This is a long shot but has anyone ever come across any website where one can get some Chinese Music scores (traditional/modern does not matter as it's just for some serious fun during the January 2007 CNY celebrations) for violins/cello/piano players, or better still, the duo/trio to play? This is a query for those of you on the forum who know a bit about what it is and probably live in the far east like HK, Singapore, PRC, etc. Or, London/Manchester?

Thanks.

I don't know if these are the type of scores that you are looking for:

The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang is absolutely gorgeous. It is available with a piano reduction.
There is also a book of Chinese Violin Solos (arr. Stock) which is a collection of traditional and contemporary pieces from China, transcribed from the ancient two-stringed fiddle for solo violin.

The sheet music for both of these is available from Johnson Strings in the US. I don't know if there is a UK supplier.

Edit: The Chinese Violin Solos are available from this UK Supplier.

The contemporary Scottish composer Edward McGuire has written some beautiful Chinese-inspired pieces. His 'Chinese Air and Dances' is here: http://www.scottishmusiccentre.com/db/CART...product_id=4306

Suzukimom

CNY? Well, you can always improvise them yourself! =) Never heard of any CNY scores available in sheet music lol. I can think of the Butterfly Lovers Concerto but I can't seem to get my hands on a copy. Grrrr. By the way, CNY is in Feb, not Jan in 2007.

I can't find a UK supplier that sells Butterfly Lovers Concerto

This is wonderful! Thank you ALL so much!

I shall have to figure which ones to get later as I can't buy all of them. Besides, I have a terrible fluish headache now.

We plan to get some musical and some arty Christmas presents for our kids as art and music are dearest to their hearts especially to my girl. The "Butterfly Lovers" sounds nice and romantic but it is a concerto! Purple viola, can a grade 7 student play it, fluently?

Hellokitty, are you sure we cannot get/search till we find a UK supplier?

Thanks, again, everyone. We are so grateful. Thought the query was only a long shot.

By the way, AA, I haven't a clue whether CNY will be in Jan or Feb next year but thanks for telling me! Now, if we get it for her as a C'mas present, at least she can have some fun with it in late Dec and Jan before performing it in Feb. Last year, CNY was in late Jan, was it not? Or, was that the year before last? Sorry, I'm not good with the lunar calendar at all.

Tess

OK, I had a quick play through the Butterfly Lovers Concerto. It is a long time since I did my grade exams so I am just guessing at the standard of playing now required for grade7, but I would think that someone at that level should be able to play most of the notes accurately (possibly not the cadenzas though), certainly they would be able to play some sections of it.
But, and this is really a big but, the style of playing required is different from that used for Western music. The concerto uses techniques borrowed from the Erhu (two string Chinese fiddle), so someone playing it should at least have listened to Chinese music played on an Erhu to understand how to play the slow slides up and down when changing position. It is not an easy piece to get right. I think it requires a fair amount of maturity. The concerto is based on a very sad Chinese love story.
I don't think it is available from a UK supplier, unless you can persuade someone to order it especially for you. It is published by a Chinese publisher.

You might find the Chinese Violin Solos book I mentioned in a previous post a better introduction to Chinese music. I think that book is about Grade 6 level upwards.

Cool, we both LOVE sad songs (and sad movies) - this is better than we thought!

Must go downstairs now and tell the girl, she's just got home from school. Well, come to think about it..., it doesn't matter if she can't learn it now. We are in no hurry at all. We can still buy it, Purple Viola, and try it out now or later.

The only practical issue is, we are familiar with many kinds of music including klezmer, Chinese, etc, but we suspect her teacher is probably a classical soul. We'll see. Can always have a jab without him minus tricky cadenzas.

Have printed both BLC and the CVS ones. Believe we can get it somehow.

There are several recordings of the BLC on the Naxos website if you want to hear what it sounds like before you decide whether to buy it or not.

CNY was in late Jan this year but it'll be mid Feb next year.

Thanks. By the way, I am not a fan of Vanessa Mae but VN is ("she made the violin cool..."). She has asked whether I could ger her VM's Butterfly Lovers' Concerto? I am not terribly keen but try to keep an open mind. Do you think VM is any good at the BLC, Purple Viola? Others? I'd rather buy the Chinese erhu version if Google can help me trace it.

I'm pretty sure that the Naxos recording of the butterfly lovers' concerto was made by Takako Nishizaki, a Japanese violinist who has lived in Hong Kong for many years and plays the er-ho as well as violin. She has recorded other Chinese music, including a collection called Chinese Evergreens (I think) but only the BLC collection is available on Amazon, I think. With her love of er-ho, I think her violin interpretations of Chinese music, old or new, would be worth listening to.

Another possibility is "fusion" music by the Twelve Girls Band (classical Chinese instruments, eclectic range of music). Viohazard likes playing some of their music, which is easy enough to pick up off the CD - sorry I don't know if sheet music is available (especially in English).

Tess, I am also not a fan of Vanessa Mae.

For the Butterfly Lovers concerto I like best the Naxos recording of Li-Na Yu playing with the Shanghai Conservatory Symphony Orchestra (because of the beautiful violin playing, the orchestra isn't quite so good). I think you might have a problem getting hold of this version though, so my second choice would be Takako Nishizaki playing with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, also a Naxos recording. Takako Nishizaki has recorded the Butterfly Lovers Concerto several times with different orchestras.

Thanks.

Purple Viola, will send PM to you re.details, as VN told me she really is not joking. That she is really serious about this being her first full-length concerto in public.

Well done to VN for wanting to play the Butterfly Lovers Concerto - it is a wonderful work!

Cool! By the way, the Er-Hu version is in Chinese notation so it might not be a very good idea to get it. That's what I think because my brother used to be in the Chinese Orchestra in school and his sheet music was quite different from our classical music notation. Grade 7? Gosh, that means I can't even touch it yet. I don't take exams but going by what my teacher gives me, I'm about Grade 3ish now. =)

Thanks, FC, I've JUST told her she can't as she's only playing G7 level now but to do the cads, she needs to be a very good G8 but she thought she'd try, anyway. She told me she LIKES to do something unusual for next November as it'll be at some wonderful venue and it will also be her debut concerto. I suggested to the organiser a simple Mozart sonata but VN thought not. Well, I've never heard of a violinist doing anything other than Vivaldi, Bruch or occassionally Mendelsohn as debut concerto!



AA, thanks for the info abt the erhu notation. Had no idea. Love the erhu as my neighbour used to play it for us kids a very long time ago.