Quick Answer: What Is Moon Reflected on Erquan?
Moon Reflected on Erquan (Erquan Yingyue, 二泉映月, Èrquán Yìngyuè) is a piece for erhu (二胡, èrhú) by the Wuxi musician Abing (阿炳, Ābǐng). A 1950 wire recording preserves his solo performance.[1][2]
- Place: The title refers to the Second Spring at Huishan in Wuxi.[4]
- Recording: The Chinese National Academy of Arts catalogs the solo among six surviving pieces by Abing.[1]
- Arrangement: Wu Zuqiang (吴祖强, Wú Zǔqiáng) adapted the piece for string ensemble.[3]
Start with the solo to hear how one bowed instrument carries the line.
Listen for a figure you recognize when it comes back. The performer may draw out the end or change its emphasis. Those small differences matter when you compare Abing’s solo with an arrangement that spreads the same line across a string section.
The Second Spring in Wuxi
The China National Symphony Orchestra uses the English title The Moon Reflected on the Second Spring and links the place name to Huishan. The title can suggest a night scene to listeners. The music’s history also belongs to Abing’s career as a street musician in Wuxi, whose birth name was Hua Yanjun.[4][6]
English programs sometimes render Erquan as Second Spring and sometimes keep the place name. Search by the Chinese title and player to find a performance under either translation.[4][5][6]
What the 1950 Recording Preserved
Yang Yinliu and Cao Anhe recorded Abing in Wuxi in 1950. The archive’s fieldwork account includes Listening to the Pine among the erhu pieces and Big Waves Wash the Sand among the pipa pieces.[2]
The Chinese National Academy of Arts describes transferring the original wire to digital audio. Its collection credits Erquan Yingyue as an erhu solo. The archive’s date identifies when the solo was recorded.[1]
From Solo Erhu to a String Ensemble
The National Centre for the Performing Arts credits Wu with the string arrangement and lists a Beijing premiere in 1977 and score publication in 1979. Bard College Conservatory lists Abing as composer and Wu as arranger in its performance program.[3][6]
The China National Symphony Orchestra has programmed this string setting alongside an excerpt from the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto. One work brings an erhu solo into an ensemble. The other gives a featured violinist the lead.[4]
Follow the Melody Across Versions
Find the start of a familiar phrase on Abing’s erhu. Notice how the pitch and pressure change while a note sounds. In the string arrangement, listen for a similar melodic turn and hear whether the other instruments double the tune or sustain notes under it.
For another cataloged version, the Smithsonian’s Han Tang Ensemble recording places the piece from 10:00 to 15:35. The same concert opens with the separate work Moon over the Mountain Pass.[5]
FAQs About Moon Reflected on Erquan
Who is Abing?
Abing is the name by which the Wuxi musician Hua Yanjun is widely known.[6]
What does Erquan mean in the title?
Erquan means Second Spring and refers to the spring at Huishan in Wuxi.[4]
Who arranged the piece for string ensemble?
Wu Zuqiang arranged the string ensemble version from Abing’s erhu solo.[3]
Источники
[1] Chinese National Academy of Arts. The Six Surviving Recordings of Abing
[2] China Intangible Cultural Heritage. Building a Chinese Traditional Music Recording Archive
[3] National Centre for the Performing Arts, China. Wu Zuqiang: Works and Biography
[4] China National Symphony Orchestra. 70th Anniversary Concert Program
[5] Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art. Traditional Chinese Music: The Han Tang Ensemble
[6] Bard College Conservatory of Music. Journey to the East