Cheng Maoyun (; 25 August 1900 – 31 July 1957) was a Chinese composer and a professor at
National Central University
National Central University (; abbreviated NCU; ) is a public research university based in Taiwan. It was founded in 1902 in Nanjing; initially located in Miaoli after moving to Taiwan, it relocated to Zhongli in 1962 and developed into a com ...
and Hangzhou Societal University (). He composed the
National Anthem of the Republic of China
The "National Anthem of the Republic of China", also known by its incipit "Three Principles of the People", is the national anthem of the Republic of China, commonly called Taiwan, as well as the party anthem of the Kuomintang. It was adop ...
.
Early life and education
He was born in
Xinjian (),
Jiangxi
; Gan: )
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to a family of officials. He studied music in
Jiangxi Provincial Higher Normal School (江西省立高等师范学校 Jiāngxī shěnglì gāoděng shīfàn xuéxiào), and the
Ueno Music Academy () in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. He majored in
violin
The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
, then
music theory
Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...
, and
composition
Composition or Compositions may refer to:
Arts and literature
*Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography
* Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...
.
Career
In 1928, his submission of the melody of "Three Principles of the People" was chosen. In 1947, he travelled to
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
for the first time, where Hsiao Er-hua (蕭而化 Xiāo Érhuà), head of the College of Music in the
Taiwan Provincial Normal University, offered Cheng Maoyun a position, but he refused. He never returned to Taiwan again. He had a stroke in 1951 in Xi'an, and he died of a second stroke on July 31, 1957.
The official university song of the National Central University is also composed by Cheng.
Personal life
His wife and son are also musicians. Zhang Yongzhen (), Cheng's wife, is a piano professor at the Xi'an Music Academy. His son, Zhang Jiannan (张坚男; born 1945), is a composer.
See also
*
Music of China
The music of China consists of many distinct traditions, often specifically originating with one of the country's various Ethnic groups in China, ethnic groups. It is produced within and without the country, involving either people of Chinese or ...
*
List of Chinese composers
External links
中央大學校歌 (The Anthem of the National Central University)(in
Classical Traditional Chinese
A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...
)
References
1900 births
1957 deaths
Chinese male composers
National anthem writers
People from Nanchang
Academic staff of the National Central University
Musicians from Jiangxi
Educators from Jiangxi
Chinese composers
20th-century Chinese musicians
Tokyo University of the Arts alumni
20th-century Chinese male musicians
Academic staff of Nanjing University
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