A few days ago, the famous composer, arranger and “Hong Kong Music Master” Gu Jiahui passed away at the age of 92. Classics such as “Shanghai Bund”, “Iron Blood and a Heart”, “Thousands of Waters and Thousand Mountains Are Always Love” became swan songs. As soon as the news came out, it immediately caused a lot of embarrassment inside and outside the circle.
“He popularized Cantonese songs in the 80s, raised the status of Cantonese songs, and was creative.” “Sister” Wang Mingquan’s assessment of Gu Jiahui resonated with many people, whether or not you know her name, everyone’s heart There is a song by Gu Jiahui.
Helped by Run Run Shaw to pursue a music career
Gu Jiahui was born in Guangzhou on January 1, 1931 and was a native of Wu County, Jiangsu. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, his family moved to Hong Kong. When Gu Jiahui was born, his family was wealthy, but later his family fell into decline. However, the strong artistic atmosphere at home has influenced Gu Jiahui since he was a child, which laid the foundation for him and his sister to enter the art world.
Gu Jiahui’s father Gu Danming is a student of Gao Jianfu, a famous painter in Lingnan, he is good at painting and has a rich collection. He once engraved a seal: “Even if I’m not good at painting, there is no one who can paint.” Gu Danming and Zhang Daqian are good friends. Gu Jiahui and his sister have been fascinated by painting since childhood.
Gu Jiahui’s older sister Gu Mei was a famous singer in the 1950s and 1960s, and her famous song is “No Love”. Under the influence of her ears and eyes, Gu Jiahui began learning the piano when he was a teenager. He worked as a luthier in a band, but his income was not stable. When no one was hired, he stayed home. But he doesn’t get discouraged, he takes full advantage of the time to study on his own and improve. In the late 1950s, Gu Jiahui and her like-minded friends formed the “Gu Jiahui Big Band”.
In 1961, the president of the Berklee Conservatory of Music in the United States saw Gu Jiahui perform in a nightclub and offered him a scholarship. But at that time, Gu Jiahui was in short supply and could not even cover enough travel expenses. At the critical moment, Run Run Shaw, the owner of Shaw Brothers, stepped forward. Gu Jiahui’s sister Gu Mei has a good relationship with Fang Yathua, and Fang Yathua is Shaw’s confidante. Of course, Run Run Shaw had nothing to say about the matters assigned by Fang Yat Hua. Also, Boss Run Run Shaw has been around the world for many years and has a discerning pair of eyes. He may have seen the potential in Gu Jiahui. He not only funded Gu Jiahui’s two-year classes, but also took care of his family and eased his worries.
Uniting East and West, writing countless beautiful songs
Gu Jiahui joined the radio station when he returned to Hong Kong and started his amazing music life. He has written countless classics for film and television drama. In 1961, Gu Jiahui first entered the composition competition of the Shaw Brothers’ film “No Love” and created her debut work “Dream”, written by Tao Qin and sung by his sister Gu Mei. career officially begun.
In 1971, Bruce Lee’s martial arts film “Brother Tangshan” was released, smashing the Hong Kong box office in one fell swoop, and the comedy soundtrack was original by Gu Jiahui, and its limelight was second to none. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Hong Kong music scene was dominated by Mandarin songs. TVB started shooting “Laughing Marriage” to write the theme song, Gu Jiahui discussed with director Wang Tianlin and decided to sing in Cantonese, setting a precedent. At the same time, Gu Jiahui produced the soundtrack of “Ghost Horse Twin Stars”. The collaboration between composer Gu Jiahui and singer Xu Guanjie can be called the beginning of Hong Kong Cantonese pop songs, which has cross-cutting significance .
In many songs, Gu Jiahui uses a combination of Western music and Chinese classical style, and often uses the Chinese national mode to compose. He is also good at writing two polyphonic works, such as “Iron Blood Heart” in the TV series “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” “Life is Meaningful” and “Hello Always in the World” all adopt this technique. There are not only the minor keys of Chinese music, but also the atmosphere of Western instruments, which makes Gu Jiahui’s music unique and has become an important symbol of the “Hong Kong Philharmonic”.
Gu Jiahui’s apprentice Xu Riqin once said, “In the past, there were only Cantonese songs like Cantonese opera ditties, but after returning from studying in the United States, Brother Hui combined a full set of arrangements, chords, etc. … with Cantonese songs. He radically improved the quality and status of Cantonese songs. Fai created the golden age of Cantonese songs with the two songs “Laughing Marriage” and “Shanghai Bund” All Hong Kong musicians and singers should thank Fai.”
