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Memories of home: Taiwanese solo piano musicof the 20th century.Chang, Shu-Minhttps://iro.uiowa.edu/discovery/delivery/01IOWA_INST:ResearchRepository/12841170310002771?l#13841170300002771

Chang. (2021). Memories of home: Taiwanese solo piano music of the 20th century [University of Iowa].https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.006313

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MEMORIES OF HOME:

TAIWANESE SOLO PIANO MUSIC OF THE 20TH CENTURY

by

Shu-Min Chang

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the

Doctor of Musical Arts

degree in Music in the Graduate College of

The University of Iowa

December 2021

Thesis Committee: Ksenia Nosikova, Thesis Supervisor

Réne Lecuona

Uriel Tsachor

Alan Huckleberry

Trevor Harvey

Copyright by

SHU-MIN CHANG

2021

All Rights Reserved

ii

ABSTRACT

This project is a high-quality recording of seven works for solo piano by seven

Taiwanese composers written in the 20th century. I have chosen to record music by Taiwanese

composers for the project because it is underrepresented back home and globally, and I would

like to support and promote the works by artists from my country. The featured pieces are

Three Dances (1936) by Wen-Ye Jiang, Piano Suite (1954) by Chih-Yuan Kuo, Four

Preludes for Piano (1979) by Yen Lu, Nocturne No. 2 (1985) by Mao-Shuen Chen, Memories

of Home (1987) by Tyzen Hsiao, A Sketch of the Kuan Du (1999) by Shui-Long Ma, and

Mountain Mist (1999) by Chi-Lien Hung. Kuo, Ma, Hsiao, and Jiang are considered founding

and famous Taiwanese composers, and Hung, Lu, and Chen are newer or lesser-known. Each

work represents the “signature” style of its composer, or one of the styles, if the composer has

multiple stylistic periods. Overall, the selected repertoire exhibits various degrees of

integrating traditional pentatonicism with contemporary compositional techniques, such as

dissonant harmonies and tone rows. These seven works are only a partial presentation of these

composers’ oeuvre, as well as Taiwanese solo piano music at large. By acknowledging these

artists and showing a sample of their music, I hope that others would seek their other works.

iii

PUBLIC ABSTRACT

Memories of Home: Taiwanese Solo Piano Music of the 20th Century presents solo

piano works by Taiwanese composers. It features four founding and famous Taiwanese

composers (Chih-Yuan Kuo, Shui-Long Ma, Tyzen Hsiao, and Wen-Ye Jiang) and three

newer or lesser-known composers (Chi-Lien Hung, Yen Lu, and Mao-Shuen Chen). The

included pieces are Three Dances (1936) by Jiang, Piano Suite (1954) by Kuo, Four Preludes

for Piano (1979) by Lu, Nocturne No. 2 (1985) by Chen, Memories of Home (1987) by Hsiao,

A Sketch of the Kuan Du (1999) by Ma, and Mountain Mist (1999) by Hung. These seven

“signature” works are only a small part of the compositional output of these composers. Most

of these works have not yet been recorded professionally in the United States. They are

overall short in length and have evocative titles, and while greatly varied, exhibit various

degrees of integrating traditional pentatonic scale usage with 20th century Western

compositional techniques, such as dissonant harmonies and tone rows.

This recording strives to bring more awareness to the works of Taiwanese composers

who often remain underrepresented in the cultural scene in Taiwan and globally, and it gives a

taste of existing rich and diverse solo piano repertoire in Taiwan that deserves to be known.

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... v

LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. vi

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1

1.1. Statement of Purpose ........................................................................................................ 1

1.2. Repertoire Listing and Literature Review ........................................................................ 3

CHAPTER 2: COMPOSERS AND WORKS ............................................................................ 8

2.1. Historical Background...................................................................................................... 8

2.2. Repertoire ....................................................................................................................... 12

Wen-Ye Jiang: Three Dances, Op. 7 (1936) ..................................................................... 12

Chih-Yuan Kuo: Piano Suite (1954) ................................................................................. 18

Yen Lu: Four Preludes for Piano (1979) .......................................................................... 21

Mao-Shuen Chen: Nocturne No. 2 (1985) ......................................................................... 27

Tyzen Hsiao: Memories of Home, Op. 49 (1987) .............................................................. 29

Shui-Long Ma: A Sketch of the Kuan Du (1999)............................................................... 32

Chi-Lien Hung: Mountain Mist (1999) ............................................................................. 35

CHAPTER 3: IMPACTS AND OUTCOMES ......................................................................... 38

CHAPTER 4: TRACK LISTING, LINER NOTES, AND CREDITS ..................................... 40

4.1. Track Listing with DOIs ................................................................................................ 40

4.2. Liner Notes ..................................................................................................................... 41

4.3. Recording Credits ........................................................................................................... 45

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 46

APPENDIX: OBTAINED PERMISSIONS FROM PUBLISHERS AND COMPOSERS FOR

USAGE OF MUSIC EXAMPLES ........................................................................................... 49

v

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Repertoire listing and literature review ........................................................................ 3

Table 2: Scores available in libraries in North America ............................................................. 5

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Japanese tetrachords and scales ................................................................................. 16

Figure 2: Four Japanese scales (the black notes are auxiliary notes) ....................................... 17

Figure 3: The two themes of the first Prelude........................................................................... 23

Figure 4: The sforzando chords in the second Prelude ............................................................. 24

Figure 5: The canon-like theme in the beginning and end ........................................................ 24

Figure 6: Similarity between the second and third Preludes ..................................................... 25

Figure 7: Excerpt of the third Prelude....................................................................................... 25

Figure 8: The tritone trill motif ................................................................................................. 26

Figure 9: The basso ostinato ..................................................................................................... 26

Figure 10: Temple drums .......................................................................................................... 29

Figure 11: Bells of the temple ................................................................................................... 29

Figure 12: Excerpt of A Sketch of the Kuan Du ....................................................................... 35

Figure 13: The two motifs of A Sketch of the Kuan Du ........................................................... 35

Figure 14: Examples of usage of the descending 3rd motif in Mountain Mist......................... 37

1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. Statement of Purpose

This project is a studio-quality recording of selected solo piano works by seven

Taiwanese composers in the 20th century, including one female composer. I have chosen to

record music by Taiwanese composers for the project because it is underrepresented back

home and globally, and I would like to support and promote the works by artists from my

country. The featured pieces are Three Dances (1936) by Wen-Ye Jiang, Piano

Suite (1954) by Chih-Yuan Kuo, Four Preludes for Piano (1979) by Yen Lu, Nocturne No.

2 (1985) by Mao-Shuen Chen, Memories of Home (1987) by Tyzen Hsiao, A Sketch of

the Kuan Du (1999) by Shui-Long Ma, and Mountain Mist (1999) by Chi-Lien Hung. Kuo,

Ma, Hsiao, and Jiang are considered founding and famous Taiwanese composers, and Hung,

Lu, and Chen are newer or lesser-known.

Western classical music was highly promoted by the ruling governments of Taiwan

since 1895, when Taiwan became a colony of Japan. Consequently, music education in

Taiwan has been mainly focusing on the Western classical system. This has resulted in the

decreased popularity of folk Taiwanese music and works by Taiwanese composers.

Taiwanese compositions remain somewhat unknown locally and abroad despite recent efforts

of promoting them. Nonetheless, I have discovered an abundance of existing piano solo works

by Taiwanese composers. Among these works is a notable number of piano arrangements of

Taiwanese and Chinese (specifically southern China, where the majority of Taiwanese

population came from) folk tunes that are perfect for early to intermediate-level students.

Despite the value of pedagogical material, repertoire that contains technical challenges, has

distinguished artistic concepts, and can be used for future performances and self-promotion

2

was considered.

Western classical music started to flourish in Taiwan around the 1900s, which was

when the pioneer Taiwanese composers were born. Early 20th century was also the rise of the

Second Viennese School and post-tonal music. In other words, Western contemporary ideas

such as atonality were introduced to Taiwan in its earliest stage of classical music

development; therefore, pieces that were composed later are not necessarily more modern-

sounding than earlier ones. For instance, Jiang’s Three Dances (1936) contains more

untraditional harmonies and is structurally freer than Hsiao’s Memories of Home (1987). Of

course, the outcome of the works also depends on the compositional decisions of composers.

One example would be that Hsiao chose to write in the Romantic style at a time when modern

compositional techniques were trendy.

Overall, this compilation exhibits various degrees of integrating traditional

pentatonicism with Western 20th-century compositional techniques, such as dissonant

harmonies and the twelve-tone method. Each work represents the signature style of its

composer, or one of the styles, if the composer has multiple stylistic periods. Audiences

around the world can catch a glimpse of Taiwanese multinational culture through these

contrasting seven works written by composers from the beginning to the end of the past

century. These works are only a partial presentation of these composers’ oeuvre, as well as

Taiwanese solo piano music at large. By acknowledging these artists and showing a sample of

their music, I hope that others would seek their other works.

