Reading the ‘Programme’ in Programme Music

Chow Fan Fu 

The concert ‘Melodious Hong Kong’, which carries the theme of “digging up musical roots and reaffirming the Hong Kong ethos”, features five world premiere compositions, with each composer giving a ‘programme’ narrative for his/her work. So they are typically ‘programme music’ with an extra-musical narrative, but there are three ways that distinguish them from the traditional genre:

1.      The ‘programme’ in each is distinct, unequivocal and concrete, and the contents focus on
Hong Kong. There is absolutely nothing vague or abstract in those regards. Even
in the case of the comparatively more abstract Thinking of the Sages by Richard Tsang, its musical narrative is actually quite obvious. 
2.      The composers have all provided programme notes that are explicit and easy to understand.
3.      The composers were either born or raised in Hong Kong, or have lived here for a long time. What is more, they are all living today. 

These three points may well be seen as the common attributes shared by the pieces chosen for this concert. The first two serve as an effective guide to appreciating the music, and help the audience stay on course, even for the first-time listener. The third is an example of individuality embedded in commonality. The composers all share a sense of belonging and love for Hong Kong. Yet they each have their own way of infusing and conveying that feeling in their music. These nuances may be traced back to the family or environment in which they grew up, the education they received, and the social circles they move in, regardless of whether Hong Kong is their native or adopted place of abode.

At the same time, it is worth noting that any ‘ambitious’ composer should see the pursuit of innovative creativity as his ‘divine duty’. So, despite ‘programmes’ that are specific and unambiguous, and programme notes that are clear and detailed, such superficialities that are more readily communicated through images, text and speech will not entirely satisfy the ambitious composer. To enjoy this concert, the listener is advised to make every attempt to transcend the obvious, and access the deeper layers of each piece of music. Only then can the inner feelings and meanings its composer intends to express be better perceived. In other words, the composers have adopted different principles, techniques and means of expression to impart, by way of the obvious, the more profound emotions, ideas, even unique messages in the music they each created. 

Although the majority of those attending the concert will be coming into the inner aspects of music appreciation for the first time, it is fairly easy to perceive the deeper lays for those who live in Hong Kong. They would readily recognize or relate to the local scenes conjured up by the narrative; and on the other hand, they would resonate with the composers’ feelings and spirit expressed – after all, they may represent facets of life in Hong Kong that listeners fondly remember. Therefore, as long as one understands the music’s surface attributes, reads the composers’ biographies and the programme notes before the concert, and focuses on the

music during the concert (this is something not many can do today ever since the birth of the ‘devil’ – the hand phone! And I don’t mean it as a joke), it should not be difficult to access the inner layers of musical meaning via the ‘programme’ and the notes.

So, let us put everything but music aside, and together, pursue the sense of satisfaction that comes with taking a trip down memory lane in this concert about Hong Kong.

The inspiration for this piece comes from the stunningly magnificent hexagonal volcanic columns found in the Sai Kung region of the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark and the coastline that follows their contour. These volcanic columns with their breathtaking stacks have been standing stoically by the sea for millions of years, constantly washed by the breaking waves but remaining unscathed. The composer attempts to translate the visual impact of the volcanic columns into dancing waves and surging breakers through the rhythm and the dynamics in the music. It opens with an undulating passage played by the zhongruan and the daruan – it is the waves rolling in from afar. Fluidly melodic passages respectively played by the xindi, alto guan and alto sheng follow. As the other instruments join in one by one, the volume steadily grows, an acoustic depiction of the seascape with the rhythmic pattern and rolling breakers. By the time the bass suona and the daigu appear, the momentum has risen to give a furious, stormy sea. The escalating tension lasts for 6 minutes, culminating to the point when one deafening crash of the ‘tam-tam’ announces its climax. The final minute is in diminishing mode, slowly coming to a much quieter close. Night has fallen, and the waves are hidden by the darkness.

