Sing for Love Score Series: “Silly Child” (SSA)

A Vision Uniting Philanthropy and the Arts

The Sing for Love score series grows out of the Sing for Love Choral Composition Competition. The competition was initiated by 王光明, former District Governor of Rotary International District 3521, and co-founded with Rotary International Districts 3481 and 3482 and 張順立, former president of the Friends of the National Culture and Arts Foundation, among others. Through the competition, it seeks out songwriting and compositional talent in Taiwan, rewards outstanding works, and offers a quality channel for their premiere and promotion.

Guided by the idea of “writing down our hopes for love, and singing our blessings for society,” the Sing for Love score series has become a platform for songs we all share, carrying goodness through moving music and lifting positive energy with soaring voices.

“The lyrics of ‘Silly Child’ (戇囡仔) come from a true story from my childhood. I remember that my mother always cooked a table full of dishes for the whole family, yet she always waited until we had eaten our fill before she sat down to eat. One day, when we were eating out, she suddenly asked everyone, ‘Does anyone know what I like to eat?’ Without a second thought, I answered, ‘Mom likes to eat leftovers,’ and the whole table burst out laughing.

Musically, the piece is set in a melodic, popular-leaning style. The whole song traces the protagonist’s growth in understanding: a clean texture represents the simplicity of childhood, while overlapping voices represent the complexity of maturity, leading to a realization of how hard the mother has worked; the modulation in particular is where the emotion of the whole piece bursts forth. At the end of the lyrics, the protagonist apologizes to the mother, who still smiles gently and says the same words as always: ‘You, silly child.’

Finally, I dedicate this piece to mothers everywhere, and to my own dearest mom.”

— 劉毅, composer of “Silly Child”

* To order scores, please contact Pana Musica directly (02-2327 8518).