3

1.2. Repertoire Listing and Literature Review

Table 1: Repertoire listing and literature review

Composer Title of Composition

and Year

Number of CD

Recordings Notes

Wen-Ye Jiang Three Dances, Op. 7

(1936) 1

Jiang Wen-Ye: Piano Works in Japan (2011). Ju-Ying Song,

piano. Produced by ProPiano

Records. The CD tracks are

available on YouTube.

Chih-Yuan

Kuo Piano Suite (1954) 2

Kuo Chih-Yuan Piano Solo Works (2012). Lina Yeh, piano. Produced

by Taiwan

Music Art and Culture

Management Co., Ltd.

A Conversation Between a 30-Year-Old and 90-Year-Old: Chen Chiu-Yu Plays Piano Works by Kuo Chih-Yuan (2015) (English

translation). Chiu-Yu Chen, piano.

Produced by韻順 (Yun Shun).

Yen Lu Four Preludes for Piano (1979)

1

Piano Works Collection by Lu Yen (2012). Daming Zhu, piano. No

record label.

Mao-Shuen

Chen

Nocturne No. 2

(1985) 0

Tyzen Hsiao Memories of Home

(1987)

2 complete

suite,

1 with

“Memory” only

Memories Lost (2015) includes

“Memory.” Sa Chen, piano.

Produced by BIS Records.

Tyzen Hsiao Piano Solo Works

(2009). Lina Yeh, piano. Produced

by Taiwan

Music Art and Culture

Management Co., Ltd.

My Musical Journey (1995).

Gloria Chuang, piano. Produced

by Mei-Yin Classics.

4

Shui-Long Ma A Sketch of the Kuan Du (1999)

0

A live performance by Taiwanese

pianist Chiao-Han Liao is

available on YouTube.

Chi-Lien

Hung

Mountain Mist (1999)

1

Chi-Lien Hung Piano Works

(2008). Yi-Chih Lu, piano.

Produced by喜瑪拉雅

(Himalaya).

One of the obstacles of the project was collecting the actual scores. Several works

were withdrawn from my list of considerations because the scores were not available. I

purchased the pieces by Kuo and Jiang from music stores in Taiwan. Kuo Chih-Yuan1 Piano

Solo Album has been discontinued, and it was in fact the last copy at the music shop in my

hometown Hualien. WorldCat accessed in November 2021 lists three libraries in Taiwan that

are available to loan the score. Jiang’s Three Dances are available at the Stanford University

and the University of Toronto East Asian libraries. Standord University Library owns Jiang

Wenye Piano Works and University of Toronto East Asian Library has Complete Collection

of Wenye Jiang’s Works in 7 volumes. Lu’s Four Preludes for Piano (in Piano Works

Collection by Lu Yen) were available on the composer’s website (luyen.tw) when I was

looking for the score. The website was no longer there in November 2021. However, Northern

Illinois University holds a copy (see Table 2 in the next page). Hsiao’s Memories of Home

and Ma’s A Sketch of the Kuan Du were obtained through the University of Iowa Interlibrary

Loan service, the first from University of Southern California (also available at the National

Taiwan Normal University) and the latter from Tai bei shi: Qiu zai xing ji jin hui (Taipei City:

1 In this document, names of persons are Romanized according to the Taiwanese if research or source has been

published under the Taiwanese name. Where work has been published under an English name, the English name

is used instead. Occasionally, Chinese and Taiwanese scholars and composers have preferred to present their

names using the Western way, which is first name followed by last name. In this case, their names are cited in

the Western format. Japanese and Korean names are given in the order of <first name> <last name>.

5

Chew’s Culture Foundation). I contacted HoHaiYan Arts and Formusica (a music series

founded by Chen and his composition students in 1983), for the contact information of Hung

and Chen, and eventually received PDF scores of Mountain Mist and Nocturne No. 2.

The table below presents more accessible (in North America) scores by Hsiao, Jiang,

Ma, Kuo and Lu (based on WorldCat searches on November 23, 2021). All the scores by

Chen listed on WorldCat are only obtainable in libraries and universities in Taiwan. However,

many of his scores can be acquired through contacting Formusica. Unfortunately, Hung’s

scores are not available on the database.

Table 2: Scores available in libraries in North America

Composer Composition/Collection Libraries that Own Item

Tyzen Hsiao

(Xiao, Tairan)

Piano Concerto in C minor, Op. 53

University of Southern California

The Formosa Trio: for Violin, Cello and Piano

Boston Conservatory

Columbia University in the City of New York

Queens Borough Public Library

Rice University, Fondren Library

University of Washington Library

The Highlander’s Suite: for Piano Quintet

Columbia University in the City of New York

Rice University, Fondren Library

University of Washington Library

Fantasia for Flute and Piano

Yale University Library

Shui-Long Ma

Dialog for Violin and Piano Boston Public Library

Piano Sonata Boston Public Library

The Lament of Tou-Ehr: for Voices, Sou-na and Percussion

The Julliard School

6

Wen-Ye Jiang

Jiang Wenye shou gao zuo

pin ji (manuscripts

facsimiles)

University of California Berkeley Library

University of California, San Diego

University of Illinois

Harvard University

University of Michigan Library

University of Texas at Austin

Brigham Young University Provo

Jiang Wenye Piano Works Stanford University Library

Three Folk Dances of the Han People, in Suites and

Variations

Harvard University

Smith College

University of Michigan Library

University of Missouri, Kansas City

The Julliard School

Four Seiban Songs: for Voice and Piano

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Newberry Library

Harvard University

Eastman School of Music

University of Pennsylvania

University of Houston

Western University

Zai Taiwan gao shan di dai [in the high mountains]:

Piano Trio (Violin, Cello,

and Piano)

Stanford University Library

Yale University Library

Library of Congress

University of Illinois

University of Michigan Library

Song chun [Ode to Spring]: Violin Sonata

Stanford University Library

Library of Congress

Taiwan wu qu [Formosan Dance] (for orchestra)

Stanford University Library

University of Michigan Library

University of Pittsburgh

Lei lou chen liu: wei ji nian Qu Yuan er zuo (for

orchestra)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Libraries

The dating night on the milky way, in Zhongguo gan

qin ming qu q uku [Chinese

piano works collection]

Boston Public Library

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Libraries

Manhattan School of Music

Ohio University

7

Wen-Ye Jiang

(continued)

Tang shi: qi yan jue ju pian [Chinese poetry of the Tang Dynasty: Seven words quatrain] (for voice and

piano)

Cornell University

Tang shi: qi yan jue ju pian [Chinese poetry of the Tang Dynasty: Five words quatrain] (for voice and

piano)

Cornell University

Song ci [Chinese poetry of the Song Dynasty] (for

voice and piano) Cornell University

Jiang wen ye quan ji

[Complete collection of

Wenye Jiang’s works] (7

Volumes)

University of Toronto East Asian Library

Hsiang t’u chieh ling shih (suite for solo piano)

Harvard University

Sheng yong zou qu ji: Di 1 juan [Melodiae psalmorum: Vol. I]

University of California Berkeley Library

California State University, Northridge

Chih-Yuan

Kuo

(Guo,

Zhiyuan)

Three Movements: for Trumpet and Piano

Columbia University in the City of New York

Rice University, Fondren Library

University of Washington Library

Two Saisyat Melodies: for Cello and Piano

Columbia University in the City of New York

Rice University, Fondren Library

University of Washington Library

Niu lang Zhi nü [Cowherd and Weaver Girl] (opera)

Harvard University

Yen Lu

Piano Works Collection by

Lu Yen Northern Illinois University

Song of Ying-ying Bowling Green State University Main

Campus Library

8

CHAPTER 2: COMPOSERS AND WORKS

2.1. Historical Background

Musicologist Tsang-Houei Hsu divided Taiwanese history into the following periods:

the Dutch and Spanish occupation (1624-1662), the Ming Dynasty (1662-1683), the Qing

Dynasty (1683-1895), the Japanese occupation (1895-1945), Chinese Nationalist period (after

1945), and the lifting of martial law in 1987, followed by the first democratic election2 in

1991.3 He also listed several documents that record the music of the earliest inhabitants of

Taiwan in the article, as well as in his book, Tai Wan Yin Yue Shi Chu Gao [History of

Taiwanese Music]. In the 1600s, the Taiwanese locals in the southern and northern regions

learned to sing hymns and read the Bible through the teaching of the Dutch and Spanish

missionaries. All the contact with Western music came to a pause for almost 200 years when

Cheng-Gong Zheng, a general of the Ming Dynasty defeated and expelled the Dutch and the

Spanish in 1662. The Tianjin Treaty signed in 1858 allowed foreigners to enter Taiwan, and

Western classical music was again brought to the island. Both missionary periods (the 1600s

and post-Tianjin Treaty) were significant in building the Western classical music foundation

in Taiwan.

When China lost the Sino-Japanese war in 1895, Taiwan became a colony of Japan for

50 years. The schools established by the Japanese in Taiwan offered music courses. Since

Japan was implementing the Europeanization policy, the focus of these music courses was

Western classical music and not Japanese music. This system has settled and shaped the

foundation of music education in Taiwan. The Japanese government also encouraged

2 1991 was the first congressional election for National Assembly, and 1996 was the first direct election of

president and vice president. 3 Tsang-Houei Hsu and Yu-Shiu Lu, “Taiwan: Introduction” in New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,

vol. 21, ed. Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell, London: Macmillan, 2001, 1.

