DANCE OF THE YI PEOPLE (彝謮渫阹) (1960)

Wang Huiran
(b. Shanghai, China, 1936)

Composed 1960; 8 minutes

A classic pipa composition that is widely known in China, Dance of the Yi People, has become a model for many pipa compositions. It combines the spirit and, some sources say, the letter of folk music, with expert writing for the four-string pipa by a composer who was himself a soloist in several musical ensembles during his early career. Over half of the Yi minority live in Yunnan province, often in mountainous areas. Dance of the Yi People is in nine sections descriptive of village life, with the last three sections recapitulating the opening three. A favorite of Wu Han since she played it at her Beijing Conservatory audition in 1978, it is said to be the first pipa composition to adopt Western chords and guitar techniques and showcase virtuoso pipa techniques such as tremolos, strumming, sliding notes and harmonics.