Xian Xinghai
Xian Xinghai ( Chinese 冼星海 , W.-G. Hsien Hsing-hai , born June 13, 1905 in Panyu , Guangzhou , † October 30, 1945 in Moscow ) was a Chinese composer .
Born the son of a fisherman and a washerwoman, Xian Xinghai studied music in Beijing , Shanghai and from 1930 in Paris (with Vincent d'Indy and Paul Dukas ). In 1935, Xian Xinghai returned to China to fight the Japanese occupation. He became a member of the Communist Party in 1939 . He lived in Moscow from 1940 until his death.
His cantata The Yellow River (based on poems by Guang Weiran ), written in 1939, is one of the most popular works of contemporary Chinese music. This cantata later became the starting point for a collective composition, the piano concerto The Yellow River . Xian Xinghai tried, like most Chinese composers of his generation, to combine classical European music with Chinese traditions.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Xian Xinghai |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hsien Hsing-hai |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Chinese composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 13, 1905 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Panyu , Guangzhou |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 30, 1945 |
| Place of death | Moscow |