I want to introduce you to some pieces for guitar by Chinese composer Lin Huan Qi, which are from his book called "The Songs of Love". I find these pieces to be remarkably gorgeous, melodic and touching.
I first met Lin (a.k.a Rocky) in Shanghai back in 2016. My wife and I were doing five concerts around China and were based in Shanghai during that time. I met up with an old friend and through the power of social media, we quickly ended up having dinner with a large group of guitarists (including Rocky). After dinner, we all went back to Rocky's studio to play some guitar and it was there that he told me he was a composer.
About a year later, a good friend of mine went to the Guitar Foundation of America's (GFA) Annual Convention. He bought me some sheet music there as a birthday present and it happened to be a book of Rocky's pieces! Isn't it crazy to think that my friend bought this book for me, but wasn't aware that I knew Rocky...
I knew from my first play through that these pieces were very beautiful. They combine lyric romanticism with touches of jazzy harmonies and some flashes of impressionistic textures.
Please enjoy listening to these four pieces by Lin HuanQi!
Below is a Q&A I did with Rocky, which is full of lovely insights.
I first met Lin (a.k.a Rocky) in Shanghai back in 2016. My wife and I were doing five concerts around China and were based in Shanghai during that time. I met up with an old friend and through the power of social media, we quickly ended up having dinner with a large group of guitarists (including Rocky). After dinner, we all went back to Rocky's studio to play some guitar and it was there that he told me he was a composer.
About a year later, a good friend of mine went to the Guitar Foundation of America's (GFA) Annual Convention. He bought me some sheet music there as a birthday present and it happened to be a book of Rocky's pieces! Isn't it crazy to think that my friend bought this book for me, but wasn't aware that I knew Rocky...
I knew from my first play through that these pieces were very beautiful. They combine lyric romanticism with touches of jazzy harmonies and some flashes of impressionistic textures.
Please enjoy listening to these four pieces by Lin HuanQi!
Below is a Q&A I did with Rocky, which is full of lovely insights.
1) Where are You?
2) Tenderness
2) Tenderness
1) Sweetness
2) Sadness
2) Sadness
Composer Q&A - Lin HuanQi
1. When did you first start composing and what first inspired you to compose?
I began learning to compose when I was 19, in college. At that time, I was not a music major student, but I fell in love with classical music (through classical guitar). I spent much time on guitar learning and also did some composing experiments at a very elementary level. I have a musical family, so it wasn’t difficult to find an effective way of learning music. I found textbooks for harmony, music form and polyphony on my father’s bookshelves, so I began my self-study of composing.
It wasn’t until my graduation from music conservatory that I began to take composing seriously. It’s all about expression. I found composing a very good way of expressing my thoughts and feelings of life; it’s more abstract which matches my character. My first released piece was “Calling” which is included in the book “The Songs of Love”. It was inspired by one of my friends, a guitar teacher who located in Fuzhou, provincial capital of Fujian province. He complained that the public knows little about classical guitar and this instrument is always being misunderstood. I cannot agree with him more, and for the sake of the instrument we love I was inspired to compose “Calling”, a piece with power and strength to show what on earth the classical guitar is and what kind of music we can play.
2. In general, what are your main musical inspirations for composing?
For me, I gain inspirations from my most admired composers: Bach, Beethoven, Sor, Chopin, Debussy, and Castelnuovo-Tedesco. I learn from them why and how to write music. For example, Bach taught me that music is about creating unique and elaborated structures. Beethoven and Sor told me: be free to express yourself and music exists only when you have sincere feelings and emotions, while Chopin proved me that the importance of knowing your instrument thoroughly. Debussy and Tedesco broadened my sight of harmony and rhythm, which gave me new ways of constructing music.
3. Is there anything outside of music that inspires your compositions (art, life, nature, etc.)? How do these extramusical inspirations manifest in your compositions?
