About Chinese Traditional Music
 
Generally speaking, there are two kinds of traditions, namely classical and folk. Music from the “classical tradition” refers to art music or “sophisticated” music composed by scholars and literati in China’s historical past. Chinese classical music often has thematic, poetic or philosophical classifications and is typically played solo, on instruments such as the guqin, a 7-string zither, with over 3000 years of well-documented history, or the pipa, a lute with over 2000 years of history. Traditional music in the classical sense is intimately linked to poetry and to various forms of lyric drama, and is more or less poetry without words. In the same manner as poetry, music sets out to express human feelings, soothe suffering and bring spiritual elevation. The instruments demand not only a mastery of technique but a high degree of sensitivity (and power) to evoke the subtle sonorities and deep emotional expression that rely on the left hand techniques (such as sliding, bending, pushing or crossing of the strings to produce typical singing effects and extreme dynamic ranges), where synchronized ensemble playing is virtually impossible. This type of music has come down to us as an oral tradition from masters to students, although written scores that combine numbers and symbols representing pitch and finger techniques respectively, have been in use for nearly two thousand years. For instance, the earliest scores for guqin we still have today were from the third century. However it is almost impossible to play directly from the score without first having learnt from a master.
 
In traditional China, most of the well–educated people and monks could play classical music as a means of personal meditation, self-purification and self-perfection, union with nature, identification with the values of sages and divine beings, or communication with friends and lovers. They would never perform in public, or for commercial purposes, as they would never allow themselves to be called “professional musicians”. This is in part to keep a distance from the entertainment industry where performing artists used to be among the lowest in social status. In fact, masters of classical music had their own profession as scholars and officers, and would consider it shameful if they had to make a living from music. They played music for themselves, or for their friends and students, and they discovered friends or even lovers through music appreciation (there are plenty of romantic stories about music in Chinese literature). Up to the beginning of the twentieth century, classical music had always belonged to elite society and it was not popular among ordinary people. Today it is really for everybody who enjoys it, and professional musicians playing Chinese classical music are as common as elsewhere in the world. However, it is still rare to hear classical music in concert halls due to the influence of the so-called “Cultural Revolution” (1966 - 1976), when all classical music was deemed to be “bourgeois” and outlawed. As well, the influence of modern pop culture since the 1980s has had a negative impact on the popularity of classical music performances.
 
While the classical tradition was more associated with elite society throughout Chinese history, the resources for folk traditions are many and varied. Apart from the Han Chinese, there are many ethnic minorities living in every corner of China, each with its own traditional folk music. Unlike classical music, folk traditions are often vocal (such as love songs and story telling etc), or for instrumental ensembles (such as the “silk and bamboo” group and music for folk dances, and regional operas). The various folk melodies have become a major source of inspiration for the growing repertoire of contemporary music. In fact, in many contemporary compositions, existing folk melodies were simply modified, enriched (creatively through advanced playing techniques and the use of harmonies), and extended. Some were transcribed so successfully that they may be regarded as an important part of the growing classical repertoire; for instance the famous "Dance of Yi People" composed by Wang Hui-Ran for solo pipa. The repertoire is further extended by pieces composed or arranged for multi-instrument ensembles. Needless to say, most contemporary works are quite westernized, particularly those for ensembles and orchestras, which are easily accessible to the general public. As well, there are a growing number of performers and listeners who have begun to seriously rethink the spiritual side of the classical tradition, such that there seems to be a revival of traditional culture as part of a growing interest in Chinese classical philosophy, literature, traditional medicine, Taiji and Qigong. On the one hand, it goes without saying that some of today’s excellent creations will become tomorrow’s traditions; on the other hand, great masters from various musical traditions all over the world have never failed to support the famous statement: “Authentic traditional music remains forever contemporary”.
 

 
Traditional and Classical Chinese Msuic
interpreted by LIU FANG on pipa and guzheng solo
 
Liu Fang transmits in an expressive and graceful way the beauty of Chinese traditional classical music, while drawing out the subtle sonorities of the pipa and the guzheng. Through the power and sensitivity of her playing, she gives renewed interpretations of the ancient repertory, of the poetic as well as the martial styles. The growing admiration from listeners – experts and novices alike – attests to the great appreciation and respect for this highly talented musician.
 
Liu Fang is an internationally acclaimed master of Chinese pipa and guzheng. Celebrated in the press as the “empress of pipa” (L'actualité, 2001), “divine mediator” (World, 2006), “the greatest ambassadress of the art of the pipa” (La presse, 2002), Liu Fang is known as “possessing virtuoso technique, grace and a unique empathy toward the music she plays – whether it is a traditional and folk tune or a modern Western composition” (All Music Guide, 2003).
 
Born in Kunming (China) in 1974, Liu Fang started learning the pipa at the age of 6 and soon began to perform in public as a child prodigy, including a performance for the Queen of England in 1985. Her studies at Shanghai Conservatory included guzheng (Chinese zither) and she graduated in 1993. Since moving to Canada in 1996, Liu Fang's profile has risen dramatically due to her masterful, rich and deeply spiritual performances, as well as a wide-ranging repertoire that features music from Chinese classical and folk traditions (including pieces rarely heard) and contemporary works from both East and West. She has performed all around the world at such prestigious venues as the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, the Philharmonic Hall of Liège, Belgium (2006), BBC concerts in London (2003, 2007), the Bath International Music Festival (2004) and the York Early Music Center (2008). As one of the featured artists invited from 40 countries through the project under Melody Dialogue Among Civilizations, Liu Fang performed at the concert dedicated to the UNESCO's 60 year anniversary in Paris in 2005. Recently, Liu Fang was honoured as one of the 30 chosen showcase artists for the WOMEX (World Music Expo in Sevilla, Spain), selected by a team of international jury from over 600 candidates from around the world.
 
Liu Fang has so far produced five solo and four collaborative albums. Her last album entitled “Silk Sound” (under the French label Accords Croises, 2006) featured musical dialogues with artists from three different continents and was awarded the prestigious French Academie Charles Cros Award (the French equivalent of the Grammy). In 2001, Liu Fang was the only musician to receive the prestigious 'Future Generation Millennium Prize' awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts to three artists of different disciplines under 30 years of age. The words of the jury summed up her achievements rather succinctly: "Liu Fang's mastery of the pipa and the guzheng has established her international reputation as a highly talented young interpreter of traditional Chinese music. She aspires to combine her knowledge and practice of Eastern traditions with Western classical music, contemporary music and improvisation, thereby creating new musical forms, uniting different cultures and discovering new audiences.”
 
“Superb sensitivity and unrivaled dramaturgic feeling." - Mondomix (France)
“...the magic of the music of Liu Fang, divine mediator.." - World (France)
“... Masterful, graceful and riveting...” - BBC London (England)
“...so beautiful, so touching..." - Le Monde de la Musique (France)
"... Liu Fang’s total devotion to her playing has moved her beyond perfect execution to the creativity & flexibility that marks a true musician. ... " - fROOTS Magazine (UK)
“...delicate and sensational..." -De Volkskrant (The Netherlands).
“The empress of pipa - one of the greatest virtuosos" - L'actualité (Québec)
“A veritable feast for the ears, eyes, heart and soul" - Prof. Dr. Tran Van Khe (Paris)