Great Waves Sifting the Sand

Introduction

A pipa solo by Hua Yanjun, recorded by Yang Yinliu and Cao Anhe in 1950.

Da lang tao sha is a pipa solo by Hua Yanjun, the Wuxi street musician known as A Bing, and its date of composition is unknown. A Bing learned Daoist ritual music from Hua Qinghe, the priest of the Leizun Hall in Wuxi, and played erhu, pipa and other instruments before losing his sight and earning his living on the streets. In September 1950 Yang Yinliu and Cao Anhe recorded him in Wuxi, taking down this piece with two other pipa works, Longchuan and Zhaojun chusai, as well as three erhu pieces. Together these six works are the whole of the music A Bing left. He died in Wuxi that December, a few months after the recording.