"Tianya genü" (Chinese: 天涯歌女; pinyin: Tiānyá gēnǚ), or "The Wandering Songstress", is one of two theme songs from the 1937 Chinese film Street Angel; the other being the "Four Seasons Song" (Chinese: 四季歌; pinyin: Sì jì gē). It was composed by He Luting based on an older Suzhou ballad, with lyrics by Tian Han.[1][2] The song was sung by Zhou Xuan in the film, playing the role of Xiao Hong.[3][4]
It is one of the most notable of the Chinese popular songs from the 30s and 40s, and has been described as a song that has "a lingering fame" in China like "As Time Goes By" from the 1942 film Casablanca in the United States.[5] The song has also been described as "a classic Chinese love song".
In the film, this song was called "Tianya Ge", "The Wandering Song" (Chinese: 天涯歌; pinyin: Tiānyá gē), but became better known as "Tianya Genü". "Tianya Genü" has been translated in various English sources as "The Wandering Songstress",[6][7] "Singing Girl",[8] "The Songstress of the World",[9] "The Wandering Singer",[10] "Singer at the Sky Edge",[11] and "Singing Girl at the Edge of the World".[12] The varying translations came from the different possible readings of the song title. "Tianya" (Chinese: 天涯) literally means "sky horizon" that carries the meaning of "at the end of the world", but within the context of the song it also has the figurative meanings of "separation by a long distance" from the phrase "tianya haijiao" (天涯海角, "ends of the world", used in a Tang dynasty poem that describes someone wandering looking for a person far away), which is part of the lyrics that describe someone seeking to find her intended.[13][14]
"The Wandering Songstress" (天涯歌女)
A short excerpt from the song "The Wandering Songstress" by Zhou Xuan.
According to the composer He Luting, the director of the film Street Angel found two urban folk ballads from Suzhou he wanted to use on the film, "Crying on the Seventh Seven Day Cycle" (哭七七) and "One Who Knows Me Well" (知心客), which He Luting then adapted to become "Song of the Four Season" (四季歌) and "The Wandering Songstress" respectively.[15][16] The songs were arranged according to principles of Western music composition.[17]
"The Wandering Songstress" was performed in a traditional Chinese vocal style, accompanied by Chinese music instruments such as erhu, pipa, and sanxian in the manner of a Jiangnan ballad. According to He, the recording was done quickly as Zhou Xuan grasped the idea of how the song should be performed very quickly.[18]
Popular usageEdit
"The Wandering Songstress" is often used in film soundtracks, usually in Chinese language films, but also in some Western language films, for example in the 2006 ensemble film Paris, je t'aime and its 2009 sequel, New York, I Love You.[19][20][21][22]
One of its most notable uses in films is in Ang Lee's 2007 film Lust, Caution, in which it is sung by Tang Wei who played the role of Wong Chia Chi.
When it is used in the film Lust, Caution, its "pathos and poignancy" is strengthened by the evidence of the Japanese occupation in the film's setting.[23]The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Cinemas says the song's use in Street Angel was an attempt to replace "the old 'vulgar' connotations of shidaiqu with feelings of national awareness", while its use in Lust, Caution was "a defiant expression" of shidaiqu under Japanese occupation.[24]
^Darrell William Davis (2013). "Chapter 23 - Marriage of Convenience: Musical moments in Chinese movies". In Carlos Rojas; Eileen Chow (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Cinemas. Oxford University Press. p. 443. ISBN978-0199765607.
^洪芳怡 (2008). 天涯歌女: 周璇與她的歌 (The Wondering Songstress: Zhou Xuan and her songs). 秀威出版. p. 122. ISBN9789866732737.
^YAndrew F. Jones ellow Music: Media Culture and Colonial Modernity - 2001 - Page 134 "Indeed, Zhou Xuan's two musical sequences in the film, Song of the Seasons (Siji ge) and Sing-Song Girl at the Ends of the Earth (Tianya genü) by ...
^中國婦女傳記詞典 - Lily Xiao Hong Lee, A. D. Stefanowska, Sue Wiles - 2003 Page 716-"Outstanding also are the two songs performed in the film by Zhou Xuan: “Four Seasons” (Siji ge) and “Songstress at the End of the World” (Tianya genü), with lyrics by Tian Han. These beautiful songs were extremely popular at the time and ...
^Silbergeld, Jerome (2012). "From Mountain Songs to Silvery Moonlight: Some Notes on Music in Chinese Cinema". In Zhang, Yingjin (ed.). A Companion to Chinese Cinema. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 418. ISBN978-1-4443-3029-8.
^Ang, Christina (May 26, 2011). "Macho Chau discovers his feminine side". Asia One.
^. CRI English. June 29, 2009. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013.
^. China Daily. May 19, 2005. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013.
^Lim, Louisa (December 5, 2009). "Loving the past". The Star.
^Wong, Johnni (August 29, 2004). "Eternal allure of Zhou Xuan". The Star.
