A generation of music gurus - Huang Zi

Huang Zi is one of the backbones of China's early professional music development, and is also one of the most talented composers in China's early professional music creation, and he has made important contributions to China's early professional music education.

Main works: Orchestral music "Cityscape Fantasia", "Long Hate Song", "Anti-Enemy Song", "Flag Fluttering", song "918", "Flower Non-Flower", "Rose Three Wishes", "Blood"

Achievements: Created China's first symphonic work "Nostalgia"

Huang Zi is an outstanding music educator and famous composer in modern China, and he has made important contributions to China's music industry.

Huang Zizi Jinwu, born on March 23, 1904 in Chuansha County, Jiangsu Province, entered the Tsinghua School in Beijing in 1916 and became very interested in music. In 1921, he began to learn privately, and then learned harmony. In 1924, he studied psychology at Oberlin University, received a degree in literature in 1926, and for the next two years specialized in music at the School of Music of Oberlin University, studying theoretical composition. • In 1928, he transferred to the Yale University Conservatory of Music, and in 1929, he obtained a degree in musicology with the symphonic overture "Nostalgia". In June of the same year, he returned to China, first taught at the Shanghai Hujiang University Affiliated Middle School, and later taught part-time at the National "Music College", and in 1930 he became a professor and director of the National "Music College", and died of illness in Shanghai on May 9, 1938, when he was only 34 years old.

As a music educator, he devoted his life to cultivating new musical talents in our country. He has taught many courses in phonology and composition at the National Phonology College, including appreciation (music appreciation), music history, harmony, advanced harmony, harmonic analysis, keyboard harmony, single-positioning, multiple-alignment, fugue, formology, orchestration, song composition, and free composition. He worked diligently, day and night, studied hard, prepared lessons carefully, passed on his rich musical knowledge to students, and cultivated a group of talented composers and music theorists.

As a composer, Huang Zi has created many excellent works, and in the creation of choral songs and oratorios, he has shown his creative characteristics and achieved great achievements.

People who are familiar with Huang Zi say that his temperament is very kind. Yes, his appearance is extremely gentle, he always speaks in a pleasant, soft-spoken, polite manner, and even changes the student's homework with a deliberative tone: "It is good that you write like that, is it better to change it to this?" But this is not to say that Huang Zi has no anger. He is kind to friends and fierce to enemies. In 1931, "9/18," Japanese imperialism invaded China, arousing great anger among the Chinese people. In October of the same year, Huang Zi composed the chorus song "Song of Resistance against the Enemy" (Huang Zi and Wei Hanzhang), and at the same time composed "Song from the Army". These two leaders of the "music specialist" were concerned about the survival of the country, expressed the will of the people, and promptly and quickly issued a call for resistance against Japan, which has exemplary significance in the history of music, and this also belongs to the fine tradition of modern Chinese music. The artistic creation of "Song of Resistance" lies first of all in its majestic tone with the style of the times, which still sounds inspiring today. The second is to be good at using the division and echo of the voice parts to promote the development of music, form a strong climax, show a kind of hatred and hatred and the strong determination of "the masses to join forces to protect the country", sonorous and powerful, and the harmony is full and smooth, both distinct professionalism and a certain mass nature, which is quite rare.

China's first oratorio drama "Long Hate Song", composed between 1932 and 1933, Wei Hanzhang was based on Bai Juyi's long poem of the same name, describing the love tragedy of Emperor Tang Ming and Yang Guifei, a total of ten chapters, and Huang Zi composed seven chapters. This is an important work in the history of modern music in our country. The eighth chapter, "The Mountain in the Void", is a three-part chorus of female voices, based on the ancient song "Qingping Tune", which is beautiful and elegant, the orchestra only has string instruments and piano performance decomposition sounds, and the whole movement has a distinct national style and fine scene performance, which is an artistic treasure.

