Тайвань музыкасы және музыкалық дәстүрлер

Music and musical traditions of Taiwan

The music of Taiwan reflects the diverse culture of Taiwanese people. Taiwan has undergone several economic, social, and political changes through its cultural history, and Taiwanese music reflects those issues in its way. The music of the country has adopted a mixed style. As a country rich in Chinese folk culture and with many indigenous tribes with their own distinct artistic identity, various folk music styles are appreciated in Taiwan. In addition, people in Taiwan highly appreciate various style of Western classical music and pop music. Taiwan is a major Mandopop hub.

The Kuomintang led Republic of China government arrived in Taiwan in 1949, a government that suppressed native Taiwanese culture and implemented Standard Chinese (Mandarin) as the official language. This political event has significant effects on the development of music in Taiwan in the 20th century as it resulted in a gap in the transition of the traditional music culture. In 1987, a revival of traditional culture began when the martial law declared by the government was lifted. (See Taiwanese localization movement.) Instrumental music includes multiple genres, such as beiguan and nanguan. Nanguan originally hails from Quanzhou, while it is now most common in Lukang and is found across much of the island. Taiwanese puppetry (hand puppet theater) and Taiwanese opera, two genres of spectacle that are strongly related to music, are very popular, while the latter is often considered the only truly indigenous Han form of music still extant today. Holo folk music is most common today on the 恆春半島 in the southernmost part of the island, where performers sing accompanied by yueqin (moon lute), which is a type of two stringed lute. While the Hengchun yueqin plays only five tones, the pentatonic music can become diverse and complex when combined with the seven tones of Taiwanese Hokkien. Famous folk singers include Chen Da and Yang Hsiuching.

Of the two broad divisions of Taiwanese aborigines, the plains dwellers have been largely assimilated into Han culture, while the mountain dwelling tribes remain distinct. The Amis, Bunun, Paiwan, Rukai and Tsou are known for their polyphonic vocals, of which each has a unique variety. Once dying, aboriginal culture has undergone a renaissance since the late 20th century. A full time aboriginal radio station, "Ho hi yan" was launched in 2005 with the help of the Executive Yuan, to focus on issues of interest to the indigenous community. [Listen to Ho hi yan; requires Windows Media Player 9]. This came on the heels of a "New wave of Indigenous Pop," as aboriginal artists such as A mei (Puyuma tribe), Difang (Amis tribe), Pur dur and Samingad (Puyuma) became international pop stars. Later artists include Paiwanese pop star Abao. The 1991 formation of the Formosa Aboriginal Dance Troupe was another major contributor to this trend, while the surprise mainstream success of "Return to Innocence", the theme song to the 1996 Olympic Games, further popularized native musics. "Return to Innocence" was made by Enigma, a popular musical project and sampled the voices of an elderly Amis couple, Kuo Ying nan and Kuo Hsiu chu. When the couple found out that their recording had become part of an international hit, they filed suit and, in 1999, settled out of court for an unidentified amount.

The Bunun's original home was on Taiwan's west coast, in the central and northern plains, but some have more recently settled in the area around Taitung and Hualien. Unlike the other indigenous peoples of Taiwan, the Bunun have very little dance music. The best studied element of traditional Bunun music is improvised polyphonic song. Folk instruments include pestles, five stringed zithers and the jaw harp. In modern times, David Darling, an American cellist, created a project to combine cello and Bunun traditional music, resulting in an album titled Mudanin Kata. The Bunun Cultural and Educational Foundation, founded in 1995, was the first organization established to help promote and sustain Taiwanese aboriginal culture.

Taiwanese opera is popular among the Hakka, and has influenced the tea picking opera genre. The most distinctive form of Hakka music are mountain songs, or shan'ge, which are similar to Hengchun folk music. Bayin instrumental music is also popular.

