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Mo Li Hua

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"Jasmine Flower" redirects here. For the species of jasmine, see Jasminum sambac. For the Heather Nova album, see The Jasmine Flower.
"Mo Li Hua"
Song
LanguageChinese
GenreFolk
LengthAround 2–3 minutes
Songwriter(s)unknown

Melody and lyrics of "Mo Li Hua"

"Mo Li Hua" (Chinese: 茉莉花; pinyin: Mòlìhuā or Mòlihuā[a][1]; lit. 'Jasmine Flower'[b]) is a Chinese folk song of the "xiaoqu" ("short song") tune type genre, hailing from the Jiangnan region which encompasses the lower banks of the Yangtze river around Suzhou, Shanghai and Hangzhou.[2][3][4] The song has been dated back to the 18th century to the reign of the Qianlong Emperor during the Qing dynasty. Over time, many regional variations were created, and the song gained popularity both in China and abroad.[5]

The modern notation of the folk song was first transcribed in writing in the West by the British diplomat John Barrow, who was an assistant attache to George Macartney, documenting the tune during the Macartney diplomatic mission to the imperial court of Qianlong in 1793. His publication of the song in 1804 in Europe propelled it to a "grand entrance on the world stage" and gained it "widespread international popularity" according to ethnomusicology scholar Frederick Lau.[4]

Its growth in popularity has been attributed to the 20th century after it was frequently played across China by travelling musicians and also abroad through its usage as a temporary national anthem by Qing officials in Europe,[6] leading to its adaptation in performances such as that of the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's final opera, Turandot, set in Imperial China, where the tune served as the leitmotif for the titular fairy-tale Chinese princess.[7][4] The tune has been adapted and referenced in "various traditional Chinese and international music concert circuits, concerts by pop bands and solo singers, scholarly debates, new choral arrangements, and state-sponsored events as an emblem of national pride"[8] and it has often been hailed a "significant national musical and cultural icon" of China akin to that of Korea's Arirang and Japan's Sakura Sakura.[9]

History

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Older lyrics to "Mo Li Hua". From a Japanese music book, Gekkin Gakufu (月琴楽譜) (1877)[a]

The song has been generally cited to originate during the Qianlong era (1735–1796) of the Qing dynasty.[2] There are several regional versions of the song,[10][11]: 84–  with different lyrics and melody.[12]: 46–  One version of the song describes a custom of giving jasmine flowers, popular in the southern Yangtze delta region of China.[2] Another, longer version describes the fear of plucking the flower.[12]: 46– [11]: 81–82  Through these variations, the song has also been called "Xiao Hua Diao" ("Fresh Flower Melody") and is a form of "xiaoqu/xiaodiao" tune type genre, which have the characteristics of being "usually multistanza in form and with uniform phrase structures and equal numbers of words."[4] It has been played on ancient metal bells (bianzhong) and modern jade chimes.[3] It uses the five note (pentatonic) scale ubiquitous in Chinese music. The tune is one of xiaodiao ("short tunes"), popular in Chinese urban areas.[13] In 1804 a British diplomat, John Barrow, noted that the tune seems to be one of the most popular songs in China.[11]: 84– 

The song became one of the first Chinese folk songs to become widely known outside China.[11]: 81–82  Beginning in 1896, the song was sometimes used as a temporary national anthem by the Qing Chinese officials in Europe before the adoption of "Cup of Solid Gold" as the official national anthem of the Qing state in 1911.[14] The song was also analyzed in the unfinished three volume work of the 19th century Austrian-Czech music historian August Wilhelm Ambros, "History of Music," who remarks on the musical leaps within the melody.[15] As such, the melody had already become well known among Western listeners when it was used by Giacomo Puccini in his opera Turandot (1926), boy choir air "Là, sui monti dell'est", where it is associated with 'Turandot's splendor'.[2][3][16][17]

It appeared in a 1937 Hollywood movie The Good Earth (based on the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction acclaimed novel by the 20th century American writer Pearl S. Buck).[18]: 51–  During World War II, Hollywood films used the "Mo Li Hua" tune to represent China and the Chinese struggle against the Japanese invasion.[19] It has been adapted by many artists around the world, for example by Kenny G.[11]: 84–  In 1982 the song found a place on a UNESCO list of recommended songs.[11]: 84–  When China regained sovereignty of Macau and Hong Kong, in 1999 and 1997, respectively, this music was played in the ceremonies. The song was said to be a favorite of the former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Jiang Zemin (it was at his request that the song was played during the transfer ceremony in Hong Kong).[20] The tune was played during Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party meetings.[21]

