Finding Lyricism in a Legacy
Chow Fan-fu
“Lyricism” is an abstract idea. Lyricism embodied in a legacy of exotic music is an even more difficult concept to capture in words. In our quest for a definition of the title of this article, we must ask ourselves: what makes the ‘exoticism’ in Chinese traditional music so special? The musicians are, without a doubt, the ones who can create the exotic charm with their instruments, but the focus of this concert is on the “legacy”, which means we have to first know where it came from.
The legacy of Chinese traditional music is born out of history
The simplest and most straightforward interpretation of “tradition” is that it is the accruement of achievements over a long period of time. Chinese music certainly has accumulated a long list of achievements over time – even the symphonic music performed by a full-scale orchestra such as the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra has already a history of close to a century. But the traditions being emphasized in this concert were amassed from traditional Chinese music, which boasts an even longer history. Needless to say, the exotic lyricism of this concert comes from the instruments used. Besides the instruments found in a large orchestra such as the suona, guanzi, sanxian and dizi, the spotlight is focused on the exotic instruments that do not or rarely appear in ensembles nowadays, as well as the solo or chamber pieces performed with these instruments.
A large variety of exotic instruments are used in this concert, such as the silk string seven-lu qinqin, banhu, xun, yehu, houguan and whistle. Chinese instruments are often tuned to the various systems of temperament generated by the “Method of Subtracting and Adding Thirds”. Yet even the Twelve-pitch Scale, which came from this method, is not the same as the standardized twelve equal temperaments used for large ensembles today. In other words, if Chinese instruments are performed according to the various systems of temperament generated by the “Method of Subtracting and Adding Thirds”, the resulting melodies and rhythms will be very different from the music that adheres to the twelve equal temperaments that we are used to hearing today. The traditional lyricism of this concert comes from the traditional tuning and temperament of some of these exotic instruments.
Performance techniques to generate lyrical appeal
Moreover, the materials used to make the musical instruments will change over the course of history. In other words, the elements tend to evolve along materials used to make the instrument and all of its parts and accessories over time. String instruments such as the huqin, sanxian, and qinqin which use silk strings or a mixed use of silk and steel strings would produce sounds that are different from those produced by instruments using steel strings. As such, the traditional lyricism of the music not only depends on the systems of temperament used, the instrument itself and all of its parts and accessories are of equal importance when it comes to the appeal that can be emanated.
There is another key element to traditional lyricism, and that is performance technique. This tends to be the most difficult aspect to master, as the techniques often change according to musicianship. Traditionally, performance techniques are passed down by word of mouth with an emphasis on the students’ own understanding. This process of inheritance plays an important role in the expression of traditional lyricism.
The amount of traditional lyricism expressed with the same instruments, parts and accessories, and even the same performance techniques and skills can vary. Due consideration has been given to the choice of repertoire in this concert, whether in terms of programming or design. From classics such as Chant of Pu An, Rain Lashing on the Plantain, Triratna, and The Flying Partridges to original compositions from composers such as Li Shangqing’s The Temple Fair, Xu Jianqiang’s Xiao-Ban, Hu Dengtiao’s A Joyful Evening, Fei Jianrong’s A Village at the Border by Night and Li Xiuqi’s Spring Scene by the Lake, the choices have been made to bring out the traditional lyricism of the music by combining the individual characteristics of the instrument with the performance techniques of the musician. This is reflected in the unique flavours of each piece. After all, the real appeal should come from the musician’s desire to engage with the audience through the music coming out of the instrument in his or her hands.
