Activities to Mark the 120th Anniversary of Mr. He Luting’s Birth
This year marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of He Luting, who was given the title of a “People’s Musician”. On November 3rd, a series of activities entitled as “Staying True: Special Exhibitions in Memory of the 120th Anniversary of He Luting” was officially launched in the Shanghai Social Science Museum.
To commemorate the 120th anniversary of He Luting’s birth, with the strong support of China Record (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SHCM) carefully produced an album “Staying True: In Memory of the 120th Anniversary of He Luting”, named after the musician whose style name is Baozhen, which means Staying True. For this production, the Conservatory dug out a batch of precious historical recordings from the “old edition” music library and integrated He Luting’s classic works played and sung by alumni of SHCM and musicians on its faculty. The album was presented by Liao Changyong, President of SHCM, and was published as a SHCM-recorded brand. Liao Changyong, on behalf of the Conservatory, donated this special record to the Shanghai Social Science Museum. A small commemorative concert was also held on site, performing He Luting’s classic music works such as the male chorus Guerrilla Song, the mixed chorus Reclamation Mud, and the chorus Clear Flow.
He Luting was born in Shaodong, Hunan Province in 1903. His original name was He Kai before he adopted the name He Luting and his style name was Baozhen. He was known as a “people’s musician” and created a number of famous works such as Guerrilla Song, The Shepherd Boy & His Flute, On the Jialing River, Senji Dema, Evening Party, Song of the Four Seasons and The Wandering Songstress, all of which have influenced generations of Chinese people. As an acclaimed music educator and in his position as the first President of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he made extraordinary contributions to the development of China’s music industry and the cultivation of musical talents. In 2018, his memory was again honored when he was recognized as one of the first 68 “Shanghai Social Science Masters” by the Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations. The central atrium area of the Shanghai Social Science Museum, located on the 6th floor of the East Tower of Shanghai Library, is the “master exhibition area”. This series of special commemorative exhibitions for He Luting will become another significant humanistic event following the commemorative exhibitions, commemorative seminars, lectures, and other activities held for masters such as Zhao Jingshen, Wang Yuanhua, and Pan Xulun..
The series of activities in honor of the musician’s memory includes one special exhibition, four concerts, and four special lectures, vividly showcasing the people-centered spirits of the older generation of educators and literary artists represented by the excellent composer. From November 4th to December 23rd, every Saturday at 3 pm at the Shanghai Social Science Museum, young and middle-aged scholars and performing majors from SHCM will present four special lectures, namely, 1) He Luting’s Anti-Japanese War Music Creation: A Lecture Starting from the Chronicle of He Luting, 2) The Voice of Time: People’s Musician He Luting as Engraved on the Vinyl Records, 3) Remember the Contribution of Our Predecessor in Paving the Way, and Continue His Spirit in the Future - Looking Back on the Relationship between He Luting and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and 4) Songs of Salvation in Movies, An Appreciation of He Luting’s Left-wing Film Music Classics. In the meanwhile, there will be four special concerts respectively performed by SHCM Folk Music Troupe, SHCM Orchestra Troupe, the Music Middle School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music and SHCM Vocal Music Troupe.
