"Dance of the Golden Snake" is a national orchestral piece compiled and adapted by Nie Er in 1934 based on the folk music "Inverted Eight Banners". The melody of the music is high-spirited and enthusiastic, and the gongs and drums are sonorous and powerful, exaggerating the joyful atmosphere of the festival. The song was used as background music at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games to set off the jubilant atmosphere and rich Chinese characteristics of the Olympic Games, a festival for people all over the world.

Creative Background

In the spring of 1934, Mr. Nie Er was responsible for establishing a national music band at EMI Records and recording folk music records. When the band started, Nie Er preliminarily finalized a song - "Dance of the Golden Snake" based on the traditional song "Inverted Eight Banners" in his hometown of Kunming. This piece is a national orchestral piece. At that time, there were only four members in the orchestra and there were not enough people. Everyone had to play a variety of instruments, and Nie Er himself was also responsible for playing the three-stringed instrument. In terms of rhythm, he often plucks three strings together, popping up a powerful rhythm, stimulating and driving the passion of each player, making the performance of the entire piece of music more infectious. During the practice, he continued to make modifications, especially the three-stringed string as a way to strengthen the rhythm. He made various experiments until he was satisfied. After continuous improvement, the song was finally finalized and recorded at EMI in the summer of 1934.

Music Appreciation

The music has a three-section structure, and the melody always has distinctive rhythmic characteristics. First paragraph. From the beginning of the music, the bright and rising tone continuously presents joyful, high-spirited and unrestrained emotions, which is refreshing. Second paragraph. The two-bar percussion instrument leads to a more passionate, smooth and lively melody, which makes people feel full of vitality and vitality. Paragraph three. The author cleverly draws on the structural form of "screw knot top" in folk gongs and drums. The upper and lower sentences echo each other, the length of the sentences is reduced layer by layer, and the speed is gradually accelerated. Together with the rhythm of percussion instruments such as gongs, drums, cymbals, and wooden fish, the mood rises layer by layer until it reaches the climax of jubilation. It vividly reproduces the grandeur of folk festivals. The joyful scene of dancing dragons and noisy gongs and drums is filled with distinctive national character and flavor of life. The whole song is accompanied by exciting gongs and drums, which exaggerates the warm, jubilant, high-spirited and exciting atmosphere.

Social evaluation

This song is often played during festive seasons. During the opening and closing ceremonies of the 29th Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, "Dance of the Golden Snake" was played repeatedly as the background music when the athletes entered the stadium, which effectively highlighted the jubilant atmosphere and strong Chinese characteristics of the Beijing Olympic Games as a festival for people all over the world. . In the 2012 CCTV Spring Festival Gala program, Wang Liju and Li Yundi collaborated to perform a song "Dance of the Golden Snake". In the 2013 CCTV Spring Festival Gala program, Yanni and Chang Jing collaborated to perform "Harmony of Qins and Zhengs", which was a combination of Chinese and Western styles. The third part is "Dance of the Golden Snake", which makes the Year of the Snake more characteristic of the diverse world.

About the author

Nie Er (1912-1935), whose original name was Nie Shouxin, also named Ziyi, was a Han nationality from Yuxi, Yunnan. Chinese musician, proletarian revolution

The founder of music, the composer of the national anthem "March of the Volunteers" of the People's Republic of China. In 1927, he was admitted to the Yunnan First Normal University, and later joined the Peking Left-wing Musicians Alliance. He initiated and organized the China Emerging Music Research Society in Shanghai. In 1933, he joined the Communist Party of China and began to actively compose music for left-wing progressive films and dramas. His works are full of distinctive national characteristics and the appeal of the spirit of the times, and he is known as the "pioneer of revolutionary music".