The fourth movement Huang Shui Yao is a song sung by female voices in unison (later changed to a two-part female chorus). By comparing the present and the past, it exposes and accuses the heinous crim

The fourth movement Huang Shui Yao is a song sung by female voices in unison (later changed to a two-part female chorus). By comparing the present and the past, it exposes and accuses the heinous crimes committed by the Japanese invaders since they invaded North China, and records the severe disasters suffered by the people on both sides of the Yellow River under the iron heel of the Japanese invaders. The song absorbs the form of folk songs and undergoes unique artistic processing to make it a new type of folk song. The whole song consists of three sections.

The first section can be seen as two parts. The first part has the color of the Zheng mode, and the second half has the color of the Feather mode (the first eight bars). These two different color passages are bridged by the dominant tone of the Zheng mode and the subordinate sound "2" of the Feather mode. effect. Only in the last ten bars does the tune settle on the tonic note. This method of melody embellishment is common in folk songs: the above melody is euphemistic, beautiful, graceful and friendly, depicting the fertile land on both sides of the Yellow River, and the peaceful life of the people on both sides of the river working and living on this land for generations. This is followed by a four-bar interlude, transitioning to the second section.

The second section, with its slow speed and low, sad and indignant mood, depicts the tragic scene of the enemy's invasion, the loss of the country, and the tragic scenes of the people on both sides of the Yellow River being separated, displaced, and struggling in dire straits. In the concluding sentence of the passage, the author cleverly pushes the emotions of grief, anger and pain to a new level, which is tear-jerking and regarded as the finishing touch:

The third section can be regarded as the first The changes and reappearance of the musical passages, the slower speed, and the weeping singing voice more fully express the infinite pain, grief and anger, arousing strong emotions in people's hearts. The ending of the singing tune is imitated in the high range, which makes people have endless aftertaste.

The fifth movement: Duo by the River. This song was originally a male duet, but was later changed to a male duet and mixed chorus. The melody of this song was written based on the tones of Shanxi folk songs. It is in the form of a question and answer, using different tonal contrasts, and expresses the feelings of two fellow villagers living in exile on the banks of the Yellow River. It reflects the common tragic experiences of millions of exiles and shows their determination to take up arms. Participate in a decisive battle between the guerrillas and the invaders. The song is in the form of a segmented song with repeated single sections. The melody is simple and interesting, and pays special attention to the range of the rhyme with the lyrics, creating a vivid combination of the Yellow River. It is cordial and catchy when sung, and has a strong local flavor. Finally, there is the duet and chorus where the upper and lower sentences of the section overlap, which is very impressive. It means that the exiled people, inspired by the roaring Yellow River, no longer melancholy, took heart, went to the Taihang Mountains to join the guerrillas, and resolutely fought back to their hometowns. The tempo of the chorus gradually speeds up, making the emotions warm and bold, as if millions of people have survived the desperate situation, walking together, and embarking on the bright road of the great national revolutionary war.

The Sixth Movement: Yellow River Resentment This is a soprano solo song. The tone is sad and angry, and the emotion is deep and strong. Through the tragic experience and painful accusation of a woman in the occupied area, it exposed the brutality of Japanese imperialism and cried out the profound disaster of our nation. It used blood and tears to arouse people to take up arms and join in the sacred war of resistance against Japan and national salvation. The whole song is composed of multiple sections. Using the technique of alternating major and minor keys and changing rhythms, the extremely painful and indignant emotions of a persecuted and humiliated woman are expressed in a layered manner. The melody absorbs some characteristics of folk crying tunes in northern Shaanxi, which is euphemistic and sad, painful and touching.

The end of the first section is expanded, with slow speed, progressive melody, and long breath, expressing the painful and crying emotions in the face of the rolling waves of the Yellow River.

The rhythm of the second section is tightened, and the five bars of short phrases with the same rhythm deepen the accusation step by step, making you want to finish the song full of sorrow and indignation in one breath. Then the speed slowed down, giving people the pain of splitting the liver and gallbladder, expressing the intense grief and indignation of being in pain.

