Lecture: The Past and Present of Chinese Traditional Music

Lecturer:
Mr Zhu Changyao is a famous contemporary Chinese Erhu performer and composer, a national first-class performer, Vice President of the Chinese Musicians Association National Bow String Society, Vice President of the Chinese National Orchestra Society Huqin Exhibition Committee, Honorary Chainman of Jiangsu Musicians Association. He is a visiting professor and PhD supervisor at China Conservatory of Music, Nanjing University of the Arts, Nanjing University, and Nanjing Normal University.

He has won the Outstanding Performance Award (first place in erhu) in the ‘National Traditional Instrumental Solo Competition’; he was awarded the ‘Special Government Allowance’ by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. His erhu solos, ‘Celebration Gongs and Drums’, ‘Spring in the South of the Yangtze River’, erhu concerto ‘Night Mooring at Maple Bridge’, and traditional folk instrumental music ‘Gusu Sentiments’ have all won national awards.

He visited and performed in dozens of countries including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Iceland, Singapore, South Korea and regions like Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and has won high praise from experts and audiences all around the world.


Introduction:

Mr Zhu Changyao will explain the basic composition of Chinese folk music band, and introduce the four-part composition of the band, namely blowing, plucking, pulling, and percussion. He will also explain the representative instruments of the band, including flute, sheng, suona, pipa, yangqin, guzheng, ruan, erhu, and percussion instrumentssuch as gongs, drums, and cymbals. In particular, it will lead everyone into the ‘past and present’ of Chinese folk music through the appreciation of the classic pieces played by representative instruments, such as ‘New Year's Eve’, ‘Eight Sections of Brocade’, ‘Gusu Travel’, ‘Spring Rain’, ‘Jiangnan Spring’, ‘Lin Chong's Night Escape’, ‘ErquanYingyue’, ‘Horse Racing’, so that let us feel the infinite charm of folk instruments, show the unique and rich musical expression of Chinese folk instruments, and let everyone fully appreciate the charm of Chinese folk art and the sentiment of Jiangnan folk music.