City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2010 Music and National Identity: A Study of Cello Works by Taiwanese Composers Yu-Ting Wu Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1740 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] MUSIC AND NATIONAL IDENTITY A STUDY OF CELLO WORKS BY TAIWANESE COMPOSERS BY YU-TING WU A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY IN MUSIC IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS, THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK 2010 ii © 2010 YU-TING WU All Rights Reserved iii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Music in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. Prof. David Olan Date Chair of Examining Committee Prof. Norman Carey Date Executive Officer Prof. Philip Rupprecht Prof. Peter Basquin Prof. John Graziano Supervision Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iv ABSTRACT MUSIC AND NATIONAL IDENTITY A STUDY OF CELLO WORKS BY TAIWANESE COMPOSERS by Yu-Ting Wu Adviser: Professor Philip Rupprecht The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of folkloric elements in music by Taiwanese composers and to uncover the methods they treat regional materials under the influences of Western compositional techniques, hereby creating a new fusion within classical music. This study centers in the ethnic impact on modern Taiwanese music, and also provides an opportunity to probe the significance of the subject “nation” in the field of musical creativity. In this dissertation, the discussion includes the development of traditional and Western music in Taiwan including the historical and cultural background, how music serves as an emblem of national identity; the ties that have developed in the twentieth v century between concert music and traditional Taiwanese music, and the progress in Western contemporary music. Musical forms and textures of five cello-related works of Taiwanese composers are analyzed and compared. These Taiwanese composers are representative of the last three generations; all have had traditional Western-style training in composition in Japan, Europe, or America. The works discussed are Trio: Nostalgia, Three Melodies by Tsang- Houei Hsu, Cello Concerto by Tyzen Hsiao, Idea and Image by Shui-Long Ma, Monologue of Sin by Gordon Chin, and Trio by Kwang-I Ying. By focusing on the relationship between national materials and new music compositions, and how composers understand and interpret these elements in their own works, such a study may stimulate more research in Taiwanese art music and bring it to a broader stage and serve to draw attention to further possible directions for Taiwanese educators, performers, and composers allowing them to introduce their works to an international audience. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have assisted me in completing this dissertation. Especially, I am deeply indebted to my advisor, Prof. Philip Rupprecht, whose intellectual guidance, encouragement, and patience helped me tremendously during the time of research and writing. My thanks go as well to the other committee members, Prof. Peter Basquin, Prof. John Graziano, and Prof. David Olan for being so supportive. My special thanks to Tsang-Houei Hsu Music Foundation, Tyzen Hsiao Music Foundation, the composers Shui-Long Ma, Gordon Chin, and Kwang-I Ying for providing me with scores and other valuable information. Lastly, I would like to give my appreciation to my parents and my husband whose constant love and support made it possible for me to complete this work. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ vi LIST OF EXAMPLES..................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................xiii LIST OF TABLES .........................................................................................................xiii CHAPTER 1. THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADITIONAL AND WESTERN MUSIC IN TAIWAN...................................................................................................................... 1 Historical and Cultural Background in Taiwan ...................................................... 5 Dutch-Spanish Epoch (1624-1661) and Ming-Ching Dynasties (1662-1895) 6 Japanese Colonialism (1895-1945).................................................................. 9 Chinese Nationalist Period (1945- ) .............................................................. 10 Music and National Identity: Concepts of the Nation .......................................... 11 Traditional Taiwanese Music................................................................................ 13 The Aboriginal Tribes.................................................................................... 14 The Han People.............................................................................................. 16 The Hakka People.......................................................................................... 18 Western Contemporary Music .............................................................................. 19 2. TSANG-HOUEI HSU AND THE FIRST GENERATION OF TAIWANESE COMPOSERS (1945-1973) ...................................................................................... 26 Life, Career, and Works........................................................................................ 27 Music Style, Philosophy, and Contributions to Taiwanese Music ....................... 30 The Movement for the Collection of Folksongs................................................... 33 Trio: Nostalgia, Three Melodies (鄉愁三調), op. 7, for Violin, Cello and Piano 37 viii Near the Temple of Confucius (Lento) .......................................................... 40 Gathering at the Border (Allegro)................................................................. 51 Evening Singing on a Country Road (Lento) ................................................ 58 3. THE SECOND GENERATION OF TAIWANESE COMPOSERS (1973-1980) .................................................................................................................................... 69 Tyzen Hsiao .......................................................................................................... 71 Biography and Compositional Style.............................................................. 71 Musical Approach and Philosophy................................................................ 75 Cello Concerto in C Major, op. 52 (1990) .................................................... 78 The First Movement—Andante recitativo/Allegro moderato ................ 82 The Second Movement—Allegro con spirito......................................... 94 Shui-Long Ma ..................................................................................................... 103 Achievements, Works, and Philosophy....................................................... 104 Idea and Image (意與象) for Shakuhachi and Four Violoncellos (1989)... 106 4. THE THIRD GENERATION OF TAIWANESE COMPOSERS (SINCE 1980) ................................................................................................................................... 130 Gordon Shi-Wen Chin ........................................................................................ 131 Biography .................................................................................................... 132 Monologue of Sin (罪的獨白) for Cello and Piano (1985) ......................... 133 Kwang-I Ying ..................................................................................................... 147 Biography and Works.................................................................................. 147 Trio for Violin, Violoncello and Piano (1989) ............................................ 149 5. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 160 BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................................................... 164 ix LIST OF EXAMPLES Example 2.1 Chinese pentatonic scale (02479) ................................................................ 42 Example 2.2 Japanese pentatonic scale (01568)............................................................... 42 Example 2.3 Major and minor pentatonic scales.............................................................. 43 Example 2.4 Tsang-Houei Hsu’s Nostalgia, movement I, duet by retrograde motion (mm. 8-9) .................................................................................................................. 45 Example 2.5 Tsang-Houei Hsu’s Nostalgia, movement I, transformation of motive A (mm. 1-7) .................................................................................................................. 46 Example 2.6 Tsang-Houei