Gao Zicheng

Gao Zicheng

Gao Zicheng (1918-2010), born in Gaozhuang, East Wuli, Yuncheng, Shandong Province, is a famous performer and educator of Zheng school in Shandong Province.

brief introduction

From my guzheng art career, we can learn about Mr. Gao Zicheng's frustrating experience of learning to play guzheng in his youth. At the age of eight, he learned to sing Shandong Qinshu from his uncle. At the age of 13, he learned to play guzheng from Zhang Weizhao, a famous artist in Yuncheng. In the early days, most folk musical instruments were taught by teachers (artists) through words and deeds, mouth to mouth, hand to hand, word by word, and played down every sentence. In his youth, Gao Zicheng's family was poor. Yuncheng was located in poor mountains and rivers, and people's life was miserable. Playing the zither and learning to sing was not a noble art work at all, but a means of making a living. Gao Zicheng, who is only a teenager, has been burdened with the burden of life since he was a child. Heavy physical labor is often accompanied by hunger. However, he likes playing Zheng and loves playing it. He is almost in a trance. At the end of the day, dragging his tired body, he just drives dozens of miles to his master's home to learn zheng. He doesn't stop until two or three o'clock in the night. During the day, he works hard while reciting gongchi It's not until you get to the well that you find that what you're carrying is not a bucket, but a basket.

Mr. Gao's modest and sincere desire for knowledge and thirsty learning spirit soon learned the local zither books, tunes and zither music, which also made him benefit from more people on the way of learning zither. Among them, the more famous folk artists are Zhang Weitai and Huang Huaide, who draw on their unique strengths. Zhang Weitai's distinctive Trill and Huang Huaide's clean, brilliant and powerful performance are deeply impressed in his heart. In the process of learning Zheng with Zhang niansheng and Li Lianjun, we learned from them a few words that Mr. Li bangrong, the historical successor of Shandong Zheng school, was very impressed by his continuous playing skills of the right thumb joint, which laid a foundation for Mr. Gao's creation of the technique of quick splitting and supporting the thumb. In particular, Mr. Wang Dianyu, a famous guzheng player in Shandong Province, is a blind man who is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the cause of folk music. He introduced the folk entertainment form of folk music into the charity performance to help the people, benefit the society and support education. During this period, Gao Zicheng followed Mr. Wang to perform in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and other places. Relying on the teacher's guidance and personal diligence, Gao Zicheng's practical experience of playing Zheng gathered in every bit of hard work, which made him not only mature in performing art, but also sublimate in thought, spirit and artistic environment, and also face the society and the people They have laid a good foundation for their career.

In 1955, Gao Zicheng joined the army by chance and joined the General Administration literary and Art Troupe, which gave him more opportunities to engage in performing and creative activities. When he went to Huairen Hall in Zhongnanhai and performed for the head of the Central Committee in Tiananmen tower, he was praised and encouraged by Premier Zhou and foreign guests, which brought his playing skills into full play. At the same time, he also participated in the teaching of Zheng major in the Central Conservatory of music and art, which enabled Mr. Gao to teach his skills to the students of music and art colleges for the first time and started with great enthusiasm The arrangement and adaptation of Shandong Zheng music. During this period, he collected and composed the representative Zheng music "high mountains and flowing water", "wind song" and "the world with variations". This is a shining point in Mr. Gao's artistic career. He has embarked on a new artistic road from artistic practice, performance, teaching and creation. In the 1950s, there were achievements in the field of Zheng.

teach

In 1957, Mr. Gao Zicheng came to Xi'an Conservatory of music to teach. He worked hard for 25 years to improve the level of Guzheng art and cultivate a group of Guzheng players with certain artistic accomplishment and superb performance skills. He devoted all his efforts to the teaching of Guzheng major in Xi'an Conservatory of music. More than 200 students have been taught in eight music schools and more than 60 professional literary and art groups all over the country. During his teaching period, he was a lecturer, associate professor and professor of Zheng, and honorary president and President of Shaanxi Zheng society. In 1986, 1991 and 1996, he participated in the national guzheng academic exchange conferences and visited Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan for many times. Mr. Gao Zicheng teaches by words and by example. His style of study is rigorous. The students' playing style and the kneading, shaking, pressing and sliding techniques of his left hand are unified. The students he taught in his early years played together several decades later. The fingering, rhyme and style are still perfect and unified. His rigorous academic attitude is deeply imprinted in every student's heart. In 1961, the first National Conference on guzheng teaching materials was held in Xi'an Conservatory of music. Zheng scholars from all over the country gathered in Xi'an. Luo Jiuxiang and Su Wenxian from Guangdong Conservatory of music; Zhao yuzhai and Cao Zheng from northeast Conservatory of music; Cao Dongfu from Sichuan Conservatory of music; Wang Xunzhi from Shanghai Conservatory of music; Wang Shengwu from Henan Conservatory of art; Gao Zicheng from Xi'an Conservatory of music. At the meeting, everyone discussed the syllabus and exchanged playing Zheng skills. Mr. Gao treated people sincerely and performed with Zheng artists from all over the country Out, learn from each other, and exchange with other colleges and universities of his "Shandong Zheng music collection" (mimeograph). He also recorded the precious audio materials of Zheng predecessors for the school. Now, except for Mr. Gao, other predecessors have died one after another.

