HUQIN BLOG

Chopsticks at Dawn (June 2010, BBC Radio4)

2010-06-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

A BBC Radio4 (UK) programme exploring the background and history of oriental musical cliches in the West:

"The Chinese decorative arts are revered in the West but composers and musicians from Debussy and Ravel to George Formby and David Bowie have constantly parodied Chinese music. Now on Radio 4 the comedian Anna Chen sets out to investigate the musical cliches that which have blighted her life in Chopsticks at Dawn."

From BBC web page:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sm4tg

Chopsticks at Dawn
Broadcast on Tuesday, 13:30 on BBC Radio 4, and
Sat 12 Jun 2010, 15:30 on BBC Radio 4

Synopsis

Chinese decorative arts are revered in the West. From Willow pattern dinner plates to the Brighton Pavilion, their designs are regarded as beautiful and sophisticated. But for the past two centuries European composers and musicians have had no qualms about mercilessly parodying what they thought of as 'Chinese tunes'.

As a girl growing up in Hackney, the opening orientalised-flute strains of the 1970s pop record Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas were enough to send future comedian Anna Chen running for cover.

The same cliches haunt Turning Japanese by The Vapours, Hong Kong Garden by Siouxsie And The Banshees and David Bowie's China Girl. They have all followed a pattern set by Claude Debussy, Malcolm Arnold, Albert Ketelbey and Lancashire Linnet George Formby, who were equally guilty of taking Chinese musical motifs and mangling them - or simply making them up!

How did this mocking abuse of a handful of venerable Far Eastern notes begin?

Musicologist Dr Jonathan Walker accompanies Anna on a historical mission, picking out examples on the piano and explaining why and how our western ears hear certain note configurations as "oriental" - from Chopsticks to Chopin.

They explore the pentatonic scale that chartacterises so much Chinese music, delve into the story of the Opium Wars which triggered a deep British disrespect of Chinese musical culture and unveil the earliest dubious examples of Chinoiserie in Western Music.

And we hear from a new generation of British born Chinese musicians who are putting right the discordant wrongs of the past 200 years.

Producer: Chris Eldon Lee
A Culture Wise production for BBC Radio 4.

Broadcasts:

1.Tue 8 Jun 2010, 13:30, BBC Radio 4
2.Sat 12 Jun 2010, 15:30, BBC Radio 4

Download link: http://sharebee.com/39f5a2e4
Filename: Chopsticks at Dawn (2010-06-12,BBC Radio4,Freeview).mp3
Size: 24.91 MB
Running time: approx 29 min

Some further reading:

"Orientalism and Musical Style" by Derek B. Scott, who is featured in the programme:
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/CMJ/Articles/1997/02/01.html

http://www.dimsum.co.uk/viewpoints/the-oriental-theme.html

http://madammiaow.blogspot.com/2010/06/chopsticks-at-dawn-bbc-r4-tomorrow-1330.html

http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/feature.php/28494/radio-light-programme

Jiangnan Sizhu - The Autumn Moon Over the Han Palace (1988 cass)

2010-06-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

Jiangnan silk and bamboo music performed by the Shanghai old Chenghuang temple lake pavilion ensemble.

Artist/Performers: "Traditional Ensemble of the Lake Pavilion of the Shanghai Old Emperor Temple"
shànghǎi lǎo chénghuángmiào húxīntíng yuèduì 上海老城隍庙湖心亭乐队
lit. Shanghai old chénghuáng (city god) temple pavilion in the middle of the lake ensemble

Album: The Autumn Moon Over the Han Palace,
Traditional Chinese String-Wind Music of the Southern Yangzi River (Jiangnan Sizhu)
hàn gōng qiū yuè, jiāngnán sīzhú 汉宫秋月, 江南丝竹

Year: 1988

Company: Pop Art Productions Co Ltd, bóyì zhìzuò yǒuxiàngōngsī 博艺制作有限公司, PA-881

Cassette tape track list:
A1. hàn gōng qiū yuè 汉宫秋月 The Autumn Moon Over the Han Palace
A2. xúnyáng yè yuè 浔阳夜月 Moonlit Night of Xunyang
B1. ní cháng qǔ 霓裳曲 Little Gauze Coat (aka rainbow skirts)
B2. dǎo bā bān 倒八扳 (fán wàng gōng 凡忘工) Dao Ba Ban (Fan Wang Gong)
B3. qīnglián yuèfǔ 青莲乐府 Qinglian Music School

Recorded by the Arts Development Section of Shanghai Conservatory
Jointly produced by Yunnan Audio and Video Co, and Pop Art Productions Co Ltd
博艺制作有限公司

Transferred from cassette tape:
Tape (Nakamichi CR-1) > wav (Edirol R09) > FLAC > LAME mp3.

Download link: http://sharebee.com/c0961b94
Filename: Jiangnan Sizhu - Hangong Qiuyue (1988 cass, mp3).zip
Size: 49.76 MB
Includes cover and notes in English and Chinese.

Passport to China (Supraphon/Artia LP c.1959)

2010-05-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

Passport to China (Supraphon/Artia LP c.1959)

Artist/Performers: Chinese National Song and Dance Ensembles, conductors: Chenkheng Yin, Tsu Te Fang
Album: Passport to China
Year: c. 1959 (Artia release)
Company: Supraphon, Artia (originally recorded by the Czech company Supraphon)

LP track list:
A1. Music to the Dance with Shawls - Chinese National Song and Dance Ensembles, Chenkheng Yin, conductor
A2. The Bubbling Brook - Chinese National Song and Dance Ensembles, Tsu Te Fang, conductor
A3. New Life - Chinese National Song and Dance Ensembles, Chenkheng Yin, conductor
B1. The River Tatu - Chinese National Song and Dance Ensembles, Tsu Te Fang, conductor
B2. Song of the Maiden Lan Chua - Chinese National Song and Dance Ensembles, Chenkheng Yin, conductor
B3. The Last Battle between Kingdoms Chun and Han - Chinese National Song and Dance Ensembles, Chenkheng Yin,conductor

Notes:
A Supraphon/Ramco production.
Recorded in Europe.

Artia ALP-112

An Aria "Cultural Exchange" Presentation.
Artia Recording Corp., 600 Fifth Avenue, New York.

This LP was reviewed in the July 1960 issue of Gramophone magazine, page 89:
http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/June%201960/89/784338/NIGHTS+AT+THE+ROUND+TABLE

"NIGHTS AT THE ROUND TABLE
By W. A. CHISLETT
FROM CHINA, HUNGARY, RUMANIA AND U.S.S.R.
Passport to China; Authentic Chinese Folk Songs and Dances. Chinese National Song and Dance Ensembles conducted by Chenkheng Yin and Tsu Te Fang. Artia Q ALP112.
Gypsy King in Hi-Fi; Authentic Folk Songs and Dances of Hungary. Featuring Sandor Lakatos, Sandor Jaroka, Istvan Lukacs, Jozsef Fatyol, Sari Vorosy and Maria Berei. Artia Q ALP111.
Rumanian Folk Songs and Dances. Lautaru Barbu conducted by lone! Budlsteanu and Nicu Stanescu. Artia Q ALP105. The Red Army in Hi-Fi. Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble conducted by Boris Alexandrov. Artie Q ALP101. (All 12 in. 30s. plus Os. Pd. PT.).
The first thing to say about this very interesting group of records is that although they are American "Cultural Exchange" presentations they were recorded in Europe, even that of Chinese music. They are luxuriously packaged in thick cardboard containers which are more like albums than the ordinary sleeves.
"Passport to China" includes a lot of interesting notes about Chinese music in general and instruments in particular but nothing about the six pieces played, which is a pity, for I am no expert on Chinese music. I take this to be modern. Some of it suggests Western influences quite strongly and in places it is markedly akin to much of the popular music of Russia. The most prominent of the instruments are reeds, plucked strings, gongs, drums, cymbals and other members of the percussion family. There are also voices, male and female, solo and in chorus, and here I note particularly that there is rather less of the singing with cramped muscles and strained vocal chords than is the case in the older music of China. This is an interesting, exciting and in places quite fascinating record.
With "Gypsy King in Iii=Fi" we are on more familiar ground, but first of all attention should be called to odd discrepancies between the details of the artists as listed on the front cover and which are given above and those given in more detail inside and on the labels. Tv,.0 singers, Iren Meszaros, soprano, and Janos Csik, a pleasant voiced baritone, are included in both of the latter but not in the former. Mariz Berei is mentioned on the former but not on either of the latter; on the other hand there are in fact soloists who are not mentioned at all in two of the tracks, one of which may be Mario Berei. This is all unnecessarily confusing.
Sandor Lakatos, who plays nightly at Budapest's Astoria Bar, leads his Gypsy Orchestra on the first side and the leader on the reverse is Sandor Jaroka. How much is due to the playing and how much to the recording it is difficult to say, but the former achieves more pleasing and agreeable results as heard through the loudspeakers than the latter. Some top cut is desirable to tame the fierceness of the second side.
Much of this music goes back many years and snatches of melody, if no more, will be familiar to most via Liszt or Brahms. Best known Only One Girl which is charmingly sung by Sari Voros, but even more attractive to me are My Sweetheart mows in a Meadow in which the singer is Janos Csik, and the wild dance Verbunk with Fatyol as clarinet soloist. Fatyol exhibits his virtuosity also in Variations for Chardas, along with Lukacs who performs incredible feats on the cimbalom. All in all then this is much the mixture as before, but not quite, for I have heard many similar selections over the years that did not give the feeling of authenticity l whereas this one most certainly does."

I think the review sums up the LP very well; there is no information about either the pieces or the performers on the LP, just some somewhat dated descriptions of Chinese music in general. The LP is also mentioned in the 19 Oct 1959 issue (page 7 and 26) of Billboard magazine (available to read on Google Books).

Track B2. "Song of the Maiden Lan Chua" seems to be a version of the song "Lan Huahua".

Track B3. "The Last Battle between Kingdoms Chun and Han" is the well known pipa solo "Ambush on Ten Sides" (shí miàn mái fú 十面埋伏).

Going by the articles in Billboard magazine, I would guess the LP was released in the US by Artia Recording Corp of New York in 1959. However it seems the recording was made in Czechoslovakia by Supraphon, not necessarily in 1959.

Download link: http://sharebee.com/661d4bad
Filename: Passport to China (Supraphon LP c.1959).zip
Size: 27.68 MB

Chinese Folk Wind & Percussion Music (cassette tape)

2010-05-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

Artist/Performers: Central Conservatory, Zhōngyāng Yīnyuè Xuéyuàn Mínyuètuán 中央音乐学院民乐团 (Central Conservatory folk ensemble),
Wáng Fǔjiàn 王甫建 (zhǐhuī 指挥, conductor),
Guō Yǎzhì 郭雅志 (suǒnà 嗩呐)
Bāo Jiàn 包键 (guǎnzi 管子)
Li3 Zhen1gui4 李真贵
Dan1 Wen2tong1 单文通et al
(instruments info from other CDs)

Album: Chinese Folk Wind & Percussion Music (cass), zhōngguó mínjiān chuīdǎyuè 中国民间吹打乐
Year: not stated, bought in late 1990s
Company: zhōngguó běiguāng shēngxiàng yìshù gōngsī 中国北光声像艺术公司 BSL-024(China Beiguang arts audio & video company)

Cassette tape track list:
A1. bǎi niǎo cháo fèng 百鸟朝凤 (hundred birds praising the phoenix)
A2. gōu jīn lìng 沟金令 (lit. ditch gold command)
A3. xiǎo èr fān 小二番 (lit. small two times)
A4. dǎ jīn zhī 打金枝 (pruning the golden branch)
B1. dà déshèng 大得胜 (great victory)
B2. lagūa 啦呱 (Shandong dialect meaning chat, casual conversation)
B3. qìng fēngshōu 庆丰收 (celebrate the bumper harvest)
B4. fàng lǘ 放驴 (driving a donkey)
B5. dǎ zǎo ér 打枣儿 (getting jujube dates)

Info from cassette notes:
A1. bǎi niǎo cháo fèng 百鸟朝凤 (hundred birds praising the phoenix)
Derived from Shandong "drum music" (Shandong guyue 山东鼓乐). Features the suona.
A2. gōu jīn lìng 沟金令 (lit. ditch gold command)
Suona and percussion music (suona luogu 唢呐锣鼓), from the Shandong and Hebei area.
A3. xiǎo èr fān 小二番 (lit. small two times)
From central Hebei, well known as guanzi piece.
A4. dǎ jīn zhī 打金枝 (pruning the golden branch)
From bangzi Chinese opera.
B1. dà déshèng 大得胜 (great victory)
Shanxi folk drum and wind music (Shandong minjian guchui yue 山西民间鼓吹乐).
B2. lagūa 啦呱 (Shandong dialect meaning chat, casual conversation)
"Lagua" is Shandong dialect to mean chat, casual conversation. Features two suona playing the part of two people chatting.
B3. qìng fēngshōu 庆丰收 (celebrate the bumper harvest)
Shandong wind and percussion music (Shandong chuida yue 山东吹打乐).
B4. fàng lǘ 放驴 (driving a donkey)
From central Hebei.
B5. dǎ zǎo ér 打枣儿 (picking jujube dates)
Hebei folk music.

Download link: http://sharebee.com/9cb3eb2f
Filename: Chinese Folk Wind & Percussion Music (cass).zip
Size: 48.5 MB

Lü Wencheng - Chinese Masterpieces for the Erh-Hu

2010-05-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

Artist: Lǚ Wénchéng 吕文成 (as Lui Man-Sing and his Group)
Album: Chinese Masterpieces for the Erh-Hu
Year: not stated
Format: 12 inch vinyl LP
Company: Lyrichord LLST 7132

A1. niǎo tóu lín 鸟投林 Birds Returning to the Forest (gaohu solo)
A2. hàn gōng qiū yuè 汉宫秋月 Palace Under Autumn Moonlight (erhu and zheng)
A3. dé shèng lìng 得胜令 Triumph from the Battlefield
A4. píng hú qiū yuè 平湖秋月 West Lake Autumn Moonlight
A5. xù huā luò 絮花落 Catkins in Wind (yangqin solo)
B1. liǔ làng wén yīng 柳浪闻莺 Orioles Sing in Willows
B2. shēn gōng yuàn 深宫怨 Yearning in the Palace
B3. sài lóng duó jǐn 赛龙夺锦 Dragon Boat Race
B4. méi huā sān nòng 梅花三弄 Admiration of Plum Flowers (erhu solo)

Notes:
as "Lui Man-Sing and his Group" on the LP

Download link: http://sharebee.com/1b9bd8a8
Filename: Lv Wencheng - Masterpieces for the Erh-Hu (Lyrichord LLST 7132).zip
Size: 52.03 MB

The title of the LP is a bit inaccurate, none of the pieces are specifically for the erhu, except maybe the first track. Most of the tracks are Guangdong yinyue (lit. Guangdong music; a specific style of music from Guangdong) performed by an ensemble.

This LP doesn't have a date, I would guess it was recorded in the 1960s. The performance of the ensemble pieces is somewhat similar in style to the Guangdong yinyue I've heard from pre-1949 China, on CD. It has that Shanghai dance hall jazzy feel of the 1930s, especially on track A4. píng hú qiū yuè 平湖秋月 West Lake Autumn Moonlight.

Three of the tracks are instrumental solos, the rest are ensemble. Interestingly, two tracks seem to be music from the Shanghai area:

A5. xù huā luò 絮花落 Catkins in Wind
B4. méi huā sān nòng 梅花三弄 Admiration of Plum Flowers

The second one, I would guess, is Lü's own version of San Liu (three six). San Liu is also called Meihua Sannong (three variations of plum plower).

I've include extra versions of 2 tracks. These have been slowed down to a slightly lower pitch.

A2. hàn gōng qiū yuè 汉宫秋月(80 percent lower and slower, in G)

Most Guangdong Music pieces are played in the key of C (1=C), with the gaohu tuned to G, D. The open strings would be sol, re (5 with dot under, 2). This recording by Lü Wencheng as transfered from the LP has the key of approx G sharp or A flat (assuming A=440hz).

For the convenience of playing along with the recording without having to re-tune your instrument, I have slowed down the recording and the pitch has dropped about a semitone to 1=G (assuming A=440hz).

You can play along on the erhu in standard (gaohu) fingering (open strings: sol, re).

Or you can play along on the gaohu, yehu or zhonghu tuned to G, D, but with different fingering (open strings: do, sol).

Wutai Shan Buddhist Music (1992)

2010-05-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

Spirit of the Earth, BBC Radio 3.

Concert of temple music performed by monks from Wutai Shan (or Mount Wutai), Shanxi, China.

Venue: Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, UK.

Date: Sunday 12 July 1992.

Broadcast on BBC Radio 3; 21:50 - 22:50, Sun 12 July 1992.

Part of Radio 3's Spirit of the Earth festival.

Introduction by Donald Macleod with notes by Stephen Jones:

"Nihao, and welcome once again to Birmingham. Initial greeting in Chinese but although our concert tonight..."

Performers:

Guanzi (double reed wind): Ren Liang,
Sheng x 2 (free reed wind): not named,
Dizi (flute): not named,
Yunluo (tuned gongs): Liao Man ("abbot of the most important temple in Wutai Shan"),
Small cymbals: not named,
Muyu (woodblock): not named,
Bell and drum: not named.
Nao and bo (large cymbals) played by sheng and dizi players.

Music:

Instrumental suite: Bai Ma Tuo Jing (the white horse carrying the scriptures).
Start at 5:45, end at 19:00.

Instrumental and vocal: San Bao Zan (a hymn to the three treasures; Buddha, Dharma, Zanga). From the ritual releasing the flaming mouths or feeding the hungry ghosts.
Start at 20:15, end at 26:20.

Instrumental version of two hymns: Hymn to the western paradise, One thousand calls to the Buddha.
Start at 27:30, end at 37:35.

Instrumental suite (a sequence of melodies and percussion interludes): Da Chong Jing.
Start at 38:15, end at 52:40.
(has pause at 46:25 due to cassette tape being turned over during recording from the radio).

This is a cassette tape recording of a BBC Radio 3 broadcast of a concert of temple music performed by monks from Wutai Shan, Shanxi, China, at the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, UK.

Date of broadcast and concert: Sunday 12 July 1992.

Radio broadcast FM > cassette tape, TDK MA90, Nakamichi CR-1 > WAV, Edirol R09 > FLAC > LAME mp3 vbr 165

Download link: http://sharebee.com/528c614d
Filename: Wutai Shan music, Birmingham, UK, 12 July 1992.mp3
Size: 63.16 MB

Newspaper article about the Spirit of the Earth festival:

Update

Here's the interval talk "Sacred Mountains".

Download link: http://sharebee.com/10834062
Filename: Sacred Mountains, Spirit of the Earth concert interval talk,BBC Radio 3, Sun 12 July 1992.mp3
Size: 13.25 MB

River Water, Erhu Solos (Art-Tune LP)

2010-02-24T22:52:00.000-08:00

Post updated with links, 10 Apr 2010.

Artist/Performers: VA (Song Guosheng, Wu Suhua, Guo Junming, Chen Maojian, Lu Rirong, Wang Guotong)
Album: jiāng hé shuǐ，èrhú yǎnzòuqǔ 江河水，二胡演奏曲（river water，erhu solos）
Year: not stated， LP is 1980s or older
Company: Art-Tune Company Hong Kong, COL-3132, xiānggǎng yìshēng chàngpiàn gōngsī 香港艺声唱片公司
Format: 12inch vinyl LP 33rpm

Track list:

A1. hénán xiǎoqǔ 河南小曲 (Henan melody) - Sòng Guóshēng 宋国生 (erhu), Liú Jùntíng 刘俊亭 (yangqin), arranged by Liú Míngyuán 刘明源
A2. jiāng hé shuǐ 江河水（river water) - Wú Sùhuá 吴素华 (erhu), Liáng Ruìhuá 梁瑞华 (yangqin), arranged by Huáng Hǎihuái 黄海怀
A3. yùběi xùshìqǔ 豫北叙事曲 (Ballad of Northern Henan) - Guǒ Jùnmíng 果俊明 (erhu), Péng Xuěqióng 彭雪琼 (piano), composed by Liú Wénjīn 刘文金
B1. mùrén yuè 牧人乐 (music of herdsman) - Chén Màojiān 陈茂坚 (erhu), Zhāo Rǔkēng 赵汝铿 (yangqin), composed by Zhāng Xīnlín 张鑫林
B2. qínqiāng zhǔtí suíxiǎngqǔ 秦腔主题随想曲 (Theme From Qinqiang Opera) - Lǔ Rìróng 魯日融 (erhu), Liú Dázhāng 刘达章 (yangqin), arranged by Zhāo Zhènxiāo 赵振霄 & Lǔ Rìróng 魯日融
B3. sānménxiá chàngxiǎngqǔ 三门峡畅想曲 (Sanmen gorge capriccio) - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼 (erhu), Zhōu Guǎngrén 周广仁 (piano), composed by Liú Wénjīn 刘文金

Download link is: http://sharebee.com/fdcd9bc4
Filename: River Water, Erhu Solos (Art-Tune LP).zip
Size: 33.6 MB
130vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers

Update:

Half the tracks on this LP are also on the "A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu" set of 10 CDs. The other three I haven't seen on any other albums; Jiang He Shui (river water) played by Wu Suhua, Yubei Xushiqu (Ballad of Northern Henan) played by Guo Junming, and Qinqiang Zhuti Suixiangqu (Theme From Qinqiang Opera) played by Lu Rirong (one of its composers/arrangers).

