Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto
The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto (simplified Chinese: 梁祝小提琴协奏曲; traditional Chinese: 梁祝小提琴協奏曲; pinyin: Liáng-Zhù xiǎotíqín xiézòuqǔ) is one of the most famous Chinese works of orchestral music. It is an adaptation of an ancient legend, the Butterfly Lovers, written for Western-style orchestra and solo violin.
This concerto is written using the traditional 5-note technique (pentatonic scale). The piece draws inspiration from Yue Opera for its melodies, chord structures, and patterns, and attempts to imitate the playing techniques of Chinese musical instruments, including the Erhu and Pipa. These elements give the piece a distinctive Chinese sound, although scholars note the concerto still uses Western tonal harmonies and borrows from the Western sonata form.