The intensity of the third section increases, tightly intertwining the strong wind, dark clouds, waves of the Yellow River and painful mood, further deepening the emotion of the music.

The last section basically repeats the rhythm pattern of the second section in terms of rhythm, and the vocal range has been improved. And with a crescendo and faster speed, the song was pushed to a climax, expressing the theme of "pay off this blood debt for me".

The seventh movement, Defending the Yellow River, is sung in unison and in turn. It is the theme song of this large-scale vocal work. With its loud battle slogan, sonorous rhythm, inspiring melody, fortitude, self-confidence, and powerful feelings, it vividly depicts the guerrilla athletes holding up their native guns and foreign guns, wielding their swords and spears, fighting in the green gauze tents and among the mountains. , a magnificent scene of fighting to defend the Yellow River and the whole of China. The whole song adopts the genre of march, with short and powerful phrases, multiple decompositions of chord progressions and other methods, making the song clear, majestic, bold, and the music image is particularly distinctive, and has a strong national style.

After the chorus, the second, third and fourth parts of the chorus rise and fall, one wave higher than the other, just like the waves of the Yellow River, rolling and flowing, cleverly metaphorizing the anti-Japanese force from small to large, from weak to weak Strong, finally formed an invincible force. It will overwhelm all enemies and show the great spirit of the heroic nation. During the singing round, the vocal accompaniment of "Longe Longge" sounds endlessly varied and interesting, enhancing the lively, active and optimistic atmosphere. The song has a range of only ten degrees and is written in a hexatonic scale. The tune draws on certain tones of Guangdong folk lion dance and the rhythmic characteristics of folk percussion. It has broad mass appeal and is a song widely spread by the anti-Japanese military and civilians.

The eighth movement, Roar, Yellow River, mixed chorus, is the finale of the cantata. It is a highly difficult summary of the theme of the entire cantata. The song uses both main tune and polyphony, changeable rhythm patterns, and a very broad roaring image. It is overwhelming and earth-shaking, showing the awakening of the entire Chinese nation and the huge volume of vehicles, calling on the entire Chinese people to fight for the victory of the Anti-Japanese War and the dawn of New China.

The beginning of the song is written in the main melody, and gradually widens the scope, repeating "Roar, Yellow River" three times. It formed a very majestic momentum and gave people a sense of urgency. Then, using polyphonic techniques and multi-level vocal rhythm processing, it depicts the turbulent Yellow River with its back waves pushing forward waves, roaring and howling like a giant, calling the entire Chinese people to rise up and fight:

After the majestic second piece of music, after the transition of the four-bar interlude, the melody speed changes to the slow pace. With the polyphonic technique, the long and deep tone, and the exclamation of "ah", it brings people Go into painful memories. Then the alto and tenor voices described the disasters of our nation in history. The alto and soprano voices also joined in, intertwining into a colorful, sincere, and mournful lament. It seems that everywhere in China is moaning and accusing. This is a wonderful piece of music, deeply moving. Through the dramatic ups and downs of emotions, it is in sharp contrast with the previous section of music, preparing for the climax of the next section, and making exquisite arrangements to highly summarize the entire chorus, which reflects the author's ingenious combination of image thinking and logical thinking. It is also a model of high unity in content and form.

The mood of the third section of music suddenly changes: the speed becomes slightly faster, and the harmony is mainly written in the main tune, depicting the Songhua River, Heilongjiang, Pearl River, and Yangtze River shouting together, setting off the four It is a majestic and majestic scene where tens of millions of people unite and defend the country to the death. The last section is led by the infinitely emotional "Ah! Yellow River", which leads to the first phrase characterized by three consecutive measures of syncopated rhythm. The melody is progressive and upward, creating an indomitable and unstoppable momentum, which is very exciting. Finally, the author repeated the concluding sentence three or four times, with increasing speed and changeable harmonies, creating a climax with overwhelming and thunderous power, making the warning sound of the Yellow River battle echo in people's hearts for a long time, inspiring them. People always move towards victory!