The Ten Greatest Songs of Guangdong Music: Autumn Moon on the Pinghu Lake, Step by Step, Crows Playing in the Water, Hate in Two Voices, Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon, Raining Bananas, Walking Horses, Lianhuan Buckle, Yang Cuixi, and Wenyingying on the Willow Wave.
1, "Autumn Moon on the Pinghu Lake"
"Autumn Moon on the Pinghu Lake" is the masterpiece of Guangdong music master Lv Wencheng, who adapted it by using the northern ditty "Boudoir Dance", with a smooth melody and gentle tones, which draws out the moonlight of the West Lake in a quiet and misty atmosphere.
2. "Step by Step"
The Guangdong music masterpiece "Step by Step" was composed by the famous Guangdong musician Lu Wencheng, a musician who made significant contributions to the formation and development of Guangdong music. Lv Wencheng was good at playing gaohu and composing music. Step by Step" is his masterpiece, in which he boldly adopts a new expressive technique, composes the sound according to the feelings, and opens the door to burst out a kind of upward mood.
The repetition of musical phrases is used in the piece to build up the power to leap forward to a new level. The melody rises and falls in an orderly fashion, with waves of sound stacking up and down, making the music dynamic. The name of the piece is related to the ascending and descending structure of the piece.
3. Cold Crows Playing in the Water
The "Cold Crows Playing in the Water" by Chiu Chow String Poetry is one of the ten most famous pieces of Guangdong music. It expresses a kind of self-contained and leisurely life through the depiction of cold ducks in the water at their ease and leisure, chasing each other and playing with each other.
The melody of this piece is vivid and lively, with unstable rhythms and staccato patterns, portraying the image of a hungry horse shaking a bell. The tune adopts the seven-tone palace mode, and the prominent use of the Si and fa tones in the melodic progression is quite distinctive.
4. "The Hate of Two Voices"
"The Hate of Two Voices" is one of the masterpieces of Cantonese music, which is based on the story of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden in folklore. The piece uses the technique of modulation and rhythmic stretching to express people's infinite sympathy for the misfortune of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden, as well as the repressed and grievous feelings of the people in the feudal society. The melody of the song is gentle and deep, and the rhythm of the song is stretching, so it has been loved by the public and has been passed down for a long time.
5, "Chasing the Moon with Colored Clouds"
Of the ten most famous songs of Guangdong music, "Chasing the Moon with Colored Clouds" is a very popular orchestral work. It was first taken from a collection of scores of Cantonese music in the Qing Dynasty, and was re-arranged by composers Ren Guang and Nie Er.
The title "Chasing the Moon with Colorful Clouds" implies that the immortals are running to the moon palace on colorful clouds. The melody is full of the leisure and elegance of Cantonese music, and the crystal clear beauty of the moon palace seems to be slowly lifting the veil with the gently swaying music.
The song is small and exquisite, using the chorus of strings and pipes to express the leisurely and unhurried clouds in the vast night sky, interspersed with wooden fish and suspended cymbals to set off the lonesome and empty night sky, and the answering dialogues between the instruments to emphasize the word "chase", as if the clouds and the moon were playing around, which gives the picture a sense of movement and makes it a realistic scene with a lot of fun.
6, "Raining Bananas"
"Raining Bananas" is a masterpiece of Cantonese music that "expresses emotion through scenery". The piece depicts a summer night when people are listening to the sound of rain beating on the banana leaves outside the window. The melody of the piece is smooth and clear, and expresses people's joyful and cozy mood.
In addition, there are many other works in Cantonese music that express people's spirit through the depiction of scenes. In the early days of the liberation of Guangdong, when Guangdong music was in its early stages of development, players added flutes and bells to the orchestra, which made their performances full of enthusiasm and vitality.
7. Walking Horses
Walking Horses was adapted by Lv Wencheng from the suona tune "Big Open Door," which is undetermined but has an important place among the excellent repertoire of early Cantonese music. It is a fast-paced piece with a lively melody that expresses the excitement of the people.
The structure of the piece is short, with a clear hierarchy and fixed termination phrases throughout the piece. The rhythm is syncopated, which makes the tone of the piece robust, lively and rich, and the happy feelings are overflowing outside the piece. This piece has a unique status and significance in the Guangdong music industry, and is a classic piece of Guangdong music.
8. "Lianhuan Buckle"
"Lianhuan Buckle" is performed by Yu Lefu, Miao Xiao Zheng, Zhang Yi and Gao Zhijian. The original piece was a piece played on the suona, but was later adapted by Yan Laolie, a famous yangqin teacher, into a piece for widows to pour out their heartfelt sorrows.
The tune is low and mournful, but the author's decoration of the melody and the use of flowers make the tune bright and cheerful. The whole piece shows the cheerful mood of the people with its smooth and lively melody.
9. Yang Cui Xi
Yang Cui Xi demonstrates the freshness, beauty and melodiousness of Cantonese music. Sung by Zhou Long, "Yang Cui Xi" is a folk music ensemble piece with smooth and melodious music. The musical characteristics of this piece are unforgettable and show the unique charm of Cantonese music. Whether in a Cantonese concert or a stage performance, this piece brings pleasure and enjoyment.
10. "Wenyingying in Willow Waves"
"Wenying in Willow Waves" was composed in the early 1930s. The lyrical melody and the simulation of light and throbbing warblers' cries depict the natural scenery of willow forests swaying in the wind and the singing of birds on the branches. After listening to this piece, one is tempted to contemplate the beautiful scenery and the birds and flowers. This piece demonstrates the unique charm of Cantonese music, which makes people feel like they are in the beautiful nature.