Title: Xun Yang nocturne

Arranger:Tong Leung-tak

Year: January 1979

Genre:

• Small ensemble
• Arrangement

Call No.: SC521

Description: Based on traditional pipa solo piece Xiyang xiaogu, Tong Leung-tak arranged "Xunyang Nocturne" and "Happy Spring Evening" in 1979 and 1989 respectively. Music at Sunset portrays the gorgeous scenery of Jiangnan area. In 1895, pipa master Li Fangyuan included Xiyang xiaogu in his anthology of pipa scores and renamed the piece as Xunyang pipa. In 1925, Liu Yaozhang and Zheng Jinwen from the Great Unity Music Society in Shanghai arranged Xiyang xiaogu as Chunjiang huayue ye for the modern Chinese orchestra. Tong's "Xunyang Nocturne" is written for a small ensemble with twelve instruments. Led by pipa and xiao, this version showcases a heterophonic texture that alludes to Jiangnan "silk and bamboo" music. His "Happy Spring Evening" is rather an arrangement for the modern Chinese orchestra consisting of ten sections of theme and variations.

Note:

• Also known as "Happy spring evening"

Instrumentation: xiao (1), da ruan (1), da gu/peng ling/muyu (1), erhu (1), zhonghu (1)