Author: Lord Guanyu Hall
Whenever I think back to the distant boyhood, “Ein Maes” sounds in my ears. The singing voice is simple and elegant, the melody seems to be telling, and the relaxed tone is full of freedom. (lid stock)
There must be some songs I sang in my youth that I will never forget. When revisiting those familiar tunes in my old age, I seem to be returning to the joy of the past. At the end of the 19th century, the Japanese poet Kunikida Doppo said: “If poetry is the joy of youth, then poetry is also the sorrow of youth; if the joy that is hidden in the heart of nature should be sung, then also the sadness that whispers at the heart of nature.“My youth was in the 1950s. My life was carefree and carefree. There was no academic burden, let alone sadness, but it was full of laughter and singing. At that time, elementary school had music classes devoted to for singing every week. I’m still thinking about it.
The female teacher who taught us to sing was surnamed Zhang, about 40 years old, and a little fat. Teacher Zhang wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, She has never seen her speak loudly to the students in memory Everyone can feel his kindness and gentleness. In music class, we learn simple music theory knowledge and chords, and also learn to sing many songs, including a few world famous songs. Some songs are forgotten after singing, some songs are not completely forgotten, but there is no interest to recall them, and some songs are unforgettable for life. There are also songs that I cannot forget because they are connected to the past when I was young. It seems that in the fourth grade, Professor Zhang learned the song “Hot Blood”, an episode of the movie “Singing at Midnight” in the 1930s. The melody is passionate and majestic:
Who wants to be a slave? Who wants to be a horse and an ox?
It ignited the flames of humanity across Europe.
For brotherhood, equality, and liberty,
Willing to pay any price, even our heads…
At the end of the semester, as usual, everyone in the music class has a score. The basis for this score is to freely choose a song from the songs learned in the semester, stand next to Professor Zhang’s piano and sing to everyone, accompanied by Professor Zhang. This equates to each person having a chance to sing on stage only. At the end of that semester, all the boys in the class chose “Hot Blood” when it was their turn to take the stage. In memory, the girl chose a pastoral song. The name of the song has been forgotten for a long time, it is not the “Shepherd Song” in the movie “Shaolin Temple” after the Cultural Revolution. The pastoral song has a touch of narrative lyricism, and I can only vaguely remember the general meaning of the words, meaning that after returning home from school in the evening, I will lead the sheep to the hillside ,”The sheep eat grass and I sing“. Such a relaxed, peaceful, and idiotic picture is very similar to today’s school children”Don’t miss the starting line“The hardships and the burdens really make a world of difference.
However, among the girls at that time, two unexpectedly chose “Hot Blood”, which seemed a bit perverted. I still remember this incident in the music class when I was young, because one of the girls was my neighbor, her name was Song □□. Her house is only about 50 meters away from ours, and she dances rubber bands with girls in the same class in the afternoon, often right in front of our house. I forgot if it was in the third grade or the fourth grade. Once my mother came to school. Just as we were in the playground after class, I saw my mother slip away, and then hide in the corner and watch secretly. At this time, Song □□ went up to meet her and accompanied her mother to the teacher’s office, which made me secretly grateful. I still haven’t forgotten the song “Hot Blood” because “Hot Blood” is connected to my life experience when I was young.
Some of my peers, especially the third generation who call themselves “Youth Without Regrets”, often talk about the song “Let’s Swing Oars”. “Let’s Swing the Sculls” came out in 1955, and we learned to sing mechanically from the teacher, not to mention the joy that captivated us. After middle age, I gradually understood that the year before 1955, the “Hu Feng Group” suffered a large-scale siege, and two years later, the “rectification and anti-rightist movement” shocked the whole country. Since then, intellectuals have brought everyone down. “Let us swing our oars, and the boat push the waves. A beautiful white pagoda reflected in the water surrounded by green trees and red walls“sounds like a picture, and there is a clear whitewash on the musical image.Regarding the disaster that countless intellectuals suffered in 1957, the greatest function of “Swinging the Sculls” is to cover up. Although I am the first generation of students to learn to sing “Swinging the Sculls”, as the world changes, my dislike for “Swinging the Sculls” increases day by day. “beautiful white tower“and”red wall green tree“, describes Beihai Park, which actually only belongs to the second generation of the red. How many people still know that many young rightist students in Beijing universities come to”beautiful white tower“Bian Shenhu committed suicide.
For most urban teenagers, “swinging the sculls” is just an experience during spring or autumn outings. For teenagers in rural and mountainous areas, and for the vast number of rural teenagers in Henan, Anhui, Sichuan, Guangxi…, there are “swinging bonds” and “white tower and red wall ” are even more distant dreams. Do you know how many naked young people starved to death in that period? The last paragraph of “Swinging the Scolls”: “I ask your dear partner, will he arrange a happy life for us?“This is even more obvious for the evil totalitarian party.The so-called “dear partner“, clearly referring to the princes. For the young people who suffer, this is a huge out-and-out fraud. The young people who have struggled at the bottom of society think they are too “dear partner“, every time I sing “Swinging the Oars”, I’m as swinging as Ah Q, it’s really sentimental. It’s special for the princes”organize a happy life“The person, who is he?”
