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 The Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SHCMusic) is a municipal public college in Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the City of Shanghai and is part of the Double First-Class Construction. The college was founded on November 27, 1927. The Sh ...

under

Huang Tzu Huang Tzu (; 23 March 1904 - 9 May 1938), courtesy name Jinwu (), was a Chinese composer of the early 20th century. Life Huang was born in Chuansha, Shanghai, during the final years of the Qing Dynasty. His father Huang Hongpei was a factory man ...

and Russian composer

Alexander Tcherepnin Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin (; 21 January 1899 – 29 September 1977) was a Russian-born composer and pianist. His father, Nikolai Tcherepnin (pupil of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov), and his sons, Serge Tcherepnin and Ivan Tcherepnin, a ...

. 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 T ...

" (Tianya Ge Nü,《天涯歌女》), with lyrics by

Tian Han Tian Han ( zh, 田汉; 12 March 1898 – 10 December 1968), formerly romanized as T'ien Han, was a Chinese drama activist, playwright, a leader of revolutionary music and films, as well as a translator and poet. He emerged at the time of the ...

), both composed for the 1937 film '' Street Angel'' and sung by

Zhou Xuan Zhou Xiaohong (; born Su Pu; August 1, 1920 – September 22, 1957), known professionally as Zhou Xuan (), also romanized as Chow Hsuan (), was a Chinese singer and film actress. By the 1940s, she had become one of China's Seven Great Si ...

. Street Angel film" mode=packed heights=260px>, Street Angel (1937 film).ogv, with 《四季歌》 and 《天涯歌女》 He Luting had a complicated relationship with the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

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

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

he wrote several songs for the "mass song movement", most famously the "

Guerrillas' Song The "Guerrillas' Song" () is a Chinese patriotic song from the Second Sino-Japanese War (called The War of Resistance Against Japan () both in ROC and PRC). The song describes the guerrilla (i.e. the Chinese resistance) fighters in China durin ...

". After the Communist victory in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

, 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 Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, He Luting became a target due to his association with Western music and particularly his defence of

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

. 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 creator, 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 ...

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