Chinese Music Summer School 24-30 July, 2004

This was the first time that AMC had organised a full seven day programme of expert tuition on Chinese instrumental music alongside the Indian music programme. The programme was designed to give an excellent opportunity for Chinese music lovers, musicians and novices to experience and learn about classical and traditional Chinese instruments from internationally renowned musicians from China and in the UK. Those who could not stay for a full week were able to attend for shorter periods (2 or 3 days).

There were masterclasses on:

Guqin (Chinese 7 string zither) with qin master Professor Li Xiangting. Professor Li Xiangting is one of the world's leading authorities and greatest performers of the qin and a distinguished professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing. He is renowned not only for his individual style of qin music but also for his refined traditional scholarly skills in xiao flute playing, calligraphy, ink-painting and poetry. He has performed in many countries including the USA, Britain, Germany and New Zealand. Radio stations in Britain and France have broadcast programmes featuring his qin music. He has recorded numerous CDs, cassettes and video tapes.
Pipa (Chinese lute) and ensemble with pipa virtuoso Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu is an internationally renowned pipa soloist from Beijing, founder of the UK Chinese Ensemble in 1994 and its director since then. She was a pipa soloist in the prestigious Central Orchestra of Chinese Music in Beijing. Since 1990 she has been based in London, and has performed over 600 concerts and made many recordings of both traditional and contemporary music in the UK and Europe.
Dizi (Chinese flute) with dizi master Ning Baosheng. Ning Baosheng is a top class dizi flute master, principle soloist and leader of the wind instruments section of the China Central Orchestra of Chinese Music, Beijing. During more than 4 decades of dizi performances, he has made his name as a distinguished dizi virtuoso, and has published many research articles and solo CDs, as well as new compositions for the dizi.

Erhu (Chinese fiddle) with erhu soloist Hu Bin.

Hu Bin won first prize at the Shaanxi Provincial Erhu Music Competition in 1987 and was an erhu player with the Shaanxi Provincial Traditional Music Ensemble before settling in Britain in 1982. Since then, she has performed widely in Britain and Europe.

Classes were tailored to different ranges of needs from beginners to advanced levels. In order to enable participants to gain a comprehensive understanding and experience of Chinese instrumental music, the course also incorporated seminars, illustrated lectures, concerts and basic ensemble classes, culminating in an informal performance by the participants at the end of the week.

Guqin class

The guqin class led by Professor Li had a group of 9 learners. In addition to learning and correcting basic qin fingerings and techniques, participants also developed their knowledge of the tablature notation, tuning and maintenance, and the aesthetics and philosophy of the instrument. Apart from basic exercises, pieces learnt by the participants include: Yangguan San Die (Moon Over the Yang Pass), Ping Sha Luo Yan (Wild Geese Descending on the Sandy Isle), Tian Lai (Sounds of Nature), and Dongting Qiu Si (Autumn Thoughts at Dongting Lake). An interesting yaji (“refined gathering” - a traditional scholarly practise for qin only) was also incorporated during the week by the London Youlan Qin Society. Challenging questions regarding the contemporary state of the qin including the paucity of new developments and compositions were raised and discussed at the meeting. Many qin lovers played music and some played their own dapu (transcription based on ancient notation) and composition. Professor Li was asked to do improvisations on two chosen themes: “Jealousy” and “A Midsummer Night in London”. It was a wonderful experience and everyone enjoyed the week of learning.

Pipa, erhu and dizi classes

The structures for pipa, erhu and dizi classes were similar. The teaching aimed at a good balance of techniques and music which catered for individual levels and needs. Students studied elementary exercises as well as popular tunes and well-known pieces. Part of the intention of the classes is to make the learning of Chinese music accessible and fun. Pipa students learned different levels and styles of pieces such as Yang Chun Bai Xue (White Snow in Sunny Spring) - Classical Suite style, Yizu Wuqu (Dance of Yi People – a modern composition, Da Lang Tao Sha (Great Waves Washing Away the Sand) - folk style and Zhi Zhu Diao (Purple Bamboo Melody - Silk & Bamboo music). Erhu learners practiced pieces that including several versions of the folk song Moli Hua (Jasmine Flower) and the famous piece Erquan Ying Yue (The Moon Reflected in the Second Fountain). The dizi class was taught mainly by the traditional method of “oral transmission and learning by heart” by Ning Baosheng. At the beginning, it was somewhat unfamiliar to western learners, but by the end of the class, all the dizi learners were highly impressed and even the beginners achieved a lot. Dizi pieces learnt by the students include Kangding Qingge (Love Song From Kangding), Moli Hua (Jasmine Flower), Gusu Xing (Journey to Gusu) and ‘The New Song of the Grassland”.

Ensemble class

The ensemble class was set up as an optional course and proved to be very popular. Despite having only a few hours of lessons the participants learnt a 6 minute piece, Moli Hua Bianzou (Variations on the Jasmine Flower). The ensemble piece consisted of parts for dizi, pipa, and erhu as well as singing parts and allowed students to improvise and add embellishments based on the melodic lines. “It’s great fun and we hope to have more of the ensemble classes next year”, said pipa learner Marnix Wells. In addition, all the supporting workshops and related concerts were extremely well received and greatly appreciated by everyone involved.

The afternoon seminars on Chinese music were on the following topics:

Saturday 24th July, 2pm: Li Xiangting: Guqin art - appreciation and artistic value
Sunday 25th July, 2pm: Cheng Yu: Introduction to the Chinese 4 and 5 stringed pipa
Monday 26th July, 2pm: Rachel Harris, Stephen Jones and Cheng Yu: Silk and Bamboo ensemble music of the Shanghai tea houses
Tuesday 27th July, 2pm: Ning Baosheng: Introduction to Chinese flutes and reed instruments
Wednesday 28th July, 2pm: Hu Bin: Erhu music - expression and styles