Many years ago, the song "Erquan Reflecting the Moon" was once popular all over the country, and it was engraved into laser records along with many world-famous songs, and was sent into space, becoming a hope for communicating with other extraterrestrial highly intelligent creatures.
Since then, the erhu seems to be closely associated with the name "Blind A Bing".
A Bing, a blind man, has had ups and downs all his life. When he was young, he worked as a Taoist priest, but he ate, drank, prostituted, gambled, and smoked, so that he fell into the streets. But he,How did you go from a street performer to an artist in the temple?
Speaking of Ah Bing, many people will have a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses and a felt hat, groping for an erhu. In fact, the only video material left in his life was during the Japanese puppet rule in Wuxi, which he handled"Certificate of Good Citizenship"A standard photograph taken at the time.
* There is no erhu, his signature instrument, just an ordinary blind man with glasses and a felt hat, with a face full of vicissitudes and a thin body. Later people portrayed him in works of artMost of them are also from this ** to capture some traces.
Bing. Although he can't see Ah Bing's eyes, he seems to be weathered in **. Ah Bing's life has indeed been spent mostly in ups and downs.
A Bing's original name is Hua Yanjun, he was born in Wuxi in 1893, when it was still the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, A Bing was not born with eye disease, but was born with a pair of bright eyes.
Ah Bing's father's name is Hua Qinghe, he is the head Taoist priest of the Lei Zun Palace, and he should not be exposed to red dust, but he gave birth to him with a widow, which is not tolerated by the world. Therefore, since Ah Bing was born, he was destined to fall into the depression of his life experience.
Within a few years, his mother, who had been taking care of Ah Bing alone, passed away under the pressure of the clan, and Ah Bing spent a few years at his aunt's house, and finally came to his father Hua Qinghe at the age of 8But not as a son, but just a little Taoist priest who follows him.
Many Taoist priests at that time were proficient in music and rhythm. It is often the Taoist priest who sits in the town that has more ability, the more prosperous the incense of the Taoist temple will be. Hua Qinghe, as a Taoist priest, is even more literate and chantingHe is good at Taoism and has the reputation of "Iron Hand Pipa".
At that time, the Taoist temple people said that with Huaqing and the skills of playing **, the cost of the Taoist temple was not worried. Ah Bing first studied in a private school for a few years, and then returned to the Taoist temple to study music and rhythm with Hua Qinghe.
At this time, Ah Bing did not know his life experienceHe only knew that ** Hua Qinghe paid special attention to himself and taught him.
When learning to beat the drums, Ah Bing practiced beating the stones day and nightWhen learning to play the flute, Ah Bing often practiced standing on the tuyere, and he still had an iron ring or a weighing stone hanging on his wrist to increase his wrist strength.
Later, when he learned erhu, Ah Bing worked even harder, and under the requirements of **, he practiced so that his fingers were covered with thick calluses, and the strings were stained with blood, but he still kept improving and kept practicingEven the erhu outer strings used in ordinary times are thicker than ordinary strings.
The movie "Two Springs Reflecting the Moon".
The love of parents for their children is far-reaching. Hua Qinghe also felt guilty about this son, he couldn't give Ah Bing's care in the secular sense of the father, so he could only teach him well, so that he could have a life when he grew up.
Ah Bing is indeed smart and clever, more than ten years later, he has become a good hand at playing and singing, and his attainments in Taoism are particularly prominent, and his appearance is also very handsome, and he is a little Taoist who is loved by everyone. In the highly competitive Wuxi Taoism at that time, he was also widely famousHe is known as the "Little Heavenly Master". Ah Bing's future looks very bright.
It's just that Hua Qinghe couldn't hold back before he died, called Ah Bing to the bedside, and told him the truth about the relationship between the two. PhotoGu himself for many years, **, is actually his biological father, Ah Bing can not accept it.
But in front of Hua Qinghe's old and sick face before his death, he couldn't say anything, so he could only agree to take over his class and become the head Taoist priest of the Lei Zun Palace.
