Ru
EnWang Qiang, E. Smagina
The Cantata “Huang-he” by Xian Xinghai in the history of Chinese musical culture of the 20th century
The article is devoted to the consideration of the artistic concept of the cantata “Huang-he”, one of the most significant works of the cantata-oratorio genre in the history of Chinese musical culture of the 20th century. The author characterizes the historical and cultural context of the time of the cantata’s making, presents the authors – the outstanding Chinese composer Xian Xinghai and the poet Guang Weizhang and the unusual history of its “path in art”. For the first time, the entire range of versions of the work is presented, starting with the first version of the cantata “Huang-he” in 1939 and including the 5th version in 1987. Among this, the second author’s, the most extensive edition of the composition, which appeared in Moscow in 1941, is highlighted and considered for the first time in Russian musicology. The article touches upon the phenomena of the reception of Xian Xinghai’s Cantata, genre “modulation” and collective creative process as a peculiar and rather characteristic phenomena of Chinese musical culture in the 20th century. The artistic concept of the work emphasizes the majestic and multifaceted image of the great Chinese River as the cradle of national civilization, one of the national symbols of China, personification of its spiritual culture. In the Moscow edition of the Cantata, the increased role of the orchestra, the specificity of the orchestral style, which tends both to massive full-scale sound, and to detailed timbre differentiation, are particularly emphasized. Also, for the first time, the special role of the painting and landscape principle, interpreted in national traditions (Shanhe), is identified and considered. Samples of Xian Xinghai’s musical graphics, types of textured drawings in the embodiment of the water element are considered, the role of the harp as the leit-timbre of the orchestral style of the Cantata is revealed. In the artistic concept of the named work, the peculiarities of the patriotic idea presentation, and the fusion of epic, dramatic and lyrical features are noted.
Key words
cantata “Huang-he”, Xian Xinghai, Guang Weizhang, Moscow edition, symphonism, pictorial and landscape beginning, traditions of Shanhe.
For citation
Wang Qiang, Smagina E. The Cantata “Huang-he” by Xian Xinghai in the history of Chinese musical culture of the 20th century // South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2024. No. 1. Pp. 60-67.