Apart from the titles and the names of the musicians, the LP doesn't have any other information. I would guess the LP is copied from vinyl records from China and not from the master tapes, probably unofficially, hence the low sound quality.

Wu Suhua has a solo erhu CD called "Chine: L'art de la viele Erhu / China: The Art of the Erhu Fiddle" (Auvidis Ethnic B 6764, 1992).

My favourite track is track 3 "Ballade of Nijiang (Nijiang You)".
Link: http://sharebee.com/b0386e1a

She also appears on the CD "Fleuve Jaune; Musique Instrumentale Chinoise / Yellow River; Instrumental Music of China" (Auvidis Ethnic B 6757, 1991)

One of the best tracks from the CD is "píng shā luò yàn" 平沙落雁 Wild geese land on beach (Guan Pinghu version), played by Yang Lining (qin), Francois Picard (xiao), Wu Suhua (erhu), Wang Ying (pipa).
Link: http://sharebee.com/e5af28ca

China: Chinese Music Played with Traditional Chinese Musical Instruments (1972 LP, Decca Eclipse ECS-R 2123)

2010-01-03T09:05:00.000-08:00

Professor Hoshiang Lee - China, Chinese Music Played with Traditional Chinese Musical Instruments (1972 LP, Decca Eclipse ECS-R 2123)

Title: China: Chinese Music Played with Traditional Chinese Musical Instruments
Performers: Professor Hoshiang Lee
Label: Eclipse Records, The Decca Record Company Limited (Decca Eclipse)
Catalogue number: ECS-R 2123
Format: Vinyl, LP, Stereo
Country: UK
Released: 1972
Credits: Producer, arranged by, conductor: Professor Hoshiang Lee
Notes: "Made in England", "Palace Music", "℗ 1972, Asia Record Co", "Produced, and arranged and conducted by Professor Hoshiang Lee".

A1. The Frantic Dance of the Golden Snake
A2. Shepherd Song Beyond the Border
A3. Looking Out from the Great Wall
A4. Bang-Tze-Feng
A5. Deep in the Night
A6. The Awakening Lion
B1. Peach Blossom
B2. Night Feast
B3. The Phoenix Courting His Mate
B4. The Yangtze River Flows to the East
B5. The Happy Time

A1. jīn shé kuáng wǔ 金蛇狂舞 The Frantic Dance of the Golden Snake
A2. sàiwài mùgē 塞外牧歌 Shepherd Song Beyond the Border
A3. chángchéng zhān wàng 长城瞻望 Looking Out from the Great Wall
A4. bāngzi fēng 梆子风 Bang-Tze-Feng
A5. yè shēn chén 夜深沉 Deep in the Night
A6. xǐng shī 醒狮 The Awakening Lion
B1. xiǎo táo hóng 小桃红 Peach Blossom
B2. yèyàn 夜宴 Night Feast
B3. fèng qiú huáng 凤求凰 The Phoenix Courting His Mate
B4. chángjiāng zhī shuǐ xiàngdōng liú 长江之水向东流 The Yangtze River Flows to the East
B5. kuàilè de shíguāng 快乐的时光 The Happy Time

Transfer equipment: LP, Pro-Jet Debut, Mission Cyrus One > wav, Edirol-R09 > flac>130 vbr MP3, LAME

Download link: http://sharebee.com/1182fa0d
Filename: China - Hoshiang Lee (1972 LP,Decca Eclipse ECS-R 2123).zip
Size: 43.66 MB
130vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes

The only performer credited on the LP is "Produced, and arranged and conducted by Professor Hoshiang Lee". The year on the record is 1972, so the recording is probably from Taiwan or Hong Kong, I guess originally on "Palace Music/Asia Record Co" then released in the UK by Decca.

Wei Zhongle - Vinyl LP: Lyrichord LL 772

2010-01-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

Wei Zhongle - Lyrichord LL 772

Artist/Performers: Wei Zhongle (Wèi Zhōnglè 卫中乐, as "Wei Chung Loh" on LP)
Album: Chinese Classical Music, played on ancient instruments by Professor Wei Chung Loh
Year:
Company: Lyrichord LL 772

LP track list (as on LP):
A1. Dance Prelude (pipa solo)
A2. Flying Flowers Falling Upon Emerald-Green Grass (pipa solo)
A3. Parting at Yang Kwan (qin solo)
A4. Soliloguy of a Convalescent (erhu solo)
B1. Temple Meditation (xiao solo)
B2. March (erhu solo)
B3. The Drunken Fisherman (qin solo)
B4. The Flight of the Partridge (dizi solo)

With titles in Chinese:
A1. gē wǔ yǐn 歌舞引 Dance Prelude (pipa solo)
A2. Flying Flowers Falling Upon Emerald-Green Grass (pipa solo)
A3. yángguān sān dié 阳关三叠 Parting at Yang Kwan (qin solo)
A4. bìng zhōng yín 病中吟 Soliloguy of a Convalescent (erhu solo)
B1. Temple Meditation (xiao solo)
B2. guāng míng xíng 光明行 March (erhu solo)
B3. zuì yú chàng wǎn 醉渔唱晚 The Drunken Fisherman (qin solo)
B4. zhègū fēi 鹧鸪飞 The Flight of the Partridge (dizi solo)

Download link: http://sharebee.com/fc60b38e
Filename: Wei Zhongle (Lyrichord LP).zip
Size: 25.99 MB
130vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes

I don't know when this record was recorded. There is considerable background noise on the recordings which suggest it could be the 1950s or older. All the tracks are not more than about 3 1/2 minutes long, which might be a clue that it was recorded in the 78rpm era. The sleeve notes mention that Wei Zhongle made a tour of the USA in 1937, so assuming it is writing about something which happened not too long ago (from the time of the original release of the LP), I would guess the 1940s for the recording date and maybe the 1950s for the LP.

Update:

Track B1. Temple Meditation (xiao solo) is zhuāng tái qiū sī 妆台秋思 (autumn thoughts at dressing table)

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu

2009-11-30T21:11:00.000-08:00

Cover of volume 1.

This is a 10-CD set of erhu music published by China Record in 1992. It seems the recordings have all been previously released on various albums.

All ten volumes can be found at: http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20Collection%20of%20Music%20Played%20on%20the%20Erhu

Details of the whole 10-CD set:

Chinese title: zhōngguó yīnyuè dà quán èrhú 中国音乐全二胡

An Anthology of Chinese Traditional and Folk Music
A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu
Volumes 1 -10
1992, China Record Co, 10 CDs
CCD 92/166 (vol 1) to CCD 92/175 (vol 10)

Vol 1, CCD 92/166 (An Album of Liú Tiānhuá's Works)
01. bìng zhōng yín 病中吟 Reciting on the Sickbed - Min Huifen 闵惠芬
02. yuè yè 月夜 In the Moon Night - Zhāng Ruì 张锐
03. kǔ mèn zhī ōu 苦闷之讴 Chant of Depression - Zhāng Ruì 张锐
04. bēi gē 悲歌 Lament - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼
05. liáng xiāo 良宵 A Fine Night (chú yè xiǎo chàng 除夜小唱 Song of New Year's Eve) - Wáng Yíqín 王宜勤 et al
06. xián jū yín 闲居吟 Reciting in Leisurely Living - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华
07. kōng shān niǎo yǔ 空山鸟语 Birds Are Singing in the Tranquil Valley - Zhāng Sháo 张韶
08. guāng míng xíng 光明行 Marching on a Bright Road - Zēng Xún 曾寻
09. dú xián cāo 独弦操 Air on One String - Zhāng Ruì 张锐
10. zhú yǐng yáo hóng 烛影摇红 Candle Light's Shadow Swings in Red Colour - Zhāng Ruì 张锐

Vol 2, CCD 92/167 (Huà Yànjūn, Liú Tiānhuá, Jiǎng Fēngzhī pieces)
01. èr quán yìng yuè 二泉映月 A Moon is Mirrored in the Second Fountain - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华
02. tīng sōng 听松 Hearing the Soughing of Wind in the Pine Forest - Chén Jiébīng 陈洁冰
03. hán chūn fēng qǔ 寒春风曲 Cold-Spring Wind Song - Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星
04. èr quán yìng yuè 二泉映月 A Moon is Mirrored in the Second Fountain - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼
05. sān bǎo fó 三宝佛 Triratna Buddha - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
06. yángguān sān dié 阳关三叠 (w. piano) Singing a Send-off Song with Three Refrains - Shěn Zhènglù 沈正陆
07. hàn gōng qiū yuè 汉宫秋月 Autumn Moon Light is Shedding Over the Palace of Han Dynasty - Jiǎng Fēngzhī 蔣风之
08. guān shān yuè 关山月 Moon Light is Shedding on the Road of Journey - Jiǎng Fēngzhī 蔣风之
09. zhāo jūn yuàn 昭君怨 The Grievance of Zhaojun - Wáng Shòutíng 王寿庭

Vol 3, CCD 92/168 (Min Huifen 闵惠芬 recital)
01. chángchéng suíxiǎngqǔ 长城随想曲 Great Wall Capriccio - Min Huifen 闵惠芬, shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán
02. jiāng hé shuǐ 江河水 The River Water - Min Huifen 闵惠芬
03. xǐ sòng gōng liáng 喜送公粮 Delivering the Public Grain Happily - Min Huifen 闵惠芬, shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán
04. xīn hūn bié 新婚别 Leaving One's Newly Married Bride for Being Conscribed - Min Huifen 闵惠芬, shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán

Vol 4, CCD 92/169 (Wáng Guótóng 王国潼 recital)
01. yùběi xùshìqǔ 豫北叙事曲 Northern Henan Ballad - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼
02. sānménxiá chàngxiǎngqǔ 三门峡畅想曲 Sanmen Gorge Rhapsody - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼, piano: Zhōu Guǎngrén 周广仁
03. bēn chí zài qiān lǐ cǎo yuán 奔驰在千里草原 Galloping in the Boundless Grassland - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼
04. bù qū de sū wǔ 不屈苏武 Unyielded Su Wu - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼 & zhōngguó guǎngbō mínzú yuètuán 中国广播民族乐团

Vol 5, CCD 92/170 (Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 album, 1982)
01. fān shēn gē 翻身歌 Song of Emancipation - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (& Red Scarf Orch of Central Conservatory Mid School)
02. qínqiāng zhǔtí suíxiǎngqǔ 秦腔主题随想曲 Variations From a Theme of Qinqiang Opera - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河)
03. hóng hú rénmín de xīnyuàn 洪湖人民的心愿 The Hopes of the Honghu Lake People - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河)
04. chūn shī 春诗 Spring Poem - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河)
05. hóng méi suíxiǎngqǔ 红梅随想曲 Red Plum Capriccio - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (& Red Scarf Orch of Central Conservatory Mid School)
06. sài mǎ 赛马 Horse Race - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河)
07. shílǐdūn shān gē 十里墩山歌 A Folk Song of Shilidun Mould - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河)

Vol 6, CCD 92/171 (Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星, Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德, erhu solos)
01. zhàn mǎ bēn téng 战马奔腾 Battle Steeds Galloping Ahead - Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星
02. shǎnběi shū huái 陕北抒怀 Expressing One's Aspiration in Nothern Shaanxi - Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星
03. shuǐ xiāng huān gē 水乡欢歌 A Happy Song in the Country of Rivers and Lakes - Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星
04. yǐng 影 A Shadow - Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星
05. jīn zhū mǎ mǐ zàn 金珠玛米赞 Ode to Jinzhumami - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
06. xǐ chàng fēng shōu 喜唱丰收 Singing a Joyful Song for Bumper Harvest - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
07. yú shuǐ qíng 鱼水情 Connected Closely as Fish and Water - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
08. bái huā yín 白花吟 Lamenting With White Flowers - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
09. huā kāi mǎn yuán 花开满园 The Gardens Are All in Bloom - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
10. yú zhōu huān gē 鱼舟欢歌 Fishman's Happy Song - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德

Vol 7, CCD 92/172 (Jiǎng Cáirú 蔣才如, Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀, erhu solos)
01. chūn jiāng huā yuè yè 春江花月夜 Flowers Banked River Under the Moon of Spring River - Jiǎng Cáirú 蔣才如
02. chuān jiāng chuán gē 川江船歌 Boatman's Song on the Chuanjiang River - Jiǎng Cáirú 蔣才如
03. huān lè de yí zhài 欢乐的彝寨 Joyful Village of the Yi - Jiǎng Cáirú 蔣才如
04. běijīng yǒu gè jīn tàiyáng 北京有个金太阳 There is a Golden Sun in Beijing - Jiǎng Cáirú 蔣才如
05. sūnán xiǎoqǔ 苏南小曲 Sunan Ditty - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀
06. jiāngnán chūn sè 江南春色 Scenery of Spring in Jiangnan - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀
07. mù yáng nǚ 牧羊女 The Shepherdess - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀
08. fēng qiáo yè bó 枫桥夜泊 Anchoring Near the Maple Bridge at Night - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀

Vol 8, CCD 92/173 (various erhu players and pieces)
01. liú bō qǔ 流波曲 Song of Wandering - Sūn Fèngzhōng 孙奉中
02. shāndōng xiǎoqǔ 山东小曲 Shandong Ditty - Zhōu Yàokūn 周耀锟
03. cǎo yuán shàng 草原上 On the Grasslands - Tāng Liángdé 汤良德 (zhōnghú 中胡)
04. huái xiāng xíng 怀乡行 Song of Nostalgia - Lù Xiūtáng 陆修堂
05. xūn fēng qǔ 薰风曲 South Wind Song - Ní Zhìpéi 倪志培
06. xiǎo huā gǔ 小花鼓 Little Flower-Drum - Zhāng Sháo 张韶
07. méi hù diào 眉户调 Mihu Tune [sic] - Lǔ Rìróng 鲁日融
08. làng huā cháo yǔ 浪花潮语 Murmuring the Surging Sprays - Zhōu Yàokūn 周耀锟
09. mù mǎ shào nián 牧马少年 A Horses Boy-Herder - Sòng Fēi 宋飞 (double qianjin erhu)
10. pútáo shú le 葡萄熟了 The Grapes are Ripe - Chén Jiébīng 陈洁冰
11. xiāng yīn 乡音 The Accent of One's Native Place - Zhào Hányáng 赵寒阳

Vol 9, CCD 92/174 (various erhu players and pieces)
01. shān cūn biànle yàng 山村变了样 The Vicissitude of the Mountain Village - Xiàng Zǔyīng 项祖英
02. gǎn jí 赶集 Going to a Fair - Jiǎng Xùnfēng 将巽风
03. chūn gēng máng 春耕忙 Busy Spring Ploughing - Táng Yùbīn 唐毓斌
04. shān cūn lè 山村乐 Joyful Mountain Village - Wáng Yíqín 王宜勤
05. fēng shōu 丰收 Bumper Harvest - Zhāng Sháo 张韶
06. chuāng yíng 窗蝇 Fly Rests on a Window - Chén Zhāorú 陈朝儒
07. shān gē 山歌 Folk Song - Zhāng Sháo 张韶
08. bāngzi fēng 梆子风 In Style of Bangzi - Huáng Hǎihuái 黄海怀
09. mù rén lè 牧人乐 Happy Herdsman - Chén Màojiān 陈茂监
10. hénán xiǎoqǔ 河南小曲 Henan Ditty - Sòng Guǒshēng 宋果生
11. chūn fēng yáng liǔ 春风杨柳 Willows Swing in Spring Wind - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
12. cǎo yuán xīn mùmín 草原新牧民 New Herdsman on the Grasslands - Liú Chángfú 刘长福
13. xǐ kàn mài tián qiān céng làng 喜看麦田千层浪 Happily See Billowing Wheat Fields - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼 et al (erhu unison)

Vol 10, CCD 92/175 (various erhu players and pieces)
01. yī zhī huā 一枝花 A Spray of Flower - Sòng Fēi 宋飞
02. tán yuè 弹乐 A Tune of Pingtan - Sūn Wénmíng 孙文明
03. màn sān liù 慢三六 (2 erhu solo) Slow Three Six - Shěn Fèngquán 沈凤泉 & Shěn Duōmǐ 沈多米
04. hàn jiāng cháo 汉江潮 Waves of Hanjiang River - Mǐn Huìfēn 闵惠芬
05. hóngjūn gēgē huí lái le 红军哥哥回来了 Red Army Man Returns Home - Xiāo Báiyōng 萧白镛
06. huā huān lè 花欢乐 Melismatic Joyful Song - Sūn Fèngzhōng 孙奉中
07. lā luòtuó 拉骆驼 Camel Driving - Zhāng Sháo 张韶
08. biān zhài zhī yè 边寨之夜 A Night of Frontier Fortress - Zhāng Huìbīn 张会斌
09. lánhuāhuā xùshìqǔ 蓝花花叙事曲 Lanhuahua Ballade - Wú Tóng 吴彤

PREFACE
by Liu Senmin

The music of erhu has a lot of enthusiasts in China.
The timbre of erhu is graceful, near to the human
voice, and the instrument is very powerful to express,
to voice the temperaments and feelings of the
humanity. In the garden of Chinese instrumental
music, we can say, it occupiesa special position
and sends forth a characteristic fragrance.

The erhu became a solo instrument
relatively late. Compared with the ancient qin
whose history has several thousand years, and
the pipa whose history approaches a thousand
years, the history of erhu as a solo instrument
has only 70 years. In the 1920s, for the first
time, Liu Tianhua played erhu as a solo instrument,
[it was unregarded in that era], in concerts.
Then he composed some famous pieces for it,
such as "Reciting on a Sickbed", "Marching on
the Bright Road" and "Birds are Singing in
Tranquil Valley", etc. By his efforts, the erhu
showed its life and its importance as soon as it
entered the musical temple, and then became an
outstanding member in the family of Chinese
instruments. Liu's contribution has epoch-making
significance, it demonstrates the courage and
resourcefulness of this great master of the national
music.

In recent 40 years, along with the wide-ranging
development of Chinese traditional orchestras in
the continent, the art of erhu, both technique and
repertoire, has advanced by leaps and bounds.
Today, there are many excellent players and so
many compositions, it appears a gratifying prospect.

Since 1987, according as the demand of audiences,
China Record Corporation had edited
An Anthology of Chinese Traditional and Folk
Music. Two sorts of them, "A Collection of Music
Played on the Pipa" and "A Collection of Music
Played on the Guzheng", have been published.
"A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu" has
been begun to edit in 1989. It takes 3 years to
gather material, to organise recording, to write the
introduction to the music and its performers, and
to modify elaborately. This giant project is achieved
at last, our audiences will obtain them on October
this year.

"A Collection of Music played on the Erhu"
of "An Anthology of Chinese Traditional
and Folk Music" is separated into 10 volumes. It
basically embrace the pith and marrow of the
art of erhu. You can find 38 performers playing
the pieces by Liu Tianhua, Hua Yanjun, Liu
Beimao, Peng Xiuwen, Huang Haihuai, Wu
Houyuan, Liu Wenjin, Wang Zhulin, etc,
amount to 86 pieces of 59 composers who
create or arrange them. The contents and subjects
of these pieces are very varicolored, also are
their styles and genres. There are arrangements
of ancient music "Moon Light is Shedding on
the Road of Journey", of local opera "Qinqiang
Qupai", of folk music "The River Water", and
"A Shandong Ditty"; there are also compositions
on the modern life, for instance, ,"Horse Race",
"Going to a Fair", "Happy Herdsmen",
"Sanmen Gorge Rhapsody" and concertos, "The
Great Wall", "Unyielded Su Wu".

For the sake of the readers' convenience, we
classify the 10 volumes as follows: Volume 1 is a
collection of compositions by Liu Tianhua.
"A Moon is Mirrored in the Second Fountain" and
4 other pieces by Hua Yanjun, who goes by the
name of A Bing, are included in Volume 2, but it
is a thousand pities that we haven't succeeded in
affording the orginal record performed by
composer, because of the unsatisfactory tone quality
recorded at that time. Volume 3 to Volume 7 are
individual collections of erhuist Min Huifen,
Wang Guotong, Jiang Jianhua, Chen Yaoxing,
Jiang Cairu, Xu Jiangde and Zhu Changyao
many pieces in these volumes are composed or
arranged (by the performers) themselves. The other
famous erhuists Jiang Fengzhi, Zhang Rui,
Zhang Shao, Liu Mingyuan, Chen Jiebing, Xu
Jiangde appear in Volume 1, 2, 8, 9 and 10.
"A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu" is
indeed a monumental work embracing all the
virtuosos and famous pieces of the erhu.
We believe that "An Anthology of Chinese
Traditional and Folk Music" will be greeted by
vast numbers of music lovers and personages
throughout the world.

