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Culture News

Book release marks centennial of Chinese art songs

2020-11-24 09:21:51

SHANGHAI, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The German music publisher Breitkopf & Hartel released a book on Chinese art songs on Monday in cooperation with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to commemorate the centennial of the music genre.

The book, titled "The Great River Eastward Flows," consists of music scores of 16 classic Chinese art songs, including a namesake song created by composer Liao Shangguo during his studies in Germany in 1920, which was considered the first Chinese art song.

The book is published worldwide with the lyrics presented in the original Chinese version, German, and English. International phonetics and audios are also attached to make it easier for overseas readers to understand.

The book release ceremony took place at the Shangyin Opera House. During the ceremony, Liao Changyong, president of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, said that compared with its long-established Western counterpart, Chinese art song is still a relatively young and niche genre.

He said he hoped that by reading this new book, more artists would get to know and be able to sing Chinese art songs on the international stage in the future.

"The 16 songs we selected are the real essence of Chinese art songs," Nick Pfefferkorn, Managing Director of Breitkopf & Hartel, said via video connection. "I hope this book will be the best birthday present for the centennial of this music genre."

In 2019, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Breitkopf & Hartel signed a memorandum to jointly promote Chinese contemporary music.

They will continue their cooperation, and there is a plan for a record of the 16 songs selected in the book to be released next year. Enditem

Editor:Jiang Yiwei