In addition to recordings of the standard classical repertoire, Ma has recorded a wide variety of folk music, such as American bluegrass music, traditional Chinese melodies, the tangos of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, and Brazilian music. He has also collaborated with artists from a diverse range of genres, including Bobby McFerrin, Carlos Santana, Chris Botti, Diana Krall, James Taylor, Miley Cyrus, and Sting.
Ma has been a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 2006. He has received numerous awards, including the Avery Fisher Prize in 1978, The Glenn Gould Prize in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, Kennedy Center Honors in 2011, the Polar Music Prize in 2012, and the Birgit Nilsson Prize in 2022. He was named as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020. Aside from English, Ma is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and French.
Ma's primary performance instrument is the Davidov cello, made in 1712 by Antonio Stradivari
Ma's mother, Marina Lu, was a singer, and his father, Hiao-Tsiun Ma, was a violinist, composer and professor of music at Nanjing National Central University (now relocated in Taoyuan, Taiwan; predecessor of the present-day Nanjing University and Southeast University). They both migrated from the Republic of China to France during the Chinese Civil War. Ma's sister, Yeou-Cheng Ma, played the violin and piano professionally before obtaining a medical degree from Harvard and becoming a pediatrician. The family moved to New York City when Ma was seven.
From the age of three, Ma played the drums, violin, piano, and later viola, but settled on the cello in 1960 at age four. When three-year-old Yo-Yo said he wanted a big instrument, his father went to see Etienne Vatelot, a foremost violin maker in Paris who, after a chat, lent him a 1/16th cello. He jokes that his first choice was the double bass due to its large size, but he compromised and took up the cello instead. When his father realized that Yo-Yo was ready for a better teacher, a well-known cello instructor, Mme Michelle Lepinte, was selected. He began performing before audiences at age five and played for presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy when he was seven. At age eight, he appeared on American television with his sister in an event introduced by Leonard Bernstein. In 1964, Isaac Stern introduced them on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and they performed the Sonata of Sammartini. He attended Trinity School in New York but transferred to the Professional Children's School, where he graduated at age 15. He appeared as a soloist with the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra in a performance of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations.
Ma studied at the Juilliard School at age 19 with Leonard Rose and attended Columbia University, but dropped out. He later enrolled at Harvard College. Prior to entering Harvard, Ma played in the Marlboro Festival Orchestra under the direction of cellist, conductor and Ma’s childhood hero Pablo Casals. He spent four summers at the Marlboro Music Festival after meeting and falling in love with Mount Holyoke College sophomore and festival administrator Jill Hornor during his first summer there in 1972.
Even before that time, Ma gained fame and performed with many of the world's major orchestras. He has also played chamber music, often with pianist Emanuel Ax, with whom he has a close friendship from their days at Juilliard. Ma received his bachelor's degree in anthropology from Harvard in 1976, and in 1991 received an honorary doctorate from Harvard.
Yo-Yo Ma has been referred to by critics as "omnivorous" and possesses an eclectic repertoire. In addition to numerous recordings of the standard classical repertoire, he has recorded Baroque pieces using period instruments; American bluegrass music; traditional Chinese melodies, including the soundtrack to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; the tangos of Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla; Brazilian music, recording traditional and contemporary songs composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Pixinguinha; a collaboration with Bobby McFerrin (where Ma admitted to being terrified by McFerrin's improvisation); and the music of modern minimalist Philip Glass, in such works as the 2002 Naqoyqatsi.
Ma is known for his smooth, rich tone, soulful lyricism, and virtuosity. He released a cello recording of Niccolò Paganini's Caprice No. 24 for solo violin and Zoltán Kodály's Solo Sonata.
On May 1, 2019, he performed at Paranal Observatory in the Atacama desert. He said that his interest in astronomy motivated him to visit and perform there.
Ma's albums include recordings of cello concertos, sonatas for cello and piano, works for solo cello, and a variety of chamber music. He has also recorded in non-classical styles, notably in collaboration with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Carlos Santana, Chris Botti, Chris Thile, Diana Krall, James Taylor, Miley Cyrus and Sting.
Easy To Love
Yo-Yo Ma Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In thinking such a thing could be
That you could ever care for me
I'm sure you hate to hear
That I adore you, dear
But grant me
Just the sameI'm not entirely to blame
For love
You'd be so easy to love
So easy to idolize
All others above
So worth the yearning for
So swell to keep every home fire burning for
We'd be so grand at the game
So carefree together
That it does seem a shame
That you can't see
Your future with me
Cause you'd be oh, so easy to love
In Yo-Yo Ma's song "Easy To Love," the singer reflects on their unrequited love for someone they know does not share the same feelings. The opening lyrics suggest that the singer is aware they are wasting time by believing there is a possibility for a relationship to form between them and the object of their affections. Despite this awareness, the singer still feels compelled to share their feelings and express their adoration for the other person.
Throughout the song, the singer continues to praise and admire the person they are in love with. They believe that the other person is "so easy to love" and that they would be "so worth the yearning for". The singer envisions a future where they could be "carefree together" and "so grand at the game", but acknowledges the unfortunate reality that this is not a future the other person can see with them.
Overall, "Easy To Love" is a poignant reflection on the complicated emotions and struggles of unrequited love. The lyrics capture the bittersweet feeling of admiring someone from afar, while still acknowledging the reality that the love cannot be returned.
Line by Line Meaning
I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time
I am aware that my feelings are futile and I'm losing valuable time by thinking otherwise.
In thinking such a thing could be
My thoughts of having a chance with you are unrealistic and unfounded.
That you could ever care for me
It's improbable that you could develop romantic feelings towards me.
I'm sure you hate to hear
I am confident that you dislike hearing about my love for you.
That I adore you, dear
My love for you is real and strong, even though it's unrequited.
But grant me
But let me express my feelings anyway.
Just the same
Even though my love is unreciprocated.
I'm not entirely to blame
I am not solely responsible for developing feelings for you.
For love
Because love is a complex emotion that can't always be controlled or avoided.
You'd be so easy to love
You possess qualities that would make it easy to fall in love with you.
So easy to idolize
You're worthy of being admired and looked up to.
All others above
You surpass everyone else in your standout qualities.
So worth the yearning for
You're worth the emotional effort and longing that comes with loving you.
So swell to keep every home fire burning for
You're the kind of person who would inspire someone to maintain a cozy, welcoming home environment.
We'd be so grand at the game
If we were in a romantic relationship, we would be successful and skilled together.
So carefree together
Being in love with you would make me feel free and unburdened.
That it does seem a shame
It's unfortunate that you can't reciprocate my feelings, given how well we could be together.
That you can't see
You're unaware or dismissive of the compatibility we could have as a couple.
Your future with me
The possibility of a romantic future between us.
Cause you'd be oh, so easy to love
Because you possess qualities that make you an easy person to love, even though I understand that you can't reciprocate my feelings.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind