Twelve Girls Band
Encyclopedia
Twelve Girls Band are an all female Chinese
musical group that initially consisted of twelve members before the addition of a thirteenth. Twelve Girls Band use traditional Chinese instruments to play both traditional Chinese and Western
music. Formed on June 18, 2001, the women were selected by audition from more than 4,000 contestants. Each woman is classically-trained, and the band members come from various conservatories in the People's Republic of China
(PRC), including the China Academy of Music, the Chinese National Orchestra, and the Central Conservatory of Music.http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/events/music/12girlsband.html
gave Wang Xiao-Jing the idea for the Twelve Girls Band. When Xiao-Jing decided he wanted to create a female ensemble, he knew it needed 12 members. Per Chinese mythology it is the twelve jinchai (12 hairpins) representing womanhood. For the new project, the women were inspired by the art of the Yue Fang, the ensembles who played in the Tang Dynasty
courts during the years A.D. 618 to 907.
The group debuted their modern compositions on ancient instruments in China and Japan during the Northern summer of 2003. In Japan their debut album topped the charts for 30 weeks. Their debut album, entitled "Eastern Energy," was released in North America in August 2004 with cover versions of Coldplay
's "Clocks" and Enya
's "Only Time" included, and a massive television advertising campaign announcing the group's arrival.http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Twelve_Girls_Band/Biography/
Among the instruments used by the women: erhu
(Chinese fiddle
), pipa
(pear-shaped lute), guzheng
(zither
), yangqin
(hammered dulcimer
), dizi (transverse flute
), and xiao
(vertical flute
). Occasionally, the duxianqin
(single-stringed zither) and hulusi
(three-piped gourd flute) are employed.
, their first album in Japan, reached the top of the J-pop chart. They won Japan Gold Disc Award
in 2004.
The Twelve Girls Band toured in the United States in 2004 Miracles tour http://www.pbase.com/aceszone/12girlband and again in 2005.
On July 7, 2007 the Twelve Girls Band performed at the Chinese leg
of Live Earth
in Shanghai, and were accompanied by the Mexican
folk singer Lila Downs
. http://liveearth.msn.com/artists/12girlsband
The Italian Soprano
Giorgia Fumanti
performed with the group in October and November 2007, on their North American tour. The tour traveled to the Midwest, and the East and West Coast areas of the USA and Canada.http://www.12girls.org/english/yfzx-show.asp?xuhao=0&column_id=354
In 2008, the yang qin player, Ma Jing Jing did concerts playing the yangqin and guzheng.
Most of these CDs were released in different versions for in the USA, China, Hong Kong and Macau, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Korea. Please see the official individual album page for information on how the tracklist differs.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
musical group that initially consisted of twelve members before the addition of a thirteenth. Twelve Girls Band use traditional Chinese instruments to play both traditional Chinese and Western
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
music. Formed on June 18, 2001, the women were selected by audition from more than 4,000 contestants. Each woman is classically-trained, and the band members come from various conservatories in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(PRC), including the China Academy of Music, the Chinese National Orchestra, and the Central Conservatory of Music.http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/events/music/12girlsband.html
History
Chinese numerologyNumerology
Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs...
gave Wang Xiao-Jing the idea for the Twelve Girls Band. When Xiao-Jing decided he wanted to create a female ensemble, he knew it needed 12 members. Per Chinese mythology it is the twelve jinchai (12 hairpins) representing womanhood. For the new project, the women were inspired by the art of the Yue Fang, the ensembles who played in the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
courts during the years A.D. 618 to 907.
The group debuted their modern compositions on ancient instruments in China and Japan during the Northern summer of 2003. In Japan their debut album topped the charts for 30 weeks. Their debut album, entitled "Eastern Energy," was released in North America in August 2004 with cover versions of Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
's "Clocks" and Enya
Enya
Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...
's "Only Time" included, and a massive television advertising campaign announcing the group's arrival.http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Twelve_Girls_Band/Biography/
Among the instruments used by the women: erhu
Erhu
The erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a "southern fiddle", and sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle". It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles...
(Chinese fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
), pipa
Pipa
The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
(pear-shaped lute), guzheng
Guzheng
The guzheng or "gu zheng", also called zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18-23 or more strings and movable bridges....
(zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
), yangqin
Yangqin
The trapezoidal yangqin is a Chinese hammered dulcimer, originally from Middle East and Persia . It used to be written with the characters 洋琴 , but over time the first character changed to 揚 , which means "acclaimed". It is also spelled yang quin or yang ch'in...
(hammered dulcimer
Hammered dulcimer
The hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...
), dizi (transverse flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
), and xiao
Xiao (flute)
The xiao is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. It is generally made of dark brown bamboo . It is also sometimes called dòngxiāo , dòng meaning "hole." An ancient name for the xiāo is shùdí The xiao is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. It is generally made of dark brown bamboo (called...
(vertical flute
End-blown flute
The end-blown flute or rim-blown flute is a keyless woodwind instrument played by directing an airstream against the sharp edge of the upper end of a tube. Unlike a recorder or tin whistle, there isn't a ducted flue voicing, also known as a fipple. Most rim-blown flutes are "oblique" flutes, being...
). Occasionally, the duxianqin
Duxianqin
The duxianqin , also yixianqin , is a Chinese plucked string instrument with only one string...
(single-stringed zither) and hulusi
Hulusi
The hulusi or cucurbit flute is a free reed wind instrument from China. It is held vertically and has three bamboo pipes which pass through a gourd wind chest; the center pipe has finger holes and the outer two are typically drone pipes...
(three-piped gourd flute) are employed.
Performances
In July 2003, Beautiful EnergyBeautiful Energy
Beautiful Energy is the first album by Twelve Girls Band. It consists of fifteen songs played in a modernized Chinese form. It was released in 2003.-Track list:# "Miracle"# "Freedom"# "Sekai Ni Hitotsu Dake No Hana"# "Shangri-La"# "Take Five"...
, their first album in Japan, reached the top of the J-pop chart. They won Japan Gold Disc Award
Japan Gold Disc Award
The Japan Gold Disc Awards for Music sales in the Recording Industry Association of Japan, is major music awards held annually in Japan also released as a CD.- List of the Artists of the Year :************...
in 2004.
The Twelve Girls Band toured in the United States in 2004 Miracles tour http://www.pbase.com/aceszone/12girlband and again in 2005.
On July 7, 2007 the Twelve Girls Band performed at the Chinese leg
Live Earth concert, Shanghai
The Live Earth concert in China was held at Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai on 7 July 2007.-Running order:*Evonne Hsu - "Love on July 7", "Lost in Venice", "I" *Anthony Wong - "The Little Prince", "The Season", "Venus"...
of Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
in Shanghai, and were accompanied by the Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
folk singer Lila Downs
Lila Downs
Lila Downs is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music...
. http://liveearth.msn.com/artists/12girlsband
The Italian Soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
Giorgia Fumanti
Giorgia Fumanti
Giorgia Fumanti is an Italian soprano , composer, producer and arranger now based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her music is best compared to that of Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman and Enya. Her debut EMI album "From My Heart" reached the top 20 on the Billboard Crossover Chart...
performed with the group in October and November 2007, on their North American tour. The tour traveled to the Midwest, and the East and West Coast areas of the USA and Canada.http://www.12girls.org/english/yfzx-show.asp?xuhao=0&column_id=354
In 2008, the yang qin player, Ma Jing Jing did concerts playing the yangqin and guzheng.
Members (by instrument)
- ErhuErhuThe erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a "southern fiddle", and sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle". It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles...
(二胡; often referred as a "two-string fiddle")- 秦子婧(Qin Zijing)
- 上官振楠(Shangguan Zhennan)
- 于秋実(Yu Qiushi)
- 金晶(Jin Jing)
- 羅翩翩(Luo Pianpian)
- PipaPipaThe pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
(琵琶; a four-stringed instrument)- 石娟 (Shi Juan)
- 仲宝 (Zhong Bao)
- Zhongruan (中阮; a plucked string instrument, a.k.a. "Moon guitar")
- 臧暁鵬(Zang Xiaopeng)
- Dizi (笛子; a traverse flute)
- 陳雪嬌 (Chen Xuejiao)
- 廖彬曲 (Liao Binqu)
- YangqinYangqinThe trapezoidal yangqin is a Chinese hammered dulcimer, originally from Middle East and Persia . It used to be written with the characters 洋琴 , but over time the first character changed to 揚 , which means "acclaimed". It is also spelled yang quin or yang ch'in...