9

Taiwanese people to study in Japan. At the time, Japan was considered to be a better place to

pursue music at an advanced-level due to three reasons: Taiwan did not have specialized

music schools then; secondly, many Western music schools had already been founded in

Japan in the 1880s; lastly, being a province of Japan, the residents of Taiwan were educated in

Japanese and were given freedom to travel to Japan and study there.4 The opportunity to study

in Japan produced many fine Taiwanese musicians, such as Wen-Ye Jiang and Chih-Yuan

Kuo.

In 1945, Japan’s surrender ended World War II, and Taiwan was returned to mainland

Chinese control under the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomingtang, hereafter KMT). After

losing to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, KMT fully

retreated to Taiwan. In opposition to CCP, the KMT attempted to strengthen the culture of

mainlanders/Nationalists. Meanwhile, the CCP in the mainland promoted anti-capitalism. The

political and cultural tensions continued in the years to follow. The KMT leader Chiang Kai-

Shek launched Wenhua fusing yundong (Cultural Renaissance Movement) in 1966, insisting

that the arts ought to “combat communism.” The movement created a paradox in which the

writers and artists were unable to use mainland material because they could be suspected of

communism; and if they incorporate elements of local Taiwanese tradition, they would be

suspected of Taiwanese independence (complete separation from the mainland).5 Regardless

of the artists’ denial of associating their works with politics, Tsang-Houei Hsu remarked that,

“even if you don’t care about politicians, they will care about you.”6 On the other hand,

4 Tsang- Houei Hsu, Tai Wan Yin Yue Shi Chu Gao [History of Taiwanese Music], Taipei: Quan Yin Yue Pu Fa

Xing, 1991, 257-258. 5 Barbara Mittler, Dangerous Tunes: The Politics of Chinese Music in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the People’s Republic of China since 1949, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 1997, 189-194. 6 Mittler, 50-53.

10

similar to the Japanese government, the KMT promoted Western classical music for the sake

of modernization by founding a state symphony orchestra and constructing a music education

curriculum. Musicians started studying abroad in Europe and America. Over time, Western

music became synonymous with “music” in the minds of Taiwanese people,7 and writers and

artists eventually turned to the West to avoid political conflict.8 The KMT government also

belittled Taiwanese local crafts, dance, literature and music and set policies to achieve

reunification with the traditional Chinese culture, such as broadcasting Peking Opera for one

hour a day on three major Taiwanese TV channels and restricting non-Mandarin language

programs and pop songs.9 The intentions of these policies have been to overcome the remains

of Japanese colonial culture as well as to weaken Taiwanese local traditions.10

Later in the 1970s, Taiwan was replaced by mainland China in the United Nations,

which led to a cultural and political movement that promoted Taiwanese roots and traditions.

Localization (or indigenization or Taiwanization) is a political term used within Taiwan to

support the view of Taiwan as a unique place, rather than as solely an appendage to mainland

China.11 With a growing awareness of the importance of preserving traditional forms of music

and drama, Taiwanese folk songs, Taiwanese opera (or gezaixi as sung in Taiwanese) and

puppet shows served as an emblem of Taiwanese identity, and as such regained their vitality

under the Localization Movement.12 Music textbooks now include more Taiwanese folk and

composed songs, and graduate schools were set up in the 1990s for music departments in

7 Ying-Fen Wang, “Lessons from the past: Nanguan/Nanyin and the Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage

in Taiwan,” in Music as Intangible Cultural Heritage: Policy, Ideology, and Practice in the Preservation of East Asian Traditions, edited by Keith Howard, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2012, 164. 8 Mittler, 191. 9 Most Taiwanese people spoke Taiwanese at the time, a variety of the Hokkien language. 10 Wai-Chung Ho, “Music and cultural politics in Taiwan,” International Journal of Cultural Studies 10, no. 4

(2007), 466-467. 11 Ibid., 467. 12 Ibid., 468.

11

many of the Taiwanese universities, which helped with research into Taiwanese music.13

Events such as the ‘100 Years of Taiwanese Music’ festival and conference held in 1995

would include performances of Taiwanese folk songs, Fujian and Hakka music, and recent

compositions by leading Taiwanese composers.14 The Council for Cultural Affairs (CCA,

now Ministry of Culture) established the Council of Arts Taiwan International Composition

Contest in 2002, which encouraged local music so as to raise Taiwan’s music to international

standards.15

Despite the unresolved “One-China principle16” between the mainland and Taiwan,

cross-strait economic and cultural relations have expanded dramatically over the past two

decades. The Straits Exchange Foundation and the Association for Relations across the

Taiwan Straits (ARATS), which were set up in 1991, began cultural exchanges between

Taiwan and mainland China. Meanwhile, mainland China and Taiwan have undergone a rapid

cultural exchange since the 1990s, and many mainland orchestras have visited Taiwan. The

National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra also promotes musical and academic exchanges by

holding Chinese Composer Seminars, and by encouraging Chinese Composition.17 Taiwan

has been deeply influenced by mainland China in its traditional music since the two are

geographically, politically and culturally close. Most Taiwanese people originated from the

mainland, and brought traditional Chinese music along with them to Taiwan. In the process of

this expansion and integration of Chinese influence, existing music in Taiwan merged and

13 Ibid., 469. 14 Ibid., 468. 15 Ibid., 468. 16 The “One-China principle” is the principle that insists both Taiwan and mainland China are inalienable parts

of a single "China." The KMT proclaims a modified form of the "One-China" principle known as the “1992

Consensus.” Under this “consensus,” both governments “agree” that there is only one single sovereign state

encompassing both mainland China and Taiwan, but disagree about which of the two governments is the

legitimate government of this state. 17 Wai-Chung Ho, 474-475.

12

evolved into a different flavor. Besides mainland China, Taiwan was also occupied by other

nations throughout history, although the duration of their stay was not nearly as long as the

mainlanders. This led to the multi-national culture of Taiwan, and this certainly applies to

Taiwanese music. The biographies of several major Taiwanese composers reveal how

Taiwanese musical development was influenced by the cultures of China, Japan, and the

West. For the impact of Western culture, various aspects of Christianity and

modernism/atonality are especially apparent. The repertoire I have chosen for this recording

project represents contrasting styles of Taiwanese classical piano music within the 20th

century, and the works reflect on the cultural influences mentioned above.

2.2. Repertoire

The repertoire of this project is listed chronologically in this chapter. The booklet

notes will follow the order of the recording.

Wen-Ye Jiang: Three Dances, Op. 7 (1936)

Wen-Ye Jiang (1910-1983) is one of the pioneer Taiwanese composers. He left

Taiwan when he was six years old to attend Xu Ying College, a Japanese school in Xiamen,

China. At a young age, Jiang was exposed to Western musical instruments, vocal music and

theory, and was able to sing traditional Chinese tunes and compose poetry in Japanese. The

rich cultural experiences in Xiamen were consequential to Jiang’s success later.18 In 1923,

Jiang was sent by his father to Japan to study. While attending the Tokyo Engineering and

Commerce Advanced School, he devoted his time to music, simultaneously taking voice,

piano and composition lessons, and started his career as a baritone. It was in Japan that Jiang

18 Guo-Liang Cao, “Wenye Jiang and Xiamen,” Journal of Xinghai Conservatory of Music 125, no. 4 (2011): 47-

55.

13

established himself as an internationally known composer. Some of his early works were

published under his Japanese name, Bunya Koh. His compositions range from piano solo to

choral and orchestral works, and employ elements of traditional Chinese, Taiwanese, and

Japanese music. Jiang’s 22 pieces for solo piano are often in two parts, and feature bass

ostinatos. The mixture of different articulations and irregular rhythmic patterns such as

changing meters, polyrhythm, hemiola, and syncopation in his music creates a diversified and

intense character, for example, his Formosan Dance (1934) uses hemiola and syncopation and

the fourth piece in his Sixteen Bagatelles (1936) has frequently changing meters.19

Jiang taught himself the Western foundation of harmony by memorizing the standard

repertoire through the abundant phonograph records and music scores available in Japan.20

During Jiang’s early compositional stage, he was attracted to the styles of Debussy, Ravel,

Bartók, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Varèse, and Honegger. Polytonality, twelve-tone serialism, and

heptatonic/pentatonic scales were common in his piano music. Many of his Japanese

colleagues were eager to learn the French impressionism and 20th-century compositional

techniques and were strongly impacted by the French’s obsession with harmonies made of

intervals of 4th and 5th. According to Jiang’s friend, Hsia Su, Jiang did not care much about

the trend, but he was unavoidably influenced by friends who followed it.21

Jiang’s compositional style began to shift after he met Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-

1977) in Japan on February 14th, 1935. Tcherepnin was a Russian-American pianist and

composer who was deeply fascinated by Eastern culture. His encouraged Chinese and

19 Mao-Chun Liang, Wen-Ye Jiang’s Memorial Conference: The Piano Works by Wen-Ye Jiang, Taipei: The

Culture Center of Taipei County, 1992, 115. 20 Wen-Ye Jiang, “Foreword” in Jiang Wen-Ye Piano Works, edited by Shiau-Yun Jiang, Taipei: Mercury

Publishing House, 2007, 5. 21 Ibid., 6.

