Who are the great Chinese composers?

[rose~]

It seems as though I can name the great European composers easily- Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, Tchaikovsky- amongst others- and on Wikipedia there are named European composers going back to mediaeval times (500 C.E.+), but I realise I only have heard of some contemporary Chinese composers such as 譚盾 Tan2 Dun4.

Does anyone know of any of the older Chinese composers? And why does there seem to be little information available about them on the Internet, and in general? Did it just pass me by?

[studentyoung]

Does anyone know of any of the older Chinese composers?

Here are two well-known Chinese composers.

One is called 聂耳, whose representative work is “The March of the Volunteers” (义勇军进行曲) which was later selected as the national anthem. His song called “Song of Paper Boy” (卖报歌) is also well-know among Chinese people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nie_Er

http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_artqa/2003-09/24/content_39869.htm

The other is called 冼星海, whose representative work is “Yellow River Cantata” (黄河大合唱),

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xian_Xinghai

http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_artqa/2003-09/24/content_39874.htm

If you like film music, please don’t miss this man called 赵季平, who is slightly older than 谭盾. He is a very famous composer in China’s screenland. Mr. Zhao is very low-key and he seldom shows up on media.

http://english.allnet.cn/Circles/content!Brief-Biography-of-Zhao-Jiping!8128d9fb.html

Thanks!

[zhwj]

How about Wei Liangfu (魏良辅), the composer who established the basic concepts behind the music of Kunqu theatre?

And Zhu Zaiyu (朱载育), a Ming dynasty musician and theorist who discovered equal temperament.

[skylee]

王洛賓 (Wang Luobin) ...

[seferad]

Here are some of the great early chinese composers -

Bo Ya (Yu Boya) Warring States Period (5th Century BC – 221 BC) - Liu Shui, Gao Shan

Cai Yong (132-193) Han Dynasty – Cai Shi Wunong (Five Melodies)

1. You Chun (Spring Travel)

2. Lu Shui (Green Water)

3. You Ju (Retired Life)

4. Zuo Chou (Sit in Sadness) and

5. Qiu Si (Autumn Thoughts)

Cai Wenji (Cai Yan) (177-250) Han Dynasty – Da Huijia (Eighteen Pieces for the Barbarian Pipe)

Pu’An (1115-1169) – Song Dynasty – Pu’An Zhou

Xi Kang (Ji Kang) (223-262) Six Dynasties Period – Guangling San

Jiang Kui (1155-1221) Song Dynasty – Ancient Melody

Guo Chuwang – Song Dynasty – Clouds Over the Xiao and Xiang Rivers

[bashFish]

Lan Lan (?) !!!

I saw him in one of the greatest german television shows and he's really a follower of Beethoven !! Brilliant amazing piano skills and it's wonderful to hear (and see) him playing!

(and i'm telling that, although i'm not very interested in classical music!)

[skylee]

Lang Lang is a pianist (a very good one). But I doubt if he is also a composer.

[bashFish]

Oh, sorry for my spelling mistake

Hm, in the show, he said that he's trying to make a "new music-style", mixing up traditional chinese music, matching with western tastes and played by piano only...

Yes, i think he's a composer, too! We'll see about the progress ;)