Huang Zi's lyrical songs are written very distinctively, and the theme and theme of the songs are very distinct. He is deeply involved in the feelings that the lyrics require, and his piano accompaniment is integrated with the singing, and the performance of the situation is quite complementary and played. Some accompaniments are themselves a piano piece.

Huang Zi was very cultivated in ancient poetry, and he wrote some poems from famous poets in ancient times. The three lyrical songs with the words of Wang Zhuo of the Song Dynasty," "Dian Dian Lip, Fu Deng Lou", "Nanxiangzi Dengjingkou Beiguting Youhuai" of the Song Dynasty, and Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty "Flowers Not Flowers" are all written with great characteristics. "Dotted Lips , Fu Deng Lou" was written in 1934, the melody is rich in the beauty of the line, it is like a ribbon, obscure and moderate, mainly bright, the feeling contains a bold momentum, the piano accompaniment is plump and magnificent, the scenery of "countless mountains, countless smoke waves" and the feelings of "leaving the wine in the spring" and "not letting the spring return" seem to be in the ten fingers. The composer created an emotional "Climbing the Stairs and Looking at the Spring Map" for us.

"Nanxiangzi Dengjingkou Beigu pavilion has a nostalgia", a vigorous and undulating tune, a piano accompaniment with dense chords, deeply contains the majestic momentum of "full of scenery in the North Gulou", "the endless Yangtze River rolling", and the sigh of "how many things have risen and fallen through the ages"; at the end of the song, the good wish of "having a son should be like Sun Zhongmou" is sung, because Sun Zhongmou sits in the southeast and protects the country and mountains. Huang Zi borrowed Xin's poems to express his feelings of concern for the rise and fall of the country.

"Flowers Not Flowers", the tune is very beautiful, the form is short, including the prelude, there are only 10 bars. It has left a very clear impression in people's minds, the tune rises and falls slowly, softly rises and falls, creating hazy colors and reflecting a hazy mood. When Master Wen Kezheng sang this song, the second time he sang it in half a voice, which was even more fascinating.

"Homesickness" (Wei Hanzhangzi), composed in 1932, touches the scene, the scene blends, the willow silk, the faint microwave, the sound of the crane, very naturally blends the protagonist's homesickness. The song is two segments before and after. The first passage from the image of the willow fluttering maintains the turbulent mood of the homesick. The second section uses a large gradual rise and fall of the song, and the piano accompaniment expands in reverse with continuous genus and hands, constantly strengthening the tension, and the homesickness of the homesickness is full of farewell and the eagerness to return home, which is quite moving. The piano accompaniment finally stops the right hand of the treble on the three notes, and does not lead the emotions to the far-reaching, which is quite aftertaste.

"Three Wishes of the Rose" (Dragon Seven Words), written in 1932, is One of Huang Zi's most famous lyrical songs. "Roses and roses, blooming under the blue railing", the tone of praise and exclamation, as well as its expansion and vividness, vividly portray the image of the rose's beautiful posture. The melody of the strong beat leaning tone, beautiful and elegant, which is the typical style of Huang Zi melody, also shows a feminine gentle character. "May the merciless storm that is jealous of me not blow!" I wish the amorous tourist who loves me not to climb! I wish that red face would not wither away!" This melody is very singing, the character is very prominent, it is full of emotion, full of good hope, it is moving. However, its technique is very concise, "one wish" is its theme; "two wishes" is a low-second imitation of "one wish"; "three wishes" is an extension of the three degrees on "one wish", and these melodies are truly thematic, not scattered, thus forming a distinct musical image. These three wishes are all for one purpose - "to teach me to keep Fanghua". The use of subtraction seven chords in the accompaniment carries a bleak emotional color. Borrowed from the image of a rose, the song reflects the desire of the good and the weak: to be free from the evil forces of society. This was a state of mind of a considerable part of society at that time, especially young women, so this song has a certain typical significance.

In the ten years since its production, "Three Wishes of the Rose" is one of the key pieces of the soprano Chinese textbook of the Vocal Department of the Conservatory of Music, which is quite beneficial for training the softness of the voice and the uniformity and length of the breath. It has a certain position in the history of the development of modern vocal music in China.

