论二胡艺术的现代精神

On the Modern Spirit of the Art of Erhu

由于20世纪在中国社会、经济、文化诸领域演进过程中的特殊地位，我们常常将它视为从传统“转接”到现代的“分水岭”。从这个时间坐标出发，考察这一百年间学术、文艺所取得的业绩，则更可以寻觅到这一历史性“转接”中的许多“现代”印记。在音乐领域，印记最鲜明者，当属民族乐器及其演奏艺术，而在民族器乐中，二胡艺术堪称代表。无论是创作、表演、教育传承、乐器改革、学术研究、社会维护，其现代精神，几乎随处可见。由此也与自身的传统状貌，形成十分明显的对比。

Since the May 4th Movement in 1919,China has witnessed three civil wars,an anti-Japanese war and the emergence of a new social system.Each of the historical periods has different content of modern spirit, and thus it has inevitably affected literary and artistic creations and humanistic researches. The 'modern' journey of Erhu happened to start from the period of May 4th Movement. The first traveler on this journey was Mr.Liu Tianhua,an outstanding Chinese musician in modern time. The Prometheus-like artist introduced modern humanistic spirits into Erhu composition,performance and teaching during these years of hardship and progress when music was still regarded as 'the least useful knowledge'. Another Erhu folk musician A Bing had different life experience and social-cultural background,but with his contributions in history and his importance place his music history,he could much parallel Liu Tianhua.However,being a folk musician does not mean the lack of modern spirit.A Bing's 'The Moon Reflected on Erquan Spring',an immortal,greatly influential music piece for Erhu,which deeply depicts the hardship in life with perfect solo music,unique playing techniques and sublime music ideas,has likewise reached the supreme level of Erhu's artistic expressions. In the 1950's,two new works for Erhu appeared, namely,'Northern Henan Ballade' and 'Sanmen Gorge Capriccio'.They are two epoch-making works in the history of Erhu music because the composer of them Liu Wenjin was the first professional composer to engage in Erhu music composition,and also because they used new ideas,new forms,new structures,new languages and new techniques,so different from the previous ones that in a sense they realized a breakthrough in the history of modern Erhu.Such works proved that there was more space for the instrument to reflect the modern social life.It is obviously the modern spirit,so vivid and explict in these two works,that encouraged the composer to make thorough explorations in such way. The 1980's saw the movement of modernization and the policy of reforms and opening up,a great change in the modern Chinese history.Against this particular background,the art of Erhu obtained a blessed opportunity to develop.Most remarkably,a large number of new works in single or plural movements were created and performed during this period when the various forms such as concerto,ballade,symphony,capriccio and rhapsody became the main streams of Erhu music composition.These new works shared the same two characteristics:first is their grandness,namely, great length,grand subject matter and great momentum,or in other words,all these works reflected the 'grand' content of history,society and music charms;second is their novelty, namely,a brand-new environment for Erhu in breaking away from the traditional language of Erhu playing after a variety of experiments in tonality,subject matter and structure under the influences of Western music in terms of composing techniques and concepts since the 20th century. As far as I remember,in the 1950's and 1960's,there was only one Zhonghu concerto 'Su Wu'(composed by Liu Zhu) in the musical instrument family of Huqin.But since the year of 1979,a few dozen large-or mediumsized new works for Erhu emerged,such as 'The Parting of the Newly-Married' by Zhang Xiaofeng & Zhu Xiaogu,'The Red Plum Blossoms Capriccio' by Wu Houyuan,'Lanhuahua Ballade' by Guan Ming,'Erhu Rhapsody No. 1' by Wang Jianmin,'Erhu Concerto No.1' by Guan Naizhong,'Desert at Dusk' and 'Elegy' by Yang Liqing,'Lady Mochou Fantasia' by He Zhanhao,'A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge' by Cui Xin & Zhu Changyao, 'Warm River in Spring' by Jin Fuzai,'Erhu Concerto No.1' by Zheng Bing,'Lisao' by Yao Shengchang & Lin Cong,'The Red Mansion Capriccio'by Wang Wenxun & Jiang Cairu,'Autumn Melody' by Liu Wenjin,'Love of the Concubine' by Lu Liang-Hui(Taiwan), 'Blessings' by Zhu Xiaogu,and 'Lord of Western Qin' by Lu Yun(Taiwan) etc.and of course,a masterpiece composed during this rush of composing 'large-and medium-sized works for Erhu',Erhu concerto 'Great Wall Capriccio'(1980) by Liu Wenjin.