"Homesickness Song" was originally sung by Li Guyi.
"Homesickness Song", sung by Li Guyi, is included in the album "Sister Looking for Brother Tears Flow". Song of Homesickness is the second of the Inner Mongolia Suite (a.k.a. Suiyuan Suite) written by Ma Sicong (1912-1987) in 1937 (Dance Beyond the Seas is another, but Song of Homesickness is his masterpiece), with the theme music coming from the Suiyuan folk song Running Horses on the City Walls.
The Homesick Song is keenly focused on a scene of fertile Inner Mongolia, familiar to the composer. The slow movement, the first theme sadly, with a song-like melody expresses the feelings of longing for the hometown of people who are far away from home.
The theme of the piece directly adopts the melody of the Inner Mongolia folk song "Running Horses on the City Wall", which consists of four short, equal phrases, each of which is in a wavy line and decreasing, coupled with the soft colors of the commercial modal, which gives the melody a nostalgic and melancholic mood. The second theme is warm, as if recalling happy times in the past.
Music Appreciation:
The third theme of Homesickness has the image of a jumping child, recalling the happy times of childhood. While using the traditional reproduced three-part form, the piece utilizes the most commonly used variation technique in folk compositions, reflecting the structural principle of having a mixture of three-part form and variation form. The three variations in the piece, on the one hand, constantly give the theme a new image, and on the other hand, the role of the emotion is gradually rising.
The first and second variations reveal the elements of the theme in terms of key, rhythm and register. The third variation is the climax of the piece. In addition to changing the theme from the Shang mode to the Gong mode, the internal structure, melodic density, tonality, tempo and other aspects of the theme have been changed to give the music a lively and bright atmosphere.
The reuse of the theme mobilizes the tonal range, the bright treble range, which shows the richness of the violin's timbre, but also makes the expression of emotion more delicate. Finally, the piece ends with a short coda. Evocatively, the piece ends on a plumed genitive chord that creates a sense of anticipation, making the feeling of longing reverberate for a long time.