Autumn sun, fine wind, cold water, idle duck…
Overview
Chinese Name: 寒鸦戏水
English Name: Winter Crows Playing in Water, Winter Ducks Frolicking in the Water, Han Ya Xi Shui
“Winter Crows Playing in Water “, a famous Chaozheng song, is one of the top ten divertimentos of Chaozhou Music. This song has a beautiful melody, fresh style, and unique charm. It is known as Chaoshan Capital Song (Chaoshan, roughly referring to Chaozhou capital). It is the most poetic one of the ten major songs of Chaozhou String Poem (潮州弦诗)”Ruan Tao（软套）”.
What is Chaozhou Music?
Chaozhou music, referred to as Chaoyue for short,also named Teochew Music or Teochew String Music, It is a traditional music mainly spread in Chaoshan area of Guangdong Province and one of the national intangible cultural heritages.
Chaozhou City is the center and birthplace of Chaozhou music. Its source can be traced back to the Tang and Song Dynasties and mature in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Chaozhou music is characterized by simplicity, elegance and beautiful lyricism. Its main musical instruments are erhu, erhu, dulcimer, gongs and drums and other percussion instruments. Chaozhou music has retained a lot of Ancient Rhymes of Nanyin and has attracted more and more attention in the world. It is derived from local folk songs, dances and minor tunes, and absorbs the materials of Yiyang tune, Kunqiang tune, qin tune, Han tune, Dao tune and faqu music. It has rich reserves and a wide variety, which can be roughly divided into square music and chamber music. Chaozhou music is also widely popular in eastern Guangdong, Guangzhou, Southern Fujian, Shanghai, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Southeast Asian countries and places where Chaozhou people live.
Story Of Winter Crows Playing in Water
At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing government still retained a group of old ministers of the Ming Dynasty in order to consolidate its rule, but took the means of monitoring and cruel suppression. The old ministers of the Ming Dynasty dare not talk when they meet and dare not stay when they walk. They are afraid that if they are careless, they will be killed. They feel lonely and humble. They can enjoy themselves only when they go home. Winter Crows Playing in Water consists of two parts and four passages. The first part focuses on the characters’ depression, pain and anger; The second part describes the state of mind in which the mood gradually improves, the mind can play behind closed doors, and the spirit can be completely relaxed temporarily.
” Winter Crows Playing in Water” with unique and elegant melody, fresh style, unique charm and bright ups and downs, deduces the scene of jackdaws leisurely and contentedly chasing and playing with each other in the water.
This song was also adapted for Pipa by Liu Baoshan (1937.6.12-1997.9.4) (Chinese Pipa composer and performer). It is a national Pipa grade 7 repertoire. Erhu performing artist min Huifen also adapted this song for erhu.