Doctoral Colloquium (Music) | Kai-Young Chan
The Doctoral Colloquium is open to all.
Doctoral Colloquium:ÌýKai-Young Chan (Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Title:Â Writing Choral Music in Cantonese: Problems, Practices, and Potentialities
Abstract: Due to the use of tones at various pitch levels to differentiate word meanings, tone languages are naturally musical; yet, ironically, their musical expression is often limited by the tones. Unless sung to an optimised melody, Cantonese lyrics may be incomprehensible or gravely misunderstood––‘lord’ could be misheard as ‘pig’. While tone-melody relationships have been addressed in Cantonese operas and Cantonese popular music, Cantonese choral music––a fast-growing genre of contemporary music in Hong Kong––remains a largely unexplored genre. This study aims to unpack the problems, practices, and potentialities of text-setting in Cantonese choral music. It offers solutions for overcoming text-setting constraints, and analyses the creative and notational practices present in recent works by Hong Kong composers. The research highlights the compositional and theoretical potentialities within this genre for listeners, composers, and performers, particularly in the context of algorithmic and AI applications, fostering a greater appreciation for Cantonese musics.
Biography:ÌýKai-Young Chan is Assistant Professor of Composition at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Performed in 20 countries, his award-winning compositions are published by Edition Peters, Universal Edition, and Navona Records. Through digital platforms and open-access applications, his research on Cantonese musics fosters interdisciplinary collaborations between music, neuroscience, and AI.