This song was sung partially unaccompanied by a young Chinese girl, and partially accompanied by the music by a Peking University female dance troupe in mini-cheongsams holding traditional instruments while dancing to a rock version of the song (whose version has been described as infused with a techno beat) and broadcast to the world at the closing ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, to introduce the next Olympic Games site.[2][22][23] An adaptation of the melody by Tan Dun and Wang Hesheng, chosen from more than 4,000 pieces, was played during the medal ceremonies at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as the introductory motif of the victory theme.[3] It[which?] was also performed at the 2010 Shanghai Expo opening ceremony by an orchestra with the pianist Lang Lang.

The fairy-tale Chinese princess' leitmotif in Giacomo Puccini's 1926 opera Turandot, based on the "Mo Li Hua" melody

Zhao Dongming, head of Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games's culture and ceremonies department, commented that "This piece of music reminds you of the gold medals for the Beijing Olympics, which are made of gold and jade".[3] This piece of Tan Dun, an Academy Award winning Chinese contemporary classical composer, cited by China Daily in 2008, described it as "glorious, heartwarming and full of respect... an iconic piece... almost a cultural symbol of China" and "From Puccini to the Beijing Olympics, this melody is a gift from the Chinese people to the world's athletes".[3]

In 2009, Russian singer Vitas, during the Chinese premiere of his program Sleepless Night, at least has also performed "Mo Li Hua" (never included in digital download until then).[24] In 2013, the international Canadian-origin superstar Celine Dion performed the song in Mandarin on the Chinese CCTV-1 as part of its CMG New Year's Gala show welcoming in the 2013 Spring Festival/Chinese New Year. She sang in a duet with Chinese soprano and 2006 Grammy Award nominee classical/folk singer Song Zuying.[25][26] Since 2018, Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen has performed this song in Mandarin on four occasions, three years in a row, during New Year and Chinese New Year celebration galas on various TV stations[27] including a duet with the first Chinese Vocaloid dubbed "Luo Tianyi" as vocalist on 23rd January 2020.[28][29][30]

Puccini's Turandot leitmotif

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Puccini began working on Turandot in March 1920 after meeting with librettists Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. In his impatience, he began composition in January 1921, before Adami and Simoni had produced the text for the libretto.[31] As with Madama Butterfly, Puccini strove for a semblance of authenticity by using music from the region, even commissioning a set of thirteen custom-made gongs.[32] Baron Edoardo Fassini-Camossi, the former Italian diplomat to China, gave Puccini a music box that played 4 Chinese melodies.[33] Puccini incorporated three of these melodies into his opera, the most memorable of which is the folk melody "Mò Li Hūa (茉莉花)" ('Jasmine Flower').[34] Mò Li Hūa serves as a leitmotif for Princess Turandot's splendor.[35] In total, eight of the themes from Turandot appear to be based on traditional Chinese music and anthems.[36]

Music historians have subsequently traced Puccini's fascination with Chinese music that led to the usage of the folk song as "thanks to a music box, coming from a former Italian diplomat who had served in China, which he received as a gift."[7] W. Anthony Sheppard, Marylin and Arthur Levitt Professor of Music at Williams College has traced this music box to have been likely the source of the Turandot leitmotif.[37] Sheppard notes that the accompanying music sheets for this music box version which Puccini would have referenced also mistakingly titled the name of the song as “Sinfa” (“Fresh Flowers”).[38]

Puccini's specific rendition of "Mo Li Hua" through the Turandot leitmotif has gained its own compositional popularity and the Chinese-American composer Tan Dun's notable 1990 Nine Songs: Water Spirit performance where "Mo Li Hua" was referenced has been argued by composer Christian Utz to be an evolution upon Puccini's quotated version rather than having drawn from the original folk tune itself.[39]

Lyrics

[edit]

There are several versions of the song, with different lyrics and melody.