- Joshua Chan

“There are many paradises on earth, but none is as good as home.” Hong Kong is the best testing ground for the fusing of Chinese and Western cultures. Now after more than a hundred years, the melding is complete, so much so that it now has a regular pattern of going forward by itself. This place always stays ahead of the times, but follows a rhythm of its own; the people may be vocal to a fault, but they stand united; they are highly efficient, but they never fall into a rut; they are smart, go-getting and creative, which makes them easily adaptable to changes. All these transform into a powerful driving force that keeps the society going forward. These characteristics of Hong Kong can be likened to the red-white-blue striped bag; it is so hardy that it can stand a lot of wear and tear and there is still the strong fibre holding it up. The theme of the present work is inspired by a coolies’ call that dates back to the early colonial days of the 19th century, “Serves you right for being poor, just grit your teeth and work away!”. The music is in five sections, each with a caption that puts the Hong Kong spirit in a nutshell: “We have met here under the Lion Rock”, “Change when you’re lacking, and changing can lead to way-outs”, “Pineapple buns that have no pineapple inside”, “We’re considerate, we always queue” and “Winds may blow, rains may fall, I walk tall”. The interwoven tapestry of sounds from the different sections of the orchestra deliver the drama of the many changes, whether sudden or gradual, that Hong Kong faces as well as the voices of the multiethnic groups. They give a vivid portrayal of its people, who are highly adaptable, accommodating as different races live and work together in harmony, tenacious, and always full of energy.

-Chan Ming-chi

Dai Pai Dong I was written for Western orchestra. It won first prize in the International Lepo Sumera Composition Contest II (2006) in Tallinn, Estonia; the Libby Larsen Prize in the composition competition, Search for New Music by Women Composers (2006) held by the International Alliance for Women in Music in the US; and a special prize in the IBLA World Competition in Italy (2006).

‘Dai pai dong’, literally ‘stall with big sign’, is a kind of fast food stall in Hong Kong. A whole generation of Hongkongers has grown up with it, so it is indeed one of the unique local features. I was inspired to write on the subject to promote it to the international audience.

As a sequel, Dai Pai Dong II features ‘cart noodles’, a kind of à la carte noodles sold in hand-pushed carts. It started off in the 1950s and became popular, and by now has become an iconic feature of Hong Kong. It is also called “na cha mien”, or “cheap and dirty noodles” in Cantonese, in reference to its plebeian origin.

In writing this piece, I have combined the phonic qualities of ‘na cha’ in Cantonese with the rolling arm movements of cooking the noodles to highlight the rhythm and focus of the music. The whole cooking process is represented in the following music sequence: a handful of oil noodles is dropped into the boiling water; some pig’s intestine and squid are cut into small pieces with scissors; the toppings and the noodles are scooped up and placed in a bowl; then seasoning is added, with two ladles of soup and three spoonfuls of spicy sauce. Both the palpable and the abstract qualities are included in the musical representation.

The work is in three sections. The first, ‘na cha’, is vigorous with strong rhythms and dynamic. The second, ‘a handful of oil noodles’, runs in a linear progression that suggests the picturesque emergence of the noodles from the water. The third, ‘two ladles of soup and three spoonfuls of spicy sauce’, leads the dynamic and the rhythm to a climactic close.

The musical conceit is not to tell the story of cart noodles, although this kind of fast food is very much a part of everyman’s life. I am more concerned with the cultural value embedded in it. I hope to describe the characteristic Hongkonger in us – our attention to detail whether in terms of food or things in general, our goals and dreams, and our adaptability – through the expressiveness of Chinese instrumental music.

- Cheung Pui-shan

The folk culture of Hong Kong has a long history and is rich in tradition; it carries significant marks of our ethnic roots. But the city today is fast losing its vernacular culture and folk arts and crafts, especially with the rocket-high economic growth spurred on by the Government policies which favour the finance and real estate sectors. The wide coverage of urban redevelopment projects is pushing many old neighbourhoods out of the city map, taking vestiges, customs and crafts of the past with them.

