Lü Wencheng
Lü Wencheng (吕文成, pinyin: Lǚ Wénchéng, or Lui Man Sing in Cantonese, jyutping: Leoi5 Man4 Sing4) (1898 in Zhongshan - 1981 in Hong Kong) was a Chinese composer and musician. He composed Autumn Moon Over The Calm Lake (平湖秋月) in the 1930s, one of the best known works of Cantonese music. He also played the yangqin and was a Cantonese opera singer.
Also recorded as Lui Man-Shing
Lü Wencheng
- Name
- Lü Wencheng
- Born
- March 12, 1898
- Birthplace
- Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China
- Died
- 1981
- Place of death
- British Hong Kong
- Nationality
- People's Republic of China
- Occupation
- composer
- Known for
- Autumn Moon on a Quiet Lake
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q3272154 · wikipedia · Lü Wencheng
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Biography
Biography
His music shows a strong influence of the traditional music of the Shanghai area as a result of living almost thirty years there.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Lü Wencheng • Born — March 12, 1898 • Birthplace — Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China • Died — 1981 • Place of death — British Hong Kong
Life
Life
Lü was born in 1898 in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, but grew up in Shanghai when at the age of three he and his parents moved to Shanghai. There he developed the gaohu, composed and performed Guangdong yinyue, and made recordings. In 1932, he moved to Hong Kong, where he lived until his death in 1981. His daughter, Lü Hong (吕红), is a professional singer, and the wife of Chinese musician Lui Tsun-Yuen.
Documentary record
Lü Wencheng lived from 1898 to 1981 and was a musician. The birth of Lü Wencheng is recorded in 1898 in Zhongshan, Guangdong, and the death in 1981 in Hong Kong.
Works
Works
Lü is considered to have been a master of Cantonese music (Guangdong yinyue) and Guangdong folk music. He developed, or co-developed, the gaohu in the 1920s from the erhu by raising its pitch and using steel strings instead of silk, and changing its playing position from on the thigh to between the knees. He composed Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake (平湖秋月; pinyin: Píng Hú Qiū Yuè) in the 1930s, and this piece remains to this day one of the best known works of Cantonese music. His piece "Tiger down the Mountain" (下山虎; pinyin: Xià Shān Hǔ) is quoted in the Chinese Rhapsody by Xian Xinghai.
Audio sample
Audio sample
• Performance of Lü Wencheng's Autumn Moon Over Calm Lake (平湖秋月) by Jiyang Chen • 78 RPM recording of Lü Wencheng's Tiger down the Mountain (下山虎) performed by Lü Wencheng
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Zhongshan.
Birth place
Hong Kong.
Death place
Compositions
Lü composed over 100 pieces, including: • bù bù gāo (步步高) Higher step by step • chén zuì dōng fēng 沉醉东风 Intoxicated by the easterly wind • jiāo shí míng qín 蕉石鸣琴 • luò huā tiān 落花天 Flowers falling from sky • píng hú qiū yuè (平湖秋月) Autumn Moon Over Calm Lake • qīng méi zhú mǎ 青梅竹马 Happy childhood • qí shān fèng 岐山凤 Phoenix of Mount Qishan • xǐng shī 醒狮 Awakening lion • yín hé huì 银河会 Meeting in the Milky Way • yú gē wǎn chàng 渔歌晚唱 Fisherman's song at dusk • xià shān hǔ 下山虎 Tiger down the Mountain
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Lü Wencheng, revision 1281538393 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.co-invented by Lü and his teacher Situ Mengyan (司徒梦岩), according to Du, Yaxiong. Traditional Music Composers, article in Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture p.843, edited by Edward L Davis, Routledge 2005.
References
Citations
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