August 20, 1992

A SYNOPSIS OF ERHU

Erhu (two-string bowed fiddle) is a member
of 'huqin' family. According to the historical
documents, huqin had been emerged as a Chinese
music instrument early in the Tang Dynasty
(618-907). Later in the Qing Dynasty (1636-1911),
the huqin family was increased in members
of new type, besides the erhu, there are four
stringed 'sihu', and a accompanying instrument
used in Beijing Opera is called 'jinghu', in
the Bangzi Operas the 'banhu', in the Henan
Zhuizi is the 'zhuiqin', and the 'datong' (big
body) from Hunan, 'yuehu' from Guangdong,
horse-bone hu from Zhuang Nationality. Due
to the fact that the erhu is evolved from xiqin, it
is the instrument of Xi Nationality who lived in
the north of China, at ancient China, people
resided in the central part of China usually called
the various minorities of northern and western
region as 'Hu', thus borne the name 'huqin' (Hu's
fiddle). Formerly, the erhu was mostly used in
the south area of the middle and lower reaches
of Changjiang River, therefore it is also called
'nanhu' (south fiddle), it is mainly played in the
'Jiangnan Sizhu' (traditional wind and string
instrument orchestra in the south of Jiangsu) and
as an accompanying instrument of the folk songs
and local operas. Erhu as a instrument appeared
in the concert hall began in the twenties of 20th
century. After the establishment of the New
China, in the sphere of erhu making and improving,
and in the composition, education, academic
research of erhu music, all attained a splendid
achievement. The technique of erhu Playing is
complex and skilful, its tone colour is delicate, rich,
and owns varied expressions. The basic fingering
are: stopping, vibrato, glissando, trill, harmonic,
pizzicato and fingers rotating; its basic bowing
are: legato, tremolo, staccato and the 'changing
bow in same direction'.

Now, in our country, the traditional instrument
ensembles have been developed into the form of
large orchestra, erhu, as a principal instrument,
occupied an important place in these orchestras,
particularly prominent in large type works written for
erhu. These works brought the latent potentialities
and expressive capacity of erhu into full play, and
founded a new landmark of erhu music.

Wang Dan

Leiqin collection

2009-11-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

Performers: Wáng Fúlì 王福立, Hán Fèngtián 韩凤田, Chuán Dìng 传定, Sòng Dōng’ān 宋东安, Hán Yàn et al 韩燕等.
Album: Lēiqín qǔjí, zhōngguó yīnyuè dàxì 擂琴曲集, 中国音乐大系.
(leiqin collection, series of Chinese music)
Year: 1990s or earlier.
Company: Zhōngguó yīnyuèjiā yīnxiàng chūbǎnshè chūbǎnfāxíng 中国音乐家音像出版社出版发行.
(China musician audio video publishing house)

Cassette tape track list:
A1. jīngjù èr jìn gōng xuǎnduàn 京剧二进宫选段 Beijing opera, excerpt from Er Jin Gong (Entering the Palace for the Second Time or Revisit To the Inner Court)
A2. jīngjù zhá měi àn xuǎnduàn 京剧铡美案选段 Beijing opera, excerpt from Zha Mei An (Execution of the Imperial Son-in-Law or The Beheading of an Ungrateful Husband or The Execution of Chen Shimei)
A3. jīngjù sū sān qǐ jiě xuǎnduàn 京剧苏三起解选段 Beijing opera, excerpt from Su San Qi Jie (Ms Su San Goes to Trial, or The Woman Prisoner Su San)
A4. yùjù cháoyáng gōu xuǎnduàn 豫剧朝阳沟选段 (Yu opera, excerpt from Chao Yang Gou; chaoyang ditch, drain, narrow waterway)
A5. píngjù liú qiǎo ér xuǎnduàn 评剧刘巧儿选段 (Ping opera, excerpt from Liu Qiao'er)
A6. lǚjù lǐ èrsǎo gǎijià xuǎnduàn 吕剧李二嫂改嫁选段 (Lv opera, excerpt from Li Ersao Gaijia, second wife-of-older-brother remarry, or Aunt Li's Remarriage)
A7. yuèjù lóu tái huì xuǎnduàn 越剧楼台会选段 (Zhejiang Yue opera, excerpt from Lou Tai Hui, meeting in building)
A8. jīngjù bàwáng bié jī xuǎnduàn 京剧霸王别姬选段 (Beijing opera, excerpt from Bawang Bie Ji, tyrant leaves concubine)
A9. jīngjù zhìqǔ wēi hǔshān xuǎnduàn 京剧智取威虎山选段 (Beijing opera, excerpt from Zhiqu Wei Hushan, taking tiger mountain by strategy)
B1. mùsīlín de hūnlǐ 穆斯林的婚礼 (muslim wedding)
B2. ā fán tí 阿凡提 (afanti)
B3. zàn gē 赞歌 (song of praise)
B4. hǎidǎo de zǎochén 海岛的早晨 (spring morning in sea island)
B5. liù chù xīngwàng 六畜兴旺 (six livestock flourishing)

Cassette in Chinese only. Translation of Chinese opera titles with capital letters are from various websites.

This is a cassette of Chinese traditional instrumental music, featuring the leiqin; a two string vertical fiddle with a fingerboard. Side A of music from various types of Chinese opera, with leiqin in place of the singer, ie the leiqin plays what the singer would sing.

Download link: http://sharebee.com/e7903fe7
Filename: Leiqin album (zhongguo yinyuejia cassette).zip
Size: 45.75 MB
130vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 10 (1992,China Record)

2009-11-30T20:19:00.000-08:00

Artist: VA
Album: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 10
(various erhu players and pieces)
CD Year: 1992
CD Company: China Record CCD-92/175
AAD

01. yī zhī huā 一枝花 A Spray of Flower - Sòng Fēi 宋飞
02. tán yuè 弹乐 A Tune of Pingtan - Sūn Wénmíng 孙文明
03. màn sān liù 慢三六 (2 erhu solo) Slow Three Six - Shěn Fèngquán 沈凤泉 & Shěn Duōmǐ 沈多米
04. hàn jiāng cháo 汉江潮 Waves of Hanjiang River - Mǐn Huìfēn 闵惠芬
05. hóngjūn gēgē huí lái le 红军哥哥回来了 Red Army Man Returns Home - Xiāo Báiyōng 萧白镛
06. huā huān lè 花欢乐 Melismatic Joyful Song - Sūn Fèngzhōng 孙奉中
07. lā luòtuó 拉骆驼 Camel Driving - Zhāng Sháo 张韶
08. biān zhài zhī yè 边寨之夜 A Night of Frontier Fortress - Zhāng Huìbīn 张会斌
09. lánhuāhuā xùshìqǔ 蓝花花叙事曲 Lanhuahua Ballade - Wú Tóng 吴彤

Download link: http://sharebee.com/d2a20bf8
Filename: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 10 (1992,China Record).zip
Size: 54.94 MB
130vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes

This is the last CD of the ten volume set of erhu recordings.

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 9 (1992,China Record)

2009-11-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

Artist: VA
Album: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 9
(various erhu players and pieces)
CD Year: 1992
CD Company: China Record CCD-92/174
AAD

01. shān cūn biànle yàng 山村变了样 The Vicissitude of the Mountain Village - Xiàng Zǔyīng 项祖英
02. gǎn jí 赶集 Going to a Fair - Jiǎng Xùnfēng 将巽风
03. chūn gēng máng 春耕忙 Busy Spring Ploughing - Táng Yùbīn 唐毓斌
04. shān cūn lè 山村乐 Joyful Mountain Village - Wáng Yíqín 王宜勤
05. fēng shōu 丰收 Bumper Harvest - Zhāng Sháo 张韶
06. chuāng yíng 窗蝇 Fly Rests on a Window - Chén Zhāorú 陈朝儒
07. shān gē 山歌 Folk Song - Zhāng Sháo 张韶
08. bāngzi fēng 梆子风 In Style of Bangzi - Huáng Hǎihuái 黄海怀
09. mù rén lè 牧人乐 Happy Herdsman - Chén Màojiān 陈茂监
10. hénán xiǎoqǔ 河南小曲 Henan Ditty - Sòng Guǒshēng 宋果生
11. chūn fēng yáng liǔ 春风杨柳 Willows Swing in Spring Wind - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
12. cǎo yuán xīn mùmín 草原新牧民 New Herdsman on the Grasslands - Liú Chángfú 刘长福
13. xǐ kàn mài tián qiān céng làng 喜看麦田千层浪 Happily See Billowing Wheat Fields - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼 et al (erhu unison)

Download link: http://sharebee.com/bea37fd0
Filename: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 9 (1992,China Record).zip
Size: 50.78 MB
130vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 8 (1992,China Record)

2009-11-30T20:15:00.000-08:00

Artist: VA
Album: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 8
(various erhu players and pieces)
CD Year: 1992
CD Company: China Record CCD-92/173
AAD

01. liú bō qǔ 流波曲 Song of Wandering - Sūn Fèngzhōng 孙奉中
02. shāndōng xiǎoqǔ 山东小曲 Shandong Ditty - Zhōu Yàokūn 周耀锟
03. cǎo yuán shàng 草原上 On the Grasslands - Tāng Liángdé 汤良德
04. huái xiāng xíng 怀乡行 Song of Nostalgia - Lù Xiūtáng 陆修堂
05. xūn fēng qǔ 薰风曲 South Wind Song - Ní Zhìpéi 倪志培
06. xiǎo huā gǔ 小花鼓 Little Flower-Drum - Zhāng Sháo 张韶
07. méi hù diào 眉户调 Mihu Tune [sic] - Lǔ Rìróng 鲁日融
08. làng huā cháo yǔ 浪花潮语 Murmuring the Surging Sprays - Zhōu Yàokūn 周耀锟
09. mù mǎ shào nián 牧马少年 A Horses Boy-Herder - Sòng Fēi 宋飞 (double qianjin erhu)
10. pútáo shú le 葡萄熟了 The Grapes are Ripe - Chén Jiébīng 陈洁冰
11. xiāng yīn 乡音 The Accent of One's Native Place - Zhào Hányáng 赵寒阳

Download link: http://sharebee.com/cead1585
Filename: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 8 (1992,China Record).zip
Size: 60.57 MB
130vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 7 (1992,China Record)

2009-11-30T20:00:00.000-08:00

Artist: Jiǎng Cáirú 蔣才如, Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀
Album: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 7
(Jiǎng Cáirú 蔣才如, Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀, erhu solos)
CD Year: 1992
CD Company: China Record CCD-92/172
AAD

01. chūn jiāng huā yuè yè 春江花月夜 Flowers Banked River Under the Moon of Spring River - Jiǎng Cáirú 蔣才如
02. chuān jiāng chuán gē 川江船歌 Boatman's Song on the Chuanjiang River - Jiǎng Cáirú 蔣才如
03. huān lè de yí zhài 欢乐的彝寨 Joyful Village of the Yi - Jiǎng Cáirú 蔣才如
04. běijīng yǒu gè jīn tàiyáng 北京有个金太阳 There is a Golden Sun in Beijing - Jiǎng Cáirú 蔣才如
05. sūnán xiǎoqǔ 苏南小曲 Sunan Ditty - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀
06. jiāngnán chūn sè 江南春色 Scenery of Spring in Jiangnan - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀
07. mù yáng nǚ 牧羊女 The Shepherdess - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀
08. fēng qiáo yè bó 枫桥夜泊 Anchoring Near the Maple Bridge at Night - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀

Download link: http://sharebee.com/65de090e
Filename: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 7 (1992,China Record).zip
Size: 58.38 MB
130vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes

Central Conservatory - Famous Chinese Folk Music, Zi Zhu Diao (1993, BPY)

2009-11-20T14:29:00.000-08:00

CD title: Famous Chinese Folk Music, Zi Zhu Diao, zhōngguó mínjiān míngqǔ, zǐ zhú diào 中国民间名曲, 紫竹调,

Performed by: Zhōngyāng yīnyuè xuéyuàn mínzú yuètuán 中央音乐学院民族乐团 (Central Conservatory traditional ensemble)
Conductor zhǐhuī 指挥: Wáng Fǔjiàn 王甫建

Company: běijīng pǔjiào yīnxiàng chūbǎnshè 北京普教音像出版社,
(Beijing Pujiao audio and video)
ISRC CN - C03 - 93 - 0024 - 0/A.J6
Format: CD (ADD)

01. zǐ zhú diào 紫竹调 - Zhōngyāng Yīnyuè Xuéyuàn Mínzú Yuètuán 中央音乐学院民族乐团
02. zǒu xī kǒu 走西口 - Hú Zhìhòu 胡志厚 (guǎnzi 管子)
03. chūn cán 春蚕 - Lǐ Guānghuá 李光华 (pípá 琵琶)
04. jiāngnán chūn sè 江南春色 - Zhào Hányáng 赵寒阳 (èrhú 二胡)
05. yī zhī huā 一枝花 - Guō Yǎzhì 郭雅志 (suǒnà 嗩呐)
06. shāndōng xiǎoqǔ 山东小曲 - Zhào Hányáng 赵寒阳 (bǎnhú 板胡)
07. yú gē 鱼歌 - Dài Yà 戴亞 (bāwū 巴乌)
08. chūn dào xiāng jiāng 春到湘江 - Chén Tāo 陈涛 (dízi 笛子)

Except for the title, the CD is all in Chinese. Translation of the titles of each track:

01. zǐ zhú diào 紫竹调 (purple bamboo melody)
02. zǒu xī kǒu 走西口 (journey to Xikou)
03. chūn cán 春蚕 (spring silkworm)
04. jiāngnán chūn sè 江南春色 (spring scenery of Jiangnan)
05. yī zhī huā 一枝花 (a flower)
06. shāndōng xiǎoqǔ 山东小曲 (Shandong melody)
07. yú gē 鱼歌 (fishing song)
08. chūn dào xiāng jiāng 春到湘江 (spring comes to Xiang river)

Download link: http://sharebee.com/32fd164c
Filename: Central Conservatory - Famous Chinese Folk Music, Zi Zhu Diao (1993, BPY).zip
Size: 41.35 MB
130vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers*

Track 2 on this CD is one of my absolute favourite pieces of music of all time, it features the guanzi (double reed wind instrument) played by Hu Zhihou. Also see http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/hu-zhihou-guanzi-solo-river-water-1995.html

*Liner notes not included in link, click for larger size:

In Chinese (trad characters) only!

Liu Mingyuan - Huqin solo collection (1984, Pacific Audio & Video cassette)

2009-11-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

Artist: Liu Mingyuan 刘明源 Liú Míngyuán,
Album: húqín dúzòu zhuānjí 胡琴独奏专集 (huqin solo collection),
Company: Tàipíngyáng yǐngyīn gōngsī 太平洋影音公司 Pacific Audio & Video Co, Guangzhou, China.
Year: 1984
Format: cassette P-3056

A1. huānlè de rìzǐ 欢乐的日子 (joyful days)
A2. cǎoyuán shàng 草原上 (on grassland)
A3. huār de gùxiāng 花儿的故乡 (flowers' hometown)
B1. qínqiāng páiziqǔ 秦腔牌子曲 (paizi tune of Shaanxi opera)
B2. kàn dēng 看灯 (watching lanterns)
B3. gēgē huí lái le 哥哥回来了 (brother has returned)
B4. yīng huā 婴花 (cherry blossom, aka sakura)
B5. mùmín guīlái le 牧民归来了 (herdsman has returned)
B6. dà gūniang měi 大姑娘美 (beautiful girl)

Cassette-Walkman Pro>Edirol R09>wav>FLAC>LAME 130vbr mp3

Cassette is in Chinese only.

Download link: http://sharebee.com/1e338cb0
Filename: Liu Mingyuan - huqin solo collection (1984 cassette).zip
Size: 61.01 MB
130vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 6 (Chen Yaoxing, Xu Jiangde, erhu solos)

2009-11-19T13:53:00.000-08:00

Erhu: Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星, Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
Album: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 6
(Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星, Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德, erhu solos)
CD Year: 1992
CD Company: China Record CCD-92/171
AAD

01. zhàn mǎ bēn téng 战马奔腾 Battle Steeds Galloping Ahead - Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星
02. shǎnběi shū huái 陕北抒怀 Expressing One's Aspiration in Nothern Shaanxi - Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星
03. shuǐ xiāng huān gē 水乡欢歌 A Happy Song in the Country of Rivers and Lakes - Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星
04. yǐng 影 A Shadow - Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星
05. jīn zhū mǎ mǐ zàn 金珠玛米赞 Ode to Jinzhumami - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
06. xǐ chàng fēng shōu 喜唱丰收 Singing a Joyful Song for Bumper Harvest - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
07. yú shuǐ qíng 鱼水情 Connected Closely as Fish and Water - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
08. bái huā yín 白花吟 Lamenting With White Flowers - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
09. huā kāi mǎn yuán 花开满园 The Gardens Are All in Bloom - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
10. yú zhōu huān gē 鱼舟欢歌 Fishman's Happy Song - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德

Download link: http://sharebee.com/cee8dd96
Filename: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 6 (1992, China Record).zip
Size: 50.32 MB
130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes in Chinese and English

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 5 (Jiang Jianhua album)

2009-11-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

Erhu: Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华
Album: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 5
(Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 album, 1982)
CD Year: 1992
CD Company: China Record CCD-92/170
AAD

01. fān shēn gē 翻身歌 Song of Emancipation - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (& Red Scarf Orch of Central Conservatory Mid School)
02. qínqiāng zhǔtí suíxiǎngqǔ 秦腔主题随想曲 Variations From a Theme of Qinqiang Opera - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河)
03. hóng hú rénmín de xīnyuàn 洪湖人民的心愿 The Hopes of the Honghu Lake People - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河)
04. chūn shī 春诗 Spring Poem - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河)
05. hóng méi suíxiǎngqǔ 红梅随想曲 Red Plum Capriccio - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (& Red Scarf Orch of Central Conservatory Mid School)
06. sài mǎ 赛马 Horse Race - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河)
07. shílǐdūn shān gē 十里墩山歌 A Folk Song of Shilidun Mould - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 (yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河)

Recorded by Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华 when 3rd year student at Central Conservatory, 1982.

Download link: http://sharebee.com/3e9836bd
Filename: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 5 (1992, China Record).zip
Size: 50.26 MB
130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes in Chinese and English

Cover of original 1983 LP:

Click thumbnails for larger size:

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 4 (Wang Guotong recital)

2009-11-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

Erhu: Wáng Guótóng 王国潼
Album: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 4
(Wang Guotong 王国潼 recital)
CD Year: 1992
CD Company: China Record CCD-92/169
AAD

01. yùběi xùshìqǔ 豫北叙事曲 Northern Henan Ballad - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼
02. sānménxiá chàngxiǎngqǔ 三门峡畅想曲 Sanmen Gorge Rhapsody - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼, piano: Zhōu Guǎngrén 周广仁
03. bēn chí zài qiān lǐ cǎo yuán 奔驰在千里草原 Galloping in the Boundless Grassland - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼
04. bù qū de sū wǔ 不屈苏武 Unyielded Su Wu - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼 & zhōngguó guǎngbō mínzú yuètuán 中国广播民族乐团

Download link: http://sharebee.com/adcd1627
Filename: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 4 (1992, China Record).zip
Size: 47.83 MB
130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes in Chinese and English

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 3 (Min Huifen recital)

2009-11-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

Erhu: Min Huifen 闵惠芬
Album: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 3
(Mǐn Huìfēn 闵惠芬 recital)
CD Year: 1992
CD Company: China Record CCD-92/168
AAD

01. chángchéng suíxiǎngqǔ 长城随想曲 Great Wall Capriccio - Min Huifen 闵惠芬, shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán
02. jiāng hé shuǐ 江河水 The River Water - Min Huifen 闵惠芬
03. xǐ sòng gōng liáng 喜送公粮 Delivering the Public Grain Happily - Min Huifen 闵惠芬, shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán
04. xīn hūn bié 新婚别 Leaving One's Newly Married Bride for Being Conscribed - Min Huifen 闵惠芬, shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán

Download link: http://sharebee.com/825eec18
Filename: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 3 (1992, China Record).zip
Size: 61.29 MB
130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes in Chinese and English

Liu Ying - A Selection of Suona Horn Solo Pieces (1989 cassette)

2009-11-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

Liu Ying - A Selection of Suona Horn Solo Pieces (1989 cassette)

Artist/Performers: Liú Yīng 刘英 (suona)
Album: A Selection of Suona Horn Solo Pieces 唢呐名曲精选
Year: 1989
Company: Baitiane W.S.8860
Bái tiān é yīnxiàng chūbǎnshè chūbǎn 百天鹅音像出版社出版

Cassette tape track list:
A1. quán jiā fú 全家福 Happy Family
A2. lǎo bǎn 老板 Lao Ban (a traditional Chinese qu)
A3. jiào jù zi 叫句子 Jiao Ju Zi (a traditional Chinese qu)
A4. huānlè de nóngcūn 欢乐的农村 Merry Countryside
A5. èr bā bǎn 二八板 Er Ba Ban (a traditional Chinese qu)
A6. shāndōng dàgǔ 山东大鼓 Shangdong Dagu
B1. sòng xīn niáng 送新娘 Sending the Bride
B2. xiǎo fàng niú 小放牛 Little Cowherd
B3. huān qìng 欢庆 Joyous Celebration
B4. xiǎo kāi mén 小开门 Xiao Kai Men (a traditional Chinese qu)
B5. liǔ jīn zǐ 柳今子 Liu Jin Zi (a traditional Chinese qu)
B6. hán jiāng chūn zǎo 寒江春早 Cold River Early Spring

Titles in English only:
A1. Happy Family
A2. Lao Ban (a traditional Chinese qu)
A3. Jiao Ju Zi (a traditional Chinese qu)
A4. Merry Countryside
A5. Er Ba Ban (a traditional Chinese qu)
A6. Shangdong Dagu
B1. Sending the Bride
B2. Little Cowherd
B3. Joyous Celebration
B4. Xiao Kai Men (a traditional Chinese qu)
B5. Liu Jin Zi (a traditional Chinese qu)
B6. Cold River Early Spring

The suona is a Chinese double reed wind musical instrument. The English titles are from the cassette. Apart from the name of the suona player; Liu Ying, no other performers are stated on the cassette.

