Chinese younger generation rediscovers ancient poems roots in music

Classics never go out of date.

A piece of ancient Chinese poetry， which was written about 1，200 years ago， has recently become an online sensation among teenagers， after two young musicians composed a song for it.

Two days after a namesake song of the household ancient Chinese poem Song of a Pipa Player was posted on Bilibili， a popular video sharing website among the younger generation， it has already earned over 20，000 hits and some 1，300 comments.

Many teenagers liked and shared the five-minute song， saying that they finally found the “correct way” to recite the ancient Chinese poems.

The poem Song of a Pipa Player was written by Bai Juyi， a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty （618—907）. Consisting of over 600 characters， the poem is on the high school syllabus across China and is a must for the students to recite.

The composers of the song， named Qiran and Shenmiren online， are both online musicians. Qiran said he has been thinking of composing songs based on ancient poems since high school years. “I hated reciting poems during that time， so I made up some melodies to help， and it really helped，” said Qiran.

Ancient Chinese poems musical roots

However， the Chinese peoples passion for the poems as lyrics of songs is by no means accidental. The ancient Chinese poems could find their roots in music.

Tracing its origin， the ancient Chinese poems evolved from folklore. The Book of Songs， which is considered as the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry， is said to be comprised of folk songs dating from the 11th to the 6th centuries B.C.

The poem， Song of a Pipa Player， was written in a Yuefu style， the name of which is derived from an ancient organization named “Music Bureau”.

Poet Bai Juyis works were widely welcomed even in his age for their unaffected and rhythmical style. Many singers at that time preferred to compose music for his poems and sing them out.

China has seen a rising tendency in rediscovering its traditional culture in recent years， especially among the younger generation. Since the beginning of this year， many variety shows featuring traditional culture have gone viral on Chinas social networks.

A number of original songs， videos and animations based on the ancient culture have increasingly attracted peoples attention in recent years， and most of their composers were born in the 1980s and 1990s.

Qiran and Shenmiren， composers of the Song of a Pipa Player， said their studio is planning to compose songs for most of the ancient poems and prose selected on the high school textbooks.

“It is a great pleasure to see so many high school students enjoying the song. If it helps them learn and recite the poems， we will continue to compose for sure，” said Qiran. “We hope that after listening to the whole album， they will get full marks in the Chinese examination，” he joked.

中國的年轻一代再次发现了古诗在音乐中的根源

经典永不过时。

最近，一首1200年前所写的中国古诗，在由两个年轻音乐人为其谱曲后，通过网络在年轻人中引起了轰动。

在这首家喻户晓的古诗《琵琶行》的同名歌曲发布到哔哩哔哩（一个在年轻人中很流行的视频分享网站）上两天后，它就有了20000点击量和1300条评论。

很多青少年都为这个时长五分钟的歌曲点赞和分享。他们称，自己终于找到了背古诗的正确方式。

《琵琶行》这首诗是中国唐代（618年—907年）诗人白居易写的。它全篇共有600个字，是一首在全中国的高中教学大纲中都有的一首诗，并被要求学生们全部背诵。

这首歌的作曲人的网名叫奇然和沈谧仁，他们俩都是线上音乐人。奇然说他从高中就开始打算以古诗作为基础来谱曲了。他说道：“我那个时候很讨厌背诗，所以就编了一些曲调来帮助自己记忆，而这真的很有效。”

古诗在音乐中的根源

不过，中国人对于把古诗当作歌词的热忱绝不是偶然。古诗在音乐中是有根源可寻的。

古诗究其根源，是从民间发展出来的。现存最古老的中国诗集《诗经》据称是由公元前11世纪到前6世纪的民歌组成的。

《琵琶行》这首诗是乐府风格的，“乐府风格”这个词就是从古代机构“乐府”起源的。

诗人白居易的作品即便是在他那时候也是广受欢迎的，因为他的作品不做作而富有韵律。那时候，很多乐师都乐于为他的诗谱曲、传唱。

近年来，在中国，重新发现传统文化有了上升的趋势，特别是在年轻人中。从今年年初开始，很多主打传统文化的综艺节目都在中国的社交平台上走红。

这几年来，许多基于古典文化的原创歌曲、视频、动画越来越吸引人们的注意，而这些作品的创作人很多是80后、90后。

奇然和沈谧仁，作为《琵琶行》的作曲人，说他们的工作室打算从高中课本的诗词中选一大部分来进行谱曲。

奇然说道：“看到那么多高中生喜欢这首歌，我感到很开心。如果这能够帮他们学习和背诵这些诗，我们一定会继续谱曲的。”他开玩笑道：“我希望他们在听完整张专辑后，能够在语文考试中拿到满分。”