I have given my third music class to the students in the community. Many students have a strong interest in singing, so how can they sing a song well? If you want to sing a song well, you must not only correctly grasp the pitch and rhythm of the song, but also constantly improve your singing skills. You must also have a deeper understanding of the creative background of the song, the meaning of the lyrics, emotions, etc. When we sing Only when can you better interpret the content of a song. In these lessons, we started with music reading and learned to sing "Farewell". This song should be familiar to us, but people often turn a blind eye to familiar things, and it is not possible to explain why it feels so familiar. So let me give you a comprehensive introduction.
"Farewell" is a song written by Li Shutong in 1915. The melody is taken from the American song "Dreaming of Home and Mother" composed by John Pound Otway.
Introduction to the lyricist
Li Shutong (October 23, 1880 - October 13, 1942), also known as Li Xishuang, Li An, Li Liang, also known as Wen Tao , his childhood name was Chengqi, his scientific name was Guanghou, his courtesy name was Xishuang, and his nickname was Shutong.
Li Shutong is a famous musician, art educator, calligrapher, drama activist, and one of the pioneers of Chinese drama. After returning from studying in Japan, he worked as a teacher and editor. Later, he was ordained as a monk. His Buddhist name was Yanyin, and his nickname was Hongyi. Later, he was also known as Wanqing Laoren. He was later revered as Master Hongyi.
In 1913, he was employed as a music and painting teacher at Zhejiang Normal School (later changed to Zhejiang Provincial First Normal School). From 1915, he served concurrently as a music and painting teacher at Nanjing Normal University, and composed the first school song in the history of Nanjing University. On October 13, 1942, Master Hongyi passed away in the Wanqing Room of the Wenling Nursing Home of Fujian Temple in Quanzhou. He is the pioneer of China's New Culture Movement, an outstanding artist, educator, thinker, and innovator. He is an outstanding representative of the combination of traditional Chinese culture and Buddhist culture. He is the most outstanding monk in the history of modern Chinese Buddhism and an international leader. A well-known person with a high reputation. Li Shutong is a master whose "twenty articles shocked the world". He integrated poetry, lyrics, calligraphy, painting, seal cutting, music, drama, and literature into one. In many fields, he pioneered the splendid culture and art of China. At the same time, he has made creative developments in education, philosophy, law, Chinese characters, sociology, advertising, publishing, environment, animal and plant protection, and human fasting experiments.
Song Appreciation
"Farewell" has been selected as the interlude of movies such as "Early Spring in February" and "Old Things in the South of the City". On September 30, 2004, "Farewell" was selected into the "100 Patriotic Education Songs" selected by the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Central Civilization Office and other units to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The lyrics of "Farewell" are divided into three parts. In the first part, the author depicts a scene of upcoming farewell from different levels and aspects. I listened to the teacher in the writing class that day who said "All scenery words are love words". This sentence expresses feelings about the scenery: long pavilion, ancient road, fragrant grass, evening breeze, willows, and the sound of flute, showing a lonely scene and creating a parting scene. A desolate scene. The whole scene gives people a smooth, coherent and extended feeling. The author uses the artistic creation method of borrowing scenes to express emotion, which is of high musicality and artistry.
The second part is separated from the scenery and describes more about the friend's inner feelings when saying goodbye. It expresses the difficulty of finding a close friend and the reluctance to part ways. From now on, the world between friends will be "the end of the sky, the corner of the earth". Loneliness and worry are filling my heart. At this moment, I can only offer a pot of turbid wine to say goodbye and talk happily over the wine. At this time, coupled with the changes in the rhythm and intensity of the music, the character's separation and sorrow are vividly expressed.
The original score is divided into three sections. From the textual point of view, the third section is a repetition of the first section. In fact, it is not the case. It is a repetition of the text and sublimation of the meaning: after experiencing "sending friends off", I realized Life is short, like a sunset, full of bone-chilling chills. The whole lyrics are filled with a strong sense of emptiness of life, and there is a hint of enlightenment beyond this world. "Farewell" actually uses unspecified symbols to convey Li Shutong's awareness of bidding farewell to his friends, understanding life, and seeing through the world of mortals.
People who have covered this song include: Tang Dynasty Band, Black Panther Band, and Shanghai Changhong Chorus. Today we are learning this song and understanding these knowledge points will be very helpful in grasping the emotion of the song when singing.