It's just that Ah Bing is unrestrained by natureSince I was a child, I didn't like to follow those pure rules, In the past, the elders in the Taoist temple were strictly disciplined, but now they have lost their sense of proportion when they are free, and they suddenly learned about their life experience, and they had to find some channels to vent outside.
Ah Bing soon made some fox friends and dog friends, and became infected with a lot of vices. Visiting the kiln and smoking a lot of cigarettes consumes the body and the money in the hand, resulting in a serious illnessHe had no money to treat his illness and eventually lost his sight.
In addition, before Hua Qinghe died, he also asked Ah Bing's cousin to support the Taoist temple with him, but the cousin's heart was not right, and when Ah Bing** was depraved, he hollowed out his power little by little. Now I can't be a Taoist priest, let alone do any physical work, so I can only be reduced to the streets.
If there was still some dignity in the past, now Ah Bing can only wear black-lens glasses, sit by the Wuxi River, play music desolately, and suffer for his experience.
Fortunately, his craft is still there. The world was hot and cold, and the wind and sun were exposed, and it soon consumed his youthful frivolity. He began to understand the importance of begging for life and earning money to support himself. He began to walk the streets and alleys, pulling his erhu in an attempt to attract the attention of passers-by.
Maybe he looks too down, or maybe he's not a famous person, and no one wants to calm down and listen to him play the violin. Some of them knew the ins and outs of Ah Bing's story, and seeing him like this now, they couldn't help but speak coldly to him and treat him as a joke.
At this time, Ah Bing didn't care about these anymore. There is a saying that God will quickly reclaim all your gifts when you fall. Ah Bing lingers in the fireworks alley, and when he smokes a lot, he naturally doesn't have much good ** in his hand.
But now, he has more time to immerse himself in **, and the music flowing from the strings is more charming because of the deep feelings in his heart.
He went back to the teahouse, smoke house, and hotel of the past, sat there, collected what he had seen, compiled rhyming words and singing segments, knocked on the bamboo board, and then returned to Chong'an Temple, where he temporarily lived, and rapped to passers-by.
Compared to the bleak tunes he used to play, this thing was obviously fresher and more appealing.
Gradually, the local people knew that there was a blind man in Chong'an Temple, who was used to rapping about current affairs, and the erhu he played was also fascinating, interesting and novel.
Ah Bing's skills are superb, but in his songs, they are not subtle and elegant that the people at the bottom cannot understand, but are close to life and have fireworks. Even people who don't have a little bit of culture can appreciate the feelings in the song.
Because at this time, the feelings in Ah Bing's heart are simple and represent the public. has his own shadow, as well as the suffering and hardships of thousands of people at the bottom.
Nearly 40 years old, A Bingcai married a wife, a widow in rural Jiangyin, named Dong Xuandi, who was originally sent by the clan to take care of A Bing, but after a long time, the two hard-working people had feelings and lived together.
Dong urged his brother to usually help him go out to perform and cheer for him.
The longer he performs, the more perfect Ah Bing's skills become, and sometimes he doesn't even shout out loud himself, but begs for a trickUse the erhu to pull out the Wuxi tone of "thank you"., Bo audience's like. The erhu he pulls can also imitate the speech of men, women and children, and the sounds of animals, which are vivid.
He often plays the violin not only when he sits in one place, but on the side. When he is immersed in **, the people of Wuxi who pass by will also put down the things in their hands and listen to A Bing's piano. Although Ah Bing played the qin to make a living, he was not bound by money, as long as he could support himself and his wife.
At that time, there were many people who listened to his songs, but they were all ordinary ordinary people, and most of them left without paying. But even if you give very little money or even don't give money, let him play a songHe will also play with great fascination, and will not hesitate to play his piano.
This is the era when even the gramophone and records were a new thing, and everyone could enjoy and enjoy it**. Rejoicing people listened interestinglyPeople who have something on their minds understand the feelings in the music, and they also sigh lightly.
During the war years, the Japanese army occupied Wuxi, and Ah Bing could only change the venue and go as far as Tongyun Road and Beitang to perform arts. The access control at 7 o'clock, Ah Bing often can't return to the city until more than 10 o'clock, so he applies for a pass.