^Chuah, Gerald (August 18, 2004). "Memories of old Shanghai night". "Hot & Happening" section.
^. Shanghai Daily. January 27, 2005. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013.
^"天涯海角". zdic.net. Note: From Southern dynasty writer Xu Ling: "天涯藐藐，地角悠悠了，阴谋诡计 面无由，但以情企。" Used in a Tang Dynasty poem by Lü Yan - 天涯海角人求我，行到天涯不见人。Also explained by Song dynasty writer Zhang Shinan (张世南) in《游宦记闻》卷六："今之远宦及远服贾者，皆曰天涯海角，盖俗谈也"
^A Critical History of New Music in China - Page 256 Jingzhi Liu - 2010 ".. duets and rounds, including the famous Siji ge [Song of four seasons], Tianya genü [Wandering sing-song girl], Qiushui yiren [Longing for her love], Jialing jiang shang [On the banks of the Jialing River], Pusa man [To the tune of Pusa man], ...
^Yau Shuk-Ting Kinnia - East Asian Cinema and Cultural Heritage: From China, Hong Kong 2011 "He Luting (1903—1999), head of Shanghai Conservatory of Music since 1949, first achieved fame in the movie industry by composing the sound track and arranging the accompaniment for Zhou Xuan's (1919—1957) evergreen Tianya genu' ...
^Historical Dictionary of Modern Chinese Literature -Li-hua Ying - 2009 Page 153 "Tianya genu' (A Female Street Singer), Qingming shijie (At the Qingming Festival ), Xin taohua shan (A New Version of the Peach-Blossom Fan), and Yehuo chunfeng (Blustery Wind and Wildfire in Spring) are among his most memorable films.
^Bracken, Gregory (2013). The Shanghai Alleyway House: A Vanishing Urban Vernacular. Routledge. p. 119. ISBN978-0-415-64071-8.
^Rojas, Carlos; Chow, Eileen, eds. (2013). "A marriage of convenience: Musical moments in Chinese movies". The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Cinema. Oxford University Press. p. 443. ISBN978-0-19-976560-7.
October 15, 2023
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Tianya genu Chinese 天涯歌女 pinyin Tianya genǚ or The Wandering Songstress is one of two theme songs from the 1937 Chinese film Street Angel the other being the Four Seasons Song Chinese 四季歌 pinyin Si ji ge It was composed by He Luting based on an older Suzhou ballad with lyrics by Tian Han 1 2 The song was sung by Zhou Xuan in the film playing the role of Xiao Hong 3 4 The Wandering Songstress Song by Zhou XuanReleased1937GenreShidaiquLength2 31Composer s He LutingLyricist s Tian HanIt is one of the most notable of the Chinese popular songs from the 30s and 40s and has been described as a song that has a lingering fame in China like As Time Goes By from the 1942 film Casablanca in the United States 5 The song has also been described as a classic Chinese love song Contents 1 Song title 2 Composition and orchestration 3 Popular usage 4 Cover versions 5 ReferencesSong title Edit nbsp Zhou Xuan singing The Wandering Songstress in Street AngelIn the film this song was called Tianya Ge The Wandering Song Chinese 天涯歌 pinyin Tianya ge but became better known as Tianya Genu Tianya Genu has been translated in various English sources as The Wandering Songstress 6 7 Singing Girl 8 The Songstress of the World 9 The Wandering Singer 10 Singer at the Sky Edge 11 and Singing Girl at the Edge of the World 12 The varying translations came from the different possible readings of the song title Tianya Chinese 天涯 literally means sky horizon that carries the meaning of at the end of the world but within the context of the song it also has the figurative meanings of separation by a long distance from the phrase tianya haijiao 天涯海角 ends of the world used in a Tang dynasty poem that describes someone wandering looking for a person far away which is part of the lyrics that describe someone seeking to find her intended 13 14 nbsp The Wandering Songstress 天涯歌女 source source A short excerpt from the song The Wandering Songstress by Zhou Xuan Problems playing this file See media help Composition and orchestration EditAccording to the composer He Luting the director of the film Street Angel found two urban folk ballads from Suzhou he wanted to use on the film Crying on the Seventh Seven Day Cycle 哭七七 and One Who Knows Me Well 知心客 which He Luting then adapted to become Song of the Four Season 四季歌 and The Wandering Songstress respectively 15 16 The songs were arranged according to principles of Western music composition 17 The Wandering Songstress was performed in a traditional Chinese vocal style accompanied by Chinese music instruments such as erhu pipa and sanxian in the manner of a Jiangnan ballad According to He the recording was done quickly as Zhou Xuan grasped the idea of how the song should be performed very quickly 18 Popular usage Edit The Wandering Songstress is often used in film