14

Japanese composers to combine the 20th century Western musical language and Eastern

traditional music aspects. Tcherepnin gave Jiang compositional guidance and also published

and performed Jiang’s works frequently. The two travelled to Beijing in 1936, and Jiang

decided to stay in China from March 1938 for the purpose of studying Chinese folk music and

yayue,22 as he wrote in his resume.23 From then on, he started to integrate Chinese elements

into his works, such as using the pentatonic scale, transcribing folk songs and pieces

originally written for pipa and guzheng, and adding melodies and accompaniment to Classical

Chinese poetry.24 While living in China, Jiang has taught at the Beijing Normal University

and the Central Conservatory of Music. When the Anti-Rightist Campaign25 erupted in 1957,

the Chinese government labeled Jiang as a rightist due to his Taiwanese identity. His work as

a teacher and composer was severely restricted, and broadcasts and performances of his music

were prohibited. During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), he was often imprisoned, and

was forced to labor on farms. The political turmoil finally ended in 1978; however, his health

had been irreparably damaged, and he passed away a few years later.26

22 Literally translates to “refined music” and the term refers to music of the Confucian ritual. Hugh de Ferranti et

al, "Japan." Grove Music Online. 2001; https://www-oxfordmusiconline-

com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-

0000043335. Accessed 18 Oct. 2021. 23 Wen-Ye Jiang, “Foreword” in Jiang Wen-Ye Piano Works, edited by Shiau-Yun Jiang, Taipei: Mercury

Publishing House, 2007, 6. 24 Ibid., 6-8. 25 The Anti-Rightist Campaign (fanyou yundong), also called the Anti-Rightist Struggle (fanyou douzheng), led

to the persecution of several hundreds of thousands of people from all social strata, including many intellectuals

who had made statements at the insistent demand of authorities, as part of the Party rectification campaign

imposed by Mao Zedong (1893-1976). Christine Vidal, “The 1957-1958 Anti-Rightist Campaign in China:

History and Memory (1978-2014),” Charles de Gaulle University, 2016, halshs-01306892. 26 Jonathan P.J. Stock, 2001 "Jiang Wenye," Grove Music Online, https://www-oxfordmusiconline-

com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-

0000049312, accessed July 9, 2019.

15

Jiang’s early works contain Japanese elements, specifically tetrachords (Figure 1)27

and some scales (Figure 2).28 Since there was a strong tendency to focus on unnotated

improvisation, Japanese music did not have a theoretical system until Western music was

imported as a part of the Europeanization policy during the Meiji period (1868-1912).29

Proceeding from the 12 semitones in the Western tonal system, musicologist Fumio Koizumi

identified four types of Japanese tetrachords - Minyo, Miyakobushi, Ritsu, and Ryukyu. These

tetrachords, although established in 1958, are often found in Jiang’s music including Three

Dances which was composed in 1936. Many melodies and harmonies of Jiang’s Japanese

period compositions are shaped by these tetrachords and scales as well as the use of intervals

of 4th and 5th stemming from the French influence.

27 Akihiro Kawase and Akifumi Tokosumi, “A Regional Classification of Japanese Folk Songs: Classification

based on transition probabilities of tetrachords,” University of Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan,

https://www.keer.org/keer2007/Paper/Keer2007-paper-1258.pdf, Accessed October 23, 2021. 28 William P. Malm, “Japanese music,” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., last modified

September 17, 2015, https://www.britannica.com/art/Japanese-music, accessed January 8, 2019. 29 Akihiro Kawase, “Construction and Verification of the Scale Detection Method for Traditional Japanese

Music: A Method Based on Pitch Sequence of Musical Scales,” International Journal of Affective Engineering

12 no. 2 (2013): 310.

16

Figure 1: Japanese tetrachords and scales

17

Figure 2: Four Japanese scales (the black notes are auxiliary notes)

Jiang’s Three Dances were composed while the composer was living in Japan. The

rich Japanese flavor of the entire set makes it the perfect representation of his early period.

The tempos of these three dances are fast-slow-fast, similar to the Western three-movement

sonata. The outer movements contain abundant Japanese tetrachords and scales, while the

middle movement is mostly based on pentatonicism. The smaller-unit tetrachords are often

embedded in Japanese scales (beside the four scales built from two of the same tetrachords),

therefore the main discussion will be on the Yo, In, Hirajoshi and Kumoijoshi scales.

I. Allegro ritmico

The first movement has a ternary structure with upbeat and lively A sections, a lyrical

B section and an exhilarating coda. At the start of the movement, the changing notes on the

bassline’s weak beats creates the illusion of misplaced downbeats, resulting in a humorous

effect. Under the G Major pentatonic melody is Yo scale on G hiding in the minor 2nds

between the grace notes and the downbeat Ds in the accompaniment. The melody of the B

section uses both Kumoijoshi scale on D and Hirajoshi scale on G, and the second half of the

section has a more elaborate and contrapuntal texture.

18

II. Allegro scherzando

The second dance is the shortest of the three, with a form of ABAB + coda. The

opening mazur-like rhythmic pattern is constant throughout, and the frequent changes of

meter bring an element of humor and surprise. The A sections have a reserved and humble

character while the two B sections are more extroverted and have grander sonority featuring

louder dynamic markings and wider registers. Besides the mostly pentatonic nature of the

second dance as previously mentioned, the Miyakobushi tetrachord is used at mm. 22-24 and

mm. 47-49 (A-B♭-D both locations). The coda combines the rhythmic structure and direction

of the B theme and the key of the A section (G-flat pentatonic).

III. Allegro moderato

In comparison to the previous more mellow second movement, the third dance has a

radiant spirit. The various blends of accidentals, dissonant harmonies, accents, sudden

dynamic changes, pentatonicism and Japanese components (Minyo tetrachords and scale, Yo

scale, Hirajoshi scale, and Kumoijoshi scale which contains Miyakobushi and Ryukyu

tetrachords) make the third movement overflowing with contrasting colors and characters. It

has a structure similar to the sonata form, with an ambiguous beginning of the recapitulation

due to its reverse order of the themes. The piece ends with a joyous coda. The abundance of C

pentatonic, bright upper registers, and upward motion accompaniment help bring the music to

a brilliant ending.

Chih-Yuan Kuo: Piano Suite (1954)

Pioneer Taiwanese composer and harmonicist Chih-Yuan Kuo (1921-2013) was

named by popular media as “Father of Taiwanese music” in 2016, for his heart was deeply

rooted in Taiwan, and so was his music. He contributed significantly to Taiwanese music by

19

arranging more than 20 Taiwanese folk tunes and adding melodies and accompaniment to

approximately 30 folk songs for which only lyrics survived. In addition to arrangements and

compositions for solo instruments, voice, and bigger ensembles, he also wrote pop songs and

music for commercials and films. Kuo has received numerous awards and his orchestral and

operatic works were performed and recorded around the world.

In an extensive dissertation, Sheng-Wei Hsu documented multiple interview sessions

with Kuo. The composer stated in February 2010 that he grew up listening to various genres

of Taiwanese opera and instrumental music.30 Born in the era of Japanese rule, Kuo witnessed

the discrimination of Taiwanese people. In 1935, he traveled to Japan to pursue music at an

advanced level, and while there, he met and befriended Wen-Ye Jiang. Kuo admired Jiang for

his success as a foreigner (citizen in their colony) in Japan.31 At the time, Japanese

nationalism was at its peak and many Japanese composers integrated Japanese folk elements

in their music. The atmosphere of patriotism combined with racial inequity lit up Kuo’s

determination to compose music of Taiwan.32 He returned to Taiwan in 1945, when his

education was interrupted by Japan’s loss in World War II. In the 20 years after WWII,

known as the “desert period”33 in Taiwanese music history, Kuo was one of the three

composers who lived and produced a significant amount of works in Taiwan. His Piano Suite

was written during this time.

The structural presentation of Kuo’s compositions is orderly - clear, logical, balanced,

and symmetrical. The soprano and bass lines are often based on the pentatonic scale and the

30 Sheng-Wei Hsu, “Interpreting the Piano Music of Taiwanese Composer Kuo Chih-Yuan,” PhD diss.,

University of Sheffield, 2016, 36. 31 Chih-Yuan Kuo, Zaiye de hong qiangwei [Red Rose in the Field], edited by Lin-Yin Wu, Taipei: Dalu, 1998,

273-275. 32 Sheng-Wei Hsu, 44-45. 33 Under the martial law, the government banned the right of assembly, free speech and publication in

Taiwanese. As a result, works in art and literature were significantly reduced.

