"[1] 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.
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).
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.
The 11-year-old immediately fell in love with the instrument, and decided to follow his brother to France to study the violin.
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.
In summer of 1926, Ma won second prize by playing a concerto by Niccolò Paganini, but he was dissatisfied with his performance and progress.
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 January, 1930, Ma returned to Guangzhou, and became first violin of the orchestra of the Research Institute for Dramatic Arts in Guangdong (廣東戲劇研究所).
Through Oberdoerffer, Ma became a student of Janko Binenbaum, a Turkish composer of Jewish descent, who served as musical director in Regensburg, Hamburg, and Berlin.
In February 1934, Ma collaborated with pianist Harry Ore, who had been a classmate of Sergei Prokofiev, and composed the Violin sonata No.
In August, Ma and his wife returned to Hong Kong and performed recitals there, and met Xian Xinghai for the second and last time.
He wrote a large number of patriotic songs during this period, such as The Call for Freedom (自由的號聲), Forward (前進), Guerilla squadron hymn (游擊隊歌), Defend south China (保衛華南) Wang Fah Gong (黃花崗), and From death comes eternal life (不是死是永生).
In Summer of 1941, Ma left Chongqing for Hong Kong, but returned to his home Heifeng when the Pacific War broke out on December 8, where he arrived in February 1942.
Ma's family relocated to Guilin in April, where he held concerts, and met novelist Duanmu Hongliang.
He returned to Guangdong to resume teaching at Sun Yat-sen University, and published articles in academic musical journals.
In 1945, Ma gave concerts in Chongqing and surrounding areas, and published a number of songs: The Light of Democracy (和平之光), Sabre Dance (劍舞) and "Shuyi" (述異).
In November, he returned to Shanghai and met with delegates Zhou Enlai, Qiao Guanhua and Gong Peng.
Ma's family moved to Hong Kong in early 1948 to escape prosecution, as a result of his protest against authoritarian rule by the Kuomintang government.
In November 1949, Ma was requested by Zhou Enlai to be part of an entourage in an official visit to the Soviet Union.
After holding various administrative positions, Ma was appointed a delegate of the First National People's Congress in September 1954 and returned to Beijing.
The Cultural Revolution broke out in early June, 1966 and Ma became the target of the revolutionary Anti Academic Elitism movement (反動學術權威).
Ma's wife escaped with her children and they hid at her sister's home in Nanjing and shortly after in Danzao (丹灶).
On January 15, 1967, Ma and his family fled to Hong Kong by boat, an event that was known colloquially as en passant (上卒), after the chess move.
His Nostalgia became his most famous work, renamed as The East is Red (東方紅), a propaganda piece glorifying both Mao Zedong and Communism.
In the United States, he wrote music for the ballet Sunset Clouds (晚霞), and composed the opera Rebia (熱碧亞).
He also continued his compositions of Chinese patriotic music in the US, and he seldom discussed his experience during the Cultural Revolution in public.
When President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger visited China in 1972, Zhou Enlai expressed his regret for the persecution and escape of Ma.
In December 2007, the Chinese government held ceremonies for welcoming Ma's ashes to his home town of Haifeng.
Concertos: • Violin Concerto in F major, 1944 • Concerto for Two Violins, 1983 • Cello Concerto, 1958–1960 Symphonic works • Symphony No.1, 1941–1942 • Symphony No.2, 1958–1959 • Song of Wooded Mountain (山林之歌), 1953–1954 • Suite of Joy (欢喜组曲), 1949 Choral works: • Democracy Cantata (民主大合唱), 1946 • Homeland Cantata (祖國大合唱), 1947 • Spring Cantata (春天大合唱), 1948 • Huai-River Cantata (淮河大合唱), 1956 Violin pieces: • Lullaby (搖籃曲), 1935 • Inner Mongolia Suite (內蒙組曲) 1937 • Tone Poem of Tibetan (西藏音詩), 1941 • Pastoral Song (牧歌), 1944 • Dance of Autumn Harvest (秋收舞曲) 1944 • Lyric Melody (抒情曲) (1952) • Dragon Lantern Dance (跳龍燈) 1952 • Mountain Song (山歌) 1952 • Spring Dance (春天舞曲), 1953 • Pouring out slowly (慢訴) 1952 • Rondo No.
• Amis Suite (阿美組曲), 1973 Chamber Music • Violin Duo, 1982 • Piano Quintet, 1954 • String Quartet No.2 Op.10, 1938 • Piano Trio in bB major, 1933 • Violin Sonata No.1, 1934 • Violin Sonata No.2, 1936 • Violin Sonata No.3, 1984 Opera & Ballet: • Ballet, Sunset Clouds (晚霞) • Opera, Rebia (熱碧亞), 1980 Piano Works • Three Pieces for Piano, 1961 • Three Dances, 1952 • Three Pieces of Cantonese Music, 1952–1953 • Sonatina No.4, 1956 Songs • Song cycle: After Rain, 1943 • In memory of Xian Xinghai, 1946 • Prosecution, 1947 • Song of Chinese Young Pioneers, 1950 • Spring Water, 1962