We learned from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music that the famous flute player Lu Chunling died at 8:30 am today (May 22) at Zhongshan Hospital at the age of 97.

Lu Chunling, born in 1921, is a flute player and composer. He is one of the representatives of the Southern Flute School. He is known as the "Chinese Magic Flute". He is a native of Shanghai. He was a professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and a composer in Shanghai. President of Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Society.

Lu Chunling passed away

On October 31, 2017, the reporter went to Lu Chunling’s home on Wuxing Road for an interview. The scene at that time was vivid in his mind. At 9 o'clock in the morning, the aunt who took care of him brought a lot of medicine and asked him to take it. He ate one grape at a time, and when he was done eating he quickly ate two grapes, like a child. At the age of 97, although he has to take care of his daily life, he is full of energy when he mentions the flute. He picks out one of the dozens of flutes at home and plays it. The more we chatted, the happier we became. The old man also sang a Shanghai rap composed by himself, with high spirits and a loud voice.

On July 4, 2017, even though he was in the hospital, the 97-year-old flute player and composer Lu Chunling still insisted on playing every day. The old man said that this was his entire life.

When talking about his life, Lu Chunling used the simple words "piper" to summarize it. He was born in Shanghai and started learning to play the flute from an old cobbler at the age of 7. When she was young, Lu Chunling worked as a lathe in Jiangnan Shipyard and as a driver in Xiangsheng Taxi Company, but she never gave up her love for the flute. In 1934, Lu Chunling, who was only 13 years old, got the opportunity to play on a radio station, and his flute sound spread throughout Shanghai along with the radio waves. In 1937, he joined the Ziyun Chinese Music Club, and in 1940 he participated in the founding of the China Chinese Music Society. After the founding of New China, he participated in the preparation of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra. From 1954, he taught part-time at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

With a bamboo flute, Lu Chunling has performed in more than 70 countries. The sound of the flute has spread all over the world, and she is known as the "King of Chinese Flute". During his travels, he studied folk music from various countries and adapted them into flute music to create a new style. In the summer of 1955, Lu Chunling visited Indonesia with the Chinese cultural delegation. At the Jakarta Square, 100,000 spectators came to watch the performance. In order to see the artist in person, Indonesian people rushed to the square. In order to maintain order, the police had to fire shots into the air. At that time, he was playing "Little Cowherd". The square was crowded with people, and he continued. Gradually, the chaotic scene just now became quiet. The next day, the local newspaper commented: "The gunshots could not maintain order, and the sound of the flute conquered the audience of 100,000 people."

On the wall of Lu Chunling's home, there is a picture of him and Chairman Mao in the Great Hall of the People. He was interviewed by Chairman Mao Zedong eight times. He also found two yellowed copies of Mao Zedong's "Speeches at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art" from the bookcase and showed them to his memory. He said: "My thoughts have changed because of this booklet. Literature and art must serve the people. I always keep it in mind." There is also a photo on the wall of him playing in the mine. Lu Chunling has performed in factories, rural areas, and the army countless times, especially in mines. From the 1960s to the 1980s, Lu Chunling's flute played in Datun Coal Mine in Jiangsu, Laiwu Iron Mine in Shandong, 9424 Iron Mine in Nanjing, Anyuan Coal Mine in Jiangxi, and Shilu Iron Mine in Hainan. He even went deep underground to play for the miners, and once picked up a heavy pickaxe to dig coal with the miners.

In addition to playing, Lu Chunling is also a prolific creator. "Partridges Flying", "Happy Song", "Little Cowherd" and "Zhonghua Liuban", these flute songs compiled and adapted by him have now become the repertoire of the flute world. On May 29, 2017, at the "Lu Chunling Flute Art 90th Spring Concert", Lu Chunling's disciples took the stage one after another to perform his most famous works. Many of his disciples are already renowned flute players and educators at home and abroad. And he himself also put on a rose-red robe and played his favorite "Partridge Flight". There is a partridge embroidered on his robe, which was painted by Cheng Shifa and is lifelike. On the stage, 97-year-old Lu Chunling still has a clear and sweet tone and dexterous fingering, leaving behind the ageless charm of the "King of Chinese Flutes".

People say, you are over 90 years old, stop bragging and recuperate. But he said stubbornly: "If you have any strength, you must shine. If you can't blow it, you must speak it. If you can't talk it, you must do it. You must set an example for cultivating new forces."

The words are still unclear. In my ears, a generation of flute kings has traveled far away on a crane. This person has passed away, but the sound of the flute will remain forever!

Attached is an exclusive interview with Lu Chunling: Ninety Years of Flying Jade Flute

Talking about the joys, sorrows, sorrows and joys of the common people

Shangguan News: You started working with the old cobbler Sun Gentao when you were 7 years old. When learning to play the flute, it is said that he is also proficient in pipa, sanxian, erhu and other instruments. Why did you choose the flute?

Lu Chunling: My uncle likes folk music very much. He plays playing, playing and singing during his breaks. I have loved it since I was a child. As for why it is a flute, look at this flute. It is not only cheap in materials and simple to make, but also easy to carry. It is very suitable for poor people to entertain themselves. Although my master Sun Gentao is a cobbler living at the bottom of the class, he can play a variety of beautiful and sincere tunes on the flute, which is very touching. I slowly fell in love with the flute.