20

non-pentatonic notes are usually inserted in the inner voices. 34 Piano Suite is Kuo’s tribute to

themes by Debussy, Prokofiev, Ravel and Schubert, all of whom were some of Kuo’s favorite

composers.35 Below are the titles of each movement of Piano Suite along with a brief

introduction:

I. Prelude

The first movement is peaceful, flowy and primarily pentatonic. The legato

accompaniment is joined by the cantabile melody. With unmeasured rapid passages, Kuo

employed a short cadenza that imitates the resonant plucking and the brilliant glissandos of

the guzheng.36 The second half of the movement repeats the exact structure of the first half,

with several subtle changes in harmonies. These harmonies carry the music into the B minor

key in the second cadenza, in contrast to the key of F-sharp minor of the first.

II. Village Dance

Kuo mentioned that the melody in the movement is inspired by shanga, which means

“mountain song,” a type of Taiwanese Hakka folk songs. Hakka women and men sing shanga

when they pick tea leaves, and some flirt with each other, in the mountains.37 “Village Dance”

is full of syncopation, tied notes, and dotted rhythm. The formal structure of the movement is

a simple ternary form, with a lyrical middle section.

III. Impromptu

The movement is comprised of the contrasting brilliant Allegro sections full of vibrant

colors of constantly changing harmonies and leggiero dainty phrases, and the humble and

34 Yu-Xiu Chen, Kuo Chih-Yuan: Shamo zhong de Hong Qiangwei [The Rose in the Desert], Taipei: Shibao

Wenhua [China Times], 2001, 236. 35 Sheng-Wei Hsu, 342. 36 Guzheng (or zheng) is a Chinese plucked string instrument that has a history of over 2,500 years. It consists of

a soundbox with adjustable bridges over which a number of strings are stretched. The 16-string zheng is tuned to

give three complete octaves, while the 21-string zheng has four complete octaves. 37 Sheng-Wei Hsu, 345.

21

settled-sounding chorale-like Moderato sections.

IV. Dance Oriental

The finale of the suite begins with an energetic right-hand accompaniment with a bell-

like melody in the left hand. The pentatonic sonority suits the “oriental” component stated in

the title well. According to the composer, the bassline of the second Allegro section imitates

the luo (gong) and bo (cymbals) of a Taiwanese beiguan38 percussion band.39 The resonance

of these percussion instruments can be brought out with the damper pedal.

Yen Lu: Four Preludes for Piano (1979)

Yen Lu (1930-2008) is a native of Nanjing, China who developed his music career in

Taiwan and the United States. The chaos of the Sino-Japanese War, Nanjing Massacre, and

Civil War in mainland China drove Lu and his family to Taiwan in 1949. After graduating

from the National Taiwan Normal University in 1953, he taught in Taipei while taking

counterpoint lessons with Er-Hua Hsiao.40 Lu followed his dream of studying abroad at the

Northeast Missouri State Teachers’ College (1963-1965) and Mannes College of Music in

New York (1965-1972). In New York, he completed his first piece Septet in 1967 under the

guidance of William Sydeman, and later studied electronic music with Mario Davidovsky for

a year from 1973. Upon entering University of Pennsylvania in 1977, he became a student of

his two idols, George Rochberg and George Crumb. Both suggested that Lu write from the

heart, regardless of the current compositional trends. These words boosted Lu’s confidence on

the road of searching his own sound.41

38 Beiguan music, originated from south-east China, comprises the guchui (‘drumming-and-blowing’) ensemble,

the sizhu (‘silk-and-bamboo’) ensemble, lyrics (xiqu) and theatre music (xiqu, written with different characters). 39 Sheng-Wei Hsu, 350. 40 Taiwanese composer and music educator. Hsiao established National Taiwan Normal University’s Music

Department, setting the groundwork to nurture and train musicians in Taiwan. 41 Li Chen, Yen Lu: A Cold Fire of Music, Taipei: China Times Publishing Co., 1999, 92-93.

22

Lu’s compositions integrate Western tonality and atonality, together with the

tranquility and charm of Eastern culture and the Taoist lucidness. He said that his music

comes from his heart and reflections from life experiences. To Lu, music is a special language

by which we can communicate with either the external empirical world or the internal world

of mind and spirit within each of us.42 Lu returned to Taiwan in 1979 and taught at Soochow

University in Taipei until 2008. In 1988, his won the Golden Tripod Award for his Piece for

Four Hands No. 1, and later received the National Culture and Arts Award in 1993 and the

National Award for the Arts in 1998. In 2002 he was awarded the Chair Professorship at the

Soochow University and in 2003, the TECO Technology Award. He was named the best

composer with his Shi Fang Concerto by the Golden Melody Award in 2009.

Lu’s Four Preludes for Piano were written in Spring 1979, while the composer was

living in Philadelphia. The set demonstrates more avant-garde approach that widens the

contrast of the repertoire of this project.

The first Prelude involves two themes. The calm, contrapuntal main theme is derived

from pentatonic scale, and the other theme contrasts with its flashy 32nd-note lines that are

built from 12-tone serialism (Figure 3). It should be “played with a free and careless feeling”

according to the manuscript.

42 Yen Lu, “Bio, Composer, Pianist,” Piano Works Collection by Lu Yen, Taiwan Computer Music Association

(TCMA), 2012, 8.

23

Figure 3: The two themes of the first Prelude

The second Prelude is based on the tone row of E, G-flat, F, B, D-flat, G, and A

(Figure 5, first system). Similar to the previous Prelude, the atmosphere is predominantly

slow and serious. The movement begins calmly, then the intensity of the music builds up with

fast runs of a sequence using all 12 semitones. The sudden outbursts at m. 12 and m. 14

(Figure 4) make the rather relaxed first Prelude comparable to a warm-up. These loud chords

end the piece, now with the dynamic marked as ppp, distantly echoing their louder appearance

earlier. It is interesting to note that when the beginning canon-like theme returns at Tempo

Primo, the notes in the lower and upper registers are exchanged (second half of Figure 5).

Pentatonic theme

12-tone theme

24

Figure 4: The sforzando chords in the second Prelude

Figure 5: The canon-like theme in the beginning and end

at Tempo Primo in the second Prelude

11

14

Original row

Beginning

Tempo Primo

25

The third Prelude continues the musical ideas of the second. The intervallic

relationship between the lower line of m. 2 is almost identical to the start of Piu Lento of the

previous movement (Figure 6). The use of 16th and 32nd notes throughout, leaping irregular

rhythmic patterns, and constantly changing time signatures make the piece the liveliest out of

the set (Figure 7). The tritone trill motif at the beginning opens and concludes the piece

(Figure 8).

Figure 6: Similarity between the second and third Preludes

Figure 7: Excerpt of the third Prelude

Second Prelude’s Piu Lento m. 2 of the third Prelude

26

Figure 8: The tritone trill motif

The last Prelude is based on a bell-like ostinato which introduces and ends the

movement (Figure 9). Other notes join in after two statements of the ostinato, and gradually

evolve into a complex and intense presence. Similar to Ravel’s Le Gibet, the ostinato ought to

be consistent on top of all the complex rhythm, specific dynamic markings, wide intervals,

and leaps in both hands.

Figure 9: The basso ostinato

Tritone trill

Tritone trill

27

Mao-Shuen Chen: Nocturne No. 2 (1985)

Composer and music educator Mao-Shuen Chen (1936- ) is the founder of the

Republic of China Association of Music Education in 1987 and the WACH music education

system in 1992. The teaching materials he developed and published have contributed

tremendously to music education in Taiwan. Chen believes in creating a new musical

meaning by composing based on traditional music and folk songs. Correspondingly, his

compositions incorporate traditional and folk elements as well as post-tonal harmonies.43

Chen has produced works in various genres, including overture, symphony, concerto,

chamber music, chorus, lieder and piano solo. Piano works take up most of his compositional

output.44 Chen was a professor of National Taiwan Normal University’s music department

from 1975 to 1999, and served as the deputy conductor of Experimental Symphony Orchestra

(now National Symphony Orchestra) and National Experimental Choir (now National Choir).

Together with his students, they formed the Taiwanese music series Formusica in 1983.

Formusica is a platform for sharing new works by Taiwanese composers, and it is still active

today. In 2013, Chen received the National Award for the Arts by National Culture and Arts

Foundation for his creative and educational contributions in music.

Among Chen’s 52 works for solo piano are two Nocturnes written in 1985. Both of

them are available on YouTube. While the first Nocturne is mostly tonal with some jazzy

moments, Nocturne No. 2 sets a drastically different tone along with an added ingredient: the

idea of Śūnyatā in Buddhism.45 The Sanskrit word Śūnyatā is often translated to “emptiness”

43 National Culture and Arts Foundation, “Chen Mao-Shuen,” https://www.ncafroc.org.tw/award-

artist.aspx?id=1286, accessed October 6, 2019. 44 The Online Database of Taiwanese Musicians, “Chen Mao-Shuen,”

http://musiciantw.ncfta.gov.tw/list.aspx?p=M081&c=&t=1, accessed October 1, 2019. 45 Mao-Shuen Chen, “鋼琴夜曲第二號 / 樂曲解說 Piano Nocturne No. 2,” YouTube video, 6:51, January 7, 2020,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3W2R8GynUs.

