Ma Geshun

Ma Geshun

Ma Geshun (1914-december 19, 2015), born in Qianxian County, Shaanxi Province, is the leader of Chinese Chorus conductor, Professor of chorus conductor of Shanghai Conservatory of music, one of the founders of Chinese chorus music, Professor of Shanghai Conservatory of music and honorary academician of weisminde chorus conservatory.

Ma Geshun sang in the church choir when he was a child. After graduating from middle school, he joined the Music Department of the school of education of National Central University and studied under the Austrian doctor of music, Stachys. He graduated from the Music Department of Central University in 1937. After the victory of the Anti Japanese War, he went to Westminster College of choral music in the United States to specialize in choral conducting and obtained a master's degree. He graduated from southwest Conservatory of music in 1950. After returning home. He has taught in East China Normal University and Shanghai Conservatory of music. In February 1981, at the invitation of the American Association of choral conductors, he went to 21 universities in the United States to give lectures and give concerts, and was awarded the title of "honorary academician" of Westminster choral conservatory.

At 6:00 on December 19, 2015, he died in Shanghai at the age of 101.

Life of the characters

Pastor's house

In 1914, Ma Geshun was born into a Christian family in Nanjing. His life experience and artistic path are closely related to my family background. Ma Geshun's father, Ma Zhaorui, was a priest. Although he had no higher education, no theology, no business, he taught himself English without any teacher. At the same time, Ma Zhaorui also raised money to set up an orphanage, showing his talent in management and operation. Seeing his father's struggle and achievements since he was a child, Ma Geshun secretly admired him.

Ma Geshun graduated from high school in 1933. When he was preparing for the university entrance examination, he chose to apply for the Music Department of Nanjing Central University and passed the examination successfully. From then on, he began to receive formal music education, which laid the foundation for his life of music art.

Transfer to Xi'an

In 1937, when Ma Geshun graduated from University, the Anti Japanese war broke out. In his early twenties, he was ready to leave Nanjing for Xi'an. At that time, Nanjing central radio station also organized literary and art workers to publicize the Anti Japanese War before it was ready to withdraw from Chongqing. However, Nanjing was about to fall and people were in a panic. It was very difficult for the radio station to find people. Ma Geshun wrote songs for the two lyrics of "dawn soon" and "Song Hu battle song", and took his two younger brothers to the radio station to sing before leaving. When he arrived in Xi'an, Ma Geshun once again joined the folk chorus. As a hot-blooded youth, seeing the loss of territory, he and many people went to the streets to publicize the Anti Japanese war. He directed the students to sing Anti Japanese and national salvation songs. At the same time, he also wrote some songs reflecting the Anti Japanese War, using music to serve the nation's Anti Japanese war. At that time, Evans, a famous Dutch photographer, was filming a documentary about the Chinese people's Anti Japanese struggle, 40000 compatriots. When he came to Xi'an for an interview, he took the scene of Ma Geshun directing the masses to sing in the street into the camera.

However, during the Anti Japanese period, Ma Geshun once fell into the embarrassment of being suspected. "Once, the KMT hosted a training course for field personnel service, and asked me to lead you to sing Anti Japanese songs. Then I sang" the muzzle of the gun is open to the outside world, march forward in unison, do not hit the common people, do not hit our own people. ". While singing, the instructor yelled: "who beat the common people? Who hit his own man? In fact, I am a patriotic person, because of a patriotic heart, to do Anti Japanese propaganda

My wife died

When Ma Geshun was about to graduate from University, he met the most important person in his life, his wife Sheng Lude. After marriage, he had a good relationship with Lude, and my small family gave me spiritual support and comfort. We got married first and then fell in love. We fell in love all our lives. " In fact, Sheng Lude, Ma Geshun's wife, is a famous educator. The little tadpole looking for his mother, which many people read when they were young, was written by her and another colleague.

After various political movements such as "anti rightist movement" and "Cultural Revolution", Ma shunge and his wife moved to an apartment on Wuxing road in Shanghai in 1981 and lived a peaceful life. In 1984, Ma Geshun's family was rated as "five good" family in Shanghai. The leading role of this honor is undoubtedly his wife Sheng Lude. Unfortunately, in 1985, Sheng Lude was diagnosed with "Parkinson's disease". Ma Geshun thought that the course of the disease would be very long. Unexpectedly, his wife died eight months after the onset of the disease.