The Jiao festival is a religious rite of mass thanksgiving conducted by the district communities and neighbourhoods. Many rural areas in the New Territories still observe this tradition every year, with the purpose of appeasing the ghosts and giving thanks to the deities for their protection of the community. Purging rituals are held to mark a new beginning for the residents. During the Jiao festival, the organizer would invite Chinese operatic troupes to perform. The shows are split into matinee and evening sessions that run for several days. Among them, the most distinguished type would be Cantonese Opera performed by handheld puppet troupes, a typical feature of Guangdong in South China. This performing art form used to be one of the oldest types of puppetry, but by the 1960s, they were replaced by rod puppets and the handheld genre fell into decline. This type of puppetry is distinguished by its meticulous staging, with live instrumental accompaniment and live singing. The lifelike manipulation of trunk and limb movements of the puppets can make them almost like real actors performing on the stage when seen from afar.

In writing this piece, the composer has used strong rhythms to highlight the Cantonese handheld puppets’ simulation of Cantonese Opera staged during the Jiao festival. Melody wise, a lot of the characteristics of Cantonese music such as the crisp, limpid timbre, the flowing melodic contours and the lively rhythms are retained. But to add interest, irregular rhythmic patterns are introduced to allow the instruments to engage in vivid dialogue with the percussion instruments. The overall effect is to highlight the magnificence of the important festival.

- Lam Lan-chee

The Sha Tin district is famous for its scenic spots – the Amah Rock, Ma On Shan which literally means ‘Saddle Hill’, the Tolo Harbour, and the Shing Mun River are but some of them. Many of them have been inspiration to composers in their music about Hong Kong. As equestrian events included in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and held in Hong Kong, I thought of writing a piece about horses. I was further inspired by the fact that the horse racing tracks have made Sha Tin unique as well as added many green lawns to the area. Horse racing in Hong Kong, when we set aside the betting and gambling aspects of it, is by itself a good sporting game. It can be found in the history of China as well as the other parts of the world. Through its donations, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has also supported numerous organizations in providing social services to the community. All these come together as the theme for this piece.

In Greek mythology, Apollo the Sun God, drives his chariot pulled by eight soaring stallions across the sky every day. The wheels become the sun. In the Chinese ancient classic, Liezi, the section on King Mu of Zhou, and in a treatise excavated from a tomb of the Warring States period, there were mentions of ‘eight steeds’ in the stables of King Mu of Zhou (976-922 BCE). He rode on a carriage drawn by them and covered ninety thousand li of ground. The eight horses were named by their colour. But in a later book of the Jin Dynasty, The Book of Lost Records, they are given even more interesting names: ‘Juedi’, meaning ‘hoofs not touching the ground as it speeds through the air’; ‘Fanyu’, ‘with a speed faster than the birds’; ‘Binxiao’, ‘covering thousands of miles within a night’; ‘Chaoying’, ‘running against the sun’; ‘Yuhui’, ‘with a coat of splendid colours’; ‘Chaoguang’, ‘with ten shadows’; ‘Tengwu’, ‘riding on clouds’; and ‘Xieyi’, ‘winged’. All those names transcend time, and appeal even to modern taste.

As we look at the development history of Hong Kong, we can liken it to a charging steed, always alert, always looking ahead. History told us about the eight legendary steeds, and Hong Kong is a modern incarnate. May the spirit of Hong Kong be like a charging steed, undaunted by any obstacles or difficult circumstances, with only the target in mind, racing steadily ahead until we win.

- Chan Wing-wah

* The commissioned work no.7 of 'Cadenzas of Hong Kong' was commissioned by the HKCO in 2006, with a sponsorship from the CASH Music Fund. It was premiered in May 2007 at ‘The HKCO Virtuosi – Wang Dong•Kot Kai-lik’ Concert, under the baton of Yan Huichang.

As a tribute to ancient Chinese sages, the work uses musical ideas from ancient China and only pentatonic materials, but with varying instrumentation and rhythms. The work is written in an arch form. The opening and the last sections are mirror images of each other to create balance and a sense of solemnity. The middle section, which serves as the focus of the entire piece, is written in the luan technique of ancient Chinese court music, which is akin to the multiple canon in Western music.

* The music was commissioned by the HKCO, and premiered at the ‘School Concert’ in November 1990.