28

or “voidness.” It is a Buddhist philosophy which claims that nothingness possesses essential

and enduring identity because everything is interconnected in a chain of co-becoming and in a

state of constant flux. In the context of meditation, Chen said that it takes years of practice

and intense concentration for one to achieve the realm of Śūnyatā, since most people cannot

help but worry about the past and the future, for instance.46

Nocturne No. 2 contains the sounds of the bells, drums, mùyú,47 and chants pouring

out from a Buddhist temple. To Chen, the concept of Śūnyatā in his Nocturne No. 2 gives a

new meaning to traditional definition of nocturnes as night songs, “a piece suggesting night,

usually quiet and meditative in character, but not invariably so.”48 The piece is built on

intervals of Perfect 5th, Major and minor 2nds, and the tritone. It begins with several simple,

quiet notes that represent the chanting of the monks. The music gradually becomes busier and

disturbing as the rhythm gets more rapid and the texture thickens with more dissonant

harmonies. These stormy, chaotic parts of the piece depict the struggle of the meditator

driving out unnecessary thoughts that keep coming back.49 The trills of the lowest two notes

of the piano (Figure 10) represents the composer’s realistic image of the sound of the temple

drums on the mountain at night, which starts off fast, slows down, then speeds up again.50 The

bells of the temple can be heard at m. 14 (Figure 11).51

46 Ibid. 47 Literally "wooden fish". An elaborately carved wooden percussion instrument struck with a padded wooden

stick during Buddhist chanting services. Fish, since they never sleep, symbolize the alertness and watchfulness

needed to attain Buddhahood. 48 Maurice J.E. Brown, and Kenneth L. Hamilton, "Nocturne (i)," Grove Music Online, 2001, Accessed 5 Oct.

2021, https://www-oxfordmusiconline-

com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-

0000020012. 49 Mao-Shuen Chen. 50 Ibid. 51 Ibid.

29

Figure 10: Temple drums

Figure 11: Bells of the temple

Tyzen Hsiao: Memories of Home, Op. 49 (1987)

Award-winning Taiwanese composer Tyzen Hsiao (1938-2015) grew up in a musical

family of Christian faith. His family was one of the first piano owners in Taiwan at the time.52

He was first introduced to the piano by his mother, and quickly excelled at it. Despite that,

Hsiao’s father wanted his son to be a dentist. Hsiao’s high school president persuaded the

father that Hsiao would have a bright future as a musician and should receive formal

training.53 With his father’s permission, Hsiao entered the Normal University in Taipei as a

piano performance major, and while being there, he also took composition lessons from

Tsang-Houei Hsu. In 1965, Hsiao travelled to the Musashino Academy of Music in Japan and

studied piano with Nakane Nobue and composition with Fujimoto Hideo.54 Upon returning to

Taiwan, he taught at multiple schools while continuing to enrich himself by studying piano

52 Chi-Min Chen, Catalogue of Tyzen Hsiao’s Compositions, Council for Cultural Affairs, Taiwan, 2009, 27. 53 Hua-Rong Yen, The Romantic Taiwanese, Taipei: China Times Publishing Co., 2002, 22. 54 Chi-Min Chen, 155.

30

with Ms. Isabel Taylor55 and composition with Dr. Robert Scholz. Taylor’s performing style

had an impact on Hsiao’s belief in Christianity as well as his writing of religious music.56

Hsiao moved to the United States in 1977 due to a personal financial crisis. He soon

became a part of the Taiwanese community in Los Angeles, and would sometimes sing or

play Taiwanese music during the gatherings. His collection of Taiwanese folk songs,

arrangements for different vocal and instrumental combinations and original songs are often

based on topics related to Taiwanese identity and political movements.57 Three of the songs

he wrote during this time include “The Street Vendors” (1978), “The Vagabond” (1978), and

“March of Democracy” (1980). The song “March of Democracy” made Hsiao blacklisted by

the KMT until 1995, when the new government exempted him. He was finally able to return

to Taiwan in the same year. Hsiao dedicated efforts in introducing and promoting works by

other Taiwanese composers such as Wen-Ye Jiang, Chih-Yuan Kuo and Tsang-Houei Hsu.

After suffering a stroke in 2002, he moved back to Los Angeles and passed away in 2015 of

lung cancer at the age of 77.

Raised by music-loving parents who were also Christian, Hsiao often composed in

hymn-like style, with a mixture of Taiwanese folk music with Western Classical and

Romantic materials. He loved using the term cantabile. The composer himself has mentioned

being influenced by Mozart, Chopin, Debussy, Bartok, and Rachmaninoff.58 Hsiao has

composed works for solo instruments and voice, chamber ensembles, and large-scale pieces

55 Isabel Taylor (1909-1992), a Canadian pianist who traveled to Taiwan in 1931 with a missionary group from

the Presbyterian church in Canada. She dedicated most of her life to educating generations of musicians in

Taiwan. 56 Ming-Yuen Tsai, The world-class Taiwanese composer, Tyzen Hsiao, Taipei: Yu San She [Taiwan Interminds

Publishing Inc.], 2006, 86-87. 57 Hen-Zhe Lin, Romanticism with Deep Affection: Selected Articles about the Music of Hsiao Tyzen, Taipei:

Spring Wind Publishing Co., 1999, 293-296. 58 Hen-Zhe Lin, A Collection of Tyzen Hsiao’s Musicological Forum and Articles, Taipei: Wang-Chun-Feng

Wen-Hua, 1999, 152.

31

for orchestra and/or choirs. His solo piano music was less known until a renowned Taiwanese

concert pianist Lina Yeh brought them onto the concert stage. Yeh commented on Hsiao’s

piano music:

“Somehow you can always feel that there is a unique Taiwanese character in Hsiao’s

music, which has a very delicate and sincere emotion inside; very gentle and natural as

the pure Taiwanese personality. The fine and elegant style with precise musical form

recalls Rachmaninoff, who was also exiled just as Hsiao was. Even in suffering, they

always kept their hope.”59

Memories of Home is a suite that consists of six short pieces dedicated to Dr. Milton

Stern, the composer’s piano teacher at California State University, Los Angeles when he was

a master’s student. It was written in 1987, the year that he finished his degree. The titles of the

pieces are: “Prelude,” “Memory,” “Playground,” “Ancient Taiwanese Melody,” “Elegy,” and

“Frolic.” “Prelude” and “Frolic” were assigned as the two pieces for contestants to play in the

first round of the International Chinese Piano Competition in Washington for their technical

demand and virtuosity.60

In Memories of Home, there is a story behind each movement, and the characteristics

are generally implied by the title. One can hear the various traditional drums in a fanfare and

the soundscape of a bustling festival in “Prelude.” “Memory” is in fact the solo piano

transcription of his song “The Vagabond.” Because of its popularity, there is also a

composer’s version for choir and orchestra. “Playground” is likely a reminiscence of his own

childhood, playing with other children in the countryside.61 When Hsiao was a child, he and

his family went to visit their ancestors’ graves, to offer their respect on Tomb Sweeping Day,

a national holiday in Taiwan. A few scholars claim that the melody in “Ancient Taiwanese

59 Heng-Zhe Lin, Romanticism with Deep Affection: Selected Articles about the Music of Hsiao Tyzen, 32. 60 Hen-Zhe Lin, A Collection of Tyzen Hsiao’s Musicological Forum and Articles, 316. 61 Hua-Rong Yen, 18-21.

32

Melody” came from Hsiao’s memory of hearing an old person sing, while Rita Kuo, the editor

of Tyzen Hsiao’s score writes that the piece is inspired by a friend’s grandfather, and “the

unusual grace notes, ties and dotted rhythm in the melody create a haunting and religious

chant.” 62 In “Elegy,” the composer feels the tragedy and nostalgia,63 and perhaps frustration

and fear that he may not be able to return to Taiwan due to the political situation at the time.

“Frolic” is inspired by one of Hsiao’s childhood memories of the good times he shared with

his cousin, doing such activities as swimming in a lake, and smoking.64 Its fast, energetic

repeated notes and showy arpeggios at a tempo of Allegro vivace makes it a thrilling finale.

Overall, the suite is entertaining to play and to listen to. Not only do the contrasting moods

between movements keep the music refreshing, both the music and the background stories are

personal and down-to-earth. The sentiments are relatable to me as a Taiwanese person since I

had similar experiences growing up.

Shui-Long Ma: A Sketch of the Kuan Du (1999)

Shui-Long Ma (1939-2015) is an internationally recognized artist and the first

Taiwanese composer to have his work presented at the Lincoln Center. His Chinese

Transverse Flute Concerto was performed by the American National Symphony Orchestra in

1983, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich. In 1986, he was invited to Columbia University

and the University of Pennsylvania as a Fulbright scholar. The following year in March, the

Alexander Tcherepnin Society sponsored Ma to have four performances at Alice Tully Hall.65

62 Rita C. Kuo, “Foreword,” Memories of Home Op. 49, Taipei: Fu er mo sha he chang tuan (Formosa Singers),

2007. 63 Ibid. 64 Shu-Wen Sun, Xiao Tai Ran Gang Qin Zuo Pin: Bei Jing, Ji Qiao Yu Feng Ge Zhi Tan Tao [A Study of Tyzen

Hsiao’s Piano Compositions: Compositional Background, Techniques, and Styles,] Taipei: Dong He Yin Le Chu

Ban She, 2006, 91. 65 Bi-Ling Gu, “Shui-Long Ma,” National Culture and Arts Foundation, http://www.ncafroc.org.tw/award-

artist.aspx?id=1215, accessed August 3, 2019.

