Erhu simplified score of "Butterfly Lovers"

Picture source: Introduction to the author of "Butterfly Lovers" on China Music Score Network

Chen Gang

Born in Shanghai in 1935, he is one of the famous contemporary composers in China. In his early years, he studied composition and piano under his father Chen Gexin and the Hungarian pianist Vara. After being admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1955, he studied composition and theory under Dean Ding Shande and Soviet music expert Arzamanov. As early as when he was a student, he became famous in the Chinese and foreign music circles for his violin concerto "Butterfly Lovers", which he collaborated with He Zhanhao.

Chen Gang is currently a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a director of the China Musicians Association, and a professor of the Composition Department of Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

He has visited the United States, Canada, France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, etc.

It has been included in 18 world famous lists including "Who's Who in the World" and "Who's Who in World Music", and has been awarded the "International Cultural Honor Certificate".

He is also the author of collections of essays "Black Romance", "Three Ears Listening to Music", etc.

He Zhanhao

He was born in a peasant family in Zhuji, Zhejiang in 1933. His father, who made a living by singing Shao opera, did not want his son to live a life of poverty like himself in the future. When he was 12 years old, , his father used borrowed money to send him to Hangzhou to attend junior high school, hoping that he would become an educated person in the future. Unexpectedly, He Zhanhao, who loves opera, eventually learned Shaoxing opera. A trip to Shanghai allowed He Zhanhao to be admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music by accident, and he composed China's first violin concerto "Butterfly Lovers". But in the following decades few of his works were published. Some people say that this piece is not only the peak of He Zhanhao's music career, but also a model of the perfect combination of traditional Chinese music and Western music. Appreciation of the music of "Butterfly Lovers"

The "Butterfly Lovers" Violin Concerto was composed by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao when they were students at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. It was composed in the winter of 1958. It was premiered in Shanghai in May of the following year and received acclaim. The premiere was performed by Yu Lena plays violin solo. The theme is a well-known folk tale, using tunes from Yue opera as the material, using a combination of symphony and Chinese folk opera music expression techniques, carefully conceived and laid out according to the development of the plot, using a sonata-style structure, a single movement, and a subtitle. The main content is "Caoqiao sworn homage", "British-Taiwan resistance to marriage", and "Butterfly in front of the grave". The musical structure consists of the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers, sworn vows at Caoqiao, three years as classmates, farewell at the age of eighteen, farewell in the pavilion, resistance to marriage in Britain and Taiwan, complaints from crying spirits, and butterflies turning into butterflies in front of the grave.

The whole song is about twenty-six minutes. The first five minutes describe the love theme of Butterfly Lovers, then the happy school life, and then the eighteenth birthday. Entering the second section at the eleventh minute, Zhu Yingtai returns home to fight against the marriage but fails, having a meeting on the balcony, and finally cries. The second segment is about the same length as the first, about eleven minutes. The last section is about turning into a butterfly, which is the recurrence of the theme.

The song begins with a few pizzicato sounds and then the flute, which makes it feel like being in the clouds. It is like looking down at the world from the sky, parting the clouds, and the characters and scenes slowly become clear from blur. First, the violin plays the theme, two long and two short, plus a concluding sentence. It is long and distant, as if Zhu Yingtai is telling stories of the past beside him. Then repeat the theme in the bass, and return to the human world to implement it.

The orchestral ensemble theme, the scene is all clear. Liang Shanbo, the representative of the cello, also appeared. The two were very affectionate. The violin and the violin played the theme. Gradually, the violin dominated the melody and the orchestra was introduced to emphasize it again. When the music gradually stops, the woodwind continues the melody and slowly falls. The violin solo's soulful, soothing and introspective tone shows that Zhu Yingtai has doubts about the future, but still firmly believes in herself. Be brave and love! The mood is light, the flute is loud, and the cello is dancing, just like the two of them on a spring outing on a beautiful March day. The violin shows off its skills with unparalleled elegance.

Although it is good to get together, there are always differences. After the happy emotions, there will be separation and attachment.

Playing the variations on the theme slowly, it feels like you can't walk forward, but you have to leave after all. The great violin duo is so closely integrated that it is inseparable. At the end of this section, the strings play the crying theme for the first time, predicting the tragic ending, which constitutes the presentation part of the whole song "Love".

There are three sub-sections in the second paragraph of the development department: strong, weak and strong, that is, fast, slow and fast. The orchestral sound that surged in like a big wave at the beginning represented Zhu's father's opposition, and the descending phrases continued for several measures, as if to say: No! No! The violin violently competed with it, and the conflict between the two gradually increased, and finally the entire ensemble sang the Butterfly Lovers theme. It means that the love affair is exposed, and waves of waves will eventually submerge this theme.

On the balcony, the violin expresses feelings tactfully, and the cello plays pizzicato to listen. It's the cello's turn to express love, while the violin is easy-going. Suddenly, the music suddenly turned down, and Liang Shanbo died of illness due to excessive sadness and despair using the clichéd "beat hard and sing slowly" technique in Yue opera.

On the way to be married, Zhu Yingtai stopped in front of Liang Shanbo’s grave to cry. The violin cried out in a sad and shrill tone: Brother Liang! The broken and staccato melody was heartbreaking, and there was a sound of crying. There are kneeling walks, and there are also some fragments of memories. Gradually the tears opened, the crying stopped, and the mind was made up. Amidst the sad and angry bass gongs, he threw himself into the suddenly exploded tomb and committed suicide. The music reached its climax at the same time.

The final part of the music is the recapitulation of "Butterflies". Against the background of light and elegant strings, the subject of love reappears. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai transform into a pair of butterflies from the grave, dancing in the flowers. Let the joy fly freely, never be separated.