Song Name: Huang He Da He Chang (Yellow River Cantata)
Year of Release: 1939
Written By: Xian Xinghai and Guang Weiran
Released by: No original recording exists, though it was first performed in 1939
Key Lyrics: "自从鬼子来/百姓遭了殃/奸淫烧杀/四处逃亡(Ever since the invaders came/Our happiness has disappeared/They rape, kill, and burn our homes/We have to flee from our hometowns)."
"仇和恨，在心里，奔腾如同黄河水！/黄河边，定主意，咱们一同打回去！(Your hatred and mine are roaring like the river!/Right here, let's make our decision to fight for hometowns!)."
"命啊，这样苦！生活啊，这样难！/敌人啊，你这样没心肝！/宝贝啊，你死得这样惨！/我和你无仇又无怨/ 偏让我无颜偷生在人间？(Bitterness is my fate! Hard is my life!/You evil invaders, what heartless animals you are!/Cruelly you killed my dear baby!/I never did anything to you/Why did you force me to live a shameful life?)."
"端起土枪洋枪！/挥动着大刀长矛！/保卫家乡！/保卫黄河！/保卫华北！/保卫全中国！(Take up all pistols and guns/Hold tight to all swords and lances!/Defend Yellow River!/Defend the North!/Defend the Country!/Defend our Motherland!)"
Description: The poem that inspired the song was written in 1938 after the city of Wuhan fell to invading Japanese forces. Poet Guang Weiran was assigned to lead a squad across the Yellow River to retreat to the Communist headquarters in the Luliang Mountains. During the retreat, he witnessed local boatmen battling waves and heard their songs, which inspired him to write the lyrics to a poem titled Yellow River Cantata. While reciting the song on Chinese New Year and calling for the people of China to resist the Japanese invasion, Xian Xinghai heard the recital and adapted it into a song. The song debuted in 1939 with a performance at a concert hall in Yan'an, consisting of a choir with 40 members and an orchestra conducted by Wu Xilin. The song features multiple sections sung by different singers, and there is also a male speaker who recites political messages at the beginning of every movement.
Why It Was Important: The song is an explicit call to arms against the Japanese and turns a struggle between boatmen and nature into a struggle between the Chinese people and the Japanese army. The song's structure drives the narrative, as it goes from being about the struggle against the river to resistance against the invading Japanese forces. The song was amended multiple times with different instrumental arrangements, including some with Chinese ethnic instruments, showing a conscious effort to include representation of traditional Chinese music.
Recordings:
Yellow River Cantata-Yellow River Cantata Symphonic Concert-Spring Online (modern performance. Note: the performance is 40 minutes long, as a large section of it is purely instrumental)