Cassette, Sony Walkman Pro>Edirol R09, wav>flac>130vbr mp3

Filename: Liu Ying - A Selection of Suona Horn Solo Pieces (1989 cassette).zip
Size: 60.85 MB
Download link: http://sharebee.com/b35ad60a

There's suona player with the same name on Youtube, I don't know if it's the same Liu Ying on this cassette:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwjUhptelHY

Chen Jiebing - Erhu Recital (1985 cassette)

2009-10-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

Chen Jiebing - Erhu Recital (1985 cassette)

Artist/Performers: Chen Jiebing, Shanghai Song and Dance Ensemble Orchestra
Chén Jiébīng 陈洁冰, shànghǎi gēwǔtuán guǎnxiányuèduì 上海歌舞团管弦乐队
Album: Erhu Recital, èrhú dúzòu 二胡独奏
Year: 1985
Company: China Record Co. HL-384

Cassette tape track list:
A1. xīn hūn bié 新婚别 The Parting of the Newly Wedded
A2. tīng sōng 听松 Listening Pine
B1. liáng xiāo 良宵 New Year's Eve
B2. yángguān sān dié 阳关三叠 Yang Guan Melody
B3. chūn shī 春诗 Spring Poem
B4. pútáo shú le 葡萄熟了Grapes Ripen

Filename: Chen Jiebing - Erhu Recital (1985 cass).zip
Size: 45.28 MB, 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes in Chinese
Download link: http://sharebee.com/a6d1b29e

The recordings on this cassette tape are erhu solo with a symphonic-like accompaniment by a large orchestra modelled on the western symphony orchestra but with Chinese instruments.

The erhu player is Chen Jiebing, also know as Jiebing Chen.

Hu Zhihou - Guanzi Solo, River Water (1995 CD)

2009-10-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

Hu Zhihou - Guanzi Solo, River Water (1995)

Artist: Hú Zhìhòu 胡志厚, and
Zhōngyāng Yīnyuè Xuéyuàn Mínzú Yuètuán 中央音乐学院民族乐团 (Central Conservatory of Music traditional ensemble)
Album: jiāng hé shuǐ guǎnzi dúzòu 江河水管子独奏, (river water, guanzi solo),
Zhōngguó chuántǒng qìyuè míngjiā míngqǔ 中国传统器乐名家名曲
(masters and masterpieces of Chinese traditional instrumental music)
Year: 1995
Format: CD
Company: guǎngdōng zhūjiāng yīnxiàng chūbǎnshè chūbǎn 广东珠江音像出版社出版
(Guangdong Zhujiang A & V publishing house)
AJA - 0019
ISRC CN-F25-95-0003-0/A.J6

Notes: CD is in Chinese only.

01. Wàn Nián Huān 万年欢 (thousand year happiness)
02. Zuì Wēng Cāo 醉翁操 (intoxicated)
03. Fàng Lǘ 放驴 (driving a donkey)
04. Jiāng Hé Shuǐ 江河水 (river water)
05. Zǒu Xī Kǒu 走西口 (journey to west gate)
06. Pǔ ǎn zhòu 普庵咒 (incantation of Pu'an)
07. Xiǎo Táo Hóng 小桃红 (little red peach)
08. Yuè Zhāng 乐章 (a music movement)

Download link: http://sharebee.com/c24a43dc
Filename: Hu Zhihou - Guanzi Solo (1995, Zhujiang).zip
Size: 73.52 MB, 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers

The instrument featured on this album is the guanzi. It is a Chinese double reed wind instrument. The guanzi player is Hu Zhihou of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/central-conservatory-famous-chinese.html has another version of track 5. Zǒu Xī Kǒu 走西口 (journey to west gate), which I actually prefer over the version on the CD in this post.

====================================================

Update:
Hu Zhihou also has an album called "Music of the Guanzi" on the Japanese "JVC World Sounds" series of CDs . I'm not sure if it is still currently available, but I think it's probably easier to find in the west than the Chinese-only CD.

Track list from the CD:

1. yàn luò shā tān 雁落沙滩 (Yan Luo Sha Tan)
2. sān bǎo fó 三宝佛 (San Bao Fe [sic])
3. hú jiā shí bā pāi 胡笳十八拍 (Hu Jia Shi Ba Puo [sic])
4. dà shèng jiào 大晟教 (Da Cheng Jing [sic])
5. wū yè tí 乌夜啼 (Wu Ye Ti)
6. yáng guān sān dié 阳关三叠 (Yang Guan San Die)

Performers:
Zhōngyāng Yīnyuè Xuéyuàn Mínzú Yuètuán 中央音乐学院民族乐团 Central Conservatory of Music traditional ensemble
stated on CD as "Traditional Music Ensemble of The Beijing National Academy of Music"
Guanzi 管子 : Hú Zhìhòu 胡志厚
Zheng: Wáng Zhōngshān王中山
Sheng: Yáng Shǒuchéng 杨守城, Hú Jiànbīng 胡建兵
Percussion: Wáng Jiànhuá 王建华, Jiǎng Zhìchāo 蒋志超

JVC World Sounds VICG-5260 (1993)
Recorded in Beijing, 20 September 1992

Hu Zhihou is also the guanzi player on the CD "Buddhist Music of the Ming Dynasty, Zhihuasi Temple, Beijing" (1993 CD) JVC World Sounds - VICG 5259.
http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/buddhist-music-of-ming-dynasty-zhihuasi.html

Liu Mingyuan - huqin collection (1988 Linfair cassette)

2009-10-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

Liu Mingyuan - huqin collection (1988 Linfair cassette)

Artist/Performers: Liú Míngyuán 刘明源, and
zhōngguó yīnyuè xuéyuàn shīshēng yuèduì 中国音乐学院师生乐队 (China Conservatoire students and teachers ensemble)
Album: Liú Míngyuán húqín zhuānjí 刘明源胡琴专辑 (Liu Mingyuan huqin collection)
Year: 1988
Company: Linfair Magnetic Sound Ltd, Taiwan
Fúmào Chàngpiàn 福茂唱片
60122

Cassette tape track list:
A1. xìngfú nián 幸福年 (happy year, banhu)
A2. qínqiāng páiziqǔ 秦腔牌子曲 (tunes of Shaanxi opera, banhu)
A3. yuè yá wǔ gēng 月芽五更 (cresent moon at dawn, banhu)
A4. nán guó fēngguāng hǎo 南国风光好 (beautiful southern scenery, gaohu)
A5. méi hù lián zòu 郿鄠联奏 (Meihu medley, banhu)
B1. hénán xiǎoqǔ 河南小曲 (Henan tune, erhu)
B2. cǎo yuán shàng 草原上 (on grassland, zhonghu)
B3. shāndōng xiǎoqǔ 山东小曲 (Shandong melody, banhu)
B4. dà gūniang měi 大姑娘美 (beautiful girl, banhu)
B5. yáng cuì xǐ 杨翠喜 (yang cui xi, gaohu)

Recorded in Beijing, May 1988.

Cassette in Chinese only.

Download link: http://sharebee.com/fe1af236
Filename: Liu Mingyuan - huqin collection (1988 Linfair cass).zip
Size: 60.8 MB

This cassette contains recordings of four types of Chinese bowed string instruments: banhu, erhu, gaohu and zhonghu. The instrument on the cover is the banhu, which has a wooden board as its face while the erhu, gaohu and zhonghu have a snake skin.

"A Discovery in China" - BBC Radio 3 programme (June 1990)

2009-08-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

This is a BBC Radio 3 (UK) programme on northern Chinese ceremonial music by village "music associations". Featuring wind-and-percussion music recorded in villages near Beijing. Also includes brief recording of music of elderly monks of Zhihua temple in Beijing.

Music recorded and programme notes by Stephen Jones.
Broadcast on Wednesday, 6 June 1990 at 5pm.
Running time: approx 28min.

Instruments
Four types of melodic instruments:
"oboes" (I assume the guanzi or/and suona, both are double reed pipes), sheng (free reed wind), flutes, yunluo (set of small tuned gongs). The percussion instruments include drums, gongs and cymbals.

Music content
1. Excerpt from opening of wind-and-percussion ceremonial music suite.
2. Example of music played by the four types of melodic instruments.
3. Example of percussion suite recorded during the Spring Festival.
4. Example of a more popular form of wind-and-percussion music played by fee-earning ensemble.
5. Excerpt of recording of monks of Zhihua temple in Beijing.
6. Village music association's version of above piece.
7. Music sung in gongche (solfege).
8. Instrumental version of above.
9. Rest of the ceremonial music suite (1) heard as extract at the beginning of the programme.

Radio broadcast>cassette tape>wav>flac>165 vbr mp3

Download link: 31 MB 165 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc text file

Moon Reflected in Er Spring 二泉映月 (original recording) by Hua Yanjun 华彥钧 aka Abing 阿炳

2009-08-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

This is the original version of "èr quán yìng yuè" 二泉映月 (The Moon Reflected on Second Spring, aka Moon Reflected in Er Spring, Moon Reflected in Er Fountain, Moon Reflected in Erquan etc), composed and played by Huà Yànjūn 华彥钧 (Ābǐng 阿炳), recorded using a wire recorder in 1950:
http://sharebee.com/7674f5b3 (6.4MB mp3)

Sheet music, in numerical/cipher notation (jianpu):
3 pages, in 3 jpeg image files, in zipped folder, 2.8MB
http://sharebee.com/eba44b22
This is the original version as played by Hua Yanjun. The versions commonly heard in recordings by other erhu players are shorter. I have indicated this in the notation.

Other recordings
His two other erhu recordings, both also recorded in 1950, are:
Listening to the Pines - link: http://sharebee.com/cc512ba4 (2.4MB mp3)
The Cold Spring Wind (I don't have this)

Two erhu recordings plus two pipa pieces are in this zip file (16.7MB) containing:

4 mp3 files:
01. èr quán yìng yuè 二泉映月 The Moon Reflected on Second Spring (1950) - Huà Yànjūn 华彥钧 (Ābǐng 阿炳): erhu
02. tīng sōng 听松 Listening to the Pines (1950) - Huà Yànjūn 华彥钧 (Ābǐng 阿炳): erhu
03. dà làng táo shā 大浪淘沙 Great Waves Washing the Sand (1950) - Huà Yànjūn 华彥钧 (Ābǐng 阿炳): pipa
04. zhào jūn chū saì 昭君出塞 Zhaojun Crossing the Border (1950) - Huà Yànjūn 华彥钧 (Ābǐng 阿炳): pipa
plus text file of track listing and info

Link: http://sharebee.com/077e0db0

More info here: http://www.shef.ac.uk/music/staff/js/AbPref.html
The link seems to be dead at the moment, but the pages can found on the Wayback Machine.
http://www.archive.org/web/web.php

Jiangnan Sizhu Discography

2009-08-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

This is a work in progress.
Things to do: arrange in some sort of order, add details for albums that only have one or two track of Jiangnan sizhu.
Updated: June 2010

Records, cassettes and CDs that are all or nearly all Jiangnan sizhu pieces are listed first. Recordings that have one or two tracks of Jiangnan sizhu are listed at the bottom.

Format:
Title in English if there is one.
Title in pinyin and characters (translation if title is in Chinese only)
Performers
Format, year, company, catalogue number,
Track list for album that doesn't have a post on this blog.
Additional info.
My comments.

In no particular order (at the moment).

Chinese Classical Instrumental Music.

The Chinese Cultural Theater Group.
Performers include Sūn Yùdé 孙裕德, Zhū Wényí 朱文颐 and Zhōu Huì 周惠.

1962 (1950), Folkways Records.
Recorded in San Francisco, USA, c. 1950.
http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=1180

Track list:
A1. Moonlight on the Ching Yang River (5:58)
A2. The Green Lotus (2:51)
B1. The Reminiscence Song (2:56)
B1. Buddhist Chanting (5:52)

Musicians as listed on the record:
Hahn Chen-Han: erhu, drum.
Sung Yue-Tuh: pipa, xiao. (Sun Yude 孙裕德)
Chu Ven-Yee: yangqin, drum. (Zhu Wenyi 朱文颐)
Tsao Su-Chen: erhu.
Hahn Chen-Kia: erhu.
Chow Wei: erhu. (Zhōu Huì 周惠)
Taso Chen Chuan: yuan and sin se [sic].
Sheng Shek-Sing: dizi.

I've added the modern spellings and characters in brackets. Zhou Hui is stated as playing the erhu but he plays the yangqin in other recordings, perhaps his name got mixed up with the erhu player Zhou Hao.

Sun Yude (1904-1981) was one of China's leading pipa and xiao players. The CD Chine: Musique classique, Ocora C 559039 or C 582039 has two tracks of him playing the pipa and xiao.

I got the details of this this recording from Witzleben's book Silk and Bamboo Music in Shanghai. However, now that I've finally been able to listen to it, it doesn't have any recordings of the main Jiangnan sizhu pieces. The record only has four tracks, and the only piece I recognise is "Chun Jiang Hua Yue Ye (moon lit night on a spring river)", called "Moonlight on the Ching Yang River" on the record.

I would guess this recording is of musicians who have performed Jiangnan sizhu or were involved with Jiangnan sizhu ensembles, rather than of Jiangnan sizhu. Nevertheless it's interesting to hear these early recordings of guoyue, in the sense of a specific type of traditional Chinese music, so I've left it here.

Moon and Lanterns, Silk and Bamboo Music of East China.
jiāngnán sīzhú, dēng yuè jiāo huī 江南丝竹, 灯月交辉.

Performered by Shanghai traditional ensemble Silk and Bamboo Music group
shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán 上海民族乐团 (Shanghai traditional ensemble)
1981, Hong Kong: Bailey Record Company, Baili Changpian Gongsi

Cassette: NS61.
LP: NRS-33.

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/jiangnan-sizhu-shanghai-traditional_13.html

Essential listening for fans of Jiangnan sizhu.

Song of Joy, Traditional Chinese Music.
huān lè gē, jiāngnán sīzhú 欢乐歌, 江南丝竹

Performed by The Traditional Ensemble of the Lake Pavilion of the Shanghai Old Emperor Temple [sic]
shànghǎi lǎo chénghuángmiào húxīntíng yuèduì 上海老城隍庙湖心亭乐队
(Lit. Shanghai old chénghuángmiào (city god) temple mid-lake pavilion ensemble)

Cassette: 1988, Pop Art Productions Co Ltd PA-881, bóyì zhìzuò yǒuxiàngōngsī 博艺制作有限公司

I think this recording is of Jiangnan sizhu as performed the amateur Jiangnan sizhu music club musicians; it's the type of Jiangnan sizhu heard in teahouses, or at least the music is in that style.

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/jiangnan-sizhu_2762.html

Essential listening for fans of Jiangnan sizhu.

South China Traditional Music.
jiāngnán sīzhú 江南丝竹

Performed by :
Chén Yǒnglù 陈永禄 (èrhú 二胡),
Lù Chūnlíng 陆春龄 (dízi 笛子, xiāo 箫),
Lín Shíchéng 林石城 (pípá 琵琶),

CD: 1994, huácǎi 华彩 TBR 005
人民音乐出版社 (people's music publishing house)
ISRC CN-M26-94-341-00/A.J6

01. ní cháng qǔ 霓裳曲 Music of Gorgeous Dress
02. sān liù 三六 (zhōng bǎn sān liù 中板三六) Rondo Moderato
03. chūn jiāng huā yuè yè 春江花月夜 Moonlit Night on Spring River
04. fàn wàng gōng 梵忘宫 Fan Wang Gong
05. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Song of Happiness
06. xíng jiē sì hé 行街四合 Wedding Procession Suite
07. zhègū fēi 鹧鸪飞 Flying Partridge
08. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 Liuban and Variations
09. hàn gōng qiū yuè 汉宫秋月 Autumn Moon Over the Han Palace
10. zhuāng tái qiū sī 妆台秋思 Longing for Love at Dressing Table

Titles in English as on CD.

The CD seems to be a re-release of some of the tracks from the following two cassettes:

江南丝竹 Jiangnan Sizhu
Cassettes in 2 vols:
1983, Huánghé 黄河 8026 L007
1983, Huácǎi 华彩 8026 L008
Both 人民音乐出版社 (people's music publishing house)
Performed by :
Chén Yǒnglù 陈永禄 (èrhú 二胡),
Lù Chūnlíng 陆春龄 (dízi 笛子, xiāo 箫),
Lín Shíchéng 林石城 (pípá 琵琶),

Vol 1 cassette tape track list:
A1. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 (erhu, xiao, pipa) (medium ornamented six beats)
A2. ní cháng qǔ 霓裳曲 (erhu, xiao, pipa) (rainbow skirts)
A3. wū yè tí 乌夜啼 (erhu, dizi, pipa) (sound of crow at night)
A4. sān liù 三六 (as zhōng bǎn sān liù 中板三六) (erhu, dizi, pipa) (three six)
B1. chūn jiāng huā yuè yè 春江花月夜 (erhu, xiao, pipa) (moon lit night on spring river)
B2. xiāng zhuàn qǔ 香篆曲 (erhu, dizi, pipa) (fragrant seal characters tune)
B3. fán wàng gōng 凡忘工 (erhu, dizi, pipa) (fan as gong)
B4. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 (erhu, dizi, pipa) (song of joy)

Vol2 cassette tape track list:
A1. xíng jiē sì hé 行街四合 (erhu, dizi, pipa) (procession suite)
A2. dēng yuè jiāo huī 灯月交辉 (erhu, xiao, pipa) (lanterns and moon both shine)
A3. yī zhī méi 一支梅 (erhu, dizi, pipa) (a plum flower)
A4. yuè yuè 悅乐 (erhu, dizi, pipa) (joyful music)
A5. zhègū fēi 鹧鸪飞 (erhu, dizi, pipa) (flying partridge)
B1. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 (erhu, dizi, pipa) (medium ornamented six beats)
B2. shàng què qiáo 上雀桥 (erhu, dizi, pipa) (on sparrow bridge)
B3. hàn gōng qiū yuè 汉宫秋月 (erhu, xiao, pipa) (Han palace autumn moon)
B4. zhuāng tái qiū sī 妆台秋思 (erhu, dizi, pipa) (autumn thoughts at dressing table)

Both cassettes in Chinese only.

Has a sparse sound, quite different to the recordings by the Shanghai traditional ensemble or Lu, Zhou, Ma and Zhou. In particular the erhu has a very thin and scratchy tone.

Ode to the South.
yǒng nán 咏南
Awarded Works at the First Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Composing and Performing Contest from China and Abroad.

Performed by (Central Conservatory ensemble):
Èrhú 二胡: Féng Zhìhào 冯智皓
Dízi 笛子/ Xiāo 箫: Zhān Yǒngmíng 詹永明
Pípá 琵琶: Liú Guìlián 刘桂连
Yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河
Shēng 笙: Wáng Yǒng 王勇
Zhōnghú 中胡: Yè Qiáng 叶强
Sānxián 三弦: Zhào Tàishēng 赵太生
Zhēng 筝: Zhōu Wàng 周望
Dǎjīyuè 打击乐: Lǐ Cōngnóng 李聪農
Art Advisor: Lín Shíchéng 林石诚 [sic]

CD: 1989, China Record Co CCD-89/043

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/jiangnan-sizhu_20.html

Song of Joy.
huān lè gē, jiāngnán sīzhú 欢乐歌, 江南丝竹
Great Masters & Masterpieces of Chinese Music 4

Performed by:
dízi 笛子, xiāo 箫: Lù Chūnlíng 陆春龄
èrhú 二胡: Zhōu Hào 周皓
pípá 琵琶: Mǎ Shènglóng 马圣龙
yángqín 揚琴: Zhōu Huì 周惠

CD: 1996, Starlight International (HK) Ltd,
D & I Dragon Classic, dí'ānlóng chàngpiàn 迪安龙唱片, DDD 8214

01. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Song of Joy
02. yún qìng 云庆 Cloud Celebration
03. sì hé rú yì 四合如意 All is Hapiness as Wishes
04. xíng jiē 行街 Walking on the Streets
05. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 Medium Fancy Six Beat
06. sān liù 三六 San Liu,Three Six
07. màn liù bǎn 慢六板 Slow Six Beat
08. huā sān liù 花三六 Fancy Six Three

The Charm of South China Yangzi ensemble.
jiāng nán sī yùn 江南丝韵

Performed by:
dízi 笛子, xiāo 箫: Lù Chūnlíng 陆春龄
èrhú 二胡: Zhōu Hào 周皓
pípá 琵琶: Mǎ Shènglóng 马圣龙
yángqín 揚琴: Zhōu Huì 周惠

CD: 1995, shànghǎi shēngxiàng chūbǎnshè 上海声像出版社 CD-0019
(Shanghai sound and video publishing house)

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/jiangnan-sizhu_22.html

Sihe Ruyi (Bridge), Silk and Bamboo Music of East China.
sì hé rú yì (qiáo), jiāngnán sīzhú 四合如意 (桥), 江南丝竹.