The earliest musical education program in Taiwan was established by Western missionaries during the 17th century, when southern and northern Taiwan was under the colonial rule of the Netherlands and Spain respectively. Missionaries from Europe set up their churches throughout Taiwan for evangelical purposes; this included Protestant missionaries from the Netherlands and the Catholic Dominican Order from Spain. During this period, Western music was first introduced to Taiwan, though church music was the mainstay. It wasn't until the ruling Qing government opened up to trade exchanges with Europe in the mid 19th century that secular Western music began to gain to a foothold in Taiwan. In 1895, Taiwan became occupied by Japan, and formalized Western music education was thus introduced. Under Japanese rule, music was included as part of the core curriculum of Taiwanese academic education and became a compulsory course of study. Notable musicians from this era included Wen ye Jiang and Chih yuan Kuo.

Rule by the Qing dynasty began in Taiwan in the 18th century; Taiwan's music scene at the time was still largely dominated by Beiguan and Nanguan music brought over by immigrants from mainland China. However, in the middle of the 19th century, the armies of the Qing dynasty suffered one devastating loss after another against European troops, forcing the Qing government to open up the ports to European traders and missionaries. As trade between Taiwan and Europe flourished, the European Chambers of Commerce and Industry set up branches in Taiwan, setting the stage for strong Western influence and an influx of more Christian missionaries. In 1872, Canadian missionary George Leslie Mackay established Presbyterian churches in Tamsui (formerly known as Huwei), as well as schools and hospitals. He also introduced Western liturgical music and art music education to Taiwan, founding Oxford College (now the Taiwan Graduate School of Theology) and Aletheia University. Su Ti Chen (1911 1992), one of the first generation Taiwanese composers, was an alumnus of TamKang High School (now TamKang Senior High School), which was founded by Dr. Mackay's eldest son, George William Mackay. Su Ti Chen studied piano and Western liturgical music alongside Margaret Gauld, the wife of Rev. William Gauld. After his graduation, he enrolled at the Taipei Seminary School (now the Taiwan Graduate School of Theology), majoring in Western Art Music. Afterwards, he continued his music studies in Japan. Meanwhile, Dr. James Maxwell, a Presbyterian/Calvinist missionary from England, began preaching in southern Taiwan in 1865. In 1869, he and Rev. Hugh Ritchie together established “The Student’s Class” in Cihou and Taiwan Fu (now Tainan), which were coalesced by Reverend Thomas Barclay in 1876 into the Capital College, the first western education university in Taiwan and the predecessor of the current Tainan Theological College and Seminary affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. The seminary not only had the goal of evangelizing and cultivating theological students, but also brought Western liturgical music and art music to southern Taiwan through mandated courses for its students, nurturing many musical talents in southern Taiwan. To this day, “cultivation of musical talent” remains one of the most important goals of the Tainan Theological College and Seminary. During Qing dynasty rule, Taiwan's churches played a major role in the spread of Western music through congregation members, foreign merchants, and missionaries.

In 1894, the First Sino Japanese War began, during which the army of the Qing dynasty was defeated by the Japanese army. This led to the Qing dynasty government signing the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which ceded Taiwan to Japan. In 1895, Japanese rule of Taiwan began, leading to a formal introduction of a Western music education system in the core curriculum of Taiwanese schooling. From then on, Western art music became a firmly rooted element in Taiwan's musical scene, with Western art music courses becoming mandatory in Taiwanese schools. Su Ti Chen, one of the first generation Taiwanese composers, received his formal music education in Taiwan schooling before traveling to Japan for further study. Tyzen Hsiao, a composer born in Fongshan, Kaohsiung, was taught to play the piano by his mother, who was one of the first generation pianists to study in Japan. Afterwards, he received further training from Prof. Fu mei Li, who also studied piano in Japan. Graduating from the Christian Chang Jung High School, Hsiao enrolled in the two year music program of the Taiwan Provincial Teachers College (predecessor of the National Taiwan Normal University), before continuing his studies in Japan. From the life history of these Taiwanese composers, we can clearly trace the development of the culture of Western music in Taiwan through two sources. One is the church system and the other the Western music education introduced during the Japanese rule and musicians returning to Taiwan after studying abroad in Japan. Many of the works by these musicians were liturgical, including those written by Su Ti Chen; although other musicians such as Chuan sheng Lu and Chih yuan Kuo created original folk songs. They also composed large scale works: Chih yuan Kuo produced the opera Xu Xian and Madame White Snake, while Chuan sheng Lu produced Castrated Chicken, a Taiwanese Hokkien opera that attracted the attention of the Japanese ruling class for its incorporation of Western composition techniques.

