A Conductor’s Guide to Lyric Diction in Standard Chinese by Yik Ling Elaine Choi A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts Faculty of Music University of Toronto © Copyright by Elaine Choi, 2018. A Conductor’s Guide to Lyric Diction in Standard Chinese Yik Ling Elaine Choi Doctor of Musical Arts Faculty of Music University of Toronto 2018 Abstract Chinese choral music is a relatively recent phenomenon. Within the last century, Chinese conductors and choral ensembles have actively fostered a vibrant choral community. Furthermore, Chinese composers have taken increasing interest in the choral art, resulting in a growing body of new choral repertoire. Contemporary Chinese choral music adopts western choral approaches such as voice parts (SATB), style (bel canto), harmony and structure, but retains Chinese texts. In order to introduce Chinese choral art music to English-speaking choirs, conductors must be equipped with good resources to deepen their understanding of the choral culture in China. More importantly, they need supportive materials to help them tackle the challenges of the language. Currently there are few guides to lyric diction in Standard Chinese for singers and choral conductors. The primary goal of this study is to break down the complexity of the pronunciation of this language, using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and Pinyin systems, to provide a helpful guide to conductors in teaching Chinese choral music. ii A secondary goal is to introduce choral musicians to contemporary Chinese choral music. In addition to outlining the history of choral music in China, this study also includes analyses of five original compositions written within the last decade, in order to provide examples of original choral works in Standard Chinese written by Chinese composers from different geographical backgrounds: Hong Kong, China, the United States, and Canada. These analyses are supplemented with the composers’ biographies, program notes, and analytical information that may be helpful for pedagogical purposes. Through my research, I seek to champion interest in this sub-genre of music that is otherwise not well known currently in North America, both by providing a guide to teaching lyric diction in Chinese and by promoting original compositions written by modern Chinese composers. iii Acknowledgments This dissertation would not have been possible without the unwavering support of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt. Dr. A, I am extremely thankful for your tireless hard work in supervising and mentoring me in this project, as well as the countless hours of help with proofreading and editing. Thank you, Dr. A., for giving me the strength and confidence to reach the finish line. I would like to acknowledge committee members Dr. Lori-Anne Dolloff, Dr. Cam Walter, Dr. Darryl Edwards, and Dr. Gregory Gentry for their guidance and advice. Thank you for your genuine interest in this project. My thanks are also extended to editor Deb Bradley, transcriber Sean King and diction coach Jason Nedecky for their invaluable expertise. Thank you to soprano Autumn Zhou for recording of the audio files and to Hong Kong conductor Leon Chu for his help in connecting me with Chinese choral composers. I am extremely grateful to my colleagues and the congregants of Timothy Eaton Memorial Church for their enthusiastic support. I appreciate the opportunity to grow as a better musician and a stronger Christian in this most nurturing environment. A special word of thanks goes to all the choristers and musicians of the choir school, sanctuary choir, and worship band, for giving me an opportunity to continue to make music during this writing process. I am forever thankful to my parents and my siblings for fostering my love of music over the last three decades. My parents made a life changing decision fifteen years ago to immigrate to iv Canada in order for us to receive a more well-rounded education with an opportunity to further our musical studies. I must say, together, we are finally achieving this goal! 多謝您對我的悉心 栽培, 一生受用！ Finally, I must express my deepest appreciation and affection to my husband Noel, for his utmost patience and understanding during this journey. Your love and support mean the world to me, I am grateful to share this joyful moment with you. Ti amo marito mio! v Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................. VI LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... IX LIST OF APPENDICES ................................................................................................... X CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Methodology .............................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Organization of the Study .......................................................................................... 4 1.4 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................... 5 1.5 Definition of Terms ..................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE .................................................... 7 2.1 Choral Music of China ............................................................................................... 7 2.2 Lyric Diction in Standard Chinese .............................................................................. 9 2.3 Language guides accompanying selected repertoire .............................................. 11 CHAPTER 3: OVERVIEW OF CHORAL MUSIC DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA ............. 17 3.1 Introduction of Christianity and Its Impact on Choral Music ..................................... 17 3.1.1 Hymns ............................................................................................................... 18 3.2 School Songs Movement (Xue Tang Yin Yue) ........................................................ 20 vi 3.2.1 Emerging composers in early years .................................................................. 21 3.2.2 Summary ........................................................................................................... 26 3.3 Mass Songs (war songs, army songs) ..................................................................... 27 3.4 Large-scale Works ................................................................................................... 27 3.4.1《海韻》 (Haiyun)–– “Song of the Ocean” ......................................................... 28 3.4.2《長恨歌》(Chang Hen Ge)––Song of Everlasting Sorrow ............................... 28 3.4.3《黃河大合唱》—Yellow River Cantata ............................................................. 30 3.4.4 Summary ........................................................................................................... 31 3.5 Professional Development in Choral Conducting .................................................... 31 3.6 Chinese Choral Music in the 21st Century .............................................................. 32 3.7 Musical Characteristics of Chinese Choral Music of the 21st century ...................... 33 CHAPTER 4: OVERVIEW OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE ........................................ 36 4.1 Standard Chinese .................................................................................................... 36 4.2 Chinese Writing System .......................................................................................... 38 4.3 Hànyǔ Pīnyīn: Phonetic System for Standard Chinese ........................................... 39 CHAPTER 5: SINGING IN STANDARD CHINESE ...................................................... 41 5.1 Choral Diction .......................................................................................................... 41 TABLE 1. A DIAGRAM SUMMARIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF DICTION ............... 41 5.2 International Phonetic Alphabet ............................................................................... 42 5.3 Standard Chinese in Choral Singing ........................................................................ 42 5.4 Phonology ................................................................................................................ 44 TABLE 2. THE PHONATING PROCESS OF ONE SYLLABLE ................................... 45 vii 5.4.1 Initials: Consonants ........................................................................................... 46 TABLE 3. CHINESE CONSONANTS BASED ON ORAL PLACEMENT (CHEN, 2007, P 36) .................................................................................................................................. 47 5.4.2 Vowels ............................................................................................................... 63 5.4.3 Tones ................................................................................................................ 71 5.5. Summary ............................................................................................................. 72 CHAPTER 6: CHINESE CHORAL