Stepping Higher and Higher

Introduction

Lü Wencheng's gaohu classic, whose score appeared in the Qinxian Yuepu in 1938.

Stepping Higher and Higher is the best-known work of the Cantonese musician Lü Wencheng, led by the gaohu he championed and accompanied by the yangqin. Born in Xiangshan, Guangdong, in 1898, Lü developed the high-pitched gaohu with Situ Mengyan in Shanghai in the 1920s and later settled in Hong Kong. The score of this piece had appeared in the Qinxian Yuepu by 1938, and it was widely popular in the 1930s. Its melody often leaps by fifths and octaves, building in stages to convey a confident sense of climbing ever higher. Today it is a favourite at festive occasions and one of the most widely played pieces of Cantonese music.

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