national anthem score is chaotic, and the phenomenon of blasphemy abounds. As a musician, as the conductor of the People's Liberation Army Military Band, which conducts the most national anthems, I would like to propose legislation for the national anthem. Dean Wu Zuqiang nodded after listening to it, and said modestly: "I don't have as much research on the national anthem as you, and I didn't think that I should propose legislation for the national anthem." You have done something very meaningful, and I strongly support it! "He didn't hesitate to sign his name on my proposal form. What I didn't expect was that as the honorary chairman of the Chinese Musicians Association and a music master at home and abroad, he was so humble and peaceful. Dean Wu's support for my proposal not only touched me very much, but also gave me a firmer determination.
△ 2008 "Legislation for the National Anthem of the People's Republic of China" co-sponsor signature page
President Wu Zuqiang is not only a music giant, but also a "fighter" with clear love and hatred.
In everyone's impression, President Wu Zuqiang is gentle and elegant, in fact, he is also a strong and upright person in his bones, and his concept of right and wrong is very clear. In dealing with the unhealthy social atmosphere, the problems existing in the music industry and the management of the conservatory, Dean Wu Zuqiang dared to speak out and express his opinions directly.
Dean Wu Zuqiang is also an elderly person with a sense of life, optimism and open-mindedness.
Once we were walking together on the way to the Great Hall of the People for a political conference. I joked, "Dean Wu you probably don't know it yet, do you?" We are relatives! Dean Wu Zuqiang's face was full of curiosity: "What? What's going on? I smiled and said, "Your sister-in-law, Teacher Xin Fengxia, recognized my wife as her dry daughter many years ago." Wu Huan (the son of Wu Zuguang and Xin Fengxia, a famous calligrapher and painter) was with me in a group of the CppcC National Committee, and he always called me my brother-in-law. Dean Wu Zuqiang laughed after listening to it: "This Xiao Huan will always be a pistachio!" ”
One day, I took a car to pick up President Wu Zuqiang for a meeting. In the car, I asked him: "You are in your 80s, you are not afraid to eat, sleep without insomnia, your body is not sick, do you walk and exercise every day?" Dean Wu Zuqiang shook his head: "I rarely walk!" I continued to ask, "You're so healthy, how did you get physically fit?" Unexpectedly, he smiled and said humorously: "My health secret is that I never exercise!" ”
More than ten years have passed, and in the end the years are still unforgiving! The red-faced, white-haired, healthy and wise Dean Wu Zuqiang fell in his 95th spring...
Today, President Wu Zuqiang can no longer see the green trees and flowers in the spring, and can no longer hear the birds singing and water droplets in the spring. However, in the spring when Dean Wu Zuqiang left us, his music also remained in the spring forever. He participated in the creation of "Fish Beauty", "Red Girl Scout Army", "Erquan Yingyue"... Never leave us, still pass it on from generation to generation!
On the morning of March 22, 2022, the warmth and spring were bright, and the square in front of the Orchid Hall of Babaoshan Funeral Home was crowded. In the music of "Two Springs Reflecting the Moon" adapted by President Wu Zuqiang, I slowly followed the crowd holding flowers and came to say a final farewell to President Wu Zuqiang with a feeling of gratitude and reluctance.
Dear Dean Wu Zuqiang, in my heart, you are also spring!
You brought the spring breeze, let me strengthen my confidence, not afraid of the wind and waves, sail away;
You brought the spring rain, which filled me with moisture, like a seed, rooted and sprouted;
You bring the sunshine of spring, warm my heart, and guide my direction!
Dear Dean Wu, we will always miss you!
Yu Hai
March 22, 2022
Author: Yu Hai (Member of the 11th and 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, National First-class Conductor, Former Leader and Music Director of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Military Band)
Edit: Huang Zhe
Review: Jiajia Zhou