Lü Wencheng
Lü Wencheng (å•æ–‡æˆ, pinyin: LÇš Wénchéng, or Lui Man Sing in Cantonese) (1898-1981) was a Chinese composer and musician. He is considered to have been a master of Cantonese music (Guangdong yinyue) and Guangdong folk music.
The gaohu was developed, or co-developed,[1] by him in the 1920s from the erhu by raising its pitch and using steel strings instead of silk, and changing its playing position from on the thigh to between the knees. He composed Autumn Moon Over Calm Lake (平湖秋月) in the 1930s and it remains one of the best known works of Cantonese music.
Lü was born in 1898 in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, but grew up in Shanghai when at the age of three his parents and him moved to Shanghai. There he developed the gaohu, composed and performed Guangdong yinyue, and made recordings. In 1932, he moved to Hong Kong, where he lived until his death in 1981.
He also played the yangqin and was a Cantonese opera singer. His music shows a strong influence of the traditional music of the Shanghai area as a result of living almost thirty years there.
Compositions
Lü composed over 100 pieces, including:
- bù bù gÄo (æ¥æ¥é«˜) Higher step by step
- chén zuì dÅng fÄ“ng 沉醉东风 Intoxicated by the easterly wind
- jiÄo shà mÃng qÃn 蕉石鸣ç´
- luò huÄ tiÄn è½èŠ±å¤© Flowers falling from sky
- pÃng hú qiÅ« yuè (平湖秋月) Autumn Moon Over Calm Lake
- qÄ«ng méi zhú mÇŽ é’梅竹马 Happy childhood
- qà shÄn fèng å²å±±å‡¤ Phoenix of Mount Qishan
- xÇng shÄ« 醒狮 Awakening lion
- yÃn hé huì 银河会 Meeting in the Milky Way
- yú gÄ“ wÇŽn chà ng 渔æŒæ™šå”± Fisherman's song at dusk
Audio sample
References
- ↑ co-invented by Lü and his teacher Situ Mengyan, according to Du, Yaxiong. Traditional Music Composers, article in Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture p.843, edited by Edward L Davis, Routledge 2005.
- Sources
- Du, Yaxiong. Traditional Music Composers, article in Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture p. 843, edited by Edward L Davis, Routledge 2005.