God Give Me A Cello

Mr. Yudi Ma is a famous cellist in China, and was one of the founders of the National Central Orchestra Principal Cellist. He is also one of the founders of the cello education. His life is on the indissoluble bond with the cello when he becomes the student of National Music Academy in his early age from1945. For instance, from end of the war to the beginning of the founding of New China, he became into the cello; from liberation to the establishment of Central Philharmonic, there is a variety of performance experiences make him become mature; both in orchestra and school he teaches a myriad of students about the truth of how to be and what to do by using a cello. Moreover, Mr. Yudi Ma cultivates many outstanding talents for music career of our country. Most of his students are trained professionals which are in domestic and foreign big music professional institutions as well as overseas art groups to teach or engaged in the performance art career nowadays. Therefore, those outstanding students do not lived up to the expectations of Mr. Yudi Ma, and making his art teaching and performing skills can continue to be inherited. With the intention of this article is about research methods of oral history, through interviews with Mr. Yudi Ma himself and his wife, friends, students, and access to historical information and other ways to be more real, more objectively reconstruct an old musician’s past; From the perspective of personal care, to pay close attention to the wonderful pictures of lifetime of Mr. Yudi Ma, by combing his artistic origins with the cello; What’s more, based on personal experience, hoping to clearly demonstrate his artistic career in several important stages. It is fair evaluation that he is the development of early Chinese music, especially the contribution of the cello playing and teaching explore. Meanwhile, we hope to provide some useful reference for the improvement of Chinese modern music history.