Search in adversity

In 1947, Ma Geshun went to the United States to study chorus conductor. Two years later, just before liberation in 1949, Ma Geshun returned to Shanghai. Like many returned intellectuals of the older generation, he was suspected to be a "spy of the United States". Since then, Ma Geshun has never been able to escape the subsequent political movements.

After returning to China, Ma Geshun's first task was to find a job. At that time, Shanghai Conservatory of music was in great need of teaching talents majoring in chorus. Professor Yang Jiaren introduced him to "Shangyin". It is said that at that time, the letter of appointment had been written, and the dean and the school had also been sealed. I thought all this was so logical, but at this time, someone sent the material to "Shangyin" and said, "Ma has a problem and can't use it." After that, MAG Shun left and right, still failed to wait for the appointment.

Later, Shanghai East China Normal University established a music department, and he was recommended to teach. Because at that time, China Normal University was in urgent need of a chorus conductor, so it hired me as a part-time professor, who could be dismissed at any time, but did not dare to hire him as a full-time professor.

In 1956, the Music Department of East China Normal University was canceled, and Ma Geshun was transferred to Shanghai Conservatory of music as a teacher. He finally found a professional position that was in line with his heart. In 1957, Ma Geshun was beaten as a rightist and criticized him at the general assembly of the whole court. At that time, those who were labeled as rightists were regarded as the enemy of the people. He was immediately disqualified from teaching, stopped classes, and his salary was reduced from 218 yuan to 164 yuan. This was just the beginning of suffering.

In 1966, the Cultural Revolution began. As we all know, Shanghai Conservatory of music was the "worst hit area" during the cultural revolution, where more than ten professors, such as Yang Jiaren, Li Cuizhen and Chen Youxin, were forced to die one by one due to their unbearable humiliation. This became the most unforgettable time for Ma Geshun.

"We will remember" Ode to joy "in suffering." Ma Geshun has always inspired himself with Beethoven's idea of life. It is worth mentioning that in this difficult period, through a lot of research, Ma Geshun found a chorus method that is really suitable for Chinese people, and wrote a monograph "chorography" which will be regarded as a classic in the future. Before the second revolution, the chorus edition has been improved five times. Due to his contribution to Chinese Chorus conductor, Ma Geshun was awarded the title of honorary academician by his alma mater, Westminster choral Academy in 1989.

Insist on giving lectures

In 1976, Chinese history finally turned over that heavy page. Ma Geshun was 62 years old, and his artistic life ushered in the second spring. "I have changed from the so-called rightist to the wrong one. My salary has been restored, the professorship has been restored, my daughter and son-in-law have been transferred back from other places, and I have been invited to a meeting by the National People's Congress of the literary and art circles. I finally believe that this is really liberation. "

In 1997, when Ma Geshun went to Tianjin to give lectures, a student who had been very hard at him during the Cultural Revolution came to visit him. The student rode his bicycle for three hours that night to repent of his behavior.

In 1986, Ma Geshun, 74, went through the retirement procedures. He still worked as a teaching and Postgraduate Tutor for undergraduates of Shanghai Conservatory of music, and he has been retiring for 20 years.

Academic thought

Professor Ma Geshun's academic thought on chorus art has the characteristics of Chinese nation. It is based on the thinking, emotion, language and tone of the Han nationality and absorbs the academic essence of International Chorus Art. Professor Ma Geshun's academic thought on chorus art has distinct personality. Music performance emphasizes style, emotion and depth. Chorus sound harmony and elegance, rich tone. For the songs of our country, he not only has unique opinions on enunciation, but also has precious successful experience in using tone and intonation to strengthen the appeal of chorus.

Character influence

It can be said that none of the choral conductors who are active in the domestic music stage has not been taught and instructed by Mr. Ma. His influence even spread to Southeast Asian countries, the United States and Australia. Over the years, Mr. Ma has won the special honor award for elegant art of Baosteel, Xiao Youmei Award for music education and construction, Golden Bell award of China Federation of literary and art circles, honorary academician of Westminster choral academy and music art of watburg college. Most music lovers may be unfamiliar with the name of Ma Geshun, Professor of composition and conducting Department of Shanghai Conservatory of music, but he is engaged in cooperation No one knows the conductor, because the first book of chorography in China was written by Ma Geshun.

Ma Geshun: I hope the artistic life is like the Olympic flame, and it will be vigorous until the end

Chinese PinYin : Ma Ge Shun