In the early years of the 20th century, a 'new' sound could be heard in China and 'new' musical forms also began to emerge on Chinese soil. They became a distinctive soundscape that marked this particular era. Dr Jim Chang will discuss the road to the modernisation of Chinese music in the lecture series: "New Music" in 20th-Century China. He will also look back on the history, stories and people involved.
(Conducted in Cantonese)
2 Mar (Thu)
Lecture 1: Chinese music's road to modernisation
The 20th century was a century of turmoil, a passage in space and time in which China made its transition from tradition to modernity. From the time of the late Qing dynasty to the Republic of China, and to the People's Republic of China, the politics, economy, society, people's livelihood, technology, literature, and art in China underwent a qualitative transformation. Western music made its way to the East and cast a tremendous impact in terms of ideology and musical aesthetics. Since then, Chinese music has embarked on a road to modernisation. Some say this was in reality a road to Westernisation; some say it was the wrong direction to take, and others say it was inevitable. What is the dispute about? Can Eastern and Western art be as one, or are they always meant to be two different things? "Is music truly a universal language?" Let us look to moments in history for answers.
9 Mar (Thu)
Lecture 2: Chinese music? Or music of China?
In the early years of the 20th century, a 'new' sound came to be heard in China, and 'new' musical forms also began to emerge on Chinese soil. They became a distinctive soundscape that marked this particular era. The earnest dedication of the musicians from this period can be easily recognised, with beacons like Shen Xingong and Li Shutong, who ceaselessly wrote new school songs; Xiao Youmei (Hsiao Yiu-mei ) and Huang Zi (Huang Tzu), who dedicated their lives to music education; or Zheng Jinwen and Liu Tianhua, who persisted in finding a way out for traditional bayin (eight sound) music. Some commentators question whether this is Chinese music or music of China. Let us consider the contemporary significance of this new sound by looking at its origin.
16 Mar (Thu)
Lecture 3: Pan-China Chinese orchestra
A question was posed in the early days of the Republic of China: "What kind of music can represent the whole of China?" It was a simple question, but it may have been a difficult one to answer for many. Since the Song dynasty, a variety of vernacular music and operas have taken root and flourished in the provinces and counties of China. These types of music, be it Cantonese music of Guangdong and Jiangnan sizhu (string-and-wind ensembles) of the region south of the Yangtze River, northern Peking Opera and Qinqiang Opera, or the folk winds and percussion music performed across the country, seem to carry characteristics too close to home. So, is there a genre that could be considered a pan-China type of music, that is, one that can represent all of China? When Western music made its way to the East, the way Western orchestras operate shed some light on this issue. The pan-China Chinese orchestra – a new form of ensemble music, a sound that embodies this century – began to take the stage. Let us take a look at the sequence of events surrounding the birth of this new-born genre of music.
23 Mar (Thu)
Lecture 4: The Art-Tune legend
Art and culture have always been closely linked to society, politics and people's livelihood. In 1956, Art-Tune Company Hong Kong was founded in Hong Kong. This record company, which specialised in the record and distribution of music and operas from all across China as well as some Western classical music, was widely endorsed and loved by music fans in Hong Kong, even though they may not have been aware of the company's background or its beginnings. As it turns out, behind this enigmatic and mysterious record company is a legendary story that has been hidden for more than half a century.
30 Mar (Thu)
Lecture 5: Ng Tai-kong and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
Since their emergence in the 1920s and 1930s, pan-China Chinese orchestras established in full imitation of Western orchestras have been a subject of exploration and research for those who are interested in developing new Chinese music in China and even Chinese communities around the world. Musical genius Ng Tai-kong was one of them. How did this legendary figure establish a professional Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in the city? What exactly is the 'symphonisation' that he proposed, and why did it become so controversial? Let us look back on this period of history.
(Information provided by the speaker)
(English translation provided by KCL Language Consultancy Ltd)
Each lecture will run for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
The programme does not represent the views of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
The presenter reserves the right to change the programmes and substitute the speakers.
Speaker: Dr Jim Chang
Born in Hong Kong, Chang received his Bachelor of Social Science (Hon.) from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), majoring in Journalism and Communication. He studied Chinese music as a minor subject under the late ethnomusicologist Dr Lu Ping-chuan and guqin scholar Dr Yip Ming-mei. He also studied sheng under Lee Chee-kung, dizi and dong-xiao under Tam Po-shek. He won the championship in sheng competition (open class) in the 1983 Hong Kong Schools Music Festival and received the Hong Kong Arts Festival Grand Award that year. After graduation, Chang was invited by Ng Tai-kong, the founding Music Director of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, and joined the orchestra as a professional sheng musician. He also studied music theory and composition with Ng Tai-kong and Chen Ning-chi then. He joined the ex-Urban Council Public Libraries later, and obtained a Diploma of Librarianship from HKU SPACE, a Graduate Diploma and a Master Degree in information studies from the Charles Sturt University of Australia, and a Professional Doctorate in Music Librarianship from the Middlesex University of the U.K. Chang retired as the Chief Librarian of the Hong Kong Central Library. He has been the President of the Hong Kong Library Association (HKLA, 2009–2010) and now he is a part-time Lecturer in the Academy of Music of the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), a Fellow of the HKLA (FHKLA), the Advisor of the Centre for Chinese Music Studies, CUHK, a Director of the International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong) (IATC(HK)) and a full member of the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong (CASH). His book, the "The Legends of Ng Tai Kong" was published by Joint Publishing (Hong Kong) in 2006.
(Information provided by the speaker)
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02.03.2023 (Thu) 19:30
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