When mention about Chinese composers, the most impressive event was the New Trend movement at the end of 1980's in 20th century, a passionate action to compose in Chinese style adopting Western contemporary techniques of composition. The principal background was that, after cutting off with outside world for many years, the Western modern music trend and composing techniques got chance to be imported based on a political affair of reform-open. The new trend crowd in China consisted of the young composers either come from the central conservatory of music, or come from Shanghai, Sichuan, Wuhan, were often focused on their works those possessing creative features by medias. As a composer of new generation being in reform-open and in Chinese music developing history, Yao Heng-lu didn't pass through in this way, as if a passing guest taking in a different bus . After having six years rural labor work during Cultural Revolution period, he had taken another severe test, lasting nine years' music editor job in Beijing broadcasting station. This period of fate gave him a solid basis for later music cause unexpectedly and be closely linked to his six years' oversea study afterward. He was not only become a thoughtful composer, but also be capable to play a role as a musical theorist to accumulate plentiful treatise studying Western contemporary music. Yao Heng-lu was born in a musical family in Beijing, in1951. His father Prof. Yao Si-yuan was a famous music educator and composer who used to take in a charge of the first head of music department in Capital Normal university in Beijing; Prof. Li Jin-yuan was a pre-school music educator teaching in Beijing Normal university, as a specialist in this field taking on the first generation in China. Passing through a nature and unique way to touch music in his early years, when he was 3, or 4 year old, he was playing in the courtyard, he could hear piano or singing sound coming from their house, where his father or mother was teaching a music class. He was often brought to concert hall to appreciation a rehearsal or a concert when he was four or five years old. Under a good education and artistic benefit, he received plenty of music works both Western and Chinese music from very young. He studied piano at 9 years old and got into the music primary school attached to the central conservatory of music at 10 years old, studied piano, element music theories and solfege. Afterwards, he took part in the Friendship Choir of Beijing Youths' Palace, and then, used to be a trumpet player for school children brass band in the 8th middle school of Beijing. All of these experience on music had set up his capability and deep interest to music changing imperceptibly, also has become comprehensive source to later music composition.
About the Author: The publication of collection of my manuscript score let me in recall of my oversea study time in 90's of 20th century. Since 1949, the mainland China had been being in closed state facing to the world, the academic information from outside world was impossible to be connected and unable to be effectively heighten. Corresponding to the politic environment in living ecology, other pipelines of information were all stopped up, except for the artistic influence from former Soviet Union in the musical circle. Following putting forward a political affair of reform-open in China in 80's, the numerous scholars got opportunities to visit those developed countries in the world, enriched an efficient direction to view world's experience in creative power among techniques and arts domains under the international standard, especially in artistic information and academic surrounding while renewed their artistic ideas. Techniques and arts should be the forerunners of substantial reform. As a starting point from this consciousness, it is really significant to develop vigorously again to both substantial and spiritual aspects for Chinese nations.