Streets of Pekin
Encyclopedia
Streets of Pekin is an orchestral suite written by American composer Henry Kimball Hadley
while visiting Japan
in the summer of 1930. It became one of his most popular late works.
Hadley was in Japan to conduct six concerts with the New Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo
. As a side trip, the composer had travelled to Beijing
as a tourist. Once back in Japan, while vacationing at a villa in the Japanese Alps
, Hadley wrote this orchestral suite in an effort to set in music what he'd experienced during his Chinese excursion. He conducted its premiere in Japan with the New Symphony Orchestra.
The Suite is made up of seven short movements:
Performance Materials are available from the Free Library of Philadelphia
.
Henry Kimball Hadley
Henry Kimball Hadley was an American composer and conductor.-Life:Hadley was born into a musical family in Somerville, Massachusetts...
while visiting Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in the summer of 1930. It became one of his most popular late works.
Hadley was in Japan to conduct six concerts with the New Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. As a side trip, the composer had travelled to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
as a tourist. Once back in Japan, while vacationing at a villa in the Japanese Alps
Japanese Alps
The is a series of mountain ranges in Japan that bisect the main island of Honshū. The name was coined by William Gowland, the "Father of Japanese Archaeology," and later popularized by Reverend Walter Weston , an English missionary for whom a memorial plaque is located at Kamikochi, a tourist...
, Hadley wrote this orchestral suite in an effort to set in music what he'd experienced during his Chinese excursion. He conducted its premiere in Japan with the New Symphony Orchestra.
The Suite is made up of seven short movements:
- I. Great Stone Man's Street
- II. Sweet Rain Street
- III. Rickshaw Boy No. 309
- IV. Jade Street (Moonlight)
- V. Shoe-maker's Street
- VI. Sleeping Lotuses
- VII. The Forbidden City
Performance Materials are available from the Free Library of Philadelphia
Free Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:History of the Free Library of Philadelphia: Initiated by the efforts of Dr...
.