First variant

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One of the popular versions lyrics goes:

\relative c' { \key c \major \clef treble \time 2/2 e4 e8 g a( c) c a | g4 g8( a) g4 r | e4 e8 g a( c) c a | g4 g8( a) g4 r | g g g e8( g) | a4 a g2 | e4 d8( e) g4 e8( d) | c4 c8( d) c2 | e8( d) c( e) d4. e8 | g4 a8( c) g2 | d4 e8( g) d( e) c( a) | g2 a4 c | d4. e8 c( d) c( a) | g2 r \bar ".|" } \addlyrics { 好 一 朵 美 麗 的 茉 莉 花 好 一 朵 美 麗 的 茉 莉 花 芬 芳 美 麗 滿 枝 椏 又 香 又 白 人 人 誇 讓 我 來 將 你 摘 下 送 給 別 人 家 茉 莉 花 呀 茉 莉 花 } \addlyrics { 好 一 朵 美 丽 的 茉 莉 花 好 一 朵 美 丽 的 茉 莉 花 芬 芳 美 丽 满 枝 桠 又 香 又 白 人 人 夸 让 我 来 将 你 摘 下 送 给 别 人 家 茉 莉 花 呀 茉 莉 花 } \addlyrics { hǎo yī duǒ měi lì de mò li huā hǎo yī duǒ měi lì de mò li huā fēn fāng měi lì mǎn zhī yā yòu xiāng yòu bái rén rén kuā ràng wǒ lái jiāng nǐ zhāi xià sòng gěi bié rén jiā mò li huā ya mò li huā }

Second variant

[edit]

Another popular versions' lyrics, with three strophes:[12]: 46– 

[edit]

In 2018, the song was heard in the beginning of music video of Gluk’oZa and Leningrad’s song “Zhu-Zhu” (“Жу-жу”). The song was also in beginning of music video of 2021 song by Gluk’oZa named “Moths” (“Мотыльки”). In the 2016 turn-based strategy 4X video game developed by Firaxis Games, Civilization VI, "Mo Li Hua" is the civilization theme for China, progressing from the original melody during the ancient period to a orchestral evolution of the song in the modern period.

See also

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Notes

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a The song has been mistakenly titled as 魔力紅, which is pronounced similarly.

