SPRING 2023 | VOL 15 | NO 1
PREVIEWING THE
NCKP PIANO
2023 CONFERENCE
Previews of NCKP 2023 An Interview with Ideas to Support
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piano music
by composers from asia:
A History of Self-Discovery
by Lisa Yui
My discovery of piano music by Asian rarely heard elsewhere in the world. Even
composers began during the pandemic. music schools in Asia generally ignore the
In the midst of the global health crisis, the compositions of their compatriots. Nam
Black Lives Matter movement shook the Hoang Nguyen, a pianist and researcher
world, leaving an indelible mark in social of Vietnamese piano music, recalls: “My
change. Its influence rippled into the arts, professor at the Vietnam Academy of
providing momentum for pianists to look Music (VNAM) prepared a collection of
beyond the Western canon. Even to the Vietnamese works for undergraduate and
casual concertgoer, it is obvious that the lower-level study, but most students only
number of Asian pianists has soared over played the same set of pieces over and
the past few decades. China alone currently over. I myself only knew a limited number of
has an estimated forty to fifty million people Vietnamese works while studying at VNAM.”2
studying the piano. Yet, while music schools,
competitions, and concert halls abound Considering the disproportion between
with Asian pianists interpreting works of the number of piano students from Asia
Western composers, only a handful of enrolled in Western music schools and the
Asian composers are represented in infrequency with which their countries’
concert programs. composers are presented in concerts,
it seemed timely to create a course that
Fortunately, a few major pianists have studied this music. This idea culminated in
championed their works. Peter Serkin had the launch of Piano Music by Composers in
a long-standing association with the music Asia, a class I taught in September of 2022
of TAKEMITSU Toru 1 (1930–96, Japan), at Manhattan School of Music. I especially
and Lang Lang has recorded the music of wanted this class to explore beyond China,
TAN Dun (b. 1957, China) and other folk- Japan, and Korea, as composers from
inspired works of early Chinese composers. East Asia have slightly more worldwide
But these are exceptions. The music of recognition than those from the rest of the
Arno BABADJANIAN (1921–83, Armenia), continent. But what was initially intended
Emanuel MELIK-ASLANIAN (1915–2003, to be a straightforward piano literature
Iran), and Ahmet Adnan SAYGUN course eventually developed into something
(1907–91, Turkey) are venerated in their more complex.
home countries, but their works are
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Delivery
of concert piano,
Nagpur, India, 1923
- Helena Morstyn
Being an Asian composer writing Western classical occupation of Western nations. Being a symbol
music comes with certain historical legacies. For of oppression as well as of cultural advancement,
over a century, the West has appointed itself as it was viewed with both distrust and admiration.
the arbiter of global music. A google search of Some countries attempted to integrate the foreign
“the greatest composer in (insert name of an Asian with the familiar: in Iran, the piano was re-tuned
country)” will most likely come up with those who to allow the use of various modes (dastgah) of
wrote in the Western classical style. “Japan” would traditional Persian art music. Morteza MAHJUBI
turn up SAKAMOTO Ryuichi or TAKEMITSU Tōru; (1900–1965, Iran) frequently played the piano with
“China,” TAN Dun or CHEN Yi; “Turkey,” Ahmet two fingers, like mallets. In recordings he treats
Adnan SAYGUN or Fazil SAY. This suggests that the instrument like a santur, a Persian dulcimer.
“great music” has largely come to equate “Western Likewise, when the piano was first introduced
Music” not Japanese gagaku, Chinese guoyue, or to the Burmese royal court in the late-nineteenth
Ottoman Turkish music. Furthermore, national century, it was tuned to the scale of the pattala,
anthems are written using Western tuning. In the local xylophone. Eventually, sandaya, a
fact, some of the anthems of Asian countries were completely unique style of piano composition
composed or orchestrated by Western composers. and performance, emerged. The sandaya uses rapid,
The original version of Kimigayo, the national florid lines around a steady beat with no obvious
anthem of Japan, was written by John William melody or chords, as one would expect in traditional
Fenton, an Irish military band leader. A new Western piano technique.
melody was later composed by a team of Japanese
composers, which was then harmonized in the The astonishingly rapid pace with which Western
Western style by the German musician Franz Eckert. music developed in Asian countries was often
due to a strategic push by the ruling government.
