Chinese Folk Song "Liu Yang River" for Flute and Piano (with score)

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PeterLynchMusic.com

[中文內容請參閱下方說明 [see below for the Chinese translation of this description]

Liuyang River is one of China’s most beloved "folk" songs. It was actually composed during the 1950s with lyrics by Tang Bi Guang and music by Wang Jian Zhong. Ostensibly celebrating the natural beauty of the Liuyang River in Hunan province, its primary objective is as a propaganda tool of the CCP, not least since the area coincides with the birthplace of Mao Zedong. The song unashamedly exploits this fact and, admittedly, fulfills this task admirably.

During the early years of the People's Republic of China, Liuyang River became a symbolic tribute to the revolutionary heartland. Its gentle melody and romanticism provided a softer cultural expression during a time dominated by political messaging. It was often performed to honor Mao and the ideals of the Communist Party, especially during mass events and patriotic celebrations. Since those days, the song has been reinterpreted by generations of artists, both in China and abroad. Its blend of regional charm and national pride helped it endure through decades of social change.

I have changed the words to remove the political grandstanding and replaced them with a more folkloristic "people of the land" tone. This text is given in the video in English and in Chinese.

Musically speaking, what I found so attractive about this melody is its tendency to end on the dominant, rather than the tonic. Furthermore, it's pentatonic nature, like so many folk songs from the East (and the West), paradoxically, opens it up to all sorts of harmonic progressions and I have used a fair number in this arrangement.

Thank you to Hong Kong pianist Maggie Chan for her elegant and authoritaive interpretation of the piano part of this piece.

Out of interest, and for the sake of historical accuracy, here is the original Chinese text of the first two verses and an English translation:

原版 《浏阳河》歌詞（繁體中文）
浏陽河，彎過了幾道彎？
幾十里水路到湘江？
江邊有個什麼縣哪？
出了個什麼人，領導人民得解放，
呀咿呀咿子哟。

浏陽河，彎過了九道彎。
五十里水路到湘江。
江邊有個湘潭縣哪，
出了個毛主席，領導人民得解放，
呀咿呀咿子哟。

Liuyang River, winding through how many bends?
Dozens of miles of waterways lead to the Xiang River.
By the riverbank, in which county does it lie?
Someone emerged to lead the people to liberation—
Ah yi ya yi zi yo.

Liuyang River, winding through nine bends.
Fifty miles of waterways flow to the Xiang River.
On its banks lies Xiangtan County,
From which emerged Chairman Mao,
Leading the people to liberation—
Ah yi ya yi zi yo.

*********************************
《浏陽河》是中國最受歡迎的「民歌」之一。事實上，這首歌曲創作於1950年代，由唐璧光填詞、汪建中譜曲。表面上它歌頌的是湖南浏陽河的自然美景，但實際上，其創作目的主要是為中國共產黨宣傳而服務，尤其是因為浏陽正是毛澤東的出生地。這首歌毫不避諱地利用這一歷史背景，從宣傳角度來看，確實也達到了預期的效果。

在中華人民共和國成立初期，《浏陽河》成為象徵革命根據地的代表之作。其旋律婉轉、富於浪漫色彩，在政治訊息主導的年代中，提供了一種相對柔和的文化表達方式。此曲常於大型群眾活動及愛國慶典中演唱，用以歌頌毛主席及共產黨的理想。多年來，這首歌經歷不同時代的藝術家重新演繹，無論在中國或海外，其地域風情與民族自豪感使其歷久彌新，屹立不倒。

我對原詞作出了改動，刪除了其中的政治宣傳語句，並以更具民間色彩、反映「土地上的人民」的語調取而代之。中英文版本的新歌詞已於影片中展示。

從音樂角度而言，這首旋律之所以吸引我，是因為它傾向於以屬音（dominant）作結，而非正格的主音（tonic）。此外，儘管這是一首五聲音階的旋律——如同東西方許多民歌一樣——它的音域結構反而為和聲的發展提供了更多可能性。於此編曲中，我便運用了不少不同的和聲進行。

感謝香港鋼琴家陳馬奇，以其優雅而具權威性的演繹，精彩詮釋了本曲的鋼琴部分。

為了歷史的準確性，也出於對原作的興趣，以下列出《瀏陽河》首兩段歌詞的原中文版本及其英文翻譯：

原版 《浏阳河》歌詞（繁體中文）
浏陽河，彎過了幾道彎？
幾十里水路到湘江？
江邊有個什麼縣哪？
出了個什麼人，領導人民得解放，
呀咿呀咿子哟。

浏陽河，彎過了九道彎。
五十里水路到湘江。
江邊有個湘潭縣哪，
出了個毛主席，領導人民得解放，
呀咿呀咿子哟。

Liuyang River, winding through how many bends?
Dozens of miles of waterways lead to the Xiang River.
By the riverbank, in which county does it lie?
Someone emerged to lead the people to liberation—
Ah yi ya yi zi yo.

Liuyang River, winding through nine bends.
Fifty miles of waterways flow to the Xiang River.
On its banks lies Xiangtan County,
From which emerged Chairman Mao,
Leading the people to liberation—
Ah yi ya yi zi yo.