The composer of the Yellow River Cantata is Xian Xinghai.

Xian Xinghai, formerly known as Huang Xun and Kong Yu, was a member of the Communist Party of China. His ancestral home is Panyu, Guangdong (now Lanhe Town, Nansha District, Guangzhou), and he was born in Macau. A famous composer and pianist in modern China, he is known as the "people's musician".

In 1926, he entered the Music Transmission Institute of Peking University and studied under composer Xiao Youmei and Russian violin professor Tonov. In 1928, he entered the National Conservatory of Music to study music. In 1929, he went to Paris for a work-study program and studied under the famous violinist Pany Obedovaire and the famous composer Paul Ducasse. After returning to China in 1935, he actively participated in the anti-Japanese and national salvation movement. He went to Yan'an in 1938 and later served as the director of the music department of Lu Xun Academy of Art.

Xian Xinghai’s achievements

Xian Xinghai adhered to the requirement of “going among the masses” and “learning from the masses of the people” and realized the goal of “cultivating lofty ideals” proposed by Lu Xun Academy of Art. The goal is to be a group of art workers with ideals, rich life experience, and good artistic skills.

Xian Xinghai’s musical thoughts during the Anti-Japanese War fully reflected the popular characteristics of music, whether in his personal writings or in the themes, materials, content, melody, tone, rhythm, etc. of his music creation In all aspects, they profoundly elaborate and express the popular characteristics of music.

Xian Xinghai’s insistence on the popularization of music can also be confirmed from his diaries, writings and remarks at the time. In the "Preface to the Collection of Songs for a New Stage", Xian Xinghai believes that in order to further develop the future of singing, "the style must be novel, popular and national, and the form and content must be suitable for the current stage."