When I was almost middle-aged, listening to Taiwanese Luo Dayyou’s “Childhood” really made me feel drunk. The sentiments expressed in “Childhood” seem to have my own shadow:
……
the teacher’s chalk on the blackboard,
Still writing desperately on twitter.
Waiting to get out of class, waiting for school to end,
Childhood waiting for the game.
……
Always wait until bedtime,
Only then did I realize that I had only done a little homework;
Always wait until after the exam,
It was only then that I realized I hadn’t read the books I should have read.
This is evident in my “childhood”, there is no need for “beautiful white towers”, “green trees and red walls”, not to mention “pushing away the waves”. What I like is the ignorance, childishness and truth expressed in “Childhood”:
……
The girl in the next class,
Why haven’t you passed my window yet?
……
can no one tell me
Do any gods live in the mountains?
In fact, when I was young, there was also a song similar to “Childhood”, namely “Ein Caeau” taught by Professor Zhang. How many years have passed, and every time I remember the distant boyhood, “Ein Maes” sounds in my ears. The singing voice is simple and elegant, without any hint of carving, but the artistic concept of the melody is revealed to be full of poetry. The tune is as if it were being told, and the long tone is full of freedom. Whenever I sing this song, I can see the fields and rivers of that time, the rice fields under the blue sky and the white clouds, and the reeds and the wild ducks by the water. When I was young, many times I watched the rain hit the glass windows, and what I thought about was the appearance of “our field” in the rain. The Cultural Revolution seemed to overwhelm this beautiful melody, and “Ein Caeau” still cannot be forgotten after the Cultural Revolution. It’s a pity that time cannot be turned back. With today’s urbanization trend, people can no longer return to “our fields”. There is no doubt that “Ein Maes” is the most memorable song in my life:
Our fields, beautiful fields.
The green river flows through the boundless rice fields.
The boundless rice fields are like the rolling sea.
The calm lake is full of lotus flowers.
The golden carp looks so fat.
Flocks of wild ducks are hidden among the reeds near the lake.
……
“Our field” has long since disappeared from the present age. The fields of my youth have also disappeared without a trace, and the teacher Zhang who taught us this song has probably died a long time ago.“Green River”, “Endless Rice Fields”, “Lotus in the Lake”, “Skins and Wild Ducks by the Lake”… can only be found in dreams. In the suburbs of Shanghai, some ancient towns and old streets are constantly being developed and packaged, and “our fields” are gradually disappearing without knowing it. The well-known Zhujiajiao, Fengjing, Xinchang and other Jiangnan water towns have become crowded tourist attractions. The most impressive signs of these scenic spots are the snack bars next to each other under the red lanterns hanging high, scrambling to greet pedestrians; the busy crowd, holding boxes of smelly tofu in their hands as they eat and walk. When I looked down, the rivers he crossed were all dirty. A few years ago, my wife and I went to Shandong, passing through Rizhao, Penglai, Weihai, Qingdao and other places. In the fields far away from the cities in the past, there were rows of unfinished empty buildings everywhere. Where can I find the “beautiful field” in the boy’s singing?
Fortunately, about ten years ago, I saw a video on the Internet, where the Liaoning Youth Choir sang “Our Field”. I seemed to be suddenly immersed in the joy of reuniting after a long absence. A few years ago, I saw a video of a Shanghai singer singing “Our Field” with her young daughter. More than 60 years have passed, but I didn’t expect anyone to remember “Ein Maes”. There is no doubt that the singer has a well trained professional training and a talented voice; the boys’ choir also sang this song led by professionals. Listen carefully, unfortunately, in their singing, it’s hard to find the taste of “Ein Maes” when I was young, and it’s hard to find the taste of the rural fields in the 1950s too.Especially at a subtle point – immediately”green river water‘ After that, a short break was allowed.This rest is probably the final touch. Music is magical. Without this rest, “Our Fields” will lose much of its original charm.
I remembered that in 1999 people were listening to the chorus “Song of the Seven Sons” sung by Macao school children in front of the TV screen: “You know ‘ma-cau’ isn’t my real name, I’ve been away from you for too long, Mum!“I didn’t expect the singing to be so exciting at first. Soon, the Shanghai Xiaoyingxing Art Troupe also rehearsed this song and broadcast it live on TV. Most of the members The Xiaoyingxing Art Troupe is too smart and clever. They are the stars of tomorrow. They have professional guidance, and their singing is so exquisite that it is unblemished. Their singing voices even reveal a sophistication beyond’ age It’s a shame that the singing of the little stars lacks an unintentional expression of simplicity, childishness and innocence. You know, that’s the most valuable element of the singing, which is completely natural and cannot be obtained through imitation There is a general temperament an urban youth hidden in the singing, and no one can change it. is the same reason that the original style of “Ein Maes” cannot be enforced, let alone copied.
Yes! People today may never be able to return to “our fields” then. Although there are still people who can sing “Ein Maes”, it is no longer “Ein Maes” when I was young. @
Editor in charge: Lin Fangyu
