Characteristics of the singing form of the Yellow River Cantata

The Yellow River Boatmen's Song (mixed chorus, the original draft for male chorus) draws on folk labor songs, especially the boatmen's horns of the tonal material, the use of motivational thematic core through the development of the technique and the form of the lead and echo singing, the introduction and the first part of the portrayal of the boatmen fighting with the wind and the waves of the moving scene; the second part of the core of the original theme to broaden the tempo and slow down the tempo, to show the optimistic mood of the people boarding the riverbanks. the optimism of the people as they ascend to the riverbank.

"Ode to the Yellow River" (tenor or baritone solo) is a magnificent, passionate, and profound piece of music. The first part sings the majestic appearance of the Yellow River, the second part praises five thousand years of culture, and the third part celebrates the development of national spirit.

The Yellow River Waters Come from the Sky (poem recitation with music, accompanied by three strings) draws on the tonal material of the March of the Volunteer Army and Man Jiang Hong, complaining of national disasters and celebrating the heroes of the times. This section is often omitted from concerts.

The Ballad of Yellow Water (for women's two-part chorus, originally sung in unison) is a three-part song in the form of a ballad. The first section is lyrical and deep, the middle section is a moan of grief, and the third section is even more bleak, recounting the deep disaster brought by the Japanese invaders to the Chinese nation.

"Riverside Counterpoint" (male duet and mixed chorus, the original draft is male counterpoint) adopts the structural form of repeated phrases, draws on the tones of Shanxi folk songs, and borrows some of the techniques of gongs and drums, graphically describing the misery of the exiled people and showing the determination to "fight back home".

The Yellow River Complaint (soprano solo, often with female three-part accompaniment in concerts) uses major and minor modes and changing beats, and sings in a tragic and lingering tone the pain and sorrow of the oppressed and humiliated women in the fallen areas.

"Defending the Yellow River" (sung in rounds) successfully utilizes the canon technique to express the heroic image of the Chinese people's struggle, and the addition of the liner notes "Longge Longge Longge Longge Longge Longge Longge Longge Longge Longge Longge Long" is a unique style.

"Roar, Yellow River" (Mixed Chorus) is written in a mixture of dominant and polyphonic modes, with a trumpeting and fighting tone, symbolizing the giant of the Orient shouting for the final victory, with a strong and touching power.

Expanded Information

The Yellow River Cantata is one of Xian Xinghai's most important and influential symphonic masterpieces. It was composed in March 1939 and rearranged in 1941 in the Soviet Union. With the Yellow River as the background, this work, composed by the poet Guang Weiran, enthusiastically glorifies the glorious history of the Chinese nation and the strong and unyielding spirit of the Chinese people, complains bitterly about the brutality of the invaders and the deep disaster suffered by the people, shows the magnificent picture of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and sends out the battle cry of national liberation to the whole China and the whole world, so as to shape up the heroic image of the Chinese nation like a colossus.

The Yellow River Cantata, with lyrics by Guang Wei Ran and music by Xian Xing Hai, was first screened in 1939, and the song was so impassioned that it played an inspirational role in China's war of resistance against the Japanese. in the late 1960s, due to Jiang Qing's suggestion, it was adapted by Yin Cheng Zong and other musicians into the Yellow River Concerto, and then later on there appeared to be a version of the Yellow River Concerto with Shi Shucheng. Due to ideological reasons, the Yellow River Cantata was banned from being performed in Taiwan during the "martial law period".

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia - Yellow River Cantata