Tuning into a hidden heritage

On March 8, he and his wife, soprano Gan Lulu, released their new album, Gems From the Past Century — A Selection of Early Chinese Vocal Works. It features not only compositions by Valesby, but also by notable Chinese composers such as Qing Zhu (1893-1959), Zhao Yuanren (1892-1982), and Huang Zi (1904-38). The duo performed tracks from the album at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, sharing their rediscovery.

"These songs aren't just academic exercises," Zhang says. "They're an emotional journey into the heart of Chinese musical heritage."

Zhang says that the introduction of Western music and singing techniques to China in the late 19th century marked a turning point in the way Chinese musicians understood the concept of singing. In 1920, Qing Zhu, whose real name was Liao Shangguo, composed The River Runs East, which is widely recognized as China's first art song. From that point, a wealth of compositions began to emerge, blending Western techniques with emotional depth and Chinese musical traditions.

Valesby, who was married to Liao, composed nearly 20 art songs in China between 1929 and 1931. Despite neither speaking nor understanding Chinese, she relied on her husband to help her connect with Chinese poetry, creating work that combined 19th-century European harmonic language with traditional Chinese elements.

"Her compositions were delicate and refined and used intricate techniques, forming a unique style within the early Chinese art song repertoire," Zhang explains. "Sadly, her songs were gradually forgotten, and disappeared from the stage."