b Though most commonly known in English as the Jasmine Flower, the title has also been translated as Beautiful Jasmine Flower[41] or Such a Beautiful Jasmine.[42] It has also been transliterated as Mo Li Hua,[10] Mo-Li Hua,[16] Moli Hua[18]: 83–  and Molihua.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "教育部《國語辭典簡編本》2021".
  2. ^ a b c d e Chen, Qian (21 July 2008). "'Jasmine Flower' chosen for medal ceremony music". Shanghai Daily. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Classical piece will ring in ears of winners". China Daily.
  4. ^ a b c d Lau, Frederick (31 December 2019), Lau, Frederick; Yano, Christine R. (eds.), "CHAPTER 4. "Molihua": Culture and Meaning of China's Most Well-Traveled Folksong", Making Waves, University of Hawaii Press, pp. 81–99, doi:10.1515/9780824874872-006, ISBN 978-0-8248-7487-2, retrieved 15 August 2024
  5. ^ "The Amazing Molihua: Culture and Meaning of China's Most Well-known Folksong | Happening @ Michigan". events.umich.edu. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Polish take on popular Chinese folk song debuts in China". news.cgtn.com. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b Leone, Massimo; Surace, Bruno; Zeng, Jun (2019). The waterfall and the fountain: comparative semiotic essays on contemporary arts in China. I saggi di Lexia (1st edition ed.). Canterano (RM): Aracne editrice. ISBN 978-88-255-2787-2. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  8. ^ Lau, Frederick (31 December 2019), Lau, Frederick; Yano, Christine R. (eds.), "CHAPTER 4. "Molihua": Culture and Meaning of China's Most Well-Traveled Folksong", Making Waves, University of Hawaii Press, pp. 81–99, doi:10.1515/9780824874872-006, ISBN 978-0-8248-7487-2, retrieved 15 August 2024
  9. ^ Yoshihara, Mari (2007). Musicians from a Different Shore: Asians and Asian Americans in Classical Music. Temple University Press. ISBN 978-1-59213-332-1.
  10. ^ a b Yayoi Uno Everett; Frederick Lau (2004). Locating East Asia in Western art music. Wesleyan University Press. pp. 276–. ISBN 978-0-8195-6662-1. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Jie Jin (31 March 2011). Chinese Music. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-18691-9. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  12. ^ a b c Hong Zhang; Zu-yan Chen; Robert Daly (January 2001). Chinese Through Song. Global Academic Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58684-122-5. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  13. ^ Alan Robert Thrasher (2008). Sizhu instrumental music of South China: ethos, theory and practice. BRILL. pp. 116–. ISBN 978-90-04-16500-7. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  14. ^ "Polish take on popular Chinese folk song debuts in China". news.cgtn.com. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  15. ^ Janz, Tobias; Yang, Chien-Chang (2019). Decentering musical modernity: perspectives on East Asian and European music history. Music and Sound Culture = Musik und Klangkultur. Bielefeld: Transcript. ISBN 978-3-8376-4649-8.
  16. ^ a b William Ashbrook; Harold Powers (1991). Puccini's Turandot: The End of the Great Tradition. Princeton University Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-691-02712-8. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  17. ^ Burton D. Fisher (1 June 2004). Opera Classics Library Puccini Companion: The Glorious Dozen. Opera Journeys Publishing. pp. 696–. ISBN 978-1-930841-62-8. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  18. ^ a b Peter M. Chang (28 February 2006). Chou Wen-Chung: the life and work of a contemporary Chinese-born American composer. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5296-9. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  19. ^ Sheppard, W. Anthony (15 June 2012). "Music Box as Muse to Puccini's 'Butterfly'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  20. ^ Ian Johnson, "Calls for a 'Jasmine Revolution' in China Persist", The New York Times, 23 February 2011
  21. ^ Robert Lawrence Kuhn (14 July 2009). How China's leaders think: the inside story of China's reform and what this means for the future. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 339–. ISBN 978-0-470-82445-0. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  22. ^ Monroe Edwin Price (28 February 2008). Owning the Olympics: narratives of the new China. University of Michigan Press. pp. 202–. ISBN 978-0-472-05032-1. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  23. ^ Bohlman, Philip Vilas (2013). The Cambridge history of world music. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-86848-8.
  24. ^ Vitas' official site. Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ "Celine Dion's Chinese New Year song". BBC News.
  26. ^ "Song Zu Ying | Artist". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Dimash – Jasmine (茉莉花) the Sing New Era CCTV3". YouTube.
  28. ^ "Dimash and Luo Tianyi (洛天依) – Jasmine". YouTube.
  29. ^ "VOCALOID史上初 中国語の歌声ライブラリ『VOCALOID3 Library 洛天依』を 中国及び台湾で販売開始 | ビープラッツ – サブスクリプションをすべてのビジネスに。月額・継続課金の総合プラットフォームなら、ビープラッツ。". bplats. 25 July 2012.
  30. ^ Zhang, Jane (2 March 2019). "Virtual idols leave everything to their fans' imagination". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  31. ^ Ashbrook & Powers 1991, p. 65.
  32. ^ "Howard Van Hyning, Percussionist and Gong Enthusiast, Dies at 74" by Margalit Fox, The New York Times, 8 November 2010. Accessed 9 November 2010.
  33. ^ Christian Utz (2021). Musical Composition in the Context of Globalization. transcript Verlag. ISBN 9783839450956.
  34. ^ W. Anthony Sheppard (17 June 2012). "Music Box as Muse to Puccini's 'Butterfly'". The New York Times.
  35. ^ Ashbrook, William; Harold, Powers (23 April 1991). Puccini's Turandot: The End of the Great Tradition. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691027128.
  36. ^ Ashbrook & Powers 1991, Chapter 4.
  37. ^ Sheppard, W. Anthony (15 June 2012). "Music Box as Muse to Puccini's 'Butterfly'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  38. ^ Sheppard, W. Anthony (15 June 2012). "Music Box as Muse to Puccini's 'Butterfly'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  39. ^ Janz, Tobias; Yang, Chien-Chang (2019). Decentering musical modernity: perspectives on East Asian and European music history. Music and Sound Culture = Musik und Klangkultur. Bielefeld: Transcript. ISBN 978-3-8376-4649-8.
  40. ^ "歌曲英译- 好一朵美丽的茉莉花_新浪博客". Sina Corp.
  41. ^ "Jasmine stirrings in China: No awakening, but crush it anyway: The government goes to great lengths to make sure all is outwardly calm", 3 March 2011
  42. ^ Clem, Will (3 March 2011). "The flowering of an unconventional revolution". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
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