“Huihuang” has created an endless brilliance
In 1980, Gu Jiahui and Huang Zhan jointly composed the song of the same name for the TV series “Shanghai Bund”, which has become popular in the Chinese world. This is also the first Chinese-style pop song composed by Gu Jiahui. Since then, the combination of “Huihuang” has gone out of control and reached countless classics.
As the two masters who have long collaborated, the works of Huang Zhan and Gu Jiahui have sustained half the sky in the Hong Kong music scene for many years Luo Wen, Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui and others are all performers of their works. In particular, many of the dramatic martial arts songs that Luo Wen sang in the Golden Age of Hong Kong film and television drama were composed by Gu Jiahui and written by Huang Zhan. These three people are regarded as the “Hong Kong Philharmonic Triangle”. The song “Under the Lion Rock” co-produced by the three is regarded as a portrayal of Hong Kong people carrying forward the Chinese spirit and striving for improvement.
Some media once asked Huang Zhan which works he was most proud of. Huang Zhan said without hesitation: “A Laugh in the Sea” is high and remote, the most chivalrous; The collection of chivalrous and tender feelings can be described as a perfect match. When this word reached Gu Jiahui’s ears, he laughed and said, “One song” Two Forgetting Smoke and Water “is already chivalrous and tender, and it has both. This idiot Huang Zhan really wants to talk about two songs”! The words returned to Huang Zhan’s ears, Xiangjiang’s talent changed his usual playful style, not only agreed with what Gu Jiahui said, but also specially called the reporter to retract his “Shuangbi theory”.
Huang Zhan once gave a very high assessment of Gu Jiahui’s musical status in his doctoral dissertation “The Development, Rise and Fall of Cantonese Pop Music”: “”The Cause of Laughter” Marks the Resurgence of Pop Music Hong Kong Cantonese Has truly established a new style of Hong Kong melody.Because “Cause of Laughter” still has the influence of traditional Cantonese opera, “Family Change” has completely eliminated the shadow of Cantonese opera and of Cantonese opera.The melody and lyrics, singing and arrangement have a strong sense of modernity.The Cantonese produced in Hong Kong pop songs, starting with this song, has officially entered the road of both refined and popular tastes “.
Huang Zhan died on November 24, 2004. Gu Jiahui returned to Hong Kong to pay his respects and express condolences, saying that he would miss Huang Zhan forever. Later, Gu Jiahui created “Uncle Zhan: A Song for Dr. Zhan Huang”. That year, Gu Jiahui was already seventy years old. At that time, Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui and Luo Wen were also dead, and the curtain of the era slowly fell.
Humble and low key
happy life
Since the 1990s, Gu Jiahui has gradually disappeared from the music scene. He shifted his interest to painting and in 2006, he and his sister Gu Mei held a painting exhibition “Thousands of rivers and mountains are always love”. In 2007, Gu Jiahui was invited by the TV station to come back and compose the theme song of the same name for the TV series “The Wind and Cloud” which celebrates the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. In 2015, Gu Jiahui, who was over 80 years old, held several “Gu Jiahui Retirement Ceremony Concerts” in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Macao and other places, and then officially retired.
Gu Jiahui has won many awards in his life: in 1981 he won the “Top Ten Chinese Golden Songs Award of Radio Television Hong Kong” and in 1998 he received the “Bronze Bauhinia Star Award” from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Kong. “. Wait. Although he is an elder in the industry, he is humble and polite in life, discreet and restrained. Xu Riqin recalled: “I have been with him for decades and have never heard him scold anyone, not even a single word in tone serious. The most serious thing he said was: ‘Why is it like this?’ it’s something I have to learn all the time.
Gu Jiahui’s life experience is very inspiring and deeply influenced generations of musicians, he often said, “In the beginning, I didn’t expect to be famous and rich. Of course, I am very happy that the public loves him.”
Gu Jiahui also said that her favorite song is “Struggle” sung by Jenny. The song sang: Hold my hand, emit a thousand points of warmth, a thousand points of light, illuminate my love and illuminate the forehead for you. Overcoming thorns and thorns with you, breaking roadblocks in the future for you, and dedicating all kinds of love and infatuation. “It’s like a generation’s pursuit and hard work. And she sang in” Chu Liuxiang “:” Let fame be thrown away, and I will walk a thousand mountains alone, and I don’t need to say goodbye. “” Just like her portrait of elegant, free and easy life.
Xinbao reporter Wang Yifei
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