Ma Sicong

Ma Sicong (May 7, 1912 – May 20, 1987) was a Chinese violinist and composer.

He was referred to in China as "The King of Violinists."

On May 7, 1912, Ma Sicong was born in Haifeng, Guangdong province.

His father Ma Yuhang (馬育航) was a colleague and confidant of revolutionary figure Chen Jiongming.

After the Wuchang Uprising, Ma's father became the finance minister of Guangdong.

Ma's mother Huang Chuliang (黃楚良), also from Haifeng.

Ma Sicong was the fifth of ten children.

Most of Ma's siblings became musicians in their own right, e.g. Ma Sisun (馬思荪), Ma Siju (馬思琚), Ma Sihong (马思宏), and Ma Siyun (馬思芸).

Some of their children also became well known musicians.

In the summer of 1923, Ma Sicong's brother returned to France from his studies, and brought Ma Sicong a violin.

The 11-year-old immediately fell in love with the instrument, and decided to follow his brother to France to study the violin.

Ma and his brother arrived in Paris, France in the winter of 1923.

Their first place of residence was in Fontainebleau, and later in a family house.

In the first six months, Ma had four violin teachers, the last of whom was a graduate of Conservatoire de Paris.

Ma proved to be a fast learner, and in 1925, he was admitted to the Music Conservatory of Nancy, an affiliate of the Conservatoire de Paris.

There he played the violin with his landlady's pianist daughter.

In summer of 1926, Ma won second prize by playing a concerto by Niccolò Paganini, but he was dissatisfied with his performance and progress.

So he returned to Paris in August of the same year.

Through a friend, Ma became a student of violinist Paul Oberdoerffer at the Conservatoire de Paris.

At the same time, he also studied the piano with Oberdoerffer's wife.

However, in March 1927, he developed a neck condition, and had to stop playing.

He spent his time in the coastal city of Berck, concentrating on the piano, and became familiar with many composers, with Claude Debussy being his most favorite.

In the fall of 1928, Ma returned to France.

Ma was officially admitted to the Conservatoire de Paris in Paris, France.

Ma majored in violin.

There he met future Chinese composer Xian Xinghai, and Ma recommended Xian to also study under Oberdoerffer.

In early 1932, Ma returned to China, and got married in the same year to Wang Muli (王慕理).

In the following period, he composed many renowned pieces such as Lullaby, Inner Mongolia suite, Tibet tone poem (西藏音詩), and Madrigal (牧歌).

His Nostalgia (思鄉曲) for violin, composed in 1937 as part of the Inner Mongolia Suite (內蒙組曲), is considered one of the most favorite pieces of 20th century China.

According to Ma Sicong's 1937 autobiography, he did not come from a particularly musical family.

His interest in music began at age five, when he sang along with his grandfather's gramophone recording.

He started playing the piano when he was seven, and two years later the harmonica and the yueqin when he went to a boarding school in Guangdong.

Ma was appointed president of the newly established Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing by the government of the People's Republic of China in December 1949.

When the Cultural Revolution broke out in June 1966, Ma became a target of the Chinese government and its Red Guards.

On the night of January 15, 1967, Ma and his family managed to escape to Hong Kong by boat.

While in Hong Kong, Ma contacted Nancy Zi (Hsu Meifen 徐美芬), daughter of Ma's eldest sister Ma Sijin (马思锦).

On behalf of Ma reuniting with his youngest brother Ma Sihong (马思宏) in New York City, Zi contacted the US Consulate in Hong Kong, leading to Ma's escape to the United States with escorts provided by the consulate itself.

In May 1967, a special file was opened to investigate the circumstances of Ma's escape, under the leadership of Kang Sheng, head of the Central Investigation Agency, and Xie Fuzhi, the Minister of Public Security.

Many of Ma's friends and family members were subsequently implicated.

In 1968, a standing warrant was issued for Ma's arrest for treason, and the charge was not retracted until 1985.