中国必须拥有数支高水准的职业合唱团

High-level Professional Choruses Are Called for in China

合唱,是音乐领域内十分重要的艺术品种。它不仅有着极其丰富的音乐表现力,还由于是由人声直接表现音乐,因此,它还具有区别于其他音乐品种特殊的艺术感染力和独特魅力。正因为如此,在西方,自可追溯到距今近六百年的文艺复兴时期起,作为一门独立的艺术,合唱至今仍在发展着。而在中国,合唱艺术尽管起步较晚,至今只有近百年的历史,但发展迅速,成绩斐然,且始终成为众多作曲家们注重的写作体裁并受到广大人民群众的欢迎和喜爱。

Chorus is an important genre in the field of music.It has not only rich musical expressions,but also artistic appeal and distinc- tive charms different from other music genres due to the fact that music is here presented by human voice directly.This is the very reason why in the West,chorus,which can date back to the Re- naissance period nearly 600 years ago,has been developing con- tinuously since then.The art of chorus has a history of less than 100 years in China,but is has developed so rapidly that many composers choose to write for chorus and choral music has al- ways been the favourate music genre among the general public. China Is Becoming a Major Country in Popularizing Chorus Since the reform and opening policy was adopted,and partic- ularly since the beginning of the new century,a great and long- standing movement of popularizing chorus has been going on in China.More and more people are participating in the movement and the scale is unbelievably large.Amateur chorus groups have been set up one by one,and in each of the cities such as Bei- jing,Shanghai and Guangzhou,there are at least 100 denominated chorus groups,including those at provincial or municipal level,from various sectors,from schools and enterprises,and even some from the local communities.Various chorus competitions and con- cert shows are held everywhere,such as the 4^(th) Olympic World Chorus Contest in Xiamen,the 7^(th) China Chorus Festival in Hainan,the 8^(th) China Chorus Festival in Shenzhen,the 1^(st) China Chorus Festival for Juniors in Nanjing,the National Chorus Festival for Teachers in Zhuhai,the 1^(st) National Chorus Competition of the 6^(th) China Golden Bell Awards for Music in Changsha,the 1^(st) Na- tional Chorus Congress'New Socialist Countryside'in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province,the 9(th) China Chorus Festival for the Elderly in Taiyuan,the 2^(nd) China Chorus Festival for Juniors in Xiamen and the forthcoming CCTV National Contest for Young Singers(chorus category)in Beijing.If we add all kinds of performances and pres- elective auditions in various provinces and municipalities as well as in all the regions and sectors,no one is definitely sure how many chorus activities exactly have been held in Chine for the recent years.There must be millions of people who take part in these activities.Other related activities are also organized during the concert shows and competitions,such as chorus forums,lectures, training courses etc.at both national,provincial,municipal,district, and even community levels.No other countries or regions in the world have been able to reach such great scale and depth as China has. Construction of Professional Choruses Is the Key to Develop Chinese Chorus Art Last September,at the National Symposium on Chorus Composition held in Tianjin,many participants pointed out that for the sake of developing chorus in China,composition is the basis while conductor is the key.This is very correct,but from an overall perspec- tive,I think this is not enough.Composition is indeed important,for without the creation of good chorus works,how could one develop chorus art?Conductors are also important,for without a good conductor's sec- ondary creation for the chorus,a new composition of chorus is no more than a piece of paper.However, composition can not exist alone,as it needs a medium for better expression of the work and better promotion of the music,and this can only be served by profes- sional choruses.We may look back at the history of chorus and we seldom find any choral masterpieces with great popularity that were premiered by amateur chorus groups.Maybe I am too ignorant,but as far as I know,there is no such case in the history.This proves how important professional choruses are for choral composition.In the past,several major chorus groups in China,including the Central Symphony Or- chestra Chorus,Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra Chorus,were just like both'manufacturers'and'wholesalers'of new choral works.As for conductors,precisely speaking,it is indeed crucial to train more and better chorus con- ductors in order to further raise the general level of all the chorus groups in China. This is true for ordinary choral works,and more so for new works of certain difficulty or Larger choral works.In fact,the greatest expectation of a composer is no more than having an ideal chorus group to sing his or her work. China is becoming a big country for popularizing choral music,but not a strong one yet.It is still some- where in between,or perhaps there is a long way to go.And the time it takes to reach the finish line largely depends on how fast the elementary music education for all the citizens can be improved and whether struc- tural reforms in culture and arts can be deepened or how the related policies can be well implemented. The country is encountering unprecedented oppor- tunities for chorus development,and such opportunities have been brought about by the reform and opening policy,and also by the mass chorus activities that are now in full swing.But taking into consideration the pre- sent situation of our nation,we may lose these oppor- tunities and enlarge the gap between China and other stronger countries in choral music if we do not attach enough importance to the construction of professional choruses. China must have several devoted professional cho- ruses to reach the highest level of world choral music. The govemment must support them in both the struc- tural and economic terms,and this is the wish of all the composers as well as all the music workers with artistic conscience.