He Luting (traditional: 賀綠汀; simplified: 贺绿汀; pinyin: Hè Lùtīng; July 20, 1903 – April 27, 1999) was a Chinese composer of the early 20th century. He composed songs for Chinese films beginning in the 1930s, some of which remain popular. During the 1930s, He studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music under

Huang Tzu Huang Tzu (; 23 March 1904 - 9 May 1938), courtesy name Jinwu (), was a Chinese musician of the early 20th century.

Alexander Tcherepnin Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Черепни́н, link=no; 21 January 1899 – 29 September 1977) was a Russian-born composer and pianist. His father, Nikolai Tcherepnin (pupil of Nikol ...

. Tcherepnin named him winner of a piano composition contest in 1934 for his work ''Buffalo Boy's Flute'' (Mu Tong Duan Di,《牧童短笛》), which made him famous nationwide. His best-known compositions are "Song of the Four Seasons" (Si Ji Ge,《四季歌》) and "

The Wandering Songstress "Tianya genü" (), or "The Wandering Songstress", is one of two theme songs from the 1937 Chinese film '' Street Angel''; the other being the "Four Seasons Song" (). It was composed by He Luting based on an older Suzhou ballad, with lyrics by Ti ...

" (Tianya Ge Nü,《天涯歌女》), with lyrics by Tian Han), both composed for the 1937 film '' Street Angel'' and sung by

Zhou Xuan Zhou Xuan (; born Su Pu (); August 1, 1920 – September 22, 1957), also romanized as Chow Hsuan, was an iconic Chinese singer and film actress. By the 1940s, she had become one of China's Seven Great Singing Stars. She was the best known o ...

. He Luting had a complicated relationship with the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

. He became a member after moving to Shanghai, and during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

he wrote several songs for the "mass song movement", most famously the " Guerrillas' Song". After the Communist victory in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he was appointed director of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. But during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

, He Luting became a target due to his associate with Western music and particularly his defense of

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

. He refused to confess despite being subjected to physical abuse and interrogation on public television.

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...

claimed that no composer had ever made a braver stand against totalitarianism. After the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, He Luting returned to his position as Director of the Shanghai Conservatory and was allowed to travel overseas, visiting Australia in 1979. In 1984 he retired from his position, retaining the title of honorary director. The main concert hall at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music is named after He.

References

''Constructing Nationhood in Modern East Asia''

References

See also