Colonialism is a recurring theme when studying In 1871, following a long period of isolation from
the history of the piano in Asia. The instrument the West, the Japanese government of the Meiji
settled into Asian lands primarily through the Emperor headed by Prince Iwakura Tomomi sent
Spring Issue 2023 Vol 15 No 1 / 47
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an embassy of nearly one hundred officials and traditions of the musical language of Eastern
students to the United States and Europe. Their folk culture. Asian nations that were part of the
experiences provided a bold impetus to lead Eastern bloc sent young pianists to Russia to
modernization initiatives in Japan, including a study and invited Soviet teachers to lead the next
new education system that advocated Western generation of musicians and educators.
music, especially with regards to the piano.
In China, reformers in the late-nineteenth century After the establishment of the People’s Republic
sought to replicate the greater military and of China in 1949, many musicians from the
economic might of foreign nations. The movement Eastern bloc held posts at Chinese conservatories.
was summed up in the slogan, “Chinese essence, At the Shanghai Conservatory, DING Shande
Western means.” Musicians took part in this (1911–1995, China) studied piano with Boris
cultural movement, and Western music, Zakharov, a Russian pianist who was one of
especially religious and military songs, were the school’s first faculty members. Ding’s many
introduced in China. Years later, the social charming works for young pianists, such as the
realism advocated by Mao Zedong’s cultural Four Little Preludes and Fugues Op. 29 (1988),
officials urged the composition of numerous are evocative of Shostakovich and Kabalevsky.
works celebrating revolutionary heroes and The Soviet Union was one of the first countries
rural festivals. The Yellow River Piano Concerto
(1970), based on the cantata by XIAN Xinghai
(1905–1945, China), is one popular product from
this period. When the Republic of Turkey was
declared in 1923 following the nearly 600-year
rule of the Ottoman Empire, President Mustafa
Kemal Atatürk established a new secular
republic based on Western models and EARN YOUR DEGREE IN
MUSIC
traditions. The Turkish Five, composers who
pioneered Western classical music in Turkey,
worked to create neo-nationalist works in the
name of progress.
FROM THE JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY
My class included the Caucasus region LINDA BERRY STEIN COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS & HUMANITIES
dividing Asia and Europe. Composers from
the republics that were part of the Soviet BM IN PIANO PERFORMANCE
Union, such as Aram KHACHATURIAN
(1903–78, Armenia) and Kara KARAEV Offering competitive scholarships up to
(1918–82, Azerbaijan), both Moscow the cost of tuition based on auditions.
Conservatory alumni, synthesized the
musical styles of their Soviet contemporaries
and mentors, while still maintaining the
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to recognize and formally establish diplomatic TAKI
relations with North Vietnam. Russian influences RENTARO
frequently appear in works by Vietnamese
composers, such as the brilliantly relentless
Sonata Polyphonique (1978) by ĐẶNG Hữu Phúc
(b. 1953, Vietnam) or the evocative Theme and
Variations (1977) by ĐỖ Hồng Quân (b. 1956,
Vietnam). These pieces are infused with motoric
rhythm and bitonality, creating effects that are
at times reminiscent of Stravinsky, Prokofiev,
or Shostakovich.