Performed by:
dízi 笛子, xiāo 箫: Lù Chūnlíng 陆春龄
èrhú 二胡: Zhōu Hào 周皓
pípá 琵琶: Mǎ Shènglóng 马圣龙
yángqín 揚琴: Zhōu Huì 周惠

Cassette tape: 1982, China Record HL-103

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/jiangnan-sizhu-sihe-ruyi-bridges.html

Contains the longest of the "eight great pieces".

jiāngnán sīzhú míngqǔ jīngxuǎn 江南丝竹名曲精选(1)
(Selected pieces of Jiangnan silk and bamboo music vol 1)

Performed by:
Lù Chūnlíng 陆春龄 (dízi 笛子, xiāo 箫),
Zhōu Hào 周皓 (èrhú 二胡),
Mǎ Shènglóng 马圣龙 (pípá 琵琶),
Zhōu Huì 周惠 (yángqín 揚琴)

Cassette tape: 1991, China Records HL - 641

A1. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 song of joy
A2. yún qìng 云庆 cloud celebration
A3. xíng jiē 行街 walking in street
B1. ní cháng qǔ 霓裳曲 rainbow skirts
B2. sān liù 三六 three six
B3. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 medium ornamented six beats
B4. fàn wáng gōng 梵王宫

Popular Jiangnan Music.
jiāngnán sīzhú 江南丝竹

Performed by:
dízi 笛子, xiāo 箫: Lù Chūnlíng 陆春龄
èrhú 二胡: Zhōu Hào 周皓
pípá 琵琶: Mǎ Shènglóng 马圣龙
yángqín 揚琴: Zhōu Huì 周惠

CD: 1982, 1988, HK Records 8.880015

1. huā sān liù 花三六
2. yáng bā qǔ 阳八曲
3. màn liù bǎn 慢六板
4. hán jiāng cán xuě 寒江残雪 (Cold River and Remnants of Snow)
5. huái gǔ 怀古 (Thinking of the Past)

Recorded in 1982 at China Records and Broadcasting Theatre, Beijing.
Licensed from China Records, Beijing.

Jiangnan sizhu, San Liu, Jiangnan Silk-and-Bamboo Music
sān liù, jiāngnán sīzhú 三六, 江南丝竹

Performed by:
Lù Chūnlíng, Zhōu Hào, Mǎ Shènglóng, Zhōu Huì
Shanghai Traditional Music Society
shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán 上海民族乐团
Lù Chūnlíng 陆春龄 (dízi 笛子, xiāo 箫),
Zhōu Hào 周皓 (èrhú 二胡),
Mǎ Shènglóng 马圣龙 (pípá 琵琶),
Zhōu Huì 周惠 (yángqín 揚琴)

CD: 1993, China Record Co. Shanghai SCD-041 (in Chinese and English)
中国唱片上海公司

01. sān liù 三六
02. yáng bā qǔ 阳八曲 (fàn wáng gōng 梵王宫, fa as tonic, or fàn huáng gōng 梵皇宫)
03. màn liù bǎn 慢六板 or qī yǎn bǎn 七眼板
04. chūn huī qǔ 春晖曲 (Spring Sun)
05. huā sān liù 花三六 or màn sān liù 慢三六

Cassette: 1993 (1983), China Record Co. HL-151 (in Chinese only)
中国唱片

A1. sān liù 三六
A2. yáng bā qǔ 阳八曲
A3. màn liù bǎn 慢六板
B1. chūn huī qǔ 春晖曲
B2. huā sān liù 花三六

The recordings on this CD/cassette (both have the same tracks) appear to date from much earlier than 1993, as some of the tracks are the same recording as on the 1982 “Popular Jiangnan Music, jiāngnán sīzhú 江南丝竹”. The cassette version has "℗ & © 1983" as well as the ISRC number with the year of 1993. The covers of the CD and cassette are completely different.

Masters of Chinese Traditional Music Solo Appreciation, CD14: Music of South of Changjiang River
Zhōngguó mínyuè dàshī chún dúzòu 中国民乐大师纯独奏鉴赏 CD14 Jiāngnán sīzhú 江南丝竹

Performed by:
Yáng Jǐn 杨瑾, Zhāng Xuě 张雪, Lǐ Chén 李晨, Yú Qiūxuán 于秋旋, Dǒng Lǐzhì 董礼治

CD: 2006, Guǎngzhōu zhōngbó yǐngshì yǒuxiàngōngsī
广州中博影视有限公司
(Guangzhou Zhongbo film and TV Co Ltd)

Selected 8 works of Jiang Nan Si Zhu.
江南丝竹八大曲精编

Performed by:
shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán 上海民族乐团 (Shanghai Chinese orchestra)

CD: 1991, Wing Hang Record Trading Co Ltd WHCD-1039
永恒唱片贸易有限公司

01. xíng jiē 行街 Walking
02. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 Liu Ban
03. màn liù bǎn 慢六板 Slow Liu Ban
04. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Happy Song
05. sān liù 三六 San Liu
06. sì hé rú yì 四合如意 Good Wishes
07. màn sān liù 慢三六 Slow San Liu
08. yún qìng 云庆 Celebration

This recording is of the orchestrated and arranged type of Jiangnan sizhu performed by a large ensemble/orchestra.

The Eight Great Jiangnan Chinese Classics Vol 1 & 2.
jiāngnán sīzhú bādàqǔ 1, 2 江南丝竹八大曲 (一), (二)

Perform by: Shanghai Conservatory Jiangnan Chinese Classical Ensemble
shànghǎi yīnyuè xuéyuàn jiāngnánsīzhú xiǎozǔ 上海音乐学院江南丝竹小组
Wáng Niànbīng 王念冰 (sānxián 三弦, zhōngruǎn 中阮)
Wáng Yǒngdé 王永德 (èrhú 二胡)
Zhāng Jiǔjīn 张九斤 (dízi 笛子)
Shèng Hǎihuá 盛海华 (yángqín 揚琴)
Zhāng Tiě 张铁 (pípá 琵琶)
Liú Yīng 刘英 (dǎjīyuè 打击乐 percussion)

CD: 1992, KK Productions Ltd.
Vol 1: Yellow River 82024,
Vol 2: Yellow River 82025,
Recorded in Shanghai, Jan 1992.

Vol 1:
01. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Song of Happiness
02. xíng jiē 行街 Strolling in the Streets
03. sān liù 三六 (méi huā sān nòng 梅花三弄) Three Sections (Mei Hua San Nong)
04. sì hé rú yì 四合如意 Pleasing Quadrangle

Vol 2:
01. xūn fēng qǔ 薰风曲 Song of a Warm Southerly Breeze
02. màn liù bǎn 慢六板 Slow Six Accented Beats
03. màn sān liù 慢三六 Slow Three Sections
04. yún qìng 云庆 Cloud Celebration

Seven of the eight tracks were later released on a Naxos World CD:
Si-Zhu - Jiangnan Classics, The Jiangnan Ensemble (of the Shanghai Conservatory)
2001, Naxos World 76008-2, HNH International Ltd

Some of the tracks are also on this 1998 Nanjing CD "Jiangnan sizhu, South Breeze Lyric". The performers are not credited for each track but only listed for the whole CD.

The style of performance is stately and refined but still with the right Jiangnan sizhu "flavour".

Eight Famous Folk Melodies of Southern Yangtse Regions
jiāngnán sīzhú bādàqǔ 江南丝竹八大曲

Performed by:
shànghǎi diànyǐng yuètuán mínzú yuèduì 上海电影乐团民族乐队 (Shanghai film orchestra
traditional ensemble)

Cassette tape: 1985, China Travel & Tourism Press CTTP AV-0090

This recording is of the orchestrated and arranged type of Jiangnan sizhu performed by a large ensemble/orchestra.

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/jiangnan-sizhu-shanghai-film-orchestra.html

Chinese Melody 3, Music of Southern Yangtze.
zhōngguó xuán lǜ 3, jiāngnán sīzhú 中国旋律 (三) 江南丝竹

Performed by:
Shanghai Traditional Orchestra, shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán 上海民族乐团

Cassette tape: 1986, China Records HL-466

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/jiangnan-sizhu-shanghai-traditional.html

Some of the tracks sound the same as some on the "Moon and Lanterns, Silk and Bamboo Music of East China". Essential listening.

Strolling Along the Su Causeway.
The First Competition of String-and-Wind Music of Southern Yangtse for Compostion and Performers at Home and Abroad vol 2.
sūtí mànbù 苏堤漫步

Performed by:
Shanghai Conservatory of Music, China Conservatory of Music, Shanghai traditional ensemble (shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán), Student ensemble

Cassette tape: 1987, China Record HL-540

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/jiangnan-sizhu-strolling-along-su_07.html

jiāngnán sīzhú, yáng chūn 江南丝竹, 阳春
(Jiangnan silk & bamboo music, sunny spring).

Performers not stated.

Cassette tape: 1984, Art-Tune Records Co. Hong Kong, AC-1376
香港艺声唱片公司 xiānggǎng yìshēng chàngpiàn gōngsī

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/jiangnan-sizhu-yang2-chun1-sunny-spring.html

jiāngnán sīzhú, yú gē 江南丝竹, 渔歌
(Jiangnan silk & bamboo music, fishing song)

Performers not stated.

CD: 1995, Starwin Records Co, xīng wén chàng piàn 星文唱片
guǎngzhōu yīnxiàng chūbǎnshè 广州音像出版社
(Guangzhou audio & video publishing house)
ISRC CN-F28-95-337-00/A.J6

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/jiangnan-sizhu-1995-starwin-guangzhou.html

Sounds like the performers could the Shanghai traditional ensemble (Shanghai minzu yuetuan).

Masterpieces of Chinese Music 5, Chinese Jiang Nan Music.
zhōngguó míngqū 5, zhōngguó jiāngnán yīnyuè 中国名曲5,中国江南音乐

Performers: zhōngguó dōngfāng guóyuèshè, gèmínzú yuètuán shǒuxí 中国东方国乐社,各民族乐团首席 (China eastern Chinese music society).

Cassette tape: year not stated.
Company: zhōngguó wéncǎi shēngxiàng gōngsī chūbǎn 中国文采声像公司出版.
běijīngshì wàiwén shūdiàn shìtīngbù fùzhì fāxíng 北京市外文书店视听部复制发行

A1. huā sān liù 花三六 Flower San Liu
A2. yú gē 渔歌 Fisherman's Song (bawu piece)
A3. sū tí màn bù 苏堤漫步 (as sū tí xiǎo jǐng 苏堤小景) Pretty Scene on the Su Bank
A4. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 Liu Ban
B1. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Happy Song
B2. sì hé rú yì 四合如意 Good Wishes
B3. sān liù 三六 (as sān luò 三落) San Luo
B4. shānzhài liàngē 山寨恋歌 Love Song from Border Village

The performances on this cassette is what could be called the "generic" style of traditional Chinese music; highly orchestrated, with part playing, and includes a heavy bass sound. Also, performances of each piece is more or less fixed in form, in contrast to the traditional practice of playing a piece in a different ways.

Jiangnan Sizhu, Music From Southeastern China
jiāngnán sīzhú 江南丝竹

Performers: Shanghai Traditional Music Society 上海国乐研究会 (Shànghǎi guóyuè yánjiūhuì).

Zhōu Huì 周惠 (yángqín),
Zhōu Hào 周皓 (èrhú),
Tú Bǐngróng 屠炳荣 (pípá),
Shěn Rìxīn 沈日新 (dòngxiāo),
Dài Shùhóng 戴树红 (dòngxiāo),
Zhōu Tāo 周韬 (pípá),
Wáng Zàntíng 王赞庭 (zhōnghú),
Shěn Jìsūn 沈继荪(zhōngruǎn,yángqín),
Zhāng Guìxīng 张桂兴(pípá),
Sūn Wényán 孙文妍 (guzhēng),
Wáng Yǐ 王乙(èrhú).

CD, 1998, Hugo, HRP7179-2

01. ní cháng qǔ 霓裳曲 Rainbow Coloured Raiment
02. hàn gōng qiū yuè 汉宫秋月 Autumn Moon over Han Palace
03. qīnglián yuè fǔ 青莲乐府 Qinglian's Music
04. xúnyáng yè yuè 浔阳夜月 Moonlit Xunyang
05. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 (as xūn fēng qǔ 薰风曲 South Breeze)
06. sāi shàng qū 塞上曲 Along the Strategic Pass
07. dēng yuè jiāo huī 灯月交辉 Brilliance of Lanterns and Moon
08. fán wàng gōng凡忘工 Fan Instead of Gong
09. fó shàng diàn 佛上殿 Dignity of Buddha
10. cháoyuán gē 朝元歌 Song of Chaoyuan

Has a wider range of pieces, only one of the tracks is from the "eight great pieces". Also the combination of instruments is more varied.

Chinese Chamber Music of Jiangnan Sizhu. The World Roots Music Library, 82.
中国／江南絲竹の響き
Musicians include Lu Chunling on the dizi, and Zhou Hao on the erhu. Recorded in 1997.
King Records, KICW-85115/6 (2 CDs set).
Previously released as KICW-1057/KICW-1058.

CD1.
1. ZHONGHUA LIUBAN
2. HUANLEGE
3. NISHANGQU
4. MAN SANLIU
5. YANGBAQU
6. XINGJIE

CD2.
1. XUNFENGQU
2. YUNQING
3. DENGYUE JIAOHUI
4. SANLIU
5. MAN LIUBAN
6. SIHE RUYI

Virtuosi of Jiangnan Sizhu. The World Roots Music Library, 84.
中国／江南の小合奏
Recorded in 1997.
King Records, KICW-85118.
Previously released as Miniature Ensemble of Jiangnan, World Music Library, KICW-1038.

01. HANJIANG CANXUE
02. PIPACI
03. SUWU MUYANG
04. SAISHANGQU
05. ZHUANGTAI QIUSI
06. QINGLIAN YUEFU
07. XUNFENGQU
08. HANGONG QIUYUE
09. HUAIGU
10. XUNYANG YEYUE

Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Music, Hebei Blowing Songs
jiāngnán sīzhú, héběi chuī gē 江南丝竹, 河北吹歌

Performed by (Central Conservatory traditional ensemble):
Jiǎng Zhìchāo 蒋志超
Xiàng Zǔhuá 项祖华
Wú Jùnshēng 吴俊生
Lǐ Zhēnguì 李真贵
Hú Zhìhòu 胡志厚
Zhào Hányáng 赵寒阳
Tián Zàilì 田再励

Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Music:
01. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板
02. xíng jiē 行街 Procession
03. sān liù 三六
04. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Jubilant Song
05. yún qìng 云庆 Cloud Celebration

Tracks 6 to 10 are "héběi chuī gē" (Hebei Blowing Songs, Hebei wind and percussion music):

Hebei Blowing Songs:
06. Fàng Lǘ 放驴 Driving a Donkey
07. Wàn Nián Huān 万年欢 Everlasting Happiness
08. Xiǎo Táo Hóng 小桃红
09. qīng tiān gē 青天歌
10. dié duàn qiáo 叠断桥

Performed by Central Conservatory traditional ensemble:
guǎnzi 管子: Hú Zhìhòu 胡志厚
"Performed by the teachers of The Traditional Wind and Percussion Music Teaching and Researching Section of the Central Conservatory of Music."
"中央音乐学院民族管乐,打击乐研究室, 管子主奏: 胡志厚"

CD, 1991, Forte Productions Ltd, Chino 321-09-2.
(千河 Chino(qiānhé))

This is a split CD, half the tracks are Jiangnan sizhu, and the other half are Hebei wind-and-percussion music (Hebei chuige).

Jiangnan Sizhu Music
jiāngnán sīzhú 江南丝竹

Performers: "Chang-Feng Ensemble of National Music" 长风中乐团/Music From China (New York)
(conducted by Zhou Long 周龙)
erhu: Huang Tianzuo 黄天佐
dizi: Wei Laigen 韦来根
zhonghu: Tang Liangxing 汤良兴
yangqin: Yu Ailun 余霭伦
daruan: Zheng Xiaohui 郑小慧
pipa: Wu Man 吴蛮

Track list:
1. Flowery Six Beats (zhonghua liuban)
2. Song of Joy (huan le ge)
3. Slow Three Six (man san liu)
4. Festive Gathering (yun qing)
5. Slow Six Beats (man liu ban)
6. Wedding Processional (xing jie)
7. Three Six (san liu)

CD, 1993, Janus Resource International Co Ltd, JRAF 2041

Notes in Chinese and English by Zhou Long.

This is my least favourite album in this discography. Although the New York based group "Music From China" feature musicians with impeccable credentials and obviously they play at the highest level; but in my opinion the Jiangnan sizhu on this CD doesn't have the right style/feel.

The Autumn Moon Over the Han Palace
hàn gōng qiū yuè, jiāngnán sīzhú 汉宫秋月, 江南丝竹

Artist/Performers: "Traditional Ensemble of the Lake Pavilion of the Shanghai Old Emperor Temple"
shànghǎi lǎo chénghuángmiào húxīntíng yuèduì 上海老城隍庙湖心亭乐队
lit. Shanghai old chénghuáng (city god) temple pavilion in the middle of the lake ensemble

Cassette tape, 1988, Pop Art Productions Co Ltd, bóyì zhìzuò yǒuxiàngōngsī 博艺制作有限公司, PA-881

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/jiangnan-sizhu-autumn-moon-over-han.html

==========================================

The following albums have tracks of Jiangnan sizhu.

Chine, Musiques de Shanghai

Performed by:
Chen Zhong: xiao, dizi, xun, erhu, pipa
Gao Zhiyuan: yangqin, erhu
Yang Lining: qin, zheng
Francois Picard: xiao, sheng
Recorded in France, Nov, 1995

CD: 1996, Ocora C560090

01. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Huanlege (Song of Joy) - Chén Zhòng 陈重 (erhu), Gao Zhiyuan (yangqin), Francois Picard (sheng),
02. sān liù 三六 San liu (Three-Six) - Chén Zhòng 陈重 (erhu), Gao Zhiyuan (yangqin), Francois Picard (sheng),
12. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 Zhonghua liuban (Six measures, moderato, with ornaments) - Chén Zhòng 陈重 (erhu), Gao Zhiyuan (yangqin), Francois Picard (xiao),
13. xíng jiē 行街 Xin Xingjie (new Passacaille) - Chén Zhòng 陈重 (erhu), Gao Zhiyuan (yangqin), Francois Picard (sheng),

Hommage à Chen Zhong

Performed by Chen Zhong and others.
Tracks 1-11 recorded 1991-1992 in Shanghai (booklet also says 1987 at Shanghai Conservatory), originally released in Guangzhou 2001.
Track 12 recorded Montreaux, Radio Suisse Romande.
Track 13 recorded Paris, Radio France.

CD: 2003, Ocora C 560183

01. xūn fēng qǔ 薰风曲 (warm wind, aka zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 medium ornamented six beats) - Chén Zhòng 陈重 (xiāo), & ensemble

This version of the piece is beautifully played, especially by the unnamed erhu player on the recording.

The next two CDs have a few recordings of the amateur tradition performed by Jiangnan sizhu music clubs heard in teahouses.

Sizhu, Silk Bamboo, Chamber Music of South China

Two tracks of Jiangnan sizhu:
07. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Huanle Ge (Song of Happiness; Jiangnan sizhu, rec 1986) - Suzhou Wuping Guoyue Tuan (Suzhou Wuping Chinese music ensemble)
08. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 Zhonghua Liuban (Moderate decorated 6 beat; Jiangnan sizhu, rec 1990) - Shanghai Huxin Ting (pavilion in middle of lake)

CD: 1994, Pan 2030CD
Detailed and scholarly booklet notes by ethnomusicologist Alan R. Thrasher.

Chine: Classique-Minorites-Conte-Opera

Three, or two, tracks of Jiangnan sizhu:
01 Music of Yangtze Region, Qian nan si zhou [sic] (xíng jiē 行街 walking in street)
02. Music of Yangtze Region (píng hú qiū yuè 平湖秋月 calm lake autumn moon)
03. Music of Yangtze Region (huān lè gē 欢乐歌 song of joy)
Performers not stated.

CD: 1989, Playasound PS65048
The booklet notes are rather poorly written and/or translated from French.

http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/jiangnan-sizhu.html

Essential listening for fans of Jiangnan sizhu.

The following are albums that feature an instrumental soloist playing a range of pieces, and include one or two tracks of Jiangnan sizhu.

Glad Tidings - Lu Chunling, Dizi
喜报, 笛子独奏: 陆春龄

Three tracks:

06. xíng jiē 行街　Wedding procession
07. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Happy time
08. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 Zhong hua liu ban

Performed by Lù Chūnlíng 陆春龄 (dízi 笛子) with Zhōu Hào 周皓 (èrhú 二胡), Mǎ Shènglóng 马圣龙 (pípá 琵琶), Zhōu Huì 周惠 (yángqín 揚琴)

CD: 1996, Hugo Productions HRP 7148-2.

Recorded in Studio of China Records Co, Shanghai, Sept 1995,
Hugo HRP 7148-2 (1996) .
As "Lu Chun-ling" on CD.

The dizi is more prominent than the other instruments in the mix of these tracks. The four musicians are Lu Chunling, Zhou Hao, Ma Shenglong and Zhou Hui, who appear on many of the albums in this discography.

Zhāng Ruì 张锐 - Liu Tianhua Erhu Solos (China Record, 1982 cassette)

2009-08-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Post up-dated.