"Tianlun Song" (Zhong Shigen), composed in 1935, the theme song of the feature film "Tianlun". The first part is three paragraphs, writing about the pain of the orphan's life, more sighing short sentences, and the music is full of compassion. In the two paragraphs of the second part, one of them sings the humanitarian spirit of "the old man and the old man, the young man and the young man", and "sacrificing oneself for others without thinness"; the tune is catchy and the spirit is vibrant; the second sings the ideal of "datong fraternity, sharing the heavens", the music is solemn and grand, and indeed has the momentum of "the vast rivers and mist and white clouds, and the solemn universe exists for eternity." Confucius's ideal of fraternity and love, Mencius's spirit of "the old and the old, the young and the young and the young" are clearly and intensively expressed in music, which is an ideological value and artistic value of "Tianlun Song".

Sensitive and studious and loves music

Huang Zi was born on March 23, 1904 in Chuansha County, Jiangsu Province (now part of Shanghai. His family is considered a scholar, and his ancestors are all readers. After the Xinhai Revolution, his father served as vice chairman of the council and director of the Traffic Bureau of Chuansha County, and his mother was the founder of the Kaiqun Girls' School in Chuansha County. Since childhood, Huang has been educated by patriotic and progressive ideas and traditional culture, and he loves literature and reads ancient poetry. He liked to sing since he was a child, and his father foresaw the interest and future of his children, bought a few albums from outside, and his mother taught him to sing. In 1911, the 7-year-old Huang Zi began to attend primary school, and he was intelligent and willing to use his brain, and his grades in the class were always among the best.

After attending elementary school, Huang Zi came to Beijing Tsinghua School in 1916 to study. Huang Zi met many learned teachers here, and he also benefited a lot from them. At this time, he loved music, joined the school Scout flute and drum team, and soon after, he played the clarinet in the school orchestra and played the tenor in the choir. Later, he looked for teachers in his spare time to learn and sound. For this part-time study, Huang Zi worked very hard, and reading music books often reached the point of sleeping and forgetting to eat. 1924: Huang Zi, who had only been learning piano for a year, took the stage to perform Padlevsky's "C major" and Chaminad's "Fairy in the Forest" at a concert at the Beijing YMCA Auditorium

Huang Zi's love of music almost reached the point of fascination, which reached his father's ears, and his father, worried that he had mistaken his business, immediately wrote to Huang Zi's cousin in Beijing to ask him to persuade him more. Of course, Huang Zi will not give up his interests and hobbies halfway through, and he wrote a letter to his cousin to talk about his ideas and understanding of music, which reassured parents. It can be seen that Huang Zi in middle school has a deep love for music, and he has complete confidence in his lifelong career in music.

China's first symphonic work

In 1924, Huang Zi graduated from Tsinghua University with excellent academic results and was allowed to study in the United States at official expenses. Although Huang was complacent about studying music, he did not have a place to study music at that time, so he chose psychology as the main subject and came to Oberlin University in Ohio, USA. Two years later, Huang graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology. At this time, his study abroad period was not yet complete, and he could continue his studies at official expenses, and he was overjoyed and chose theoretical composition and piano as new majors in the Department of Music, realizing his long-awaited wish. Huang Elan eagerly learned music and improved very quickly. While studying music, he met a professional Chinese female student named Hu Yongfu. Gradually, they developed a love affair between them and made a hundred-year relationship. Unfortunately, after Hu Yongfu returned to China the following year, he suddenly suffered a heart attack and died for a long time. Huang Zi learned the bad news and was devastated. After being mentally devastated, he wrote the orchestral overture "Nostalgia" to pour out his grief.

In 1928, Huang transferred to the Yale Conservatory of Music and graduated the following year. At the graduation concert, Dean David Stanley personally conducted, and the Yale School of Music and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra performed Huang Zi's orchestral overture "Nostalgia". After the performance, the work received high praise from the music industry, praising this talented symphonic work and marveling at the young Chinese musical genius. Huang Zi not only received a bachelor's degree in music, but also received a bonus for an academic trip to Europe.