(扬琴; a hammered dulcimerDulcimerDulcimer may refer to two types of musical instruments:* Appalachian dulcimer, a fretted, plucked musical instrument which is also referred to as a "mountain dulcimer", "lap dulcimer", "hog fiddle", "fretted dulcimer" or simply "dulcimer"...
)- 孙莉莉 (Sun Lili)
- 張静(Zhang Jing)
- 馬亜晶 (Ma Ya Jing)
- GuzhengGuzhengThe guzheng or "gu zheng", also called zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18-23 or more strings and movable bridges....
(古箏; a plucked zitherZitherThe zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
)- 于秋璇(Yu Qiuxuan)
- DuxianqinDuxianqinThe duxianqin , also yixianqin , is a Chinese plucked string instrument with only one string...
(独弦琴/獨弦琴; a one-stringed pucked instrument)- 唐小媛(Tang Xiaoyuan)
Studio albums (original works)
- Meili Yinyuehui 魅力音乐会 (CD, 2001 - limited Press) - Original Debut CD
- Joshi Juni Gakubou - Beautiful EnergyBeautiful EnergyBeautiful Energy is the first album by Twelve Girls Band. It consists of fifteen songs played in a modernized Chinese form. It was released in 2003.-Track list:# "Miracle"# "Freedom"# "Sekai Ni Hitotsu Dake No Hana"# "Shangri-La"# "Take Five"...
(CD and DVD, 2003) - first Japanese album - Kikou - Shining Energy - (CD and DVD, 2004) - second Japanese album
- Eastern EnergyEastern EnergyEastern Energy is an album by Twelve Girls Band. It consists of fourteen songs in a sort of modernized Chinese form on one audio CD and a DVD featuring the video for the song "Freedom" and other material. It was released on Platia 72438-64515-0-7 in 2004. This album is also considered as the...
(CD and DVD, 2004) - first USA album - Tonkou - Romantic Energy -Romantic EnergyRomantic Energy is an album by Twelve Girls Band. It consists of seventeen songs in a sort of modernized Chinese form. It was released in 2005.-Track listing:#"Dunhuang"#"El Condor Pasa"# "Ruten"# "Whispering Earth"# "Romantic Energy"...
(CD and DVD, 2005) - Romantic EnergyRomantic EnergyRomantic Energy is an album by Twelve Girls Band. It consists of seventeen songs in a sort of modernized Chinese form. It was released in 2005.-Track listing:#"Dunhuang"#"El Condor Pasa"# "Ruten"# "Whispering Earth"# "Romantic Energy"...
(CD and DVD, 2005) - published in the US - Shanghai (2007)
Studio albums (tributes and covers)
- Red Hot Classics (CD, DVD and VCD, 2004)
- Tribute to Wang Luobin (CD and DVD, 2004)
- Merry Christmas To YouTwelve Girls of ChristmasMerry Christmas To You, also known as Twelve Girls of Christmas, is an album by Twelve Girls Band. It consists of twelve tracks in a sort of modernized Chinese form...
(2005) - Christmas album published in Japan - The Best of Covers (2005) - Covers of mostly Japanese songs
- White Christmas (CD and DVD, 2005)
- Twelve Girls of ChristmasTwelve Girls of ChristmasMerry Christmas To You, also known as Twelve Girls of Christmas, is an album by Twelve Girls Band. It consists of twelve tracks in a sort of modernized Chinese form...
(2005) - Christmas album published in the US
Studio albums (compilations)
- Freedom (Greatest Hits) (2 CDs, 2004)( its origin is An Ottoman Classical Composition composed by Santuri Ethem Efendi. The name of the piece is şehnaz longa)
- The Best of 12 Girls Band (2006) - Korean version available
Live albums
- Kiseki/Miracle Live (CD, DVD and VCD, 2003)
- Twelve Girls Band Live at Budokan Japan 2004 (DVD, 2004)
- Journey to Silk Road (VCDVideo CDBefore the advent of DVD and Blu-ray, the Video CD became the first format for distributing films on standard 120 mm optical discs. The format is a standard digital format for storing video on a Compact Disc...
, 2005)
Most of these CDs were released in different versions for in the USA, China, Hong Kong and Macau, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Korea. Please see the official individual album page for information on how the tracklist differs.