Tsang houei Hsu, who studied abroad in France before returning to Taiwan to teach at Taiwan Provincial Normal University, founded the Assembly for Composition in 1961. This group did not have fixed members, with Tsang houei Hsu inviting different composers to write pieces for each concert. In 1961, New Music in First Performance, an orchestra for the performance of modern music, was founded by the violinist Chang guo Deng, Japanese pianist Anna Azusa Fujita, Hsien liang Koo, Tsang houei Hsu, Kuo huang Han, and others in order to perform modern music both in Taiwan and overseas. Other important groups during this period included the Chiang Lang Music Assembly and The Five. They held concerts to present their own works as well as conduct international exchanges. The Asian Composers League National Committee and The Composers’ Association of the Republic of China (ACL ROC) was co founded by Tsang houei Hsu, Yoshiro Nabeshima (Japan), Yoshiro Irino (Japan), Sheng shih Lin (Hong Kong), and Un young La (Korea) in 1973 in order to exchange ideas about music with other Asian composers. Through this organized system for carrying out international exchange of contemporary art music, development of Taiwan's contemporary art music expanded greatly. Frequent and regular cross cultural exchange also helped improve the composing standard for Taiwan's art music significantly and many notable composers arose. At the time, the art music of Taiwan, in addition to new musical styles that combined Chinese and Western music, also encompassed abstract musical styles influenced by Modernism. When Tsang houei Hsu returned to Taiwan after his studies in France, he brought with him the latest contemporary music trends of Europe, including serialism music. Although this style was not widely accepted in Taiwan, his students at Taiwan Provincial Normal University and the National Taiwan Academy of Arts were influenced by this musical theory. Works written by Hwang long Pan (1945 ) used this modern musical language, enhancing the sonority and ambiance of sound. Compared to works written by his contemporaries, Pan's compositions were more abstract. For example, his quartet for the clarinet, percussion, piano, and cello Labyrinth promenade places great emphasis on mood and atmosphere. In recent years, Hwang long Pan has worked closely with the Chai Found Music Workshop, an ensemble that focuses on the performance of contemporary art music in Taiwan. In addition to performing traditional Chinese music, the Chai Found Music Workshop also utilizes Chinese traditional instruments to perform contemporary art music. It has presented numerous works written by contemporary Taiwanese composers at many international contemporary art festivals.