33

Bernard Holland, a New York Times critic wrote two days later that,

The music of East and West is divided by common materials following opposite paths.

Thus, contemporary Asian composers are often torn by a wish to enter the mainstream

of European tradition - its particular instruments, forms of rhetoric and attitudes about

how musical ideas grow and develop - and an even stronger need to protect and

promote their culture's own specific use of interval and rhythm. Given the cross-

purposes at play, it is not easy. This is what made Saturday night's evening of music at

Alice Tully Hall by Ma Shui-Long, a Taiwanese composer, such an interesting affair.

Mr. Ma's collection of pieces - including a string quartet, a flute solo, a Capriccio for

Cello and Piano and an organ Toccata and Fugue - balanced the largely conventional

use of Western instruments with the pure intervallic skips and pentatonic melody from

his own culture - and it did so without descending into the usual cloying chinoiseries.66

Ma earned his degree from National Taiwan University of Arts, where he studied

composition with Er-Hua Hsiao and music theory with Tsang-Houei Hsu and Yen Lu. In

1972, he was granted a full scholarship to study at the Regensburg Music Academy in

Germany with Oskar Sigmund. Ma graduated with honors and was twice the recipient of the

Golden Tripod Award, and won the Sun Yat-Sen Music Creation Award and the Wu San-Lien

Award. After returning from Germany, he has won many other awards and received

commissions from numerous organizations. While Ma was a professor at Soochow University

and National Taiwan University of Arts, he often emphasized to his students that they should

not forget their roots while learning the Western instruments, compositional techniques, and

music theory. For this reason, he made a requirement for all music students to pick a

traditional Chinese instrument to learn.67

66 Bernard Holland, “Concert: 6 Compositions by Ma Shui-Long,”

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/23/arts/concert-6-compositions-by-ma-shui-long.html, accessed January 6,

2019. 67 Li-Jung Du, “Tsung Ma Shui-Long hsiensheng shoukao chuantseng kuoto chientan chi yinyueh yu huihua de

chuantso li nien” [A discussion of Shui-Long Ma’s musical and painting style based on his donation of music

manuscripts and art works], National Central Library News Bulletin 106, no.3 (2017): p28-31,

https://nclfile.ncl.edu.tw/files/201708/9b849a08-c351-4343-b004-6bdc916c4e2b.pdf.

34

Commissioned by Chew’s Culture Foundation, A Sketch of the Kuan Du was

completed in 1999, after the composer’s retirement from the National Taiwan University of

Arts. The work was premiered in November 2002 by Ma’s wife, Tzu-Chen Hsu. As the title

indicates, the piece is a musical painting of the north side of the Kuan Du plain where Ma

resided. Some call the Kuan Du plain “the last pure land in Taipei” for its endless green fields.

It is also a popular spot for photographing sunsets. He said, “For a long time I have been

embraced by the expansive scenes of nature, and enjoying the lovely hours near dawn and

dusk. My indulgence in the hazy morning fog and resplendent night lights has offered me a

great deal of sensations and inspirations. Naturally, I was motivated to create this piece.” 68

A Sketch of the Kuan Du can be described as epic yet mysterious. It is similar to

another piano solo composition by Ma, A Sketch of the Rainy Harbor, in which Ma musically

expresses the nostalgia of his hometown Ji-long, the ocean, the rain, and the marketplace in

four movements. Both pieces are a combination of Western 20th century ideas and Taiwanese

geographical and musical traits. Since there are already four sets of smaller pieces in the

repertoire selection, a few individual works such as A Sketch of the Kuan Du would boost the

variety of the project.

The image of the expansive Kuan Du plain that the title suggests is effectively

depicted by the abundance of long notes, continuous flowing 16th notes, and long trills, and

almost visual effects of highly contrasting layers of soft, smooth textures and ponderous

dissonant fortissimo chords (Figure 12 and 13). Structurally, the piece is divided into sections

that are woven together with two main motifs, stated at mm. 1-4 (Figure 13). The melodic

lines of both motifs emerge in variations throughout the work, with the first motif also

68 Shui-Long Ma, A Sketch of the Kuan Du, Taipei: Qiu Zai-Xing wen jiao ji jin hui [Chew’s Culture

Foundation], 2009, 13.

35

functioning as a rhythmic motif, as its dotted rhythm frequently appears throughout the piece.

Figure 12: Excerpt of A Sketch of the Kuan Du

Figure 13: The two motifs of A Sketch of the Kuan Du

Chi-Lien Hung: Mountain Mist (1999)

Chi-Lien Hung (1964- ) received her bachelor’s degree in music at Fu-Jen University,

where she studied composition under Chang-Fa Yu. Hung took guqin69 lessons with Yu-Qin

Sun which has influenced her musical style later on. In 1988, Hung moved to Vienna to

pursue her master’s degree at Hochschule fuer Musik und darstellende Kunst in Wien (now

University of Music and Performing Arts) under the guidance of Diether de la Motte and

69 Guqin is a plucked five or seven-string Chinese musical instrument and member of the zither family.

Motif 1

Motif 2

36

Marie-Agnes Dittrich. She graduated cum laude in 1996, and received the Honorary Award

from the Austrian Federal Minister of Science, Traffic and Art in the same year. Hung has

been teaching at the Franz Schubert Konservatorium since 2002. In 2008, her first piano

works CD was recorded and released by pianist Yi-Chih Lu. Her works have been performed

in Taiwan, France, Germany, Austria, and St. Lucia.

Hung considers her compositions to be divergent. She was trained under the Western

classical system, and grew up listening to Taiwanese opera, pop songs in hair salons, Peking

opera and guqin music. These music genres are the inspiration of her crafts. She claimed that

the challenge of performing her works at an advanced level lies in the specific emotion within

it. The performer’s understanding of the diverse culture of Taiwan, the hospitality of the

Taiwanese people, and even homesickness would help bring out the sentiments in her music.

Hung visited friends in Taichung often whenever she flew home to Taiwan from

Europe. To get to Taichung from her hometown Chiayi, she had to take the train which would

pass by a mountainous area. In one of her interviews, the composer described how the floating

clouds moving in different speeds and directions forged multiple layers, and sometimes the

fog would blur up the view. When the sun shined through the mist, it created another kind of

aesthetic. The Taiwanese mountains after the rain reminded her of the Chinese calligraphy

painting of natural landscapes, which differs from the beauty of Bavarian Alps in Austria that

is comparable to oil paintings. She feels a special connection to the mountains in Taiwan

since she used to live near them.70

Apart from the image of Taiwanese mountains, the timbre and gestures in Mountain

Mist are inspired by guqin playing, and the music is also deeply rooted in aspects of Tai Chi,

70 Chi-Lien Hung, telephone interview by author, Oct 14, 2019.

37

meditation and Zen. The word Schwebend (floating, hovering) at the beginning of the piece

and the overall thin texture correspond to the airiness of the clouds and mists, and plentiful

markings of ritardando and accelerando illustrate the cloud’s unpredictable movements.

Traditional pentatonic and Western tonal and atonal features are used both separately and

simultaneously. Despite the free formal structure, constant changes of tempos and time

signatures, the descending 3rd motif ties the whole piece together (Figure 14).

Figure 14: Examples of usage of the descending 3rd motif in Mountain Mist

38

CHAPTER 3: IMPACTS AND OUTCOMES

Memories of Home: Taiwanese Solo Piano Music of the 20th Century contains works

by seven prominent and lesser-known Taiwanese composers, and will be the first recording of

these composers in North America. Audiences around the world can catch a glimpse of

Taiwanese history and multinational culture through these contrasting works written from the

beginning to the end of the past century. Though Wen-Ye Jiang, Chih-Yuan Kuo, Tyzen

Hsiao and Shui-Long Ma were known to Taiwanese audiences, overall, their works were not

performed as frequently as the widely recognized music by Western composers. The few

existing professional recordings of their works are mostly distributed in Taiwan and the CD

liner notes are in Chinese. Consequently, this makes access to them rather difficult for non-

Chinese readers. It would not be surprising if the musical works of the remaining three

composers (Yen Lu, Mao-Shuen Chen, and Chi-Lien Hung) are played even less. My

recording increases the accessibility of these works and includes the premiere studio

recording of Chen’s Nocturne No. 2.