As Vietnam was controlled by France for over
six decades, earlier Vietnamese music displayed
influences of Impressionism. Both “Au Fil de
l’onde,” the eighteenth piece from the set Viet
Nam: Album Pour Piano (1954) by Louise NGUYỄN
Văn Tỵ (1915–2007, Vietnam), and Prelude
No. 2 (n.d.) by NGUYỄN Đình Lượng (1945–
2005, Vietnam), resemble the limpid style of early
Debussy. As Philippines was part of the Spanish
Empire for three hundred years, it is not surprising
that so many compositions by Filipinos are
imbued with a Spanish flavor. This is exemplified
by a composition by Julio NAKPIL (1867–1960,
Philippines), a general during the Philippine
Revolution against Spain. His Recuerdos de
Càpiz (“Memories of Capiz,” 1891) is a framed within Western forms and techniques. In
scintillating habanera. the Philippines, Francisco SANTIAGO (1889–1947)
composed Souvenir de Filipinas (1920), weaving
In its historical infancy, piano pieces by Lulay, a popular Filipino folk song, into a Lisztian
composers from Asia were often emulations fantasy, and the prolific Lucrecia KASILAG (1917–
of the Austro-German tradition. The first piano 2008) used the popular love song, Walay Angay,
music introduced in the East was primarily by for her Theme and Variations (1950).
Czerny, Beyer, Clementi, Beethoven, Schubert,
or Mendelssohn, with a smattering of Chopin. As cultural integration deepened, music by
Minuet (1900) and Grudge (1903) by TAKI Rentaro Asian composers reached a new level of maturity,
(1879-1903, Japan) are the first published solo stretching beyond the superficial use of folk
piano works by a Japanese composer, but their melodies and pentatonic scales. The Chinese-
compositional style is completely inspired from American composer, scholar, and teacher,
European salon music. Gradually, in an effort to CHOU Wen-Chung (1923–2019), stated:
discover their musical identities, Asian composers
searched for ways to reconcile the distinctions
between Eastern and Western aesthetics, creating
a confluence of the two. On the simplest level,
that meant sprinkling elements of local music
and dance into the works. A large body of early
piano pieces from China are of this style, using
pentatonic scales, folk melodies, and dance rhythms
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Chou was undoubtedly one of the seminal
figures who bridged artists between the East
and West. He founded the Center for US-China
“A composition based on the adoption of Arts Exchange in 1978, which became a major
Western concepts, techniques, and styles channel of cultural diplomacy. An influential
but embellished with Asian effects and color, teacher, he nurtured the “First Wave” of Eastern
composers. These included Chinary UNG (b. 1942,
even when composed by a Chinese or Asian, Cambodia), ZHOU Long (b. 1953, China), Chen
remains a product of emulation. Because YI (b. 1953, China), TAN Dun (b. 1957, China),
such music is not a crystallization of cultural Bright SHENG (b. 1955, China), and GE Gan-ru
(b. 1954, China). Chou’s The Willows are New
interaction, it is incapable of asserting itself (1957), based on Wang Wei’s poem Yang Kuan,
as intercultural contemporary music. . . treats the piano as a metamorphosis of the qin,
To truly point to the future the work will have a Chinese zither. The minor ninths resounding
in the left hand create an effect similar to
to reveal the intrinsic values of both worlds. the overtones of the qin, and the rhythmic
And it will have to demonstrate a degree gestures of the righthand seem to suggest the
of synthesis in ideas, skills, and expression. contemplative yet spontaneous brush strokes
of Asian calligraphy.
Only then can we arrive at an ideal stage—
one that every sincere artist or composer The integral figures who brought composers in
should aspire to.” 3 the East back to their own culture were often
Western artists. The American composer John
Cage (1912–1992), who applied the concepts
of Zen Buddhism and the I Ching in his
compositions, reminded Asian composers of
the profound beauty in their approach to time
and space. His visit to Japan in 1962 created a
sensation that became known as “Cage Shock.”
Takemitsu Toru, whose interest in Japanese music
and culture was sparked by Cage, said: “Maybe
it can be said that I am rather a gardener, not a
composer. I don’t like to construct sounds as great
architecture the way Beethoven did. My music
CHOU is different. I set up a place where sounds meet
WEN- each other.” Takemitsu’s Rain Tree Sketch I (1982)
CHUNG and II (1992), or Uninterrupted Rests (1952), are not
focused on harmonic progression or destination,
but rather, on the resonance of a single note and
the space and time experienced between them.
