Listening: Songs · Seeking Hakka

Songs: new Hakka melodies; Seeking: ancient Hakka sounds

Folk songs carry the life stories and memories of those who came before us.
In its 2019 “Listening” concert, Taipei Chamber Singers sings 17 Hakka folk songs, guiding listeners to the beauty of the “nine accents and eighteen tunes” of Hakka music and following its thread to the misty, rain-soaked foothills to experience the unpretentious, reserved, thrifty, and grateful character of Hakka culture.

The first half of the concert features nine newly composed Hakka choral works. “Have You Eaten Yet?” (食飽吂), “The Black Drongo” (山狗太), “The Kite” (鷂婆), and “The Frog and the Toad” (𧊅仔摎蟾蜍) brim with childlike fun and humor; “The Riverbank” (河壩) and “White Crane Flower” (白鶴花) depict the beauty of nature with deep and lasting humanity; and “Brother A-Shu’s Grocery Store” (阿樹哥个雜貨店) and “Echoes of Affection” (情韻) convey Hakka memories, by turns plain and tender. Performing these works not only promotes Hakka style and aesthetics, but also establishes model recordings of Hakka choral works well suited to school choirs at every level.

The second half presents choral arrangements of traditional Hakka melodies. “Hakka Folk Song Suite” (客謠組曲) and “Song of an Expectant Mother” (病子歌) are traditional tunes of strict form, “Shan’ge Zi” (山歌子) is a beloved Hakka mountain song, and “Eighteen-Year-Old Girl” (十八姑娘), “Rainy Days” (落水天), “Rain from Heaven” (天公落水), “Carrying-Pole Song” (挑擔歌), and “Lullaby” (搖籃曲) reveal the resilience and warm-hearted generosity forged by the Hakka people through lives of hard work and endurance.

We hope these familiar melodies will take music lovers on a journey of “listening through memory,” touching life experiences hidden deep within and turning a profound listening experience into strength for living.