It was precisely in order to apply for this pass that he left the only one that is precious today.
Ah Bing and his wife Dong urged his brother.
After Ah Bing put on his glasses, he rarely took them off, even on **. Hardly anyone can describe what his face looks like without glasses.
In order to live, Ah Bing was in many places and had to submit to the Japanese army. Even if he didn't want to, sometimes the officers defending the city asked him to play the violin, but he had to listen.
But he has a humble status, but he has patriotism in his heart, and he once made up and sang the news and facts about the defeat of the enemy by the Eighth Route ArmyHe also learned the "March of the Volunteers" and played it to his wife on the family mahogany huqin.
Because he was unwilling to submit to the Japanese army and be a slave to the country, he also composed an erhu solo song "Listening to Song", which was generous and passionate, and the listeners could not help but feel the surging patriotic enthusiasm.
In order to escape the war, Ah Bing and his wife traveled to many places, and when they returned to Wuxi, there was already a different scene everywhere, and life was more difficult than before.
*In 36, Ah Bing suffered from a serious lung disease and could no longer perform on the streets, and was not allowed to live in fixed places such as Chong'an Temple for a long time, so he could only stay at homeI earn a small income by repairing musical instruments for others, and I can barely make ends meet.
Time is also fate, Ah Bing may have thought that his life would end in such a sloppy end, but he didn't expect that at the last moment of his life, he ushered in a big change.
Ah Bing is gifted and not stingy in teachingI also once pointed out some peers in erhu playing techniques. People have their own fates and different encounters, but there are always places where fates are intertwined. Among these people was a man named Li Songshou, who was later admitted to the Folk Music Department of Nanjing University of the Arts.
One day when the weather was cold, he moved his fingers outside the piano room of his teacher Chu Shizhu and played the tune. Somehow, some clues from the old days surfacedHe played the tune that Ah Bing taught him in his hometown of Wuxi.
Li Songshou. When the song ended, someone suddenly came up to him and asked him what kind of song he was playing, and he said that it was taught by someone from his hometown, and he didn't know the name.
The person who asked him was Professor Yang Yinliu from *** College, who had just imported a wire recorder from abroad and wanted to record some good folk **.
The song that Li Songshou played just now moved him. The teacher, Chu Shizhu, also came out at this time, saying that this piece is a work with rich connotations and painstaking efforts.
So in September, Yang Yinliu and Professor Cao An made an appointment with Li Songshou to come to Wuxi, and after recording some local Taoism**, they found A Bing and asked him what the name of the song he taught Li Songshou was.
Li Songshou in his later years.
The song was originally created by Ah Bing casually, and when he usually played it, he didn't need to be introduced, so he bluntly said that he had no name. Professor Yang asked him to give him a name, Ah Bing thought for a moment, and said: Then call it "Erquan Yinyue".
Professor Yang said that the name "Printing Moon" has been namedThere is Yingshan Lake in Wuxi, so it is better to call it Yingyue.
After choosing a name, Professor Yang recorded Ah Bing's song.
But he has always regretted that the recording was made on the night of September 2, 1950, when Ah Bing was not in good health and had not played the piano for several years, and he felt that he was desertedEven the huqin and pipa used were found temporarily, and the recording was not the best level in normal times.
"Erquan Reflecting the Moon" is the most famous, in addition to two erhu songs of "Listening to Song" and "Cold Spring Wind Song", and 3 pipa songs of "Big Waves and Sand", "Dragon Boat" and "Zhaojun Out of the Stopper".
After the recording, several professors gave Ah Bing** the tunes he played, and the sounds that he usually listened to hundreds or thousands of times flowed out of the tape recorder.
Ah Bing listened to it, happy like a child, holding the tape recorder and saying to his wife: "Urging my brother, that's my song, my voice." It's a pityAh Bing also has a favorite song "Plum Blossom Three Alleys", which did not stay in the tape recorder.
