Liu Tianhua integrates Western composition techniques into Chinese folk music

Liu Tianhua (1895-1932), born in Jiangyin, a county level city of Wuxi, Jiangsu province, was a distinguished Chinese composer, performer, and music educator.

As a pioneer of modern Chinese folk music and a master of the erhu, Liu was the first to introduce erhu music into higher education and integrated Western composition techniques with traditional Chinese folk melodies in his erhu compositions.

Liu has made significant contributions to ethnic instrumental music. He crafted 10 pieces for the erhu, three for the pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute), and one for the sizhu (a traditional Chinese musical ensemble that typically consists of stringed and wind instruments).

Throughout his career, Liu dedicated himself to advancing the development of traditional Chinese folk music. He advocated that music should serve the general public and believed that the development of Chinese music must embrace both indigenous elements and foreign influences. His vision was to create a new path through the harmonious integration of Eastern and Western music.