By NoGhost - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56669987
Kangding Love Song Trad. Chinese Grade 2 ABRSM 2023 – 2024
Character/story – this song is very popular in China. It was inspired by people’s daily work and is a traditional folk song of Kangding, which is in the Sichuan province. According to Wikipedia, the song was collected by Wu Wen-ji and at that time the song was called ‘On the Running Horse Mountain’. Wu scored and renamed the song as Kangding Love Song, after the capital of the Sichuan province. The singer Yu Yixuan sang the song and her singing of it helped to spread the knowledge of it to the rest of China. Since then, the song has been sung by many artists. The ABRSM footnotes state that ‘this popular Chinese song is from the mountainous Kangding region of south-west China, close to the border with Tibet. It originated in the 1930s, and the text first sets the scene – horses run on the mountains as the moon shines above – then celebrates youthful love’. Knowing the words to the song will be beneficial; players should sing the words either on their own or as they play. To a certain extent the L.H. takes on a kind of instrumental role.
Form – there is one bar of introduction where only the L.H. plays. The piece is in binary form, with the second section containing different melodic material in comparison with the first section. The ABRSM footnotes state that ‘the melody of this piece is pentatonic; that is, it uses the five-note scale often found in folk music, here in the form A-C-D-E-G’.
Main part of the music – this should occur at the beginning of bar 13. Using a louder dynamic, mezzoforte, will allow the player to have a wide range of dynamics available to use. In saying that though, the mezzoforte dynamic should be used very briefly. Considering that the loudest part of the music is approximately three-quarters of the way through, the player must ensure that the listener is engaged right to the end of the piece.
Phrasing – there are four phrases in this piece; they are of differing lengths. Because of the introductory bar, the first phrase is five bars in length. The second phrase is four bars long. The last two phrases are both five bars in length. Each pair of phrases have a question-and-answer format with the second phrase of each set ‘answering’ the first phrase. Each phrase uses the same melodic material as the other phrase in the set, however each phrase ends with different material.
Tempo, time signature and rhythmic patterns – the ABRSM footnotes state that ‘although the arranger’s metronome mark is crotchet = c96, students may prefer a slightly slower tempo, for example crotchet = c88’. This is sound advice, if played too fast the character of the song will not be portrayed. Obviously, conversely if played too slowly the music will sound laboured and unattractive. Even though the song is written in simple quadruple time, there are occasions where the time signature becomes a duple one. Examples of this occurrence are bars 8 and in the second section. There should be no rhythmic patterns in this piece that should cause concern however some players may find maintaining evenness in the quaver patterns a little difficult. The player must be very careful to ensure that all rests are strictly observed. And the player must hold the longer notes for their full value.
Touch/articulation – in the first section the L.H. needs to be played with a gentle legato with the notes being played close to the keys. The player should slightly emphasise the first note of each four-quaver set as this will provide the music with some resonance. During the first section the R.H. should be played using a cantabile touch, obviously except for the detached notes. The lifts are vital in portraying the words of the song as the singer would be required to take a breath at these points. In the second section both hands have either two-note or three-note slurs to play. Here both hands will need to use a cantabile touch with the player lifting the last note with the fingers in contact with the keys. Again, the lifts in this section must be carefully observed. The arranger has used the word legato at the beginning of the piece in the L.H. Even though there are slurs covering all of the L.H. notes in a bar in the first section the L.H. should be legato throughout each phrase, only lifting at the end of the first phrase. There are tenuto marks present in the L.H. in the second section; these will provide these chords with resonance and depth.
Balance between the hands – clearly in the first section the balance is to the R.H. However, the L.H. has a small melodic role to play when it is playing on its own in bars 3, 5, 7 and 9. In the second section both hands are prominent with each hand taking its turn to be in the limelight. There are two bars where both hands are equally balanced, these being bars 13 and 18. Altering the level of balance between the hands in the first section will provide contrast for the listener.
Dynamics – as stated before, the player could employ a wide range of dynamics when playing this music. However, there should always be a feeling of restraint, as if the singer is capable of more dynamics than they are using. The dynamics could increase in the second phrase with a mezzopiano at the start of bar 8. A wider range of dynamics should be utilised in the second section as this will add more drama to this part. Commencing the second section at pianissimo will enable the third phrase to have a extensive range of dynamics leading to the main part of the music. The quietest dynamic in this piece should be at the end.
Agogic effects – a few small touches of rubato will be appropriate when playing this music. When playing the rit in the final two bars the player must ensure that the slowing down does not affect the rhythmic patterns in these bars.
Considerations when playing this piece –
· The player should find out about what instruments would have been used to accompany this song.
· The music has a slightly unsettled tonal feeling. It doesn’t sound ‘resolved’ until the end.
· There is a change of character at bar 10. It is as if it is a conversation between two people.
· In the second section the R.H. minim must be held for its full value; to a certain extent it overlaps the L.H.’s melody.
· The player will need to be skilled in tone-matching throughout the playing of this piece.
· When playing the crescendos the player need not play the loudest note at the end of it.
· The highest note of a melodic pattern need not be the loudest.
· The minim notes in the second section are very important dynamically.
· The ending is slightly unusual; the player must ensure that both hands lift neatly and together in the last bar. The player must hold their hands briefly over the keys at the end
· The player should consider what to do with their R.H. in the first bar.
· The second phrase should be played louder than the first phrase.
· The two sections are basically completely different in character. The player must consider how to ensure that the listener is aware of the two sections being part of a whole.
· An elbow gesture needs to be employed when playing the louder notes, as they must not sound harsh or strident in any way.
· In bar 8, think about how the R.H. must move however the L.H. does not.
References
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangding_Qingge