Zhāng Ruì 张锐 - Liu Tianhua Erhu Solos (China Record, 1982)

Performer: Zhāng Ruì 张锐,
Album: "Erhu Solos Composed by Liu Tianhua Performed by Zhang Rui"
Liú Tiānhuá èrhú dúzòu qǔ jí, Zhāng Ruì yǎnzòu
刘天华二胡独奏曲集, 张锐演奏

Year: 1982 (recorded in 1981)
Format: cassette tape

Track list:
A1. liáng xiāo良宵
A2. kōng shān niǎo yǔ 空山鸟语
A3. bìng zhōng yín 病中吟
A4. kǔ mèn zhī ōu 苦闷之讴
A5. dú xián cāo 独弦操
B1. guāng míng xíng 光明行
B2. yuè yè 月夜
B3. bēi gē 悲歌
B4. xián jū yín 间居吟
B5. zhú yǐng yáo hóng 烛影摇红

Download link: 40MB 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers

Translation of titles:
Bìng Zhōng Yín (病中吟) 1918 (recitation of ill-being)
Yuè Yè (月夜) 1924 (moon night)
Kǔ Mèn Zhī Ōu (苦闷之讴) 1926 (song of depression)
Bēi Gē (悲歌) 1927 (sad song)
Liáng Xiāo (良宵) 1928 (beautiful evening)
Xián Jū Yín (闲居吟) 1928 (recitation of leisure)
Kōng Shān Niǎo Yǔ (空山鸟语) 1928 (empty mountains bird song)
Guāng Míng Xíng (光明行) 1931 (towards brightness)
Dú Xián Cāo (独弦操) 1932 (exercise on one string)
Zhú Yĭng Yáo Hóng (烛影摇红) 1932 (shadows of candles flickering red)

This album of the ten erhu solo pieces composed by Liu Tianhua is performed by Zhang Rui, without accompaniment as originally composed.

To me, the erhu sound and the playing style on this recording has less of the characteristics that would be typical of the erhu and erhu music. It's almost as if how a classical violinist would would play these pieces. The notes on the cassette does mention that Zhang Rui did learn the violin.

Four of these tracks are also on the CD "A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 1" (1992, China Record) http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/collection-of-music-played-on-erhu-vol.html

This is a video of Zhang Rui performing huái xiāng xíng 怀乡行 (journey of nostalgia for hometown) on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUymInzy3og

A Special Selection of Han Music (1990 cassette)

2009-08-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

Artist/Performers: Guǎngdōngshěng gēwǔ jùyuàn mínzú yuètuán 广东省歌舞剧院民族乐团
(Guangdong song & dance opera house ensemble)
Album: Zhōngguó Mínzú Qìyuè Xìliè 中国民族器乐系列
"A Series of Chinese Traditional Instrumental Music"
Hàndiào yīnyuè zhuānjí 汉调音乐专辑
"A Special Selection of Han Music"
Year: 1990
Company: Bái tiān é yīnxiàng chūbǎnshè 百天鹅音像出版社
W-S-8889

Cassette tape track list:
A1. jià hǎo láng 嫁好郎 Marrying to a Good Husband
A2. yíng xiān kè 迎仙客 Guest Welcoming the Immortals
A3. tiǎo lián 挑帘 Lifting Door Curtain
A4. xūn fēng qǔ 薰风曲 Intoxicating Breeze
A5. jìn běi gōng 北进宫 North Palace Ceremony
A6. bǎi jiā chūn 百家春 Spring of All Families
A7. cuìzǐ dēng tán 翠子登潭 Kingfisher Arriving at Pool
B1. chū shuǐ lián 出水莲 Lotus Newly Out of Water
B2. xiǎo yángzhōu 小扬洲 Little Yangzhou
B3. nán jìn gōng 南进宫 South Palace Ceremony
B4. píngshān yuè 平山乐 Pingshan Tune
B5. fàn hòu chá 饭后茶 Sipping Tea After Dinner

Performers:
Guǎngdōngshěng gēwǔ jùyuàn mínzú yuètuán 广东省歌舞剧院民族乐团
(Guangdong song & dance opera house ensemble)
Chén Xiónghuá 陈雄华 (tíqín, tóuxián 提琴, 头弦)
Yú Qíwěi 余其伟 (yehu)
Zhāng Yùnlíng 张运龄 (yangqin)
Lǐ Wěi 李伟 (zheng)
Xiāo Chénguāng 肖晨光 (suona)
Wǔ Guózhōng 伍国忠 (dizi)
Xiè Zhìqiáng 谢志强 (sheng)

Download link: 59MB 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc cover, notes in Chinese only

This is a recording of Kejia (aka Hakka) music known as Hanyue (Han music), performed by a small ensemble. My faourite track is the the first one, unfortunately the first few seconds has some distortion when the rest of the album doesn't have any.

Track B1. chū shuǐ lián 出水莲 Lotus Newly Out of Water, aka lotus emerging out of the water etc, is well known as a solo guzheng (Chinese zither) piece, the cassette has an ensemble version.

This is a version of A4. xūn fēng qǔ 薰风曲 Intoxicating Breeze in a guzheng (zither) and xiao (flute) version performed by Rao Ningxin and Luo Dezai from the CD Sizhu - Silk Bamboo - Chamber Music of South China (1994 Pan Records):
Link: http://sharebee.com/9809c132

Jiangnan Sizhu - Strolling Along the Su Causeway (1987 cassette)

2009-08-07T06:34:00.001-07:00

Various Artists - Jiangnan Sizhu - Strolling Along the Su Causeway (1987, China Records cassette)

A1. sān liù 三六 - Huang Xinfeng (Singapore) & Shanghai Conservatory of Music
A2. chūn jiāng huā yuè yè 春江花月夜 Spring on a Moonlit night - China Conservatory of Music
A3. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Song of Joy - Shanghai traditional ensemble (shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán)
B1. ní cháng qǔ 霓裳曲 Dance of Rainbow Coloured Gown - Shanghai Conservatory of Music
B2. yún qìng 云庆 Celebrating the Clouds - Shanghai traditional ensemble (shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán)
B3. sū tí màn bù 苏堤漫步 Stroll Along Su Dongpo Causeway - Shanghai traditional ensemble (shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán)
B4. qìng 庆 Celebration - Students (from various countries) ensemble

From cassette tape, China Record HL-540 (1987):
"The First Competition of String-and-Wind Music of Southern Yangtse for Compostion and Performers at Home and Abroad" vol 2.

Detailed notes in Chinese and English.

Download link: 49MB 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers and notes

Yu Hongmei - erhu solo (1995 cassette)

2009-08-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

Artist/Performers: Yú Hóngméi 于红梅 (erhu), Zhōngyāng Yīnyuè Xuéyuàn Mínzú Yuètuán 中央音乐学院民族乐团 (Central Conservatory ensemble)

Album: zhōngguó chuántǒng qìyuè míngjiā 中国传统器乐名家名曲
(Chinese traditional instrumental music masterpieces)
èrhú yǎnzòu jīngsuǐ 二胡演奏精髓 (erhu solo quintessence)
èr quán yìng yuè 二泉映月 (moon reflected in Er spring)

Year: 1995
Company: guǎngdōng zhūjiāng yīnxiàng chūbǎnshè chūbǎn 广东珠江音像出版社出版 (Guangdong Zhujiang audio &video publishing house)

Format: cassette tape

Track list:
A1. jiāng hé shuǐ 江河水 (river water)
A2. yī zhī huā 一枝花 (a flower)
A3. qínqiāng zhǔtí suíxiǎngqǔ 秦腔主题随想曲 (theme from Shaanxi opera)
B1. èr quán yìng yuè 二泉映月 (moon reflected in Er spring)
B2. hán chūn fēng qǔ 寒春风曲 (cold spring wind)
B3. tīng sōng 听松 (listening to pines)
B4. xíng jiē 行街 (walking in street)

Track B4, Xing Jie is a Jiangnan sizhu piece and is is performed with Zhōngyāng Yīnyuè Xuéyuàn Mínzú Yuètuán 中央音乐学院民族乐团 (Central Conservatory ensemble). Track B2 is erhu only solo, the rest are are erhu with yangqin (dulcimer) accompaniment.

Cassette in Chinese only.

Download link: 47MB 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc cover

Buddhist Music of the Ming Dynasty, Zhihuasi Temple, Beijing (1993 CD) JVC World Sounds - VICG 5259

2009-07-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

Updated re-post.

Buddhist Music of the Ming Dynasty, Zhihuasi Temple, Beijing (1993)
JVC World Sounds - VICG 5259

Music of the Zhi Hua Temple in Beijing, China, performed by musicians from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, ensemble led by Hu Zhihou on the guanzi (double reed pipe).

běijīng zhìhuàsì 北京智化寺 = Beijing Zhihuasi temple

Tracks:

Buddhist Suite "Chui Si Diao"
zhōng táng zǔ qǔ 中堂组曲: chuí sī yuē 垂丝约

01. chuí sī yuē 垂丝约 as "Chui Si Diao" on CD
02. zhòu jǐn táng 昼锦堂 as "Zou Jin Tang" on CD
03. zuì wēng zǐ 醉翁子 as "Zui Wong Zi" on CD
04. jīn wǔ shān 金五山 as "Jin Wu Shan" on CD

Performed by:
Zhōngyāng Yīnyuè Xuéyuàn 中央音乐学院 Central Conservatory of Music,
stated on CD as "Beijing Central Music Academy" and "Beijing National Music Academy"
Lead guanzi 管子 : Hú Zhìhòu 胡志厚

JVC World Sounds VICG-5259 (1993)
Recorded in Beijing, 21 September 1992

From booklet:
中央音楽学院民族管楽・打撃楽教研室
JVC WORLD SOUNDS ＜CHINA＞
1993.03.24
アルバム / VICG-5259
\2,548（税込） / \2,427（税抜）
オンラインショップで購入
JVC
1994年に北京、智化寺で発見された、中国最古の明代の仏教音楽を、現代最高の演奏者のアンサンブルで復元した話題盤。
01. Chui Si Diao [sic]　垂絲釣（チュイスーディアオ）(chuisudiao)
02. Zou [sic] Jin Tang　昼錦堂（ズージンタン）
03. Zui Wong [sic] Zi　醉翁子（ズイウォンズ）
04. Jin Wu Shan　金五山（ジンウシャン）
1992年現地デジタル録音

From Amazon Japan:
智化寺の残照中国最古の仏教音楽
~ 民族音楽 (アーティスト), フー・ジーホウ (演奏), 中央音楽学院民族管楽・打撃楽教研室 (演奏)
1. 垂絲釣
2. 昼錦堂(ズージンタン)
3. 酔翁子(ズイウォンズ)
4. 金五山(ジンウシャン)
内容（「CDジャーナル」データベースより）
明の時代からの伝承を今も守り続ける北京智化寺。ここでは芸僧たちが一代相伝で仏教音楽そのものを受け継いできたのである。つまり古典中の古典。中国最古の~というタイトルに偽りはない。日本の雅楽に通じるオリエンタリズムが堪能出来る。

Link, 67MB, 192kbps mp3

Alternative link:

Link,80MB, 320kbps mp3, part 1

Link,32MB, 320kbps mp3, part 2

Scans of the CD booklet in Japanese and English, scanned from B&W photocopies in zip folder, 3.3MB:

http://sharebee.com/5ec4dff3

I think it's worth mentioning the fact that whilst this CD is of music of the Zhihuasi temple in Beijing, it is not actually performed by the temple's monks/priests, who are the keepers and purveyors of this music. The performers are scholar/musicians from Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music who learnt the music from the temple's monks.

For a recording performed by musicians of village music associations, including one former Buddhist monk, who learnt their music in a more traditional way, I recommend the album "Buddhist Music of Tianjin" by the Tianjin Buddhist Music Ensemble released in 1994 (Nimbus NI 5416).

Complete English text from the booklet:

Text on cover:
BUDDHIST MUSIC OF THE MING DYNASTY
Zhihuasi Temple, Beijing
JVC VICG 5259
JVC WORLD SOUNDS

Page 5:
JVC WORLD SOUNDS
JVC World Sounds is a series of CDs featuring the
traditional music unique to many countries, music which
people all over the world enjoy listening to and performing.
The most advanced recording techniques have been used
in order to present the music in all its natural freshness.
This collection featuring musical voices from every corner
of the globe is now being offered by Japan to the world.

CHINA: BUDDHIST MUSIC OF THE MING DYNASTY

Although music as a professional activity has been practised in China for
more than two thousand years, we are no longer able to recreate the sound
of all the music which has been performed through the whole length of
Chinese cultural history. For instance, the Southern Song dynasty (1127-
1279) poet and composer Jiang Boshi wrote a work entitled "Anthology of
songs by the white Stone Hermit" which includes musical notation in the
so-called "common notation" (suzipu) system, but no one has been able to
decipher this notation convincingly for several centuries, thereby making it
impossible for us recreate these art songs today.

The late musicologist Yang Yinliu began research on the notation employed
in this work in 1947 with the aim of translating this early notation into actual
sound. His work included analysis of the literary structure of poems in the
ancient classic "The Book of Odes", as well as investigation of the musical

Page 6:
form of ancient folk songs. But in spite of his concentrated endeavours, he
did not succeed in realising the goal he had originally set himself.

Chinese musicologists have through the years thus spent much time and
effort striving to give sound to their silent music history.

Since 1949 Chinese musicologists have conducted large-scale surveys of
their nation's popular music and have acquired vast quantities of musical
notation. But all they arranged to do for a long time was to accumulate
abstract notation and the texts of folk songs dating from the age of The "Book
of Odes" down to the present. They have still not yet managed to decipher the
scores they have obtained with any degree of success.

Over the last few decades it has become easier for musicologists to con-
duct surveys of popular music all over China, although it is no longer possible
to conduct a meaningful comparative survey of folk music nationwide.
A particularly exciting discovery was, however, made during the 199Os. it
became evident that the monks of the Zhihuasi Temple in Beijing were still
performing music on the basis of scores dating from 1693 employing the
song dynasty "suzipu" notation system. This discovery marked the first step
towards the realisation of the goal which we Chinese musicologists had for so
long been hoping to achieve.

The Zhihuasi Temple has a history dating back to when it was erected as a
mausoleum for a senior eunuch of the Ming dynasty, and its monks have
maintained the temple's performance tradition over the ensuing centuries by
means of handing on the tradition only once in every generation. There
seems no doubt that the music performed by these monks employing scores
dating from 1693 includes pieces with a history stretching back much further
into the early Chinese musical past.

Several specialists including professor Hu Zhihou of the Department of
Ethnomusicology at the Central Music Academy in Beijing have for the past

Page 7:
six years conducted comprehensive research on the "suites" still performed at
the Zhihuasi Temple, and have themselves learned to perform the music.
They play one of these "suites" on this disc, which is likely to have enormous
importance and value for future research on early Chinese music.
(Zhao Feng)

Commentary to the music

The Zhihuasi Temple in Beijing was erected in 1446 during the Zhengtong
era of the Ming dynasty as a private mausoleum for the senior eunuch Wang
Zhen. The temple is well-known both architecturally and for its extensive
Buddhist library, but it is also renowned as one of the most important extant
cultural assets for specialists in Chinese Buddhism and music. The music of
the temple occupies the core position among Buddhist music still performed
in the Beijing area.

Twenty-five or six generations of transmitters of this tradition have passed
during the period of more than five hundred years since the temple was first
erected, and the training of those who inherit the temple's traditions con-
tinues today with great rigour. Monks and musicians attached to the temple
have to begin their training before reaching the age of twelve, and thereafter
undergo a severe course of instruction lasting seven years. On condition that
they have already undergone lengthy training, apprentices from other tem-
ples are assessed as to whether they have attained the standards enabling
them to perform together with apprentices trained inside the Zhihuasi Tem-
ple. The rules and techniques of performance are strictly prescribed, and no
changes in or arrangement of the traditional repertoire are permitted under
any circumstances. It is because of this strict adherence to tradition that the
music of the Zhihuasi Temple has been transmitted faithfully down the

Page 8:
centuries to reveal the aspect of Chinese musical culture in past ages.

The music of the Zhihuasi Temple may be divided into three elements, that
is to say recitation of the sutras, instrumental performance, and ritual imple-
ments. One of the most distinctive features is the performance by three wind
instruments. The music consists of both pieces in single movements and
suites of several pieces. Whereas the pieces in single movements consist of
a single standard melody ("qupai"), the suites consist of combinations of
several "qupai". These multiple-movement suites are classified further into
"zhongtang" and "liaoqiao" pieces, the former being performed at daytime
ceremonies and the latter during firework displays in the evening.

The oldest scores extant in the Zhihuasi Temple are manuscripts dated the
33rd year of the Kangxi era of the Qing dynasty (1694), and include forty-
eight pieces for wind instruments. The scores are in the hand of Yonggan,
twenty-fifth in the line of inheritors of the tradition. A further two fragmen-
tary sets of scores are possessed by the temple, meaning that the total
number of instrumental pieces for which notation is possessed is sixty-six.

Fifty-six instrumental pieces and thirty pieces for ritual instruments are
included in the "Yinyue foshi ji" (Anthology of Buddhist Ritual Music) of 1903,
while a further thirteen 137 instrumental pieces are included in a handwritten
manuscript possessed by the Chengshousi Temple.

The following combinations of instruments are employed in the music of
the Zhihuasi Temple, based on division into wind instruments and ritual
instruments.

Instruments used in the wind ensemble:
Guan (double-reed pipe) (2)
Sheng (bamboo mouth organ) (2)
Di (flute) (2)

Page 9:
Yunluo (set of gongs) (2)
Taigu (drum) (1)

Instruments used in the ritual ensemble:
Taigu (drum) (1)
Bo (cymbals, performed by the first guan-player) (1)
Nao (small gong, performed by the first di-player) (1)
Xianzi (pertormed by first sheng-player) (1)
Dangzi (pertormed by the first yunluo player)

Four modes - "zheng", "bei", "jie", and "yue" - are employed in the music of the
Zhihuasi Temple. Various conventions govern performance on each of the
instruments. The "guan" lead the ensemble, the sheng play ornamental figures
with finely articulated rhythms, and the yunluo gongs invariably play the main
note of the phrase on the latter half of the previous beat. Each instrument
thus has its own designated role.

The music of the Zhihuasi Temple has a history which can be traced back
to ancient times, and it today occupies the most important position in
Chinese Buddhist music. Its importance became clear after attention was
drawn to it during the 1950s by Buddhist scholars and musicologists. ln
order to uncover and preserve this valuable musical legacy, members of the
Beijing Musical Research Association and of the Percussion Research Divi-
sion within the Department of Ethnomusicology at the Beijing Central Music
Academy went for instruction in this music to the present inheritor of the
tradition, the monk-performer Xuzeng, with the full understanding of the
Buddhist Society of Beijing.

I hope that the exquisite sound of this wonderful music from the distant
past will resound throughout the world.
(Hu Zhihou)

Page 10:
Planning : Liu Hongjun
Notes : Zhao Feng, Hu Zhihou

Production : Soh Fujimoto
Mastering engineer : Naruto lmaizumi

Jacket design : lkko Tanaka
Jacket editor : Yukio Yui
English edition : Robin Thompson

Date of recording: 21 September 1992
Place of recording : Beijing, China

JVC WORLD SOUNDS
Supervision: Dr. Tsutomu Oohashi
(Professor of National lnstitute of Multimedia Education)
Cooperation: National lnstitute of Multimedia Education

CD case back cover:
BUDDHIST SUITE "CHUI SI DIAO"
1. CHUI Sl DIAO 17:14
2. ZOU JIN TANG 15:13
3. ZUI WONG Zl 3:27
4. JlN WU SHAN 12:15

Traditional Music Ensemble of The Beiiing National Music Academy
Leader: Hu Zhihou

Date of recording; 21 September 1992
Place of recording: Beijing, China

MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED BY VICTOR MUSICAL INDUSTRIES,INC.,TOKYO,JAPAN
P&C 1993 STEREO (DIGITAL RECORDING)

From page 1 (my version from Japanese):
Buddhist Suite "Chui Si Diao"
zhōng táng zǔ qǔ 中堂组曲: chuí sī yuē 垂丝约

01. chuí sī yuē 垂丝约 as "Chui Si Diao" on CD
02. zhòu jǐn táng 昼锦堂 as "Zou Jin Tang" on CD
03. zuì wēng zǐ 醉翁子 as "Zui Wong Zi" on CD
04. jīn wǔ shān 金五山 as "Jin Wu Shan" on CD

Performed by:
Zhōngyāng Yīnyuè Xuéyuàn 中央音乐学院
Central Conservatory of Music minzu ensemble, Percussion Research Divi-
sion within the Department of Ethnomusicology at the Beijing Central Music Academy
中央音乐学院 stated as "Beijing Central Music Academy" and "Beijing National Music Academy"
Lead guanzi 管子 : Hú Zhìhòu 胡志厚

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 2

2009-07-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Performers: Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华, Chén Jiébīng 陈洁冰, Wáng Guótóng 王国潼, Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德, Shěn Zhènglù 沈正陆, Jiǎng Fēngzhī 蔣风之, Wáng Shòutíng 王寿庭
Album: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 2
(Works composed/arranged by Huà Yànjūn, Liú Tiānhuá, Jiǎng Fēngzhī)
CD Year: 1992
CD Company: China Record CCD-92/167
AAD

Track list:
English titles as on CD (except in brackets)

01. èr quán yìng yuè 二泉映月 A Moon is Mirrored in the Second Fountain - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华
02. tīng sōng 听松 Hearing the Soughing of Wind in the Pine Forest - Chén Jiébīng 陈洁冰
03. hán chūn fēng qǔ 寒春风曲 Cold-Spring Wind Song - Chén Yàoxīng 陈耀星
04. èr quán yìng yuè 二泉映月 A Moon is Mirrored in the Second Fountain - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼
05. sān bǎo fó 三宝佛 Triratna Buddha - Xǔ Jiǎngdé 许讲德
06. yángguān sān dié 阳关三叠 (w. piano) Singing a Send-off Song with Three Refrains (aka 3 variations of Yangguan pass) - Shěn Zhènglù 沈正陆
07. hàn gōng qiū yuè 汉宫秋月 Autumn Moon Light is Shedding Over the Palace of Han Dynasty - Jiǎng Fēngzhī 蔣风之
08. guān shān yuè 关山月 Moon Light is Shedding on the Road of Journey (aka moon over Mount Guanshan) - Jiǎng Fēngzhī 蔣风之
09. zhāo jūn yuàn 昭君怨 The Grievance of Zhaojun - Wáng Shòutíng 王寿庭

Download link: 50MB 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers

Please note that depending on the zip program you are using, the folder might not extract properly, for example 7-Zip does not work. It appears this is because the Chinese characters in the file names are causing errors.

