Liu Tianhua
Liu Tianhua was a Chinese musician and composer best known for his innovative work for the erhu.
Liu's students, such as Jiang Fengzhi and Chen Zhenduo, continued to contribute to the development of the erhu.
He was the younger brother of the poet Liu Bannong. He died in 1932 at the age of 37.
Work on Chinese music
Liu was a noted erhu and pipa player, and an early pioneer in the modernisation of traditional Chinese music. He joined Cai Yuanpei's Peking University Music Society as an instrumental instructor in 1922. He promoted Chinese music while he was at Peking University, founded the Society for the Improvement of Chinese Music in 1927 and its periodical, the Music Magazine. The society organised classes and formed a musical ensemble to play Chinese music, a forerunner of the modern Chinese orchestra. He made improvements to the traditional fiddle huqin, in particular the erhu, so that it can become an instrument suitable for a modern stage performance, and wrote music for the instrument. He also made changes to the pipa, increasing the number of frets and used an equal-tempered tuning.Compositions
Titles in pinyin, Chinese characters and English translation.Erhu
- Bìng Zhōng Yín 1918
- Yuè Yè 1924
- Kǔmèn zhī Ōu 1926
- Bēi Gē 1927
- Liáng Xiāo 1928
- Xián Jū Yín 1928
- Kōng Shān Niǎo Yǔ 1928
- Guāngmíng Xíng 1931
- Dú Xián Cāo 1932
- Zhú Yĭng Yáo Hóng 1932
- Studies for Erhu No 1 - 47
Pipa
- Gē Wǔ Yǐn
- Gǎi Jìn Cāo
- Xū Lài 1929
Arrangement for ensemble
- Variations on Xinshuiling