Huang Tzu (; 23 March 1904 - 9 May 1938), courtesy name Jinwu (), was a Chinese composer of the early 20th century. Huang Tzu (黄自) , Office of Local Chronicles of Shanghai (上海市地方志辦公室).
Life Huang was born in Chuansha, Shanghai, during the final years of the Qing Dynasty. His father Huang Hongpei was a factory manager, and his mother Lu Meixian founded the first women’s school in Shanghai. He was also a distant relative of Huang Yanpei. He was accepted into Tsinghua College in 1916 and was introduced to Western music there. While at Tsinghua, he studied piano and vocal music, and was well-known within the local community. At that time, he was also influenced by the May Fourth Movement, which occurred in 1919.Liu, Xiaoyue. (2022). Selected Art Songs of Chinese Composer Huang Zi: Music, Poetry, and Social-Historical Considerations (DMA thesis). University of North Texas.
After his graduation in 1924, Huang went on to study psychology in Oberlin College in Ohio, United States, assisted by the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship.Fu, Jietong. (2022). Zi Huang's art songs: a marriage of Chinese and Western music and thought (DMA thesis). Texas Tech University. There, he studied music theory, sight-singing, dictation, and keyboard harmony. In 1928, he was accepted into Yale University, where he studied Western music. At Yale, he composed the overture In Memoriam (also known as Nostalgia), which was the first large-scale orchestral work by a Chinese composer and was first played at the Yale School of Music's graduation concert in 1929.
In 1929, Huang returned to China and taught in the University of Shanghai, National Music College and other music schools. After the Mukden Incident in 1931, Huang wrote patriotic songs such as Resist the Enemy Song (抗敌歌). During this time, he also faced censorship from the Chinese government, and had to change "enemy" for "Japan" in the song's title. In 1935, he established the Shanghai Orchestra, the first all-Chinese orchestra. Some of his students, including He Luting, Ding Shande, Zhu Ying, Jiang Dingxian, Lin Sheng, Lin Shengxi and Liu Xue'an, became famous musicians later.
Works Huang's best-known works include: Philosophical Song (天倫歌); Plum Blossoms in the Snow (踏雪尋梅), a 1933 large cantata based on Bai Juyi's poem Chang hen ge; Flower in the Mist (花非花); Lotus Song (採蓮謠); Benshi (本事). He also composed the National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China. Huang died of typhoid fever in Shanghai in 1938.
List by year +TitleYearInstrumentationTextNostalgia (怀旧)1929OrchestraN/AMissing Homeland (思乡)1932Voice and pianoWei HanzhangSpring Nostalgia (春思曲)1932Voice and pianoWei HanzhangThree Wishes From a Rose (玫瑰三愿)1932Voice, violin, and pianoLong QiPresent to the Front Line Soldiers (赠前敌将士)1932He XiangningWest Lake After Rain (雨后西湖)1933Wei HanzhangSeptember 18 (九一八)1933Wei HanzhangPlum Blossoms in the Snow (踏雪寻梅)1933Liu Xue'anDown to Jiangling (下江陵)1933Li BaiFlower in the Mist (花非花)1933Voice and pianoBai JuyiOde to Ascending the Tower (点绛唇 · 赋登楼)1934Voice and pianoWang ZhuoStudents' Year of National Goods Song (学生国货年歌)1934Huang YanpeiThoughts on Climbing Beigu Pavilion in Jingkou (南乡子·登京口北固亭有怀)1934Xin QijiComposed in Residence at Huangzhou Dinghui Garden (卜算子·黄州定慧院寓居作)1934Su ShiThe West Wind's Words (西风的话)1934Liao FushuSwallow Speak (燕语)1934Wei HanzhangSleeping Lion (睡狮)1934Wei HanzhangLotus Song (采莲谣)1934Wei HanzhangPhilosophical Song (天伦歌)1936Zhong ShigenSong of Enthusiasm (热血歌)1937Wu Zonghai
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