If you are having problems, WinRAR will work or try another utility; the Chinese characters will appear as underlines when extracted.

Yu Qiwei 余其伟 - Gaohu master vol 2 (1991, Melody cassette)

2009-07-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

guǎngdōng xiǎoqū jīngdiǎn zhī èr 广东小曲经典之二
gāohú xié zòu míngqū jí zhī èr 高胡协奏名曲集之二

Performers:
Yú Qíwěi 余其伟 (gāohú), xiānggǎng lǐngnán yīnyuètuán 香港岭南音乐团 (Hong Kong Lingnan ensemble)

A1. kǎi xuán 凯旋 Triumph
A2. niǎo tóu lín 鸟投林 Bird Flew to Forest
A3. zǒu mǎ 走马 Running Horses
A4. chūn jiāo shì mǎ 春郊试马 Riding in Spring Countryside
A5. yǔ dǎ bā jiāo 雨打芭蕉 Rain Falling on Banana Leaves
A6. hóng dòu qǔ 红豆曲 Song of Red Bean
A7. liáng xiāo 良宵 Enchant Evening
B1. shuāng fēi húdié 双飞蝴蝶 Flying Butterflies Couple
B2. luò huā tiān 落花天 Flowers Falling Sky
B3. niǎo jīng xuān 鸟惊喧 Clamour of Frightened Birds
B4. èr quán yìng yuè 二泉映月 Reflection of Moon in Spring
B5. xiàng jiàn huān 相见欢 Happy to Meet Again
B6. xiāng sī qǔ 相思曲 Song of Thinking Each Other
B7. xià yú zhōu 下鱼舟 Getting in Fishing Boat

yú qíwěi gāohú xiézòu 余其伟高胡协奏
High-note Er-wu master Yu Kie-Wai
(gaohu master Yu Qiwei)
xiānggǎng lǐngnán yīnyuètuán 香港岭南音乐团协奏
(Hong Kong Lǐngnán ensemble)

Melody Record Co 乐韵唱片公司 yuè yùn chàngpiàn gōngsī
MCS-1015 (cassette)

Download link: 59MB 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers

Wang Xin - Banhu Solos (1996, cassette)

2009-07-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

Artist: Wáng Xīn 王欣 (bǎnhú)
Album: The Quintessence of China
Special Collection of Banhu Solos Vol 3 performed by Wang Xin
zhōnghuá guócuì 中华国粹
bǎnhú yǎnzòu zhuānjí 板胡演奏专辑
qīngnián bǎnhú yǎnzòu jiā: Wáng Xīn 青年板胡演奏家: 王欣
Year: 1996

Cassette tape track list:
A1. yǐng diào 影调 Ying (shadow) Melody
A2. dà qǐ bǎn 大起板 Introductory Music
A3. qínqiāng páiziqǔ 秦腔牌子曲 Music of Shaanxi Opera
A4. héběi huā bāngzi 河北花梆子 Hebei Ornamented Bangzi
B1. shāndōng xiǎoqǔ 山东小曲 Shandong Tune
B2. gēgē huí lái le 哥哥回来了Elder Brother's Coming Back
B3. méihù liánzòu 眉户联奏 Music of Meihu
B4. yuè yá wǔ gēng 月芽五更 Moon at Fifth Geng

bànzòu: Zhōngguó qiánwèi mínzú yuètuán 伴奏: 中国前卫民族乐团
(with China Qianwei minzu yuetuan)
guǎngdōng yīnxiàng chūbǎnshè chūbǎnfāxíng 广东音像出版社出版发行
(Guangdong AV publishing house)
GY-577ISRC CN-F18-96-0022-0/A.J6

Wrong track list on cassette.

Download link: 49MB 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers

Jiangnan Sizhu (1995 CD, Starwin 星文/ Guangzhou audio & video 广州音像 CD)

2009-07-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

CD title: jiāngnán sīzhú, yú gē 江南丝竹, 渔歌 (Jiangnan silk & bamboo music, fishing song)
Performers: unknown / uncredited

Track list, English titles as on CD except tracks 6 & 9

01. yú gē 渔歌 Sailing Song
02. cháo yuán gē 朝元歌 A Love Song in Autumn Night
03. fàn huáng gōng 梵皇宫 Emperor Palace Fan
04. xù huā luò 絮花落 Something Resembling Cotton Drop
05. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Song of Joy
06. huā liù bǎn 花六板 (ornamented six beats)
07. gāo shān liú shuǐ 高山流水 High Mountains and Flowing Water
08. liǔ yáo jīn 柳摇金
09. sān liù 三六 (three six)
10. hàn gōng qiū yuè 汉宫秋月 Autumn Moon Over the Han Palace
11. xūn fēng qǔ 薰风曲 Warm Southerly Breeze

xīng wén chàng piàn 星文唱片 Starwin Records Co.

guǎngzhōu yīnxiàng chūbǎnshè chūbǎn 广州音像出版社出版
(published by Guangzhou audio and video publishing house)
ISRC CN-F28-95-337-00/A.J6

jiānzhì: xīng wén (guójì) chàng piàn 监制: 星文(国际)唱片 Starwin Records Co.
(executive producer: Starwin Records Co)

cèhuà zhìzuò: xīngwén yīnxiàng wénhuà fāzhǎn yǒuxiàn gōngsī 策划制作: 星文音像文化发展有限公司
(planning and manufacturing or planning the production: xingwen audio and visual cultural development limited co)

SWH-1026
ISBN 7-88495-463-X
Barcode: 9 787884 954636

The same recording is on a different CD, with the same ISRC number, but tracks 9, 10 and 11 are in a different order.

CD is in Chinese only.

CD title: jiāngnán sīzhú, yú gē 江南丝竹, 渔歌
Performers: unknown / uncredited

01. yú gē 渔歌
02. cháo yuán gē 朝元歌
03. fàn huáng gōng 梵皇宫
04. xù huā luò 絮花落
05. huān lè gē 欢乐歌
06. huā liù bǎn 花六板
07. gāo shān liú shuǐ 高山流水
08. liǔ yáo jīn 柳摇金
09. hàn gōng qiū yuè 汉宫秋月
10. xūn fēng qǔ 薰风曲
11. sān liù 三六

guǎngzhōu yīnxiàng chūbǎnshè chūbǎn fāxíng 广州音像出版社出版发行
(published, produced by Guangzhou audio & video publishing house)
ISRC CN-F28-95-337-00/A.J6

Download link: 55MB 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers of 2 CDs

Please note that depending on the zip program you are using, the folder might not extract properly, 7-Zip does not work. It appears this is because the file names contain Chinese characters.

If you are having problems, WinRAR will work, the Chinese characters will appear as underlines when extracted.

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 1 (1992 CD, China Record)

2009-07-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 1 (1992 CD, China Record)

Performers: Min Huifen 闵惠芬, Zhāng Ruì 张锐, Wáng Guótóng 王国潼, Wáng Yíqín 王宜勤, Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华, Zhāng Sháo 张韶, Zēng Xún 曾寻
Album: A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 1
(An Album of Liú Tiānhuá's Works)
CD Year: 1992
CD Company: China Record CCD-92/166
AAD

Track list:
01. bìng zhōng yín 病中吟 Reciting on the Sickbed - Min Huifen 闵惠芬
02. yuè yè 月夜 In the Moon Night - Zhāng Ruì 张锐
03. kǔ mèn zhī ōu 苦闷之讴 Chant of Depression - Zhāng Ruì 张锐
04. bēi gē 悲歌 Lament - Wáng Guótóng 王国潼
05. liáng xiāo 良宵 A Fine Night (chú yè xiǎo chàng 除夜小唱 Song of New Year's Eve) - Wáng Yíqín 王宜勤 et al
06. xián jū yín 闲居吟 Reciting in Leisurely Living - Jiāng Jiànhuá 姜建华
07. kōng shān niǎo yǔ 空山鸟语 Birds are Singing in the Tranquil Valley - Zhāng Sháo 张韶
08. guāng míng xíng 光明行 Marching on a Bright Road - Zēng Xún 曾寻
09. dú xián cāo 独弦操 Air on One String - Zhāng Ruì 张锐
10. zhú yǐng yáo hóng 烛影摇红 Candle Light's Shadow Swings in Red Colour - Zhāng Ruì 张锐

This is the first volume of a 10-CD set of erhu music published by China Record in 1992. It seems the recordings have all been previously released on various albums. For example the two tracks by Zhang Rui were on his 1982 cassette, see http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/zhang-rui-liu-tianhua-erhu-solos-china.html

In contrast to that album which are erhu only (as originally composed), the recordings of the ten Liu Tian erhu solos here have various arrangements, ranging from solo to large ensembles.

The rest of the volumes will be posted in the future.

Download link: 49MB 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers

Note that depending on the zip program you are using, the folder might not extract properly, older versions 7-Zip do not work. It appears this is because the file names contain Chinese characters.

If you are having problems, newer versions of 7-zip or WinRAR will work, the Chinese characters will appear as underlines when extracted.

Yú Qíwěi 余其伟 - Traditional Quintet of Guangdong Music (1990 cassette)

2009-07-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

Zhōngguó Mínzú Qìyuè Xìliè 中国民族器乐系列
"A Series of Chinese Traditional Instrumental Music"

Chuántǒng Guǎngdōng Yīnyùe Wǔjiàtóu 传统广东音乐五家头
"Traditional Quintes [sic] of Guangdong Music"

Yú Qíwěi Guǎngdōng Yīnyuè Wǔ Rén Xiǎozǔ Yǎnzòu 余其伟广东音乐五人小组演奏
(Yu Qiwei Guangdong Music Quintet)
Bái tiān é yīnxiàng chūbǎnshè 百天鹅音像出版社
(Bái tiān é [white swan] audio and video publishing house)
W-S-8869 (1990)

Format: cassette tape
Transferred from cassette tape, Sony Walkman Pro>Edirol R09 wav>FLAC>LAME mp3

Track list:
A1. è mǎ yáo líng 饿马摇铃 Jinglebells of the Hungry Horse
A2. shuāng fèng cháo yáng 双凤朝阳 Two Phoenixes Dancing to the Sun
A3. yú lè shēng píng 娱乐升平 Amusing in the Peaceful World
A4. jiāo shí míng qín 蕉石鸣琴 Music Coming from the Rock Amongst the Banana Trees
A5. yǔ dǎ bā jiāo 雨打芭蕉 Rains Beating the Banana Trees
A6. yín hé huì 银河会 The Cowherd and Girl Weaver Meeting on the Milky Way
B1. niǎo tóu lín 鸟投林 Nestward Bound
B2. yú gē wǎn chàng 渔歌晚唱 The Fisherman's Song at Dusk
B3. zǒu mǎ 走马 Trotting Along on Horseback
B4. qí shān fèng 岐山凤 The Phoenixes Flying to Qishan Mountain
B5. shuāng shēng hèn 双声恨 The Grievance of the Cowherd and Girl Weaver
B6. lián huán kòu 连环扣 Interlocking

Performers:
Yú Qíwěi 余其伟 (gāohú, èrhú, èrxián)
Zhào Lìlí 赵莉梨 (yángqín)
Wǔ Guózhōng 伍国忠 (dòngxiāo, dízi)
Hú Xiǎo 胡晓 (qínqín, zhōngruǎn, pípá)
Wén Chuányíng 文传盈 (yèhú)

Track 2 / A2, 双凤朝阳 can be:
(shuāngfèngzhāoyáng) two phoenixes in the morning sun, or
(shuāngfèngcháoyáng) two phoenixes facing the sun

Download link: 52MB 130 vbr mp3 in zip folder inc covers

This is one of my favourite recordings of Guangdong Music. My preference is for small ensembles, without a heavy low bass sound, one zhonghu or yehu is enough.

Jiangnan Sizhu - Yang2 Chun1 (sunny spring) (1984, Art-Tune cassette)

2009-07-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

Jiangnan Sizhu - Yang2 Chun1 (sunny spring) (1984, Art-Tune cassette):

Performers: uncredited / unknown
Title: Jiangnan Sizhu - Yang2 Chun1 (sunny spring)
Publisher: Art-Tune Records Co.
Format: cassette tape
Year: 1984
All titles on cassette are in traditional Chinese characters only.

Track list:

A1. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 (song of joy)
A2. yáng chūn bái xuě 阳春白雪 (sunny spring & white snow) (as yáng chūn 阳春 sunny spring on cassette)
A3. sān liù 三六 (three six)
A4. lǎo bā bǎn 老八板 (old eight beats)
A5. sī xián cāo 思贤操
A6. sān wǔ qī 三五七 (three five seven)
B1. zhègū fēi 鹧鸪飞 (flying partridge)
B2. lóng hǔ xiāng dòu 龙虎相斗 (dragon and lion fighting each other)
B3. màn sān liù 慢三六 (2 erhu solo, slow three six) (as màn liù bǎn 慢六板 slow six beats)
B4. jīng diào 京调 Jingju tune (as liú shuǐ 流水 flowing water)
B5. gū sū xíng 姑苏行 going to Suzhou (as gū sū 姑苏 Suzhou)

Title as on cassette:
jiāngnán sīzhú, yáng chūn 江南丝竹, 阳春 (Jiangnan silk & bamboo music, sunny spring).
Art-Tune Records Co. Hong Kong, AC-1376 (1984)
香港艺声唱片公司 xiānggǎng yìshēng chàngpiàn gōngsī

The sound quality of this cassette is atrocious! I guess the recordings were originally on a LP record and it sounds like it was probably transferred off the speakers of a record player with a low quality mic. Apart from the titles, there is no other information on the cassette.

Track A4. lǎo bā bǎn 老八板 (old eight beats) is a recording of the piece from which many pieces of the Jiangnan sizhu repertory are derived. I haven't heard any other recordings of it, although it is sometimes included in the last section of Xing Jie (procession).

A5. sī xián cāo 思贤操 seems to be a guqin piece of the Zhejiang school. On the recording here it's played by a xiao and the guqin. I'm not sure how the title should be translated. A search on the web came up with "Missing a Virtuous Person" and "Thinking of Yan Hui". The three characters themselves is literally something like "thinking and virtuous exercise/melody".

B3. màn sān liù 慢三六 (2 erhu solo, slow three six) (as màn liù bǎn 慢六板 slow six beats on the cassette) sounds the same as a recording by Shěn Fèngquán 沈凤泉 & Shěn Duōmǐ 沈多米 on the CD "A Collection of Music Played on the Erhu Vol 10" (1992,China Record), see http://huqinblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/artist-va-album-collection-of-music.html

Download link: 40MB 130 variable bitrate mp3, inc covers

Jiangnan Sizhu - Shanghai Film Orchestra (1985, China Travel & Tourism cassette)

2009-07-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

Jiangnan Sizhu - Shanghai Film Orchestra (1985, China Travel & Tourism cassette):

"Eight Famous Folk Melodies of Southern Yangtse Regions"

Performed by Shanghai film orchestra traditional ensemble.

Track list:
A1. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 (medium ornamented six beats)
A2. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 (song of joy)
A3. yún qìng 云庆 (cloud celebration)
A4. sì hé rú yì 四合如意 (four together as you please)
B1. sān liù 三六 (three six)
B2. màn liù bǎn 慢六板 (slow six beats)
B3. huā sān liù 花三六 (ornamented three six)
B4. xíng jiē 行街 (walking in street)

from cassette tape:
Title: jiāngnán sīzhú bādàqǔ 江南丝竹八大曲
"Eight Famous Folk Melodies of Southern Yangtse Regions" (Jiangnan sizhu eight great pieces).

performed by:
shànghǎi diànyǐng yuètuán mínzú yuèduì 上海电影乐团民族乐队 (Shanghai film orchestra traditional ensemble)

Published by:
"China Travel & Tourism Press CTTP AV-0090"

Year: 1985

Download link: 53MB 130 variable bitrate mp3, inc covers

This is a recording of the Jiangnan sizhu eight great pieces. However the performances on this cassette sound very different from both the amateur tradition heard in Shanghai teahouses and the performances of the Shanghai traditional ensemble (Shanghai Minzu Yuetuan).

Jiangnan Sizhu LP (1981): Shanghai traditional ensemble (Shanghai Minzu Yuetuan) 1981 LP

2008-12-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

Post updated Dec 2009 with a better image of the cover.

Jiangnan sizhu (Jiangnan silk and bamboo music):

Shanghai traditional ensemble - Moon and Lanterns, Jiangnan Sizhu, Bailey Record Co, NRS-33 (1981)

Album title, English: Moon and Lanterns, Jiangnan Sizhu (Silk and Bamboo Music of East China)
Chinese: dēng yuè jiāo huī, jiāngnán sīzhú 灯月交辉江南丝竹
Performer: Shanghai traditional ensemble Silk and Bamboo Music group
shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán 上海民族乐团 (Shanghai traditional ensemble)

Bailey Record Co NRS-33 (1981) vinyl 12inch LP

A1. chūn jiāng huā yuè yè 春江花月夜 (Spring on a Moonlit River)
A2. yún qìng 云庆 (Celebrating the Cloud) (2.9 pc slow)
A2. yún qìng 云庆 (Celebrating the Cloud)
A3. xíng jiē 行街 (Wedding Procession) (2.9 pc slow)
A3. xíng jiē 行街 (Wedding Procession)
A4. dēng yuè jiāo huī 灯月交辉 (Moon and Lanterns)
B1. ní cháng qǔ 霓裳曲 (Rainbow Skirts)
B2. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 medium ornamented six beats
B3. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 (Song of Good Cheer)
B4. sān liù 三六 three six

shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán 上海民族乐团 (Shanghai traditional ensemble)
dízi 笛子, xiāo 箫: Zhèng Zhènghuá 郑正华
èrhú 二胡: Zhōu Hào 周皓
pípá 琵琶: Mǎ Shènglóng 马圣龙
yángqín 揚琴: Zhōu Huì 周惠

There are extra versions of A2. Yun Qing and A3. Xing Jie with the speed and pitch very slightly adjusted so that A=440hz, so 10 tracks in total.

Vinyl rip:

Link: 70MB, mp3, inc cover and notes (in English and Chinese)

Jiangnan sizhu, (Chinese Melody 3), 1986 cassette tape, Shanghai Traditional Ensemble

2008-12-13T05:28:00.000-08:00

Jiangnan sizhu:

Shanghai traditional ensemble (Shanghai Minzu Yuetuan)

"Chinese Melody 3, Music of Southern Yangtze"

1986 cassette tape

Performer: Shanghai Traditional Orchestra (shànghǎi mínzú yuètuán 上海民族乐团)

Cassette title: Chinese Melody 3, Music of Southern Yangtze (1986)
zhōngguó xuán lǜ 3, jiāngnán sīzhú 中国旋律 (三) 江南丝竹

A1. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 song of joy
A2. xíng jiē 行街 walking in street
A3. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 medium ornamented six beats
A4. dēng yuè jiāo huī 灯月交辉 lanterns and moon both shine
B1. sān liù 三六 three six
B2. yún qìng 云庆 cloud celebration
B3. chūn huī qǔ 春晖曲 spring sun
B4. hán jiāng cán xuě 寒江残雪 Lingering of Snow on Frozen River

From cassette tape: Chinese Melody 3, Music of Southern Yangtze
zhōngguó xuán lǜ 3, jiāngnán sīzhú 中国旋律 (三) 江南丝竹
China Records HL-466 (1986)

Link: 45MB, 130 variable bitrate mp3, inc cover and notes (in Chinese)
NOTE: there is a pinyin mistake in the track list text file and the mp3 tags: "Zhong1 Guo2 Lv3 Lv4 (3)" should be "Zhong1 Guo2 Xuan2 Lv4" (Zhōng guó xuán lǜ 中国旋律)

Jiangnan Sizhu - "Sihe Ruyi (Bridge) " 1982 cassette tape

2008-12-12T16:29:00.000-08:00

Jiangnan Sizhu "Silk and Bamboo Music of East China" - "Sihe Ruyi (Bridge) "
1982 cassette tape, China Records

A1. Si4 He2 Ru2 Yi4 (Qiao2), four together as you please, "bridge" is another name for this piece)
B1. Hua1 San1 Liu4 , decorated "three six"
B2. Man4 Liu4 Ban3, slow "six beats"

Dizi/xiao: Lu Chunling (陆春龄 lu4 chun1 ling2)
Erhu: Zhou Hao (周皓 zhou1 hao4)
Pipa: Ma Shenglong 马圣龙 (ma3 sheng4 long2)
Yangqin: Zhou Hui (周惠 zhou1 hui4)

Transferred rom cassette tape: Si4 He2 Ru2 Yi4 (Qiao2), Jiang1 Nan2 Si1 Zhu2, China Records HL-103 (1982)

These three are the longest and the least often performed pieces from the "eight great pieces" of Jiangnan sizhu. The first piece takes up the whole of side A of the casssette!