Most of these composers spent the majority of their life in Taiwan, which is a different

geographical, cultural and philosophical environment than the West. Therefore, some of the

pieces in this project were influenced by characteristically Taiwanese or Asian ideas. The

Buddhist philosophy of Śūnyatā in Chen’s Nocturne No. 2, the political drama between KMT

and Hsiao in his “Elegy,” and the mountains of Taiwan in Hung’s Mountain Mist are just

three examples of such associations. Multiple compositions in this project contain passages

that resemble the sound of Chinese instruments or are inspired by traditional performing arts,

such as the imitation of temple drums in Chen’s Nocturne No. 2, and in Kuo’s Piano Suite,

the guzheng-like passage and the sound of Taiwanese beiguan percussion band. By not only

39

recording but also performing these works, it is my hope to revive and raise awareness of

these composers, their music, and the culture that is linked with them.

Personally, throughout the time of preparation of the project, I gained deeper

knowledge and appreciation of the music by various Taiwanese composers, Taiwanese music

history, and most importantly, my own roots. I also believe that the lack of reference

recordings of these works challenged me to make independent interpretive choices has

furthered my growth as a performing artist.

From working with living composers Mao-Shuen Chen and Chi-Lien Hung, I

communicated with them directly asking for their input and confirmation of my performance

ideas. My collaboration with Chi-Lien Hung through this project led to another recording of

her vocal work, “Autumn Wind Dyed Maple Red.” I plan to continue my efforts to work

closely with Chen and Hung in the future, possibly commissioning new works from them and

performing works that already exist. I will explore grants and opportunities to fund the release

of this recording on a professional label. I am also interested in producing another recording

featuring piano music from Taiwan.

40

CHAPTER 4: TRACK LISTING, LINER NOTES, AND CREDITS

4.1. Track Listing with DOIs

TYZEN HSIAO (1938-2015)

Memories of Home (1987)

1. I. Prelude (1:23) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/2afx-4k63

2. II. Memory (2:45) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/d63b-g695

3. III. Playground (1:11) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/seqw-yg79

4. IV. Ancient Taiwanese Melody (1:34) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/nmdd-0109

5. V. Elegy (3:32) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/q4ys-ek19

6. VI. Frolic (1:48) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/s9te-1s21

SHUI-LONG MA (1939-2015)

7. A Sketch of Kuan Du (1999) (6:56)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/tcs4-dg26

CHI-LIEN Hung (1964- )

8. Mountain Mist (1999) (4:42)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/8d99-fm59

CHIH-YUAN KUO (1921-2013)

Piano Suite (1954)

9. I. Prelude (3:46) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/tksy-am38

10. II. Village Dance (4:08) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/3x2g-bc92

11. III. Impromptu (4:37) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/cwt7-ya33

12. IV. Dance Oriental (3:31) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/8p2a-zm52

41

YEN LU (1930-2008)

Four Preludes for Piano (1979)

13. Prelude No. 1 (2:44)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/nnpj-b748

14. Prelude No. 2 (2:42)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/s4hq-qs32

15. Prelude No. 3 (1:17)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/8dwp-9n37

16. Prelude No. 4 (5:44)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/y2b1-5h46

MAO-SHUEN CHEN (1936- )

17. Nocturne No. 2 (1985) (5:44)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/tedr-db94

WEN-YE JIANG (1910-1983)

Three Dances (1936)

18. I. Allegro ritmico (3:12) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/4xxw-rj92

19. II. Allegro scherzando (2:05) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/yefk-tj58

20. III. Allegro moderato (3:58) DOI: https://doi.org/10.25820/1mx7-9y95

4.2. Liner Notes

Memories of Home

Award-winning Taiwanese composer Tyzen Hsiao (1938-2015) received his music

education in Taiwan and the United States. Growing up in a musical family of Christian faith,

Hsiao often composed in hymn-like style, with a mixture of Taiwanese folk music and

Western Classical and Romantic materials. Memories of Home is a suite that consists of six

charming short pieces inspired by his childhood. The exciting “Prelude” imitates the bustling

42

sound of a temple festival. The lyrical “Memory” is the composer’s solo piano transcription of

his song “The Vagabond” which expresses his homesickness and love for Taiwan.

“Playground” is Hsiao’s reminiscence of playtime with other children in the countryside. It is

simple and playful. “Ancient Taiwanese Melody” was likely a tune he heard an old person

sing on Tomb Sweeping Day, a Taiwanese national holiday. “Elegy,” the only movement in a

minor key in the suite, is filled with sorrow and frustration. Lastly, the virtuosic “Frolic”

depicts the fun times Hsiao shared with his cousin.

A Sketch of the Kuan Du

Shui-Long Ma (1939-2015) is an internationally recognized artist and the first

Taiwanese composer to have his work presented at the Lincoln Center. Commissioned by

Chew’s Culture Foundation, A Sketch of the Kuan Du was completed in 1999. This epic and

mysterious work was inspired by the expansive scenes of nature, hazy morning fog and

resplendent night lights of the north side of the Kuan Du plain where Ma resided. The piece

was composed using two pentatonic-based motifs with 20th century dissonant harmonies.

Mountain Mist

Taiwanese female composer Chi-Lien Hung (1964- ) earned her bachelor's degree in

Taiwan and master's degree in Vienna. Her compositions are a blend of traditions from

Western classical music, Taiwanese opera, pop songs in hair salons, Peking opera and guqin

music. Apart from the image of Taiwanese mountains, the timbre and gestures in Mountain

Mist are inspired by guqin playing, and the music is also deeply rooted in aspects of Tai Chi,

meditation and Zen. Traditional pentatonic and Western tonal and atonal features are used

both separately and simultaneously.

43

Piano Suite

Pioneer Taiwanese composer and harmonicist Chih-Yuan Kuo (1921-2013) was

named by popular media as “Father of Taiwanese music” in 2016. He has arranged more than

50 Taiwanese folk tunes and folk songs and composed in various genres. Piano Suite is a set

of four short pieces titled “Prelude,” “Village Dance,” “Impromptu,” and “Dance Oriental”

and is Kuo’s tribute to Debussy, Prokofiev, Ravel and Schubert, all of whom were some of

Kuo’s favorite composers. Each movement is based on one or two themes by these composers

while employing the use of the pentatonic scale and melodies from Taiwanese Hakka

mountain songs (shanga), and imitation of Taiwanese beiguan percussion band.

Four Preludes for Piano

Yen Lu (1930-2008) is a native of Nanjing, China who developed his music career in

Taiwan and the United States. Upon entering University of Pennsylvania in 1977, Lu became

a student of his two idols, George Rochberg and George Crumb. Written in 1979 in

Philadelphia, Four Preludes for Piano integrate Western tonality and atonality, together with

the tranquility and charm of Eastern culture and Taoist lucidness. The first Prelude involves

two themes: the calm main theme derived from pentatonic scale, and the contrasting theme of

flashy fast runs in the higher register. The second Prelude has a quiet outer section. The

middle section consists of loud chords, accelerated notes with a crescendo, which gives the

music an intense and shocking character. The lively third Prelude contains leaping irregular

rhythmic patterns, fast notes, and constantly changing meters. The last Prelude is based on a

bell-like bass line which introduces and ends the movement. After two statements of the bass

line, the other notes join in and develops into a piercing frenzy, then lulls down towards the

end.

44

Nocturne No. 2

The founder of the Republic of China Association of Music Education in 1987, the

WACH music education system in 1992, and Formusica in 1983, Mao-Shuen Chen (1936- ),

has developed and published teaching materials that contributed tremendously to music

education in Taiwan. His Nocturne No. 2 was inspired by the idea of Śūnyatā in Buddhism,

which translates to "emptiness” or “voidness.” The Buddhist philosophy claims that

nothingness possesses essential and enduring identity because everything is interconnected in

a chain of co-becoming and in a state of constant flux. The edgy and virtuosic piece contains

the sounds of the bells, drums, mùyú, and chants pouring out from a Buddhist temple.

Three Dances

Wen-Ye Jiang (1910-1983) is one of the pioneer Taiwanese composers who studied in

Japan. He began his musical career as a baritone and then established himself as an

internationally-known composer. Jiang combined elements of traditional Chinese, Taiwanese,

and Japanese music with contemporary concepts such as polytonality, twelve-tone serialism,

and heptatonic/pentatonic scales in his works. The suite Three Dances was one of his early

works composed in Japan. The outer movements have a distinctly Japanese flavor with their

widely used Japanese tetrachords and scales, while the middle movement is mostly based on

pentatonic scale.

45

4.3. Recording Credits

The recording sessions took place at the University of Iowa Voxman School of Music

Concert Hall during fall of 2020 and spring of 2021. The piano used was a Steinway D which

was tuned and maintained by piano technician Jeremy Herrera. James Edel, the director of UI

recording studios, and his team provided all the technical support and services related to this

recording, including editing, mixing and mastering.

46

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APPENDIX: OBTAINED PERMISSIONS FROM PUBLISHERS AND COMPOSERS FOR

USAGE OF MUSIC EXAMPLES

Shui-Long Ma - A Sketch of the Kuan Du

50

Chi-Lien Hung - Mountain Mist

51

Yen Lu - Four Preludes for Piano

52

53

Mao-Shuen Chen - Nocturne No. 2