About this work: (Published by Oxford University Press)
Folk songs mirror people’s daily lives, their thoughts and sentiments, local customs
and manners. In China, folk music and songs have traditionally crisscrossed the
established boundaries between high and low culture. Folk songs were historically
valued by China’s officialdom as expressions of regional culture and transmitters of
timeless value. Early dynasties promoted the collection and study of such songs.
The
Book of Songs, a Confucian classic dating back to ancient times, is a comprehensive
anthology of songs and poems that has profoundly influenced Chinese literature for
more than 2000 years.
There are three main forms of Chinese folk songs:
shan ge, or mountain songs, are sung in the open air, often with long trills that can carry over great distances;
hao zi, or working songs, are simple tunes with strong rhythms sung by workmen to
accompany their labor;
xiao diao, more structured and sophisticated, are arranged
and performed by professional and semi-professional musicians for entertainment.
The eight Chinese folk songs arranged for string quartet are from different regions in
various styles. The first, “Lan Hua Hua” (Shaanxi) tells the story of a country girl who
escapes from a forced marriage to a rich family and flees to her lover. In “Driving the
Mule” (Shaanxi) a young girl searches for her boyfriend among a team of mule drivers
passing by; the melody is typical of the Shaanxi style with many fourth and minor-seventh intervals. “The Flowing Stream” (Yunnan) is a love song; seeing the moon above
and the flowing waters below, a young girl’s thoughts turn to her lover:
The rising moon is bright, my sweetheart is in the deep mountain, he is
like the moon walking in the sky. My sweetheart! The flowing stream
around the mountain is clear. The moon is shining over the hillside,
looking at the moon and thinking of my sweetheart, the breezes are
sweeping past the hillside. My sweetheart! Don’t you hear my cry?
“Jasmine Flower” (Jiangsu) is popular in China and abroad:
Jasmine flower, such a beautiful flower, her sweet scent overwhelms all
others in the garden. I want to pluck her for myself, but I am afraid of
the garden's keeper. Jasmine flower, such a beautiful flower, she is as
white as snow when she is blooming. I want to pluck her for myself,
but I am afraid of gossips around. Jasmine flower, such a beautiful
flower, her looks surpass all others in the garden. I want to pluck her for
myself, but I am afraid that she won't bloom in the year to come.
In “A Horseherd's Mountain Song” (Yunnan) a horseherd sings about the mundane
occurrences of daily life - horses needing grass to feed, and the grass needing the
morning dew to grow. “When Will the Acacia Bloom?” (Sichuan) tells of a young
girl awaiting her lover under the Acacia tree; when asked by her mother what she is
doing, she is embarrassed and replies that she is waiting for the Acacia flowers to
bloom. The tune of “A Single Bamboo Can Easily Bend” (Hunan) is typical of the
Hunan folk style; the words imply that unity is strength. In the sentimental
“Leaving Home” (Shanxi), a wife bids farewell to her husband who is going westward
to seek his livelihood.
This score is for sale.
For further information, please contact:
Oxford University Press
Music Department (USA)
198 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Performance Promotion
Tel: 212-726-6109
Fax: 212-726-6441
Email:
fords@oup-usa.org