Composers from Western Asia frequently turned
to the traditional modes and rhythmic systems
from their culture. La Nuit du destin (The Night
of Destiny, 1978) by Dia SUCCARI (1938–2010,
Syria), alludes to Laylat al-Qadr, the night during
Ramadan when the heavens sent down the
Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad. The work
captures the mystery and awe of that holy night,
combining Western notation and rhythm with
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the maqam and iqa’, the system of melodic modes
and rhythm respectively, used in traditional Arabic
music. The pianist is required to improvise in a
style called taqsim, evoking the santur and the
ud, Persian versions of the dulcimer and lute.
In Ten Etudes on “Aksak” Rhythms Op. 38 (1964)
and Twelve Preludes on “Aksak” Rhythms Op. 45
(1967), Ahmed Adnan SAYGUN (1907–1991, Turkey)
uses the asymmetrical rhythmic system (such
as 2 + 2 + 2 + 3) typical in the Middle East. Each
etude or prelude uses a different combination
of these unequal aksak beats.
Many composers who set up the groundwork for
their country’s piano music culture experienced
devastating hardships. One example was HE AHMET
Luting (1903–1999, China), the composer of Buffalo ADNAN
Boy's Flute (1934), the top-prize winning piece of SAYGUN
the first composition contest in China. During the
Cultural Revolution, He was subjected to physical
MUSIC TMusic
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Spring Issue 2023 Vol 15 No 1 / 51
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abuse and interrogation on public television by
anti-Western populists for his defense of
Western music. Isang YUN (1917–95, S. Korea)
was kidnapped in 1967 by the South Korean CIA
from his home in Germany, in what became known
as the East Berlin Incident. A few years earlier,
Yun had accepted an invitation to visit North
Korea (at the time illegal for South Koreans)
to view the historical Kangseo Gobun frescoes.
For this, Yun was convicted of treason and
espionage. This resulted in imprisonment, torture,
and a death sentence, before he was ultimately
released. Shao Yang Yin (1966) is a twelve-tone
work inspired by Taoist philosophy employing
Yun’s own hauptton technique, where notes
embellish a single or few “main” notes in the style
of traditional Korean music. Vardapet KOMITAS
(1869–1935, Armenia), a pioneer of Armenian
ethnomusicology and a fully ordained priest,
was arrested and deported to a prison camp by
the Ottoman government during the Armenian
genocide (1915–16). He spent the last years of his
life in a psychiatric hospital in France. His Six
VARDAPET Dances for Piano (1906) and arrangements of urban
KOMITAS songs are musical snapshots of Armenian folk life.
The dedication of these artists to create music
that was true to themselves and to their nation
is quite simply heroic.
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It became clear that Piano Music
by Composers from Asia was not just
about exposing young musicians to
new music, but exploring the ever-
evolving story of a region’s collective
self-discovery. Pioneering composers
who began by emulating the musical
LUCRECIA
language of the West were eventually
R. KASILAG compelled to return to their own culture
and history for inspiration. In doing so,
they shaped the piano to become their
individual instrument of expression.
Through the piano, composers from
Asia rediscovered their culture, and
by extension, themselves. As a result,
they created music that was completely
different from anything heard before,
in the West or in the East. By studying—
at times even resurrecting—these works,
we preserve and celebrate the voices of
nations whose music reverberates across
language, politics, and continents.
NOTES
Traditionally, family names come first in East Asia, the given
1
name second. To avoid confusion, I list the names in this article
in the order most commonly used and capitalize their surname.
2
Hoang Nguyen, interview with the author, November 26, 2022.
3
Shyhji Pan-Chew, ed. Chou Wen-chung Music Festival, Special
Album (Taipei, Taiwan: Canada-Taiwan Music & Arts Exchange,
2004), 118.
LISA YUI enjoys a multifaceted musical career
as pianist, lecturer, educator, author, and musical
Concert of director. Dr. Yui is on the faculties of Manhattan
School of Music and the Juilliard Extension, where
European Music she teaches courses on historical piano recordings
by Hashimoto and piano literature in Europe and Asia.
Chikanobu
(1889)
Spring Issue 2023 Vol 15 No 1 / 53
