Chapter 963 962 [Music Without Borders]
David Simon, a Polish Jew, became a photojournalist in 1933. From the Spanish Civil War to the end of World War II, his lens recorded wars throughout Europe and was one of the most influential war reporters during World War II.
Last year, David Simon followed Spanish refugees across the ocean to Mexico, recording the entire arduous journey with his camera. He came to New York some time ago and was invited by his friend Paul Robeson to participate in a Chinese performance - the two met on the Spanish battlefield.
Fifteen years later, David Simon, who had become the chairman of Photo News Agency, recalled in the article:
"I was 29 years old that year, and President Roosevelt had just won the election. Mr. Paul Robeson said to me: The Chinese are having a big show in New York. Maybe you should go and see it with your camera... China is a very important place for me. A strange country. But I am no stranger to Chinese people. When I was studying in Paris, I met many Chinese students. The impression they gave me was that they were always diligent, smart and lonely..."
"The host of that performance was Mr. Zhou Hexuan's lover - or so - Ms. Yu Peichen. But when the performance started, the host did not appear, and the stage lights shone on the 32 Chinese chorus members. Eight of the chorus members are children, and I love photographing children the most, so I immediately raise my camera and point it at them."
"It was a Chinese song with a beautiful melody. I had no idea what they were singing. But I was surprised to find that the entire Chinese audience was singing along. Before the song was finished, the gentleman not far from me was already singing. Tears welled up in my eyes.”
"After singing the Chinese song, the choir sang the English version of the song again, and I finally understood their lyrics: A big river has wide waves, and the wind blows the fragrance of rice flowers on both sides. My family lives on the bank, and I am used to hearing about the boatman I am used to seeing the white sails on boats. This is a beautiful motherland, where I grew up. In this vast land, there are beautiful scenery everywhere..."
"At that moment, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck my soul. I thought of Poland, my home country before I was 31 years old, the beautiful Vistula River, and my family under German rule... Good music always has endless potential. Charm, she transcends national boundaries, she transcends race, allowing strangers to understand each other."
"Some people say that Jews have no motherland, but I don't agree with that. At least until I became a U.S. citizen at the age of 31, Poland has always been my motherland, the place where I grew up, and I love that land. Damn first World War II made my parents take me as a 3-year-old to flee Poland; the damn World War II made it impossible for me to return to my homeland despite my background, and caused my family to die in Nazi concentration camps.”
"In that melancholy and beautiful melody, I felt for the Chinese people's experience. 'When friends come, there is good wine; when there are wolves, there are shotguns'... The Chinese are resisting aggression. I think I should go and see it with my lens. Recording their tenacious resistance. So in the next year and a half, I came to the Chinese battlefield and met many lovely Chinese friends..."
…
Zhou Hexuan was very surprised to hear the collective chorus of more than 2,000 Chinese people present.
Except for a few international students, businessmen, officials stationed in the United States, and visiting scholars, most of the others are overseas Chinese in New York and surrounding areas. Everyone can sing "My Motherland". When did this song become popular among Chinese Americans?
Hearing that kind of patriotic chorus in a foreign country made the hairs on Zhou Hexuan's body stand up, and the unspeakable emotions stimulated his eyes to moisten.
The next two hours were filled with patriotic and anti-Japanese war songs. A set of "Yellow River Cantata" made Zhou Hexuan's blood boil.
I have to say that Liu Liangmo is really a talent. He translated all the recitations of "Yellow River Cantata" into English, then sang with the original Chinese lyrics, and also brought in Sanxian and other national instruments.
The majestic momentum is vividly expressed in the multi-part chorus of "Defend the Yellow River". Although the American audience could not understand the lyrics, they could understand the recited words and could roughly guess what was being sung. Everyone was stunned in their seats.
"The wind is roaring, the horses are braying! The Yellow River is roaring, the Yellow River is roaring! The hills in Hexi are tens of thousands of feet high, and the sorghum is ripe in Hedong and Hebei. There are so many anti-Japanese heroes in the mountains... holding up their native guns and foreign guns, waving them Armed with broadswords and spears. Defend our hometown! Defend the Yellow River! Defend North China! Defend all of China!"
The black jazz king Louis was so shocked that he almost jumped up and said repeatedly: "This song... this song... is simply unimaginable, so wonderful, so magnificent!"
Paul Robeson laughed and said, "That was the same reaction you had when I first heard it."
Louis regretted: "Unfortunately, there are some flaws in the coordination between the band and the choir, and there are also some problems with the professional level of the choir."
Paul Robeson said: "The choir is not professional and they don't rehearse very long."
While the two gangsters were discussing, Hu Shi and Zhang Pengchun were also extremely surprised.
"I haven't been back for two years. When did China create such exciting music?" Zhang Pengchun said in surprise.
Hu Shi said: "From the content of the lyrics, it should be composed by people from the Communist Party."
Zhang Pengchun said: "It doesn't matter which party he is! This "Yellow River Cantata" sings China's anti-war momentum and the Chinese people's determination to resist the war." As he said, he whispered to Zhou Hexuan next to him, "Mr. Zhou, Who is the songwriter of this song?”
Zhou Hexuan said: "Mr. Xian Xinghai composed the music and Mr. Guang Weiran wrote the lyrics."
Zhang Pengchun said expectantly: "After returning to China, I will definitely visit them in person."
During the performance, U.S. Secretary of War Stimson exclaimed: "Oh, oh, oh, this is a war song. Just listening to the song reminds me of the battlefield."
Zhou Hexuan said: "This is the roar of a nation."
"Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa!"
At the end of the chorus, the applause in the open-air concert hall was unprecedentedly warm, and many American audiences stood up and applauded spontaneously.
Putting aside the national character and anti-war significance of "Yellow River Cantata", its artistic value is enough to amaze American audiences.
In order to prepare for this large-scale performance, Yu Peichen invested all the living expenses given to her by Zhou Hexuan, which amounted to several thousand dollars. Last month, the food at home was remitted from Vivien Leigh. Among them, "Yellow River Cantata" was rehearsed for two months, and a professional orchestra was invited. It's hard to imagine it not being exciting.
Of course, compared to the influence of "March of the Volunteers" in the United States, this "Yellow River Cantata" is still difficult to match. Because the former is catchy, short and concise, it is more conducive to communication.
Long before the outbreak of the all-out Anti-Japanese War, Tao Xingzhi heard the "March of the Volunteers" sung under the pyramids of Egypt on his way back from his visit to Europe. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Liang Sicheng went to the United States to give lectures and heard people singing this song on the streets in the United States. He thought he was Chinese, but when he looked back, he turned out to be an American boy in his teens.
No, when Paul Robeson took the stage to sing "March of the Volunteers", today's performance immediately reached its climax.
After the singing, Paul Robeson did not leave the stage directly, but said: "The next is the last song tonight, which is a new English song written and composed by Mr. Zhou Hexuan. It will be jointly performed by Mr. Zhou, Louis and me. I hope everyone can like."
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!"
The audience screamed and cheered, looking forward to the performance of the three people.
One is a black singer, the other is a jazz singer, and the other is a Chinese celebrity who wrote "My Heart Will Go On". Their collaboration excited the reporters at the scene.