China has many national musical instruments. The flute has a long history and has a relatively popular base. Although this bamboo flute is small, it is very expressive. It can be loud and bright, very lyrical, or very rough. In the north, south, and in different ethnic minority areas of China, the flute has developed a variety of styles and techniques, which can shape different musical images and express different emotions. This is why it has been passed down and won the favor of everyone. Reasons to like.

Lu Chunling played Bawu's "Festival Dance" composed by herself

Shangguan News: You have adapted many folk music and composed many yourself. What kind of music is most popular among the people? love?

Lu Chunling: If you want people to like you, you have to make them understand it as soon as they hear it. Therefore, on the one hand, artists must have a profound foundation in traditional music, because this kind of gene that comes from the folk and is passed down from generation to generation can be directly close to the common people. Secondly, you need to connect the music with people’s lives. This requires the use of flute sounds to create images familiar to the common people and to tell the common people's joys, sorrows and joys.

What I just talked about is the level of adaptation and creation of works. From the level of performance, performers must not only learn to play a piece of music, but also understand the connotation and artistic conception of the piece. It is even necessary to find out which predecessors have played this piece of music, and what are the differences in their tone and fingering methods. You have to slowly find a voice that impresses people through diligent study and practice. When you actually stand on the stage, you have to completely forget yourself. On the stage, there is no audience and no oneself. Only by getting rid of all distracting thoughts can the music be blown into the hearts of the audience.

Participated in the 2009 Shanghai Literary Creation and Major Cultural Events Award Ceremony, taking a photo with Qin Yi (left) and Huang Zhun (right). Oriental IC

Life is the best material for art

Shangguan News: "Partridge Flight" can be said to have touched the hearts of the audience. Because when talking about you, many people will think of this piece you played. You have recorded many versions of "Partridge Flight" over the years. Why is it different every time?

Lu Chunling: "Partridge Flying" is a folk tune from Hunan. It’s about a partridge that is very beautiful, but it can’t fly high, but it also longs to fly. Therefore, I focused on "flying" and used different techniques to simulate the "flying" of the partridge, which is high and low, near and far, and create an image of the partridge longing for freedom and the future. I have recorded many different versions of "Partridge Flight". The reason why each time is different is because I will have new ideas every time. Both creation and performance require innovation and keep up with the times.

For example, "Present and Past", which I composed in the 1950s, was originally played with one flute, but later I changed it to two flutes. I took a high-pitched flute and A bass flute is used to express the contrast between the present and the past, and the emotional expression of the music suddenly becomes different. The creation of a work is not accomplished overnight. It must be constantly revised and refined to become a good work that can withstand scrutiny and maintain long-term vitality.

Shangguan News: Many of the series of works you created, such as "Present and Past", "Good News", and "Jiangnan Spring", are based on deep insights into life.

Lu Chunling: Yes, these are all inspired by my feelings. "Now and Then" is my debut novel, which compares people's past sufferings with today's happiness. I have experienced life in factories, mines, islands, and fisheries. An artist who locks himself in a room cannot write good works of flesh and blood. Life is the best creative material. Art must come from the people and eventually return to the people. I remember one time at the Anyuan Coal Mine, the mine manager said that the condolence performance could be done in the theater. But I decided to go down the well and perform for the absentee.

At the opening performance of the 18th Shanghai International Arts Festival in 2016, 95-year-old flute player Lu Chunling and her disciples played "My Motherland".

Shangguan News: Why insist on going down the well?

Lu Chunling: I feel that since I am here to offer first-line condolences, it should not just be a show-off. I also particularly want to see the real scenes of the work and life of the absentees. I got off in a coal car. I couldn't stand, so I could only lie down. I saw the miners working underground, and the ore they took the risk to extract was more valuable than gold. Down at the mine, I went to different working sites to play for different miners. After I came out, I heard that there was an old miner who couldn't go down the mine due to health reasons, so I went to find him and played for him. He was moved and held my hand and wouldn't let go. I told myself that I would be a flute player for the people for the rest of my life. I told myself that I must never be separated from the people, and everything must be for the people.

As life goes on, the sound of the flute continues

Shangguan News: In addition to playing and composing over the years, you have also spent a lot of time on teaching and inheritance, and have discovered many outstanding talents. Flutists, what is the most important thing you teach them?

Lu Chunling: To put it simply, it is just one word - "virtue", "everything is led by virtue". An artist must have noble moral character, so that art will continue to shine. Art is not for fame and fortune, but has a higher goal. Of course, the technology must be excellent, this is the foundation.

I actually started teaching part-time at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1954, and was officially transferred there in 1976. In fact, I teach students regardless of venue or group of people. I teach in school, in life, and at concerts. I always teach students one-on-one and step by step. I am very strict with them. I always hope that my students will surpass me quickly, so that the art of flute can be better carried forward.

Lu Chunling: Human life is too short. To be honest, I am getting older and my health is not as good as it used to be, but I like the excitement and playing on stage still makes me happy, so I want to do more work in promoting folk music while I can still move around. Did you see the words Yuan Xiaoyuan wrote for me on the wall? "I am willing to spin all my silk for the people." As long as life lasts and the sound of the flute continues, I am willing to spin all my silk for the people. This is my promise to myself.

Content comes from CCTV