In Biographies and Notes: Chinese Music 20th Century and Beyond, Li Lanqing retells, in an easy-to-understand language, the Chinese music renaissance that took place more than 100 years ago through a set of chronologically arranged biographies, a style similar to that of Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian (ca. 145- or 135-86 BC) of the Former Han dynasty. The book presents 18 modern Chinese composers who were born no later than 1912, active in the first half of the 20th century, and are no longer around today. ...
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In Biographies and Notes: Chinese Music 20th Century and Beyond, Li Lanqing retells, in an easy-to-understand language, the Chinese music renaissance that took place more than 100 years ago through a set of chronologically arranged biographies, a style similar to that of Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian (ca. 145- or 135-86 BC) of the Former Han dynasty. The book presents 18 modern Chinese composers who were born no later than 1912, active in the first half of the 20th century, and are no longer around today. Some, like Nie Er, Xian Xinghai, and He Luting, are household names whose songs and music are still being sung and played today; the others, including Shen Xingong, Zeng Zhimin, and Huang Zi, may have been closely studied by music scholars and students but remain largely obscure to ordinary Chinese music lovers even though all of them were prominent figures in the Chinese music scene during the first five decades of the 20th century. By retracing the life trajectories of these music pioneers, the book offers a loosely structured yet highly fascinating historical account of the modern Chinese music.
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