Link: 59MB, 130 variable bitrate mp3, inc cover and notes (in Chinese)

Jiangnan Sizhu: "eight great pieces"

2008-12-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

江南丝竹八大曲 Jiangnan Sizhu: "eight great pieces" (in pinyin alphabetical order):

Format: pinyin, characters, (English translation)

huā sān liù 花三六 (ornamented three six)

huān lè gē 欢乐歌 (song of joy)

màn liù bǎn 慢六板 (slow six beats)

sān liù 三六 (three six), also called méi huā sān nòng 梅花三弄 (three variations of plum flower)

sì hé rú yì 四合如意 (four combine as you wish or four together as you please)

xíng jiē 行街 (walking in the street, procession or wedding procession)

yún qìng 云庆 (cloud celebration)

zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 (medium ornamented six beats), also called xūn fēng qǔ 薰风曲 (Warm Southerly Breeze)

Jiangnan sizhu (Jiangnan silk and bamboo music) , Chenghuangmiao, 1988 cassette

2008-11-22T13:33:00.001-08:00

Jiangnan sizhu : (江南丝竹 Jiāngnán Sīzhú)

Old Chenghuang Temple Lake Pavilion Ensemble, Dizi (flute): Dong Kejun - Huan Le Ge (Song of Joy), Pop Art Cassette (1988)

Track list:
A1. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 song of joy
A2. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 medium ornamented six beats
A3. sān liù 三六 three six
B1. yún qìng 云庆 cloud celebration
B2. xíng jiē 行街 wedding procession

Performed by:
shànghǎi lǎo chénghuángmiào húxīntíng yuèduì 上海老城隍庙湖心亭乐队
Lit. Shanghai old city god temple mid-lake pavilion ensemble
Dizi: Dǒng Kèjūn 董克钧

Recorded by the Arts Development Section of Shanghai Conservatory
Jointly produced by Yunnan Audio And Video Co, and Pop Art Productions Co Ltd

Transferred from cassette tape (Sony Walkman Pro) > wav (Edirol R09) > flac > LAME 190 variable kbps mp3.

Link: 74MB, 190 variable bitrate mp3, inc cover and notes (in English and Chinese)

Update:
Better scans of liner notes, click on thumbnail for full sized version, note these are large image files of 1MB each. Spelling mistakes have been corrected.

English:

Chinese (traditional characters):

Jiangnan Sizhu "Jiangnan Si Yun" (1995 CD)

2008-11-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

"The Charm of Southern Yangzi Ensemble"
Lu, Ma, Zhou, Zhou - Jiangnan Si Yun (1995 CD)

Jiangnan silk and bamboo music

01. Zhong Hua Liu Ban
02. San Liu
03. Yun Qing
04. Yang Ba Qu (Fan Wang Gong 梵王宫 fan4 wang2 gong1)
05. Huan Le Ge
06. Deng Yue Jiao Hui (灯月交辉 deng1 yue4 jiao1 hui1)
07. Ni Chang Qu (霓裳曲 ni2 chang2 qu3)
08. Xing Jie

Shanghai Sheng Xiang Chubanshe, CD-0019 (Shanghai Audio and Video Publishing House)

Dizi/xiao: Lu Chunling (陆春龄 lu4 chun1 ling2)
Erhu: Zhou Hao (周皓 zhou1 hao4)
Pipa: Ma Shenglong 马圣龙 (ma3 sheng4 long2)
Yangqin: Zhou Hui (周惠 zhou1 hui4)

Link: 73MB, 160 variable bitrate mp3, inc covers and booklet

Jiangnan Sizhu - Ode to the South, Central Conservatory (1989 CD)

2008-11-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

Jiangnan Sizhu - Central Conservatory (1989 CD)

Ode to the South
Awarded Works at the First Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo (Jiangnan sizhu) Composing and Performing Contest from China and Abroad

China Record Co CCD-89/043 (1989)

Tracks:

01. yǒng nán 咏南 Ode to the South by Zhu Yi
02. xíng jiē sì hé 行街四合 Xing Jie Si He (four together as you wish)
03. sān liù 三六 San Liu (three six)
04. zhōng huā liù bǎn 中花六板 Zhong Hua Liu Ban (medium ornamented six beats)
05. huān lè gē 欢乐歌 Huan Le Ge (song of joy)
06. yún qìng 云庆 Yun Qing (cloud celebration)
07. chūn jiāng huā yuè yè 春江花月夜 Spring Flowers on the Moonlit River arr by Qin Pengzhang & Luo Zhongrong

Performed by Central Conservatory Ensemble:
Èrhú 二胡: Féng Zhìhào 冯智皓
Dízi 笛子/ Xiāo 箫: Zhān Yǒngmíng 詹永明
Pípá 琵琶: Liú Guìlián 刘桂连
Yángqín 揚琴: Huáng Hé 黄河
Shēng 笙: Wáng Yǒng 王勇
Zhōnghú 中胡: Yè Qiáng 叶强
Sānxián 三弦: Zhào Tàishēng 赵太生
Zhēng 筝: Zhōu Wàng 周望
Dǎjīyuè 打击乐: Lǐ Cōngnóng 李聪農
Art Advisor: Lín Shíchéng 林石诚 [sic] (林石城)

Link: 65MB, 190 variable bitrate mp3, inc covers and booklet

Jiangnan sizhu (Playasound CD)

2008-11-20T03:48:00.000-08:00

Jiangnan Sizhu (silk and bamboo music of the Jiangnan region):

China, Classical Music - Southern Minorities Music - Regional Tale - Peking Opera

(Playasound PS 65048) 1989 CD

Various Artists - Chine - Classique-Minorites-Conte-Opera

Track list:

01. Music of Yangtze Region, Jiangnan Sizhu (xíng jiē 行街 street procession) - Ensemble
02. Music of Yangtze Region, Jiangnan Sizhu (píng hú qiū yuè 平湖秋月 Autumn Moon on a Calm Lake) - Ensemble
03. Music of Yangtze Region, Jiangnan Sizhu (huān lè gē 欢乐歌 song of joy) - Ensemble
04. Music of southern minorities, Cock Dance - Percussion ensemble
05. Music of southern minorities, Lusheng Dance - Yao ensemble
06. Music of southern minorities, Dance of the cat and the mouse - Ensemble
07. Music of southern minorities, Dance of bamboos - Ensemble
08. Music of southern minorities, Dance of drums - Ensemble
09. Chinese tale (Suzhou tan ci) - Vocals with sanxian & pipa
10. Jing She [sic] (4 laureates of the imperial prize) - Beijing Opera

CD booklet has inconsistent or incorrect romanisation of Chinese names and words.

Contains little or no information about the performers or location of the recordings.

The tracks on the CD appear to be live field recordings.

Only tracks 1,2 and 3 are Jiangnan sizhu, although track 2 (ping hu qiu yue) is ususally catagorised as Guangdong Music, it is a piece played by Jiangnan sizhu musicians. The recordings here seem to be the Jiangnan sizhu heard in teahouses played by amateur musicians. Some might argue that this is "authentic" Jiangnan sizhu, in contrast to the type of Jiangnan sizhu performeded by conservatory trained professionals who play from notation.

Link: 97MB, 190 variable bitrate mp3, inc covers and booklet

Lang Guoren (better known as Lang Lang's father)

2008-09-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

This is a video clip from a Lang Lang recital from the Proms series of concerts in London in August 2008. Lang Lang's father, Lang Guoren, joined him on stage for the final piece, "Horse Race" (Sai Ma).

Link 23MB 5 min avi

There is also a similar clip of them playing Sai Ma in Carnegie Hall, New York, on Youtube.

Lang Guoren's erhu is a Beijing 8 sided type with a circular back, and brass machine tuners.

Also, a very short clip of him playing from a TV documentary about Lang Lang.

Link to video clip (6.8MB 1 min avi)

茉莉花 (Mo Li Hua) "Jasmine Flower"

2008-08-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

茉莉花 (Mo Li Hua), also called 好一朵茉莉花 (Hao Yi Duo Mo Li Hua).

Link 1.6MB mp3 128kbps

Children of the Chinese Circus

2008-08-06T05:04:00.000-07:00

Another off-topic post.

Link, 261MB, avi video, 80 min

Alternative links:
92MB
92MB
83MB
All parts are needed, use WinRar to extract.

Unfortunately the first 2 minutes are missing. Also, quite a lot of the programme is in Shanghai dialect and there are only sub-titles in English, so Chinese people who are not from Shanghai and the surrounding region will probably not understand most of the film.

More info:
www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/yoursay/chinese-circus.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007m47h

Chun Shi (spring poem) 春诗

2008-07-23T03:03:00.000-07:00

Note: this post has dead links which have to be up-dated.

春诗 chūn shī

Chun Shi - erhu: Jiang Jianhua
Link, 7.8MB
This is from a LP recorded whilst she was still a student in 1982.

Chun Shi - erhu: Wang Yijie
Link, 9.3MB

Qianjin: how to fit it without a knot, and no loose ends

2008-07-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

千斤 or 千金, qiānjīn or qianjin, sometimes mispelt as "qianjing" or "qian jing" (without tones)

The photo should make it clear how you do it, you then pull the end of the string on the left. Obviously when you actually do it, you wrap the string tightly around the neck without any spaces in between the windings. The photo shows a 150cm string, with 8 windings around the neck, then 3 around the neck and strings, then finally 8 around the neck again. The string is the string used to seal 10kg and 25kg bags of rice!

In my opinion, you should not have too many windings around the neck and erhu strings. In theory, if you had a unbreakable qianjin string, you would only have 1 winding because the contact area where the qianjin and erhu strings meet should be clear and sharp as possible, at least on the vibrating side of the strings. I use 3 and it seems to be strong enough.

A variation of this method is to use 2 pieces of string: the main length and a separate short elongated "U" bit. Actually this is better because both ends of the string on the finished qianjin will be completely hidden under the windings, whereas if you use the 1 string method in the photo, you have to cut off the last bit of string.

A further refinement maybe is to dampen the string, when it's dried it should end up tighter on the neck, although I haven't tried it.

The photo is not a square on side view of the neck, so the erhu strings appear to be closer to the neck than they actually are.

Tan Yue by Sun Wenming 弹乐

2008-07-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

This is called "Tán Yuè", literally "playing music" or "plucked string music", but apparently actually means pingtan music or a tune of pingtan. Pingtan is a type of storytelling music from Suzhou in Jiangsu province in China.

This erhu piece is composed and played by Sun Wenming (孙文明, 1928-1962).

This piece is unique in the erhu reportoire, as it is played, apparently, on an erhu without a qianjin (a loop of string which acts as a nut). According to a CD liner notes, it's influenced by the playing style of the sanxian (3 string lute) used in Pingtan.

Link: http://flameupload.com/files/BNZNXLZT/t__n_yu__________A_Tune_of_Pingtan_-_S__n_W__nm__ng__________.mp3
tán yuè 弹乐 A Tune of Pingtan - Sūn Wénmíng 孙文明.mp3, 4MB mp3 file

Videos

Played by Sun Huang:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqW37xoq8js

Played by Song Fei:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMhVTtzlgJE

Han Gong Qiu Yue (Han palace autumn moon) 汉宫秋月

2008-07-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

Note: this post has dead links which have to be up-dated.

This is the "Han4 Gong1 Qiu1 Yue4" from Guangdong Yinyue, not the solo erhu piece of the same name arranged by Jiang Fengzhi(蔣风之).

Hangong Qiuyue, gaohu:Yu Qiwei, and ensemble
Link
This recording has a non-traditional accompiment to the gaohu solo. I mean "non-traditional" in the sense they are not all playing variations of the same tune together. Maybe because of this, the sound of the gaohu seems to stand out in front.

Han Gong Qiu Yue - huqin: Lu Wencheng, & unknown guzheng player
Link
Lu Wencheng (吕文成 Lǚ Wénchéng) is the musician who "invented" the gaohu in the 1920s, the lead instrument in Guangdong Music, and the composer of many, many of the pieces in the reportoire. This is a transfer from LP to wav then compressed to mp3, I think the recording is from the 50s but I am not sure. This version is more densely played than Yu Qiwei's recording.

Skip the next bit if you don't play huqin:

Most Guangdong Music pieces including this one are played in the key of C (1=C), with the gaohu tuned to G, D. The open strings would be sol, re (5 with dot under, 2). The version by Yu Qiwei above is in this standard tuning. However this recording by Lu Wencheng as transfered from the LP has the key of approx G sharp or A flat (assuming A=440hz).

For the convenience of playing along with the recording without having to re-tune your instrument, I have slowed down the recording and the pitch has dropped about a semitone to 1=G (assuming A=440hz):

Han gong Qiu Yue - huqin: Lu Wencheng, & unknown guzheng player, lower in pitch and slowed
Link
You can play along on the erhu in standard (gaohu) fingering (sol, re), or you can play along on the gaohu, yehu or zhonghu tuned to G, D, but with different fingering (open strings: do, sol).

Liu Yao Jin 柳搖金

2008-07-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Note: this post has dead links which have to be up-dated.

Liu Yao Jin (柳搖金 liu3 yao2 jin1)

This is one of my favourite pieces of Guangdong Music (guangdong yinyue). "Guangdong Yinyue", literally Guangdong music, as a descriptive name is actually a misnomer, as there are many types of traditional music in Guangdong.

Recording of ensemble lead by the gaohu played by Yu Qiwei
Link, 8MB

Liu Yao Jin - erhu: Yu Qiwei
Link, 6.5MB
This is one is also played by Yu Qiwei, but on the erhu.

Chinese in Britain (2007 BBC Radio 4)

2008-07-21T04:40:00.000-07:00

This is going to be an off-topic post.

This is a radio programme first broadcast on Radio 4 in the UK by the BBC in 2007, consisting of ten 15min parts broadcast in the afternoon on each weekday over two weeks. This is a ground-breaking and important programme about the history of the largely unnoticed and little documented ethnic Chinese in the UK, who make up the third largest "visible" minority in the UK, after the Afro-Carribeans and (south) Asians.

This is the omnibus edition broadcast in 2008. The 10 parts have been edited into two 1 hour programmes, broadcast over two fridays.

More details and episode guide: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/chinese_in_britain.shtml

One mp3 file and one Real Audio file:
Dead link, 66MB
Alternative link, 66MB

Or:

Two mp3 files:
Download link: parts 1 to 5 (omnibus edition part 1), 40MB mp3 file
Download link: parts 6 to 10 (omnibus edition part 2), 30MB mp3 file
Dead link, 69MB

Yue Ye (moon night) 月夜

2008-07-21T03:54:00.000-07:00

Note: this post has a lot of dead links which have to be up-dated.

Yue Ye (moon night, Yuè Yè 月夜) is a composition for the erhu by Liu Tianhua (Liú Tiānhuá 刘天华). The date given on the score is 1924, I assume this is the year of publication.

Here are 4 different recording of the piece. All are erhu only, which I prefer. It seems many if not most recordings have accompiment, ranging from just with yangqin to a small ensemble to the large modern Chinese orchestra.

Wang Yijie
Link, 7.2MB
This is my favourite of these four. The erhu tone is big, rich and full-bodied.

Liu Changfu 刘长福
Link, 5MB
This one is more reflective, less intense, with a sweeter and gently beautiful tone.

Xu Ke
Link, 8MB
The first thing that strikes me about this recording is that the player is playing the piece like a violin player.

Wang Guotong
Link, 9.8MB
This recording is noticeably slower than the other ones here. The erhu is tuned one semitone lower than the standard tuning (assuming A = 440hz), to D flat and A flat. So I wonder if it has been slowed down. All the other tracks on the CD this recording is from have the same open string tuning.

Zhang Rui
Link, 6.2MB
This is from a 1982 cassette released by the China Records Company(HL 113).

San Liu (three six) 三六

2008-07-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

Note: this post has a lot of dead links which have to be up-dated.

San Liu (san1 liu4, three six) is one of the "eight great pieces" (ba1 da4 qu3) from Jiangnan sizhu (江南丝竹 Jiāngnán sīzhú).

"Jiangnan Sizhu" is a type of traditional Chinese instrumental music from the Jiangnan region of China, commonly translated as "Jiangnan silk and bamboo music". The Jiangnan region is made up of southern Jiangsu province, Shanghai and northern Zhejiang province.

Jiangnan Sizhu is performed by a small ensemble of up to about nine or ten instruments, with the dizi, erhu, pipa and yangqin being the main instruments.

Here are several different recorded versions of San Liu:

Shanghai Traditional Ensemble (Shanghai Minzu Yuetuan):
Link, 5.6MB, 6min8sec, 128kbps

Shanghai Traditional Ensemble (Shanghai Minzu Yuetuan):
Link, 8.2MB
Another recording by the Shanghai Minzu Yuetuan. This one is from a 1981 LP.

Lu Chunling (dizi), Zhou Hui (yangqin), Zhou Hao (erhu), Ma Shenglong (pipa):
Link, 5.6MB, 6min10sec, 128kbps

Chen Yonglu (erhu), Lu Chunling (dizi), Lin Shicheng (pipa):
Link, 6.3MB, 6min57sec, 128kbps

A traditional ensemble:
Link, 6.7MB, 7min24sec, 128kbps

Two erhu, one in standard D,A tuning, the second in a lower tuning:
Link, 5.3MB, 5min48sec, 128kbp

The earliest published notation of San Liu is in a collection of pipa pieces of 1895 by Li Fangyuan. According to Witzleben, that version is structurally different to the the present day San Liu performed by Jiangnan sizhu musicians.

There is also a version of San Liu for solo pipa (3.3MB, 3min37sec, 128kbps) and the large modern Chinese orchestra (available on youtube). It sounds very different to the San Liu as played within the Jiangnan Sizhu tradition. Perhaps this version is derived from Li Fangyuan's 1895 pipa score collection.

Further reading:
Witzleben, J. Lawrence (1995). "Silk and Bamboo" Music in Shanghai: The Jiangnan Sizhu Instrumental Ensemble Tradition. Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press
The definitive work (in English) on Jiangnan Sizhu, essential reading for anyone interested in this music.

A good introduction to music played on various huqin instruments

2008-07-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Treasury of Chinese Musical Instruments
Vol.2 Bowed String Instruments

This is a recording released by the China Record Company in 1989. Each track features a huqin soloist with backing from a traditional Chinese ensemble.

Track list:
1. Moon Reflects in the Er Quan (Er Quan Ying Yue, Erhu: Zhu Changyao)
2. Regret (Shuang Sheng Hen, Gaohu: Yu Qiwei)
3. The Setting Moon of Early Dawn (Yue Ya Wu Geng, Banhu: Shen Cheng)
4. Birds Sing in the Empty Hills (Kong Shan Niao Yu, Erhu: Zhu Changyao)
5. Deep Night (Ye Shen Chen, Jinghu: Zhang Suying)
6. A Paizi Tune of Shaanxi (Qinqiang) Opera (Qinqiang Paizi Qu, Banhu: Shen Cheng)
7. Waves (Liu Bo Qu, Erhu: Zhu Changyao)
8. Autumn Moon on A Placid Lake (Ping Hu Qiu Yue, Gaohu: Yu Qiwei)
9. On Grassland (Cao Yuan Shang, Zhonghu: Zhu Changyao)

Track list, Titles and performers in Chinese and English:

01. èr quán yìng yuè 二泉映月 Moon Reflects in the Er Quan (erhu 二胡) - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀, Shanghai trad ensemble
02. shuāng shēng hèn 双声恨 Regret (gaohu 高胡) - Yú Qíwěi 余其伟, with Guangdong song and dance ensemble quartet
03. yuè yá wǔ gēng 月芽五更 The Setting Moon of Early Dawn (banhu 板胡) - Shěn Chéng 沈诚 (banhu), Shanghai trad ensemble
04. kōng shān niǎo yǔ 空山鸟语 Birds Sing in the Empty Hills (erhu 二胡) - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀
05. yè shēn chén 夜深沉 Deep Night (jinghu) - Zhāng Sùyīng 张素英, Shanghai trad ensemble
06. qínqiāng páiziqǔ 秦腔牌子曲 Paizi tune of Shaanxi opera (banhu 板胡) - Shěn Chéng 沈诚 (banhu), Shanghai trad ensemble
07. liú bō qǔ 流波曲 Waves (erhu 二胡) - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀, Shanghai trad ensemble
08. píng hú qiū yuè 平湖秋月 Autumn Moon on a Placid Lake (gaohu 高胡) - Yú Qíwěi 余其伟, with Guangdong song and dance ensemble quartet
09. cǎo yuán shàng 草原上 On Grassland (zhonghu 中胡) - Zhū Chāngyào 朱昌耀, Shanghai trad ensemble

Part 1 link
Part 2 link
password:newage