In his decades of teaching practice, Gao Zicheng concentrated on studying and overcome the difficulties of low cultural level. He collected 132 Shandong Zheng songs and published them by the Beijing people's Publishing House in 1986. There are five parts in the collection. The first part is the ensemble of Lu Zheng's eight board ensemble. The second part is Lu Zheng Qin Shu Qu; the third part is Lu Zheng's ancient music, that is, the essence of Shandong Zheng music. The fourth part is Lu Yu's big board divertimento; the fifth part is Gao Zicheng's Zheng music according to Shandong traditional Zheng music. Among them, "high mountains and flowing water", "wind song variation" and other music were compiled in the early 1950s. "Qinshu Qupai LianZuo", "Jiangxiang Pai", "Qiusheng" and other songs are based on Shandong Qinshu Qupai and Changpai. On the other hand, "Guqu LianZuo" was translated and compiled according to gongchi score and on the basis of maintaining the traditional style of Zheng music in Shandong Province. This is a great achievement for future generations to understand Shandong Zheng music. Mastering the style and learning Mr. Gao's unique performance skills played a great guiding role. ?

Mr. Gao Zicheng's attitude in compiling the collection of Shandong Zheng music is based on the spirit of honesty and modesty, and the music interpretation is practical and realistic. In particular, his Zheng music can also give a fair interpretation from the heart, which also reflects Mr. Gao's rigorous, solid and meticulous academic attitude in the process of compiling and creating. It's really amazing that he came from an old man with a low level of education I admire you.

Persistent pursuit of Zheng Art

After decades of teaching, performance practice and finger flicking, Mr. Gao Zicheng left a lot of audio materials for all of us, friends in the zither field and a large number of audiences who loved his playing style. Among them, the most complete one is the introduction of the special music program "elegance, delicacy and self-identity" recorded by Jinan people's radio station in 1981. There is such a passage in Jiao Shuo's CI: "he has made achievements and contributions to the development of China's Zheng career. Although he is over 60 years old, his art has become more and more mature due to his long-term artistic practice. His performance has a simple, fresh and beautiful style. It contains profound artistic conception in plainness and rich feelings in tranquility. It is elegant, implicit and endlessly charming.

Mr. Gao's persistent pursuit of Zheng art runs through his whole artistic career. When he was young, his knowledge-seeking and modest style enabled him to widely master Shandong Qinshu and Zheng Daban Divertimento, and then he had his own unique secondary creation in learning traditional performance. When he played "high mountains and flowing water", his solid hook skill was really neat, lively and fluent, which made people understand the strength of steel. In the middle part, the big finger splits quickly and plays a series of 16 minute notes, which is so exquisite and clear. In the third part, the middle finger and the flower are used to match the left hand to chant and press. When it is mature, its sound is like a wave hitting a stone, arousing layers of shining water. His performance "Autumn Moon in Han Palace" fully demonstrates his left hand skills. Pressing, trembling, chanting and kneading are combined with the right hand. The gentle voice is euphemistic, and the implicit feeling is desolate. The image of a living maiden in the feudal court is vividly depicted. The variation of fengxiangge, which was adapted and performed separately, was successfully adapted according to Shandong Qinshu variation of fengxiangge. It is the first time that the overtone playing method of Guqin is used in the beginning and end of Zheng. We can see the intention that Mr. Zhang is constantly absorbing new techniques in the process of composing. After listening to Mr. Gao's performance, Mr. Cao Dongfu, a forefather of Zheng, said with excitement: "you are really good at both literature and martial arts. You can play fast and slow music. Your right index finger is close and powerful. The kneading, trembling and pressing of your left hand are very distinctive, especially the vibrato in autumn moon of Han Palace. After listening to his performance, teacher Wang Dianyu praised him for his kung fu. After listening to Mr. Gao's performance, the teachers and students of Tianjin Conservatory of music called his style graceful, euphemistic and clear. 5、 In the 1960s, zheng music was mainly composed of traditional folk music. The rhythm, melody characteristics and basic playing methods of the music were different from region to region. Mr. Gao Zicheng's decades of playing practice formed his "self-contained" characteristics. His finger movement method was very natural, loose, big finger strength was good, the voice was bright and crisp, the index finger wiped and picked dexterously, and the middle finger played the string Naturally,

Chinese PinYin : Gao Zi Cheng