The development of Western art music in Taiwan primarily took place in educational institutions, both public and private. The earliest such music programs included those at Taiwan Provincial Normal University and the National Taiwan Academy of Arts, as well as Chinese Culture University (1962)¸ Shih Chien College of Home Economics (today's Shih Chien University, 1969), Soochow University (1972), Fu Jen Catholic University (1983), and the National Institute of the Arts (predecessor of today's Taipei National University of the Arts, 1982). After the 1980s, all the junior teachers colleges were restructured into teachers' colleges, allowing the founding of several departments and institutes of music. These new programs trained numerous music teachers for different types of schools and also promoted general enthusiasm for music. Around the same time, the United Experimental Orchestra (predecessor of the National Symphony Orchestra) and the National Chiang Kai Shek Cultural Center (predecessor of the National Theater and Concert Hall) were established respectively in 1986 and 1987. Together, they held a series of concerts with many Taiwanese and overseas musicians invited to perform and commissioned new pieces from local composers. All of this contributed to the vigorous growth of musical activities in Taiwan. Musical talents flourished in large numbers and the standards for composition and performance shot up markedly. Leading musicians at the time included Hwang long Pan, Shing kwei Tzeng, Fang long Ke, Nan chang Chien, Shan hua Chien, and Shu si Chen. At the suggestion of Dr. Robert Scholz, Taiwan began to send talented music students for pursuing further study abroad in the 1960s. The earliest students selected included pianists Pi hsien Chen, Lina Yeh, and Tai cheng Chen, among others, who went to Europe for their musical studies. After they graduated, some of them remained overseas, while others returned to Taiwan and devoted themselves to education. Several of these music talents have won awards in renowned international music competitions. Examples include pianist Siao pei Yang, who won the third place in the Concours international d'exécution musicale de Genève in 1967; pianist Pi hsien Chen, who won the first place in the Internationaler Musikwettbewerb der ARD in 1974; Nai yuan Hu, who was the first place winner of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in 1985; and Yu chien Tseng, who won the second place in the violin section (in which first place was not awarded) of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2015. As for conductors, Helen Quach, Wen pin Chien, Shao chia Lü, Mei ann Chen, and Tung chieh Chuang are all well known conductors in the international music scene that has brought Taiwan international prestige. In 1990, composer Shui long Ma launched the Spring and Autumn Music Collection, a platform for sponsoring aspiring composers, funded and organized by the Chew's Culture Foundation. Entrepreneur Andrew Chew supported this endeavor in acknowledgment of the dire need for more Taiwanese composers and the recognition that composers serve as the cornerstone of all artistic works. Theatrical as well as choreographic performances all need background music, with composers playing as vital a role as accompanists. The Spring and Autumn Music Collection launched its first concert in the spring of 1991, presenting the works of aspiring Taiwanese composers in their prime, such as Shu si Chen, Shan hua Chien, Kwang i Ying, Hwei lee Chang, Ming chung Sheu, Shyh ji Pan, and Yann jong Hwang, with a variety of styles of music represented. The autumn concert held later the same year brought in veteran composers, such as Tsang houei Hsu, Hwang long Pan, Yen Lu, Ting lien Wu, Nan chang Chien, Shing kwei Tzeng, and Hao Chang. They produced new works that blend Chinese culture with Western compositional techniques. The difference between the spring and autumn concerts held by the Spring and Autumn Music Collection is that the spring concerts feature works by aspiring composers, while the autumn concerts focus on works by seasoned composers. As of 2016, the Spring and Autumn Music Collection may not hold concerts every year but the participating composers represent the development of Taiwan's Western art music scene. Many of the outstanding composers featured in the concerts have won prizes in the international composition competitions, for example, Jing Peng, Ming hsiu Yen, Wei chih Liu, Ching meio Lin, Chiu yu Chou, Shih hui Chen, Yuan chen Li, Chung kun Hung, Tzyy sheng Lee, and others. As for the development of Western opera in Taiwan, the Taipei Symphony Orchestra (TSO, 1986 – 2003) produced one opera every year under the directorship of Felix Chiu Sheng Chen. The operas primarily featured local vocalists with only a few internationally renowned vocalists invited to participate. Moreover, the staff in charge of stage production and backstage work was led by Taiwanese stagehands, administrators, and musicians. This system offered opportunities to local vocalists to showcase their talents and other art workers to develop the skills needed for handling the delicate and complicated work that goes into producing an opera. The Taipei Opera Theater was established by professor and vocalist Dau hsiong Tseng in 1973. Although not as large as the Taipei Symphony Orchestra in scale, the Taipei Opera Theater has performed many Western operatic masterpieces over the past 50 years. Both the quantity of performances and the production standards are on par with those produced by public orchestras and the theater serves as an important base for nurturing local opera singers and conductors alike. From Tai li Chu in the past to the more recent Li chin Huang, Keng Li, I chiao Shih, Chia fen Wu, Hanying Iaia Tso, Taiwan on the whole has raised many young and aspiring vocalists active onstage in many international opera houses. Cloud Gate Dance Theater is also a major driving force in the Taiwanese composition scene. For example, Deh ho Lai was commissioned by Hwai min Lin, the founder of Cloud Gate Dancer Theater, to write the music for White Serpent Tale and The Dream of the Red Chamber. Shui long Ma was also similarly commissioned for Liao Tian ding. As for theatrical works, Kuei ju Lin, a composer in her prime who has devoted herself to theatrical music production and is active in theatrical and art music circles, began her career as an undergraduate. After she received her Ph. D. degree in the United States and returned to Taiwan to teach, she collaborated with M. O. V. E. Theatre to design and host Dear John, which became one of five finalists for the twelfth Taishin Arts Award.