Less than a month after the recording, on September 25, Ah Bing, who was already seriously ill, went out to participate in the theatrical performance of the inaugural meeting of the Wuxi Dental Association in the cool breeze of late autumn.
Ah Ping has always been a street performer, and this is the first time in his life that he has appeared on stage like this, playing a tune in front of the microphone.
Ah Bing was exhausted, and he was originally just playing the pipa, but the audience in the audience wanted to listen to Ah Bing's erhu. Supporting him were Li Songshou and his wifeThey all advised Ah Bing to pay attention to his body and stop playing erhu.
But the audience was full of people, and even the windows were full of people, all looking at Ah Bing. Many of these people are fresh faces, but there are also many villagers who are used to seeing him on weekdays, and even often come to listen to him.
Ah Bing insisted, and trembled to pull up the song "Erquan Reflecting the Moon".
This piece has infinite desolation and lamentationIt is full of the pain and anxiety of Ah Bing's life, but extremely quiet and gentle.
Even though Ah Bing has played this piece countless times, he still wants to change it from time to time, which is a work that he values very much.
But in front of the conference of so many people, it was the first time and the last time he played this song "Erquan Reflecting the Moon", the name of this song is an elegant scene, which is actually a spiritual portrayal of his A Bing's life, a lifetime of asking and not asking, answering and not answering.
This fame brought him unprecedented joy, but it did not bring him much improvement in his life.
Originally, several professors who recorded thought that Ah Bing was endowed with talent and had superb skills, and wanted to invite him back to the school to teach, but Ah Bing's body at this time no longer allowed him to have such a rush.
After that, Ah Bing went back to his former depressed life, still unable to make ends meet and difficult to support.
Ah Ping has actually always added current affairs news to his songs, which is why his raps are listened to by many people.
Originally, he had been at home for a few years and didn't go out, but after this recording, he went out to sing and sell his art, but the situation he faced was very different from before.
He once composed a song entitled "The Golden Yuan Coupon Harms the Ordinary People", but was arrested and sent to a smoking cessation center on the grounds of obstructing the financial policy of the national treasury.
It's been two months since I went in, and the elderly Ah Bing can withstand that kind of torture, and when he comes back, his body is even more unbearableHis temperament has also become moody, and he has to beat even his favorite musical instruments.
After many years of smoking big cigarettes, Ah Bing's body has long been hollowed out, and the two months in the smoking cessation center are just torture for him. Not long after, on December 4, 57-year-old Ah Bing fell ill and passed away.
It happened that when his wife returned to her parents' house, and when Dong urged his brother to come back, Ah Bing had been dead for two days, his body was stiff, and there were rats around.
Although he was a Taoist priest for less than half of his life, he was still buried in the Taoist tomb of "Yihe Mountain House" at the foot of Wuxi Canshan Mountain.
A month later, Dong Qidi also passed away, and the couple did not leave anyone behind, and they have always supported each other.
It's a pity that the famous song "Erquan Reflecting the Moon" really spread after A Bing's death. In 1972, the famous conductor Seiji Ozawa visited China and heard a series of traditional operas prepared for him by our country.
When he heard Ah Bing's song "Two Springs Reflecting the Moon", Seiji Ozawa listened to it, and no longer sat calmly, but knelt down and listened with tears in his eyes.
In his opinion, this piece is so moving that it deserves such respect.
Seiji Ozawa. In 1977, the American "Voyager 1" probe carried a laser record, which gathered the world's best, including A Bing's "Erquan Reflecting the Moon".
Because of his acquired disability similar to Beethoven and his amazing talent, Ah Bing is also regarded by many as China's hidden Beethoven.
Although Ah Bing's creations are all folk **, it is his personal feelings, but it is also deeply influenced by the Wuxi environment, and the songs are sad and soft, giving people a good aesthetic experience.
Although Ah Bing's personal depravity in his youth and his bad habit of smoking heavily for many years have brought many controversies to his character himself.
Some people will also question whether Ah Bing's downfall and suffering are their own reasons. But in any case, the music created by Ah Ping is a well-deserved work of art. It can resonate with many people and is worthy of our appreciation.