Yes, I think life is the source of all my compositions. Music is a reflection of my everyday life, my happiness and my sorrow, my subjective and objective world. I remember all the people in my life, some love me and some hurt me, all the moments we shared form the essence of my life, finally they became my music. Also, I am a believer of Debussy so I am always being wild about depicting the objective world I saw and visited through music, that’s why I like impressionism.
4. Have you had any formal training in composition? If so, who did you study with and what did you learn from them?
It depends on what’s the definition of “formal training”, if it means to be a composition major student in the conservatory, then the answer is no. I majored in classical guitar when I was a student and most of time I studied composition by myself. But I do want to express my thanks to a professor who taught composing, harmony and improvisation in our conservatory. His name is Sun WeiQuan who unfortunately passed away two years ago. Prof. Sun was a very wise teacher; he once held a general course called “Advanced Harmony Style” to all the post-graduated students, and in his class he introduced us to the path through which harmony developed, from Franz Liszt to Arnold Schoneberg. This enlightened to me the concept of harmony, getting the essence of it and breaking the traditional rules. Maybe this is the only professional training I gained on composing in the conservatory, but it’s incredibly important for me not only for composing but also for guitar playing.
5. Describe your compositional process. Do you compose mostly on the guitar, or away from the guitar? Is improvisation a part of your process?
Sometimes the process begins with an improvisation, sometimes it begins with a motif which formed by a clear idea. When you compose, most of time, your inspiration will be consumed after you finish the theme (most recognizable melody) of the piece, then you have to continue your music by what we call TECHNIQUE or DEVELOPMENT, you need new materials to go on: a new paragraph or a modulation etc, also you must build relationships between different parts otherwise the music will sounds cracked. In the process of doing this, you may be inspired again and then you will know how to finish it.
I compose mostly on guitar. I’ve written not only solo pieces for guitar, but also duet, quartet and guitar orchestra pieces. Also, I am keen on chamber music, so I tried composing some guitar chamber music: for flute quartet plus guitar orchestra, and guitar quintet. I am always willing to compose music for other instruments, for example, string quartet and small orchestra. But guitar is my instrument, and only on guitar can I express the most profound emotions and feelings.
6. 'The Songs of Love’ seem to have elements of lyrical romanticism combined with jazz inspired harmonies. How did you form this musical language?
I think lyrical romanticism and Jazz harmonies can be recognized as today’s “Common Practice”, it is wildly used in every corner of the world. It’s not difficult to write a piece in this style, but it’s difficult to be really authentic.
For me, I am not a fan of Jazz. My musical language comes from impressionism music. I like the sense of highly chromatic progression of harmonies and unexpected modulations. Also I still believe in tonality. Most of my music is tonal - sometimes the most difficult thing is to write a melody that can touch people’s heart.
7. If you could give some advice to budding composers, what would you suggest?
Before answering this question, I have to say that I am also a budding composer... :D
My experience is:
1. DO NOT GIVE UP.
Learn from great composers.
Force yourself to compose even if you don’t have inspiration.
Be patient, willing to do modification.
Write more and don’t think of being unique (at least at the beginning).
Be sincere.
1. When did you first start composing and what first inspired you to compose?
I began learning to compose when I was 19, in college. At that time, I was not a music major student, but I fell in love with classical music (through classical guitar). I spent much time on guitar learning and also did some composing experiments at a very elementary level. I have a musical family, so it wasn’t difficult to find an effective way of learning music. I found textbooks for harmony, music form and polyphony on my father’s bookshelves, so I began my self-study of composing.
It wasn’t until my graduation from music conservatory that I began to take composing seriously. It’s all about expression. I found composing a very good way of expressing my thoughts and feelings of life; it’s more abstract which matches my character. My first released piece was “Calling” which is included in the book “The Songs of Love”. It was inspired by one of my friends, a guitar teacher who located in Fuzhou, provincial capital of Fujian province. He complained that the public knows little about classical guitar and this instrument is always being misunderstood. I cannot agree with him more, and for the sake of the instrument we love I was inspired to compose “Calling”, a piece with power and strength to show what on earth the classical guitar is and what kind of music we can play.