In 1929, Huang Zi returned to his homeland.

For the music career of the motherland

In the second year after returning to China, Huang Zi was hired by Xiao Youmei, president of Shanghai National Conservatory of Music, to serve as a professor and director of academic affairs. In 1930, when the National Music College was still in the founding stage, many difficulties arose due to the small funds, the simple school buildings, and the lack of teachers. Huang Zi personally teaches the course as a teacher. The teaching work of the music specialization accounted for almost all of Huang Zi's time and energy, but Huang Zi understood that the development of a country's music industry is far from enough to rely on music schools alone, and it is also necessary to improve the music level of the public. Therefore, he often takes time out of his busy schedule to do social music education work. In 1933, he, Zhang Yuzhen and Wei Jingzhang compiled a set of textbooks for the music teaching of middle schools, "Fuxing Junior High School Music". In 1935, he regularly wrote music appreciation radio transcripts for the station. In addition, he often writes for newspapers and periodicals.

Soon, the "918" incident broke out, and the japanese imperialist aggression aroused the anger of the people of the whole country, who rose up one after another to support the Northeast Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army. In December, Huang Zi personally led the students to publicize the anti-Japanese resistance, carrying bamboo tubes and going door to door to collect donations. At the end of the day, the students were tired of running, but Huang Zi walked in front of him with great energy. This year, he wrote the famous anti-Japanese song "Anti-Enemy Song". The Japanese invading army continued to penetrate deep into the interior and provoked in Shanghai, and the Kuomintang Nineteenth Route Army stationed in Shanghai bravely resisted, so the "1.28" Songhu War of Resistance broke out. At the critical moment of the survival of the nation, Huang Zi used songs as weapons of struggle to join the ranks of the War of Resistance.

In this way, "Homesickness", "Rose Three Wishes", "Nanxiangzi", a first work has come out. From Huang Zi's works, we can see the combination of traditional folk music and Western composition techniques, which is undoubtedly his exploration of the nation. In 1934, Huang Zi's Shanghai Morning Post published an article entitled "How to Produce National Music in Our Country". He said: "Moving Western music in its entirety and sticking to the rules and regulations are suicide policies. Because of the first method, we can at best be on the same level as Western music, and we may not be able to do it, because soon they themselves will have to change into a new look. At that time, we followed suit in the back, and I am afraid it would be very difficult to follow. As for self-seclusion, only somersaults in the old music, then our ancestors have had enough in the past 1200 years, and I am afraid that I will not be able to turn over the palm of the Buddha's hand like Sun Wukong. What we want now is the method of learning Western music, and using this method to study and sort out the music and folk songs in our country, then it will not be difficult for us to produce new national music. ”

After the "August 13" incident, Shanghai was reduced to an isolated island, and Japanese agents frantically persecuted patriots in Shanghai. It is said that Huang Zi was also in danger of being arrested because he had written "Anti-Enemy Song". Some friends in the left-wing cultural circles asked Huang Zi to join the anti-war music work after the Great Congress. When he was about to leave, he suddenly fell ill with typhoid fever and was admitted to the hospital. After a period of treatment, the condition improved slightly, but by the night of May 8, the condition deteriorated, and Huang Zi knew that his condition was very critical, and said to his wife: "You ask the doctor to come quickly, I can't die here, I still have half of the music history to write." "At dawn, the condition worsened further. In the early morning of the 9th, Mr. Chen Hong, a music specialist, came with students to give Huang Zi a blood transfusion, but it was too late. At 7:30 a.m., Mr. Huang Zi passed away at the age of 34.

As the years passed, China's music industry flourished after the founding of New China. The music industry is full of talents, some of them are Huang Zi's students, some of them are Huang Zi's students. The unfinished business of a generation of Grandmaster Mr. Huang Zi is being pushed forward by the younger generations.