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” have become 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 1980s, raised the status of Cantonese songs, and was creative.” “Sister” Wang Mingquan’s evaluation of Gu Jiahui resonated with many people-whether you know his name or not, everyone’s heart There is a song by Gu Jiahui.
Helped by Run Run Shaw to embark on a music career
Gu Jiahui was born in Guangzhou on January 1, 1931, and was originally from 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 well-off, 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. Once engraved a seal: “Although I am not good at painting, there is no one who knows how to 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 his ears and eyes, Gu Jiahui started to learn piano when he was a teenager. He first worked as a luthier in a band, but his income was not stable. When no one was hired, he stayed at home. But he is not discouraged, he makes full use of time to self-study and improve himself. In the late 1950s, Gu Jiahui and 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’s performance in a nightclub and offered him a scholarship. But at this time, Gu Jiahui was in short supply and couldn’t even make up 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. In addition, Boss Run Run Shaw has been around the world for many years and has a pair of discerning eyes. He may have seen the potential in Gu Jiahui. He not only subsidized Gu Jiahui’s two-year tuition, but also took care of his family and relieved his worries.
Combining East and West, writing countless good songs
Gu Jiahui joined the radio station when he returned to Hong Kong, and started his extraordinary music life. He has written countless classics for film and television dramas. In 1961, Gu Jiahui participated in the composition competition of the Shaw Brothers film “No Love” for the first time, and created his debut work “Dream”, which was written by Tao Qin and sung by his sister Gu Mei. Gu Jiahui’s music career officially started.
In 1971, Bruce Lee’s martial arts movie “Brother Tangshan” was released, breaking the box office in Hong Kong in one fell swoop, and the soundtrack in the play was original by Gu Jiahui, and his limelight was second to none. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Hong Kong music scene was dominated by Mandarin songs. TVB started filming “Laughing Marriage” to write the theme song, Gu Jiahui discussed with the director Wang Tianlin, and decided to sing in Cantonese, which created a precedent. At the same time, Gu Jiahui produced the theme song for “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-age significance.
In many songs, Gu Jiahui uses a combination of western music and Chinese classical style, and often uses Chinese national mode to compose. He is also good at writing polyphonic two 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 method. 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 a major symbol of “Hong Kong Philharmonic”.
Xu Riqin, Gu Jiahui’s apprentice, 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 complete set of Western pop music arrangements, chords, etc. with Cantonese songs. It has fundamentally 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 musicians and singers in Hong Kong should thank Fai.”
“Huihuang” created endless brilliance
In 1980, Gu Jiahui and Huang Zhan jointly composed the song of the same name for the TV series “Shanghai Bund”, which became 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 been out of control and has achieved countless classics.
As the two masters who have cooperated for the longest time, the works of Huang Zhan and Gu Jiahui have supported 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 martial arts drama songs that Luo Wen sang in the golden age of Hong Kong film and television dramas were composed by Gu Jiahui and written by Huang Zhan. These three people are considered to be 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 self-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 tall and remote, the most chivalrous; Gathering 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 actually wants to talk about two songs”! The words came back to Huang Zhan’s ears, Xiangjiang 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 evaluation of Gu Jiahui’s music status in his doctoral dissertation “The Development and Rise and Fall of Cantonese Pop Music”: “”The Cause of Laughter” marks the resurgence of Hong Kong Cantonese pop music. It 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 got rid of the shadow of Cantonese opera and Cantonese opera. The melody and lyrics, singing and arrangement have a strong sense of modernity. Cantonese produced in Hong Kong Pop songs, starting with this song, officially embarked on the avenue of both refined and popular tastes.”
On November 24, 2004, Huang Zhan passed away. Gu Jiahui returned to Hong Kong to pay homage to express his condolences. He said that he would miss Huang Zhan forever. After that, Gu Jiahui created “Uncle Zhan: A Song for Dr. Zhan Huang”. That year, Gu Jiahui was already seventy years old. At this time, Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Luo Wen had also passed away, and the curtain of the era had slowly descended.
Humble and low-key
happy life
Since the 1990s, Gu Jiahui has gradually faded out of the music scene. He shifted his interest to painting. 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” celebrating 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, Macau and other places, and then officially retired.
Gu Jiahui has won numerous awards throughout his life. In 1981, he won the “Top Ten Chinese Golden Songs Award of Radio Television Hong Kong”. In 1998, he was awarded the “Bronze Bauhinia Star Award by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government”. Wait. Although he is a senior in the industry, he is humble and polite in life, low-key and restrained. Xu Riqin recalled: “I have been with him for decades, and I have never heard him scold anyone, not even a single word in a serious tone. The most serious thing he said was: ‘Why is this?’ Such a man Attitude is something I have to learn all the time.”
Gu Jiahui’s life experience is very inspirational, and has deeply influenced generations of musicians. He often said: “At the beginning, I didn’t expect to be famous and rich. Of course, I am very happy that the audience loves it.”
Gu Jiahui also said that his favorite song is “Struggle” sung by Jenny. The song sang: Hold hands with me, emit a thousand points of heat, a thousand points of light, light up my love, and illuminate the front for you. Overcoming thorns and thorns with you, breaking through roadblocks in the future for you, and dedicating all kinds of love and infatuation. “It’s like the pursuit and hard work of a generation. And he sang in “Chu Liuxiang”: “Let the fame be thrown away, and I will walk alone in a thousand mountains, and I don’t need to see you off.” “Just like his elegant and free and easy life portrayal.
Xinbao reporter Wang Yifei
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