"The best cooperative friend in this life" is gone, those bits and pieces of getting along day and night, these two days are like movie pictures that always appear in front of Gu Jianfen's eyes: listening to the elder sister encouraging herself to "write well", sitting on the edge of the bed and reading her words, she shouted behind my ear on the phone... These pictures, as if they happened yesterday, are now in the past and will never be seen again...
Wang Jian, a famous Chinese female lyricist, died of illness on July 30 at the age of 93.
Wang Jian has collaborated with composer Gu Jianfen to compose classic songs such as "Green Leaves to Roots" and "Singing and Smiling", and composed 10 interludes and ending songs such as "The Sky of History" for the TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
On August 1, 86-year-old Gu Jianfen was interviewed by a Beiqing-Beijing headline reporter, telling her about her cooperation with her old partner and elder sister Wang Jian.
For Gu Jianfen, Wang Jian's death means that she has lost "the best cooperative friend in this life." After Wang Jian's death, Gu Jianfen began to sort out the works of the two and some precious materials in the process of cooperation, which may be collected into a book in the future, which should be the best memorial to the old friend.
Half a year ago, his physical condition was acceptable, but he still worked hard in his later years
For Gu Jianfen, Wang Jian must be her "best cooperative friend in this life".
Gu Jianfen said that Wang Jian's ears were behind her back, she couldn't hear the phone call, and every time she had to meet and talk, it was usually Gu Jianfen who went to find Wang Jian. "Later I told her that if we didn't see each other, we would write letters to each other."
Half a year ago, Gu Jianfen went to visit Wang Jian, when Wang Jian lived in a nursing home, where the conditions were good in all aspects, and there was a hall on the floor where she lived, and the old people chatted there in groups of three or five, but Wang Jian did not want to go.
"I said don't you look for friends here, and she said: I don't look for them, I don't talk to them. She stayed in the house all day, thinking about her own business, writing her things, and she felt that she had nothing to say to others, so she lived alone. She talked a lot and talked very well when she talked to me. I said that there are still sour, sweet and bitter things in life now, they can all be talked about, don't be alone in the house every day, don't go out, there are so many people in the building. She said I didn't know anyone, didn't want to know, and they didn't know me. She's that character. ”
Gu Jianfen said that when she met Wang Jian, she felt that she was in good health. Until a few days ago, I thought about going to see her again, but I didn't expect to suddenly receive the news of Wang Jian's death on the morning of July 31, which was somewhat unexpected, and I felt more sad and sorry, but I heard my friend say that Wang Jian walked very peacefully, and my heart felt better.
"For me, I lost one of the best working friends of my life." Gu Jianfen said that she wanted to send Wang Jian on her last journey, but her family did not agree and worried that she would be uncomfortable.
Gu Jianfen has begun to sort out the works of cooperation with Wang Jian, some precious materials in the process of cooperation, and may publish a book in the future, which should be the best memorial to old friends.
The lyrics fill a bed, and anonymity can't stop the collaboration
Gu Jianfen said that when the two work together, it is usually in Wang Jian's home. Wang Jian has two beds in his home, one bed to sleep, and the other bed, there are essays, diaries and words written in various books that Wang Jian usually writes, and each time Wang Jian will invite Gu Jianfen to sit on the edge of the bed and look through these words she wrote, and then Gu Jianfen will pick out some of them to compose music. The works that the two collaborated on, except for "Performing Arts of the Three Kingdoms", were basically selected from Wang Jian's "words lying on the bed", including "The Affection of Green Leaves for Roots".
In the autumn of 1986, Wang Jian, feeling the life experiences of many overseas chinese and foreign Chinese, created a poetic diary, which is the lyrics of "Green Leaves on Roots". After Gu Jianfen composed the music, "Green Leaves to Roots" was auditioned for the first time at the Songwriting Salon in Huairou, Beijing. In June 1987, Liu Huan sang for the first time in a concert of Gu Jianfen's works. In December of the same year, Mao Amin sang the song at the 4th Belgrade International Pop Music Festival Song Competition in Yugoslavia, and won three awards for singing, audience selection and composition, making the song the first work of Chinese pop music to win the Creation and Singing Award in the International Competition.
In 1986, Wang Jian received a letter from the Organizing Committee of the Shanghai International Friendship Cities Television Festival, asking for four to six lyrics. Wang Jian quickly wrote out a short lyric, and sent a telegram to the organizing committee on the same day. A few days later, Wang Jian visited Gu Jianfen's house and found that she had already composed a song for "Singing and Smiling".
Gu Jianfen said that she received several unsigned lyrics from the TV Festival Organizing Committee, from which she selected the work she thought was the best, and quickly completed the composition. When he learned that Wang Jian was the author, Gu Jianfen said that "anonymity has not blocked the cooperation between the two of us." The song became the anthem of the Shanghai International Sister Cities Television Festival. On Children's Day in 1988, "Singing and Smiling" was broadcast in the CCTV special program and was selected for the 1989 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, sung by children and host Ju Ping and other guests, and since then the song has become a household name.
