Ng Yat-siu was born in Heshan, Guangdong in 1906. Fond of Cantonese music and opera from childhood, he was a member of the well-known Fei Sing opera society in Guangzhou, beginning on the stage as an extra before turning to writing and song composition, becoming the first professional Cantonese lyricist. His early songs were mostly written for female singers on the concert platform, among the best known being The Return of the Amorous Swallow for Siu Ming-sing, Laments at the Long Pavilion for Tsui Lau-sin, and Red Mansions at the Sea's Edge for Siu Yin-fei and Yam Kim-fai, as well as a song mourning Siu Ming-sing. He entered film in 1938 with Magistrate Mui, writing both script and songs, and before the fall of Hong Kong he wrote and scored Unloved Wife (1939) and The Return of the Amorous Swallow (1941). His song films included Selling Flesh to Raise an Orphan (1947), The New Butterfly Lovers (1951), Song of the Autumn Grave (1951) and Song of Sha San (1951). He is credited with launching the vogue for Cantonese song films and opera song films. He also wrote for record companies, and in 1964 composed all the new songs for the Commercial Radio programme Love Songs at Dusk. Besides traditional aria forms he used short tunes and adapted popular and foreign film melodies into Cantonese music. He wrote hundreds of songs and, by output, fees and popularity, was reckoned the greatest of his trade, hence his title 'King of Song'. He also wrote film scripts such as The Butterfly Lovers' Misery (1951) and the first four Wong Fei-hung films, his last screenplay, Sha San and Pretty Silver, being released in 1961. He died in Hong Kong of a throat illness in 1964.
Ng Yat-siu was the first professional Cantonese song lyricist, and his work helped launch the vogue for Cantonese song films. He wrote hits such as The Return of the Amorous Swallow for singers like Siu Ming-sing, scripted and scored well over a hundred films, and introduced popular tunes and foreign film themes into Cantonese music, earning him the title 'King of Song'.
Achievements
- 1938 · Wrote the script and songs for his first film, Magistrate Mui.
- 1949 · Wrote the screenplays for the first four Wong Fei-hung films, beginning with The Story of Wong Fei-hung, Part One.
- 1964 · Wrote all the new songs for the Commercial Radio programme Love Songs at Dusk.