In the mid 1970s a genre of popular music known as Taiwanese campus folk song appeared in the music scene of Taiwan. This music consisted of a fusion of elements from American folk rock and Chinese folk music, and was very popular throughout East Asia. Until the 1987 lifting of martial law, Taiwanese pop fell into two distinct categories. Hokkien pop was sung in a native dialect and was popular among older and working class listeners; it was strongly influenced by Japanese enka. In contrast, Mandarin pop, due to the assimilation policy of the authoritarian Kuomintang regime (1945–1996) that suppressed Taiwanese languages and culture, appealed to younger listeners. Asian superstar Teresa Teng originated from Taiwan and enjoys immense popularity amongst the Sinophone world and beyond. With the resurgence of interest in native cultural identities starting in the late 1980s, a more distinct and modern form of Taiwanese pop formed. In 1989, a group of musicians called the Blacklist Studio released Song of Madness on Rock Records. Blending hip hop, rock and other styles, the album focused on the issues concerning everyday, modern people. Building on Song of Madness' success, the following year saw Lin Chiang release Marching Forward, which kickstarted what became known as New Taiwanese Song. Pop stars of the 1990s included Wu Bai, Chang Chen yue, Jimmy Lin, Emil Wakin Chau (Zhoū Huájiàn) and so on. aMEI, who is renowned for her technically skilled and powerful vocals, is acclaimed to be the pop diva in Mandopop, and pop idols like Show Lo, Jay Chou, aMEI, Jolin Tsai and girl group S. H. E have now become the most famous and popular singers of Mandopop. For rock and band music, Mayday is said to have pioneered rock music in Taiwan for the generation of youth. For latest generation of pop music in Taiwan, singing reality shows such as One Million Star and Super idol have brought many ordinary people to fame, such as Jam Hsiao, Yoga Lin, Aska Yang, Lala Hsu, William Wei and so on. The 1990s and early 2000s also saw the emergence of bands and artists of more diverse genres, such as Sodagreen, Deserts Chang, Cheer Chen, who have achieved commercial success and brought the new "indie" era of Taiwanese pop music. Other indie bands include Your Woman Sleep With Others, Labor Exchange Band, Chairman, Sugar Plum Ferry, deca joins, Backquarter, Fire EX, 8mm Sky, Seraphim, and ChthoniC. The annual Formoz Festival, Spring Scream, and Hohaiyan Rock Festival are representative gatherings within Taiwan's indie scene. Of these, Formoz Festival is notable for its international draw, with foreign artists such as Yo La Tengo, Moby, Explosions in the Sky, and Caribou headlining the event, while Spring Scream is the largest local band event, and Hohaiyan draws a mixed crowd of beach side party goers and music appreciators alike. Other Taiwanese popular singers/bands include Rainie Yang, Da Mouth, Amber Kuo, A Lin, Magic Power and much more. The popular culture of the Taiwanese people has also influenced Chinese speaking populations in other places such as Mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore.

There are hundreds of metal bands active in Taiwan. Bands such as Chthonic and Seraphim have drawn more attention to the metal scene in Taiwan, with Chthonic in particular attracting attention overseas, performing at European festivals such as Bloodstock Open Air.

Taiwan has a small techno and house music scene center on Taipei. Most DJs and artists do it on the side rather than as their primary job. Performances often mix music with visual art.