Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto
Encyclopedia
The Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto (Chinese
: 梁祝小提琴协奏曲) is one of the most famous works of Chinese music and certainly one of the most famous outside of China
. It is an orchestral adaptation of an ancient legend, the Butterfly Lovers
. Written for the western style orchestra, it features a solo violin
played using some Chinese techniques.
Traditional Chinese composers often write in a different tonal system than western classical music. As a result, this can make the music sound constantly out of tune to some Western ears. The Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto is written in traditional 5-note technique (pentatonic scale), it utilizes many Chinese melodies, chord structures and patterns.
The Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto was written in 1959 by two Chinese composers, Chen Gang (陈钢, born 1935) and He Zhanhao (何占豪, born 1933), while they were students at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music
. The music did not acquire popularity before the late 1970s, when China loosened its restrictions after the Cultural Revolution
. Once released from censorship, it became an embodiment of China in transition. The work is a common feature in figure skating
and in concert halls worldwide. This concerto is now often performed with Chinese instruments playing the violin part, the most common being Erhu
, Pipa
and Liuqin
. In such cases the soloist is often accompanied by an orchestra consisting of Chinese instruments.
He Zhanhao is more widely credited for the composition of the concerto. However, his main contribution was the famous opening theme while most of the development was in fact written by Chen Gang. This was revealed in an exclusive interview with the latter.
The debut of the Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto was performed by Yu Lina at the age of 18 in Shanghai as part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary year of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Along with Yu Lina, one of the first violinists who made a recording of this concerto was made in 1959 with SHEN Rong as the soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of Shanghai Music Conservatory conducted by FAN Cheng-wu.
. Some of the melodies come from the Chinese Opera
of the same name or from traditional Chinese folk songs. The solo violin of the concerto is symbolic of Zhu Yingtai, the story's protagonist, and the cello part is symbolic of Liang Shanbo, her lover.
The concerto begins with a flute and then enters into a simple melody played by the solo violinist. This melody comes from a Chinese folk song of the yellow river, and tells the story of Zhu Yingtai's childhood. The solo violin is accompanied by a harp and other elements of the orchestra.
Next, the concerto tells of Zhu Yingtai's disguising herself as a man and her journey to Hangzhou
to attend school. The solo violin plays a complex and fast melody floating above the rest of the orchestra. When Zhu arrives she meets Liang Shanbo, a fellow student. The two spend three years together as good friends. Zhu falls in love with Liang, but cannot express her feelings without revealing her identity as a woman.
When both the students must return home, Zhu invites Liang to visit her family and to court her sister. He doesn't know that Zhu is really inviting him to marry her. Liang promises to see Zhu again, but Liang waits before doing so. When Liang arrives, he sees Zhu and realizes that she is a woman, and they fall in love. The solo violin and cello parts play a sad duet that is the most famous and powerful of the work.
The love duet between the two is replaced by anger as Liang learns that in his absence, Zhu has been betrothed to another. The two solo parts contrast the rest of the orchestra. Several melodies are used in this section, the orchestra plays loud and accented chords in between the softer cello and violin parts and the parts are often intertwined. Liang becomes sick and dies as the music replays the duet of their love. Zhu and the orchestra continue to play their contrasting parts. The section ends with the suicide of Zhu Yingtai as the solo violin plays an overarching high note. The lover's parts are overcome by a final orchestral section. In the legend, Liang's grave opens and Zhu throws herself into the chasm.
The lovers' themes return and the two lovers are magically transformed into butterflies.
2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns
, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani
, 3 percussion instruments (gu ban, cymbal
, tam-tam), harp
, piano
, with strings
Historical Recordings
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
: 梁祝小提琴协奏曲) is one of the most famous works of Chinese music and certainly one of the most famous outside of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is an orchestral adaptation of an ancient legend, the Butterfly Lovers
Butterfly Lovers
The Butterfly Lovers is a Chinese legend of a tragic love story of a pair of lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai , whose names form the title of the story...
. Written for the western style orchestra, it features a solo violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
played using some Chinese techniques.
Traditional Chinese composers often write in a different tonal system than western classical music. As a result, this can make the music sound constantly out of tune to some Western ears. The Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto is written in traditional 5-note technique (pentatonic scale), it utilizes many Chinese melodies, chord structures and patterns.
The Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto was written in 1959 by two Chinese composers, Chen Gang (陈钢, born 1935) and He Zhanhao (何占豪, born 1933), while they were students at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Shanghai Conservatory of Music
The Shanghai Conservatory of Music , as the first music institution of higher education in China, was founded on November 27, 1927. The teachers and students have won numerous awards both home and abroad, thus earning the conservatory the name, “the cradle of musicians”.-History:The Shanghai...
. The music did not acquire popularity before the late 1970s, when China loosened its restrictions after the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. Once released from censorship, it became an embodiment of China in transition. The work is a common feature in figure skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
and in concert halls worldwide. This concerto is now often performed with Chinese instruments playing the violin part, the most common being Erhu
Erhu
The erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a "southern fiddle", and sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle". It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles...
, Pipa
Pipa
The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
and Liuqin
Liuqin
The liuqin is a four-stringed Chinese mandolin with a pear-shaped body. It is small in size, almost a miniature copy of another Chinese plucked musical instrument, the pipa. The range of its voice is much higher than the pipa, and it has its own special place in Chinese music, whether in...
. In such cases the soloist is often accompanied by an orchestra consisting of Chinese instruments.
He Zhanhao is more widely credited for the composition of the concerto. However, his main contribution was the famous opening theme while most of the development was in fact written by Chen Gang. This was revealed in an exclusive interview with the latter.
The debut of the Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto was performed by Yu Lina at the age of 18 in Shanghai as part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary year of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Along with Yu Lina, one of the first violinists who made a recording of this concerto was made in 1959 with SHEN Rong as the soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of Shanghai Music Conservatory conducted by FAN Cheng-wu.
Story and Musical Elements
The concerto is in one movement, but is broken into distinct sections. Each tells a different part of the story of the Butterfly LoversButterfly Lovers
The Butterfly Lovers is a Chinese legend of a tragic love story of a pair of lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai , whose names form the title of the story...
. Some of the melodies come from the Chinese Opera
Chinese opera
Chinese opera is a popular form of drama and musical theatre in China with roots going back as far as the third century CE...
of the same name or from traditional Chinese folk songs. The solo violin of the concerto is symbolic of Zhu Yingtai, the story's protagonist, and the cello part is symbolic of Liang Shanbo, her lover.
The concerto begins with a flute and then enters into a simple melody played by the solo violinist. This melody comes from a Chinese folk song of the yellow river, and tells the story of Zhu Yingtai's childhood. The solo violin is accompanied by a harp and other elements of the orchestra.
Next, the concerto tells of Zhu Yingtai's disguising herself as a man and her journey to Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
to attend school. The solo violin plays a complex and fast melody floating above the rest of the orchestra. When Zhu arrives she meets Liang Shanbo, a fellow student. The two spend three years together as good friends. Zhu falls in love with Liang, but cannot express her feelings without revealing her identity as a woman.
When both the students must return home, Zhu invites Liang to visit her family and to court her sister. He doesn't know that Zhu is really inviting him to marry her. Liang promises to see Zhu again, but Liang waits before doing so. When Liang arrives, he sees Zhu and realizes that she is a woman, and they fall in love. The solo violin and cello parts play a sad duet that is the most famous and powerful of the work.
The love duet between the two is replaced by anger as Liang learns that in his absence, Zhu has been betrothed to another. The two solo parts contrast the rest of the orchestra. Several melodies are used in this section, the orchestra plays loud and accented chords in between the softer cello and violin parts and the parts are often intertwined. Liang becomes sick and dies as the music replays the duet of their love. Zhu and the orchestra continue to play their contrasting parts. The section ends with the suicide of Zhu Yingtai as the solo violin plays an overarching high note. The lover's parts are overcome by a final orchestral section. In the legend, Liang's grave opens and Zhu throws herself into the chasm.
The lovers' themes return and the two lovers are magically transformed into butterflies.
Instrumentation
Solo violinViolin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, 3 percussion instruments (gu ban, cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
, tam-tam), harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, with strings
External links
- Concerto of ancient love story turns 50 (CCTV; 2009-05-30)
- Releasing Muse's Arrow to the World; brief autobiography of Chen Gang (translated from Chinese)
Historical Recordings
- 珍藏梁祝 小提琴协奏曲《梁山伯与祝英台》创作50周年纪念 2CD Collection of various historical recordings; China Record Shanghai Co. (1)