soundtracks usually in Chinese language films but also in some Western language films for example in the 2006 ensemble film Paris je t aime and its 2009 sequel New York I Love You 19 20 21 22 One of its most notable uses in films is in Ang Lee s 2007 film Lust Caution in which it is sung by Tang Wei who played the role of Wong Chia Chi When it is used in the film Lust Caution its pathos and poignancy is strengthened by the evidence of the Japanese occupation in the film s setting 23 The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Cinemas says the song s use in Street Angel was an attempt to replace the old vulgar connotations of shidaiqu with feelings of national awareness while its use in Lust Caution was a defiant expression of shidaiqu under Japanese occupation 24 Cover versions EditThe song has been covered by numerous singers including Li Xianglan in the 1944 Japanese film Yasen gungakutai 野戦軍楽隊 Military Combat Music Band Bai Guang Teresa Teng Tsai Chin Wakin Chau Adia Chan in Cantonese Lin Bao 林寶 in Shanghainese Song Zuying Zhang Yan 張燕 References Edit Darrell William Davis 2013 Chapter 23 Marriage of Convenience Musical moments in Chinese movies In Carlos Rojas Eileen Chow eds The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Cinemas Oxford University Press p 443 ISBN 978 0199765607 洪芳怡 2008 天涯歌女 周璇與她的歌 The Wondering Songstress Zhou Xuan and her songs 秀威出版 p 122 ISBN 9789866732737 YAndrew F Jones ellow Music Media Culture and Colonial Modernity 2001 Page 134 Indeed Zhou Xuan s two musical sequences in the film Song of the Seasons Siji ge and Sing Song Girl at the Ends of the Earth Tianya genu by 中國婦女傳記詞典 Lily Xiao Hong Lee A D Stefanowska Sue Wiles 2003 Page 716 Outstanding also are the two songs performed in the film by Zhou Xuan Four Seasons Siji ge and Songstress at the End of the World Tianya genu with lyrics by Tian Han These beautiful songs were extremely popular at the time and Silbergeld Jerome 2012 From Mountain Songs to Silvery Moonlight Some Notes on Music in Chinese Cinema In Zhang Yingjin ed A Companion to Chinese Cinema Wiley Blackwell p 418 ISBN 978 1 4443 3029 8 Ang Christina May 26 2011 Macho Chau discovers his feminine side Asia One Shanghai Will Play on the World s Stage CRI English June 29 2009 Archived from the original on October 3 2013 Musical Zhou Xuan Stages Beijing Tonight China Daily May 19 2005 Archived from the original on October 3 2013 Lim Louisa December 5 2009 Loving the past The Star Wong Johnni August 29 2004 Eternal allure of Zhou Xuan The Star Chuah Gerald August 18 2004 Memories of old Shanghai night Hot amp Happening section Echoes of a golden voice Shanghai Daily January 27 2005 Archived from the original on October 29 2013 天涯海角 zdic net Note From Southern dynasty writer Xu Ling 天涯藐藐 地角悠悠了 阴谋诡计 面无由 但以情企 Used in a Tang Dynasty poem by Lu Yan 天涯海角人求我 行到天涯不见人 Also explained by Song dynasty writer Zhang Shinan 张世南 in 游宦记闻 卷六 今之远宦及远服贾者 皆曰天涯海角 盖俗谈也 A Critical History of New Music in China Page 256 Jingzhi Liu 2010 duets and rounds including the famous Siji ge Song of four seasons Tianya genu Wandering sing song girl Qiushui yiren Longing for her love Jialing jiang shang On the banks of the Jialing River Pusa man To the tune of Pusa man 洪芳怡 January 2008 天涯歌女 周璇與她的歌 秀威出版 pp 44 45 ISBN 9789866732737 陈浩望 1999 贺绿汀回忆聂耳和周璇 音乐天地 cnki net Joys Hoi Yan Cheung 2011 Chinese Music and Translated Modernity in Shanghai 1918 1937 p 174 ISBN 978 1243526014 周璿曾想隨賀綠汀去解放區 華聲在線 2012 08 08 New York I Love You Soundtrack Paris je t aime 2006 Soundtracks IMDb Yau Shuk Ting Kinnia East Asian Cinema and Cultural Heritage From China Hong Kong 2011 He Luting 1903 1999 head of Shanghai Conservatory of Music since 1949 first achieved fame in the movie industry by composing the sound track and arranging the accompaniment for Zhou Xuan s 1919 1957 evergreen Tianya genu Historical Dictionary of Modern Chinese Literature Li hua Ying 2009 Page 153 Tianya genu A Female Street Singer Qingming shijie At the Qingming Festival Xin taohua shan A New Version of the Peach Blossom Fan and Yehuo chunfeng Blustery Wind and Wildfire in Spring are among his most memorable films Bracken Gregory 2013 The Shanghai Alleyway House A Vanishing Urban Vernacular Routledge p 119 ISBN 978 0 415 64071 8 Rojas Carlos Chow Eileen eds 2013 A marriage of convenience Musical moments in Chinese movies The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Cinema Oxford University Press p 443 ISBN 978 0 19 976560 7 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Wandering Songstress amp oldid 1162344837, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
