# Huang Tzu

Huang Tzu (simplified Chinese: 黄自; traditional Chinese: 黃自; pinyin: Huáng Zì; Wade–Giles: Huang Tzu; 23 March 1904 - 9 May 1938), courtesy name Jinwu (Chinese: 今吾; pinyin: Jīnwú; Wade–Giles: Chin-wu), was a Chinese composer of the early 20th century.

## Life

Huang was born in Chuansha, Shanghai, during the final years of the Qing Dynasty. His father Huang Hongpei was a factory manager, and his mother Lu Meixian founded the first women’s school in Shanghai. He was also a distant relative of Huang Yanpei. He was accepted into Tsinghua College in 1916 and was introduced to Western music there. While at Tsinghua, he studied piano and vocal music, and was well-known within the local community. At that time, he was also influenced by the May Fourth Movement, which occurred in 1919.
After his graduation in 1924, Huang went on to study psychology in Oberlin College in Ohio, United States, assisted by the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship. There, he studied music theory, sight-singing, dictation, and keyboard harmony. In 1928, he was accepted into Yale University, where he studied Western music. In Yale, he composed the overture In Memoriam, which is the first large-scale orchestral work by a Chinese composer. There, he also composed another overture called "Nostalgia", which was played at the Yale School of Music’s graduation concert."
In 1929, Huang returned to China and taught in the University of Shanghai, National Music College and other music schools. After the Mukden Incident in 1931, Huang wrote patriotic songs such as Resist the Enemy Song (抗敌歌). During this time, he also faced censorship from the Chinese government, and had to change "enemy" for "Japan" in the song's title. In 1935, he established the Shanghai Orchestra, the first all-Chinese orchestra. Some of his students, including He Luting, Ding Shande, Zhu Ying, Jiang Dingxian, Lin Sheng, Lin Shengxi and Liu Xue'an, became famous musicians later.

## Works

Huang's best-known works include: Philosophical Song (天倫歌); Plum Blossoms in the Snow (踏雪尋梅), a 1933 large cantata based on Bai Juyi's poem Chang hen ge; Flower in the Mist (花非花); Lotus Song (採蓮謠); Benshi (本事). He also composed the National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China. Huang died of typhoid fever in Shanghai in 1938.

### List by year

| Title | Year | Instrumentation | Text |
| Nostalgia (怀旧) | 1929 | Orchestra | N/A |
| Missing Homeland (思乡) | 1932 | Voice and piano | Wei Hanzhang |
| Spring Nostalgia (春思曲) | 1932 | Voice and piano | Wei Hanzhang |
| Three Wishes From a Rose (玫瑰三愿) | 1932 | Voice, violin, and piano | Long Qi |
| Present to the Front Line Soldiers (赠前敌将士) | 1932 | | He Xiangning |
| West Lake After Rain (雨后西湖) | 1933 | | Wei Hanzhang |
| September 18th (九一八) | 1933 | | Wei Hanzhang |
| Plum Blossoms in the Snow (踏雪寻梅) | 1933 | | Liu Xue'an |
| Down to Jiangling (下江陵) | 1933 | | Li Bai |
| Flower in the Mist (花非花) | 1933 | Voice and piano | Bai Juyi |
| Ode to Ascending the Tower (点绛唇 · 赋登楼) | 1934 | Voice and piano | Wang Zhuo |
| Students' Year of National Goods Song (学生国货年歌) | 1934 | | Huang Yanpei |
| Thoughts on Climbing Beigu Pavilion in Jingkou (南乡子·登京口北固亭有怀) | 1934 | | Xin Qiji |
| Composed in Residence at Huangzhou Dinghui Garden (卜算子·黄州定慧院寓居作) | 1934 | | Su Shi |
| The West Wind's Words (西风的话) | 1934 | | Liao Fushu |
| Swallow Speak (燕语) | 1934 | | Wei Hanzhang |
| Sleeping Lion (睡狮) | 1934 | | Wei Hanzhang |
| Lotus Song (采莲谣) | 1934 | | Wei Hanzhang |
| Philosophical Song (天伦歌) | 1936 | | Zhong Shigen |
| Song of Enthusiasm (热血歌) | 1937 | | Wu Zonghai |