Composed for "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", there are songs first and then filming
From 1991 to 1994, Wang Jian collaborated with Gu Jianfen again to compose 10 interludes and ending songs "The Sky of History" for the TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
Gu Jianfen recalled that when she created the song of the TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", she and Wang Jian worked together for 4 years, almost every day and night together, "the two of us she wrote lyrics, I composed, so I said, without her and without me these creations." ”
Gu Jianfen said that the reason why it took 4 years to compose the song of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was because the song was first created, and then the drama was filmed. The songwriter first went to understand the synopsis of the story, and then composed the music, Wang Jian wrote the lyrics first, and Gu Jianfen composed the music. "The two of us came out first, recorded the music, put on the music, and then they went to shoot the scene." Because there was no music, they didn't know how to make a scene. ”
At that time, the biggest difficulty for them was that without a script, their music played a key role in filming. "It's very difficult, so it took 4 years, and every time there was an editor-in-chief who told us what was going on, and we could only write through what he said." After writing it, everyone still felt that it was quite appropriate. ”
Gu Jianfen recalled that at that time, the first record was not "Rolling Water in the East of the Yangtze River" (composed by Yang Shenci and Gu Jianfen, the opening song of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"), but "This Worship". When filming this scene, the three actors initially did not know how to act. As soon as Liu Huan recorded and sang "This Prayer", the actors really put into the role, and finally had the classic plot of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Taoyuan Three Knots".
In the cooperation with Wang Jian, Gu Jianfen felt that Wang Jian was the leader, and most of the credit should be hers. "Wang Jian's literacy and thinking ability in all aspects of literature and other aspects are stronger than mine, higher than mine." Often she told me the words she wrote, why did she write it? It's such a content, such a thing. And what I can bring up to her is the '4 sounds' in music, and the music pays attention to the '4 sounds', which is what I pay more attention to. But what is the main content? I just listened to her, and she wrote very well. Therefore, in terms of first singing and then acting, most of the credit is Wang Jian's. ”
Women writing songs of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" have been opposed, "Don't listen to him, let's write well"
In Gu Jianfen's eyes, Wang Jian, who is 7 years older than himself, has a straightforward personality, can speak the Tao, and has one to say, "Okay is ok, no is not ok." ”
When interviewed by the media at that time, Gu Jianfen felt that she had nothing to say, so she asked the media to interview Wang Jian, "I said that you asked Wang Jian, and I listened to her." She can talk for an hour as soon as she says it, and she says a lot of it. She can speak, write, think, and do. ”
Gu Jianfen recalled that at that time, there was also a situation, that is, there was a leader who opposed to finding her and Wang Jian to create songs for "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", on the grounds that "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was a hero's story and women should not be found to create songs. Wang Jian, who is an elder sister, said a word to Gu Jianfen and gave Gu Jianfen great encouragement: "Don't listen to him, let's write well." ”
"So we have experienced that many successful works are because some people oppose it, but they have added a powerful force in their hearts, and I believe that they will write better."
With Wang Jian's cooperation, the two rarely disagree and argue, "I listen to her", because Gu Jianfen trusts this all-round old partner and big sister too much, and is willing to follow each other's ideas. The two were able to work together for a lifetime and write hundreds of musical works together, also because of mutual understanding and trust. "The melody I wrote, she never suggested to me to do it again or change it this way."
Life of Wang Jian
Born in Beijing in 1928, he was transferred to the Chinese Musicians Association in 1954 and served as the editor of "Song" and "Song Magazine" for 30 years. In 1960, he was awarded the title of "March 8th Red Flag Bearer" in China.
In 1964, he collaborated with Gu Jianfen for the first time and composed the song "Sisters, Unity and Progress". In 1984, he began to specialize in lyric writing.
In 1986, he composed the lyrics of the popular song "Green Leaves love for roots", composed by Gu Jianfen, and was first sung by Liu Huan at the "Gu Jianfen Works Concert" held in Beijing in 1987.
On August 30, 1986, Wang Jian composed the lyrics of the popular song "Singing and Smiling" for the Shanghai TV Festival at the invitation of Shanghai Television Station, and a few days later, the melody was composed by his partner Gu Jianfen, and finally it was officially designated as a festival song at the second Shanghai TV Festival in 1988, with English lyrics officially published.
In 1998, he published the lyrics collection "Selected Songs of Wang Jian's Lyrics". In 2001, he published his first collection of essays, Morning Glory. In the same year, the theme song of the TV series "Snow Without a Trace" "Years and Years of Love" won the Audience Favorite TV Drama Song Award at the 19th China Television Golden Eagle Awards. In 2004, he composed the lyrics of 10 songs for the historical theme TV series "Chu Han Fengyun". In 2006, the TV series "General Shi Lang" premiered, and the theme song "Sea Dream" was lyrics. In 2020, 92-year-old Wang Jian was invited to the CCTV "Chinese Literature and Art" program as a guest.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Shou Penghuan
Editor/Bow Lifang