Jianjia (The Reeds and Rushes)-Folk Song by Li Tai-Hsiang (蒹葭(風信)-李泰祥)
I. Lyrics (translated from Chinese)
The wind, the wind, coldly glanced at the candlelight that we used to illuminate.
At that moment when the candlelight suddenly died out and not yet restored.
Your gorgeous love inquired me with fear.
Listen, listen, I said, the wind is blowing over mountains.
Theme of the Work:
Jianjia (The Reeds and Rushes)(Wind Flower/ Message of Wind) is a kind of grass. Chinese literature, The Book of Odes, has talked a about folk song; in a section it records that Jianjia symbolizes grass’s plenty and ordinariness, i.e. the symbolization of all living things.
Summary / Story:
The original conception of the work was focused on pure beauty to describe human’s feeling of music. Tang, Hsiao-Shih’s sincere vocal performance is just like people’s feelings about Jianjia. And an issue that deserves special mention is that a trumpet solo and some wind musical instrument performance are used as accompaniment.
III. Manuscript
Earliest handwritten voice manuscript of “Jianjia (The Reeds and Rushes) in E major”
(1970)
String quartet manuscript of “Jianjia (The Reeds and Rushes) in A-flat major” for viola
(1979)