2. In general, what are your main musical inspirations for composing?
For me, I gain inspirations from my most admired composers: Bach, Beethoven, Sor, Chopin, Debussy, and Castelnuovo-Tedesco. I learn from them why and how to write music. For example, Bach taught me that music is about creating unique and elaborated structures. Beethoven and Sor told me: be free to express yourself and music exists only when you have sincere feelings and emotions, while Chopin proved me that the importance of knowing your instrument thoroughly. Debussy and Tedesco broadened my sight of harmony and rhythm, which gave me new ways of constructing music.
3. Is there anything outside of music that inspires your compositions (art, life, nature, etc.)? How do these extramusical inspirations manifest in your compositions?
Yes, I think life is the source of all my compositions. Music is a reflection of my everyday life, my happiness and my sorrow, my subjective and objective world. I remember all the people in my life, some love me and some hurt me, all the moments we shared form the essence of my life, finally they became my music. Also, I am a believer of Debussy so I am always being wild about depicting the objective world I saw and visited through music, that’s why I like impressionism.
4. Have you had any formal training in composition? If so, who did you study with and what did you learn from them?
It depends on what’s the definition of “formal training”, if it means to be a composition major student in the conservatory, then the answer is no. I majored in classical guitar when I was a student and most of time I studied composition by myself. But I do want to express my thanks to a professor who taught composing, harmony and improvisation in our conservatory. His name is Sun WeiQuan who unfortunately passed away two years ago. Prof. Sun was a very wise teacher; he once held a general course called “Advanced Harmony Style” to all the post-graduated students, and in his class he introduced us to the path through which harmony developed, from Franz Liszt to Arnold Schoneberg. This enlightened to me the concept of harmony, getting the essence of it and breaking the traditional rules. Maybe this is the only professional training I gained on composing in the conservatory, but it’s incredibly important for me not only for composing but also for guitar playing.
5. Describe your compositional process. Do you compose mostly on the guitar, or away from the guitar? Is improvisation a part of your process?
Sometimes the process begins with an improvisation, sometimes it begins with a motif which formed by a clear idea. When you compose, most of time, your inspiration will be consumed after you finish the theme (most recognizable melody) of the piece, then you have to continue your music by what we call TECHNIQUE or DEVELOPMENT, you need new materials to go on: a new paragraph or a modulation etc, also you must build relationships between different parts otherwise the music will sounds cracked. In the process of doing this, you may be inspired again and then you will know how to finish it.
I compose mostly on guitar. I’ve written not only solo pieces for guitar, but also duet, quartet and guitar orchestra pieces. Also, I am keen on chamber music, so I tried composing some guitar chamber music: for flute quartet plus guitar orchestra, and guitar quintet. I am always willing to compose music for other instruments, for example, string quartet and small orchestra. But guitar is my instrument, and only on guitar can I express the most profound emotions and feelings.
6. 'The Songs of Love’ seem to have elements of lyrical romanticism combined with jazz inspired harmonies. How did you form this musical language?
I think lyrical romanticism and Jazz harmonies can be recognized as today’s “Common Practice”, it is wildly used in every corner of the world. It’s not difficult to write a piece in this style, but it’s difficult to be really authentic.
For me, I am not a fan of Jazz. My musical language comes from impressionism music. I like the sense of highly chromatic progression of harmonies and unexpected modulations. Also I still believe in tonality. Most of my music is tonal - sometimes the most difficult thing is to write a melody that can touch people’s heart.
7. If you could give some advice to budding composers, what would you suggest?
Before answering this question, I have to say that I am also a budding composer... :D
My experience is:
1. DO NOT GIVE UP.
Learn from great composers.
Force yourself to compose even if you don’t have inspiration.
Be patient, willing to do modification.
Write more and don’t think of being unique (at least at the beginning).
Be sincere.