Music Composition

2022
Lotus in the Rain (for solo Guzheng)

Duration: ca. 7 min 
Program Notes: 
The guzheng solo piece "Lotus in the Rain" mainly uses the granular timbral characteristics of Guzheng to describe the crispy sound of rain falling on the lotus leaves, and portrays the impression of lotus standing in the rain without fear of wind and rain, and with elegance and vitality, through the design of the musical tension contour. In this piece, the guzheng adopts scordatura with its pitches tuned to D Eb F# A# B as the core sonorities of the piece. These pitches contain semitones, third intervals, as well as split third sonority (such as simultaneous use of both pitch B D and B D#), to make the sonorities of this piece sound both familiar and unfamiliar. In addition, it is also supplemented by pressing the strings or playing on the left side of the bridge to enrich the pitch content. 
 Furthermore, the idiomatic playing techniques of guzheng are used to practice the idea of spectralism to shape music through the interpolation of various musical elements including pitch content, note densities, pitch registers, velocities, melodic figures, and etc., to create the fluidity of the music, and also to establish its tension contour, so as to present the vitality of the elegant lotus.

2021
Collage of Time and Space (for clarinet quintet and interactive music system)



2018
Tune of Autumn Wind (for cello and live electronics)

Finished Date: April 2018
Duration: ca. 8 min
Program Notes:
給大提琴與互動音樂系統的《秋風引》主要靈感來自唐朝詩人劉禹錫的同名詩作《秋風引》:「何處秋風至,蕭蕭送雁群。朝來入庭樹,孤客最先聞。」,主要藉由音樂來描寫初秋之際,落葉隨風紛飛,所引發的年華已逝、故人已遠之感嘆。音樂上則藉由大提琴多變的音色,搭配電腦聲音拉長的技術,以及互動音樂系統之互動回應,如聲音凍結、頻譜延遲等效果,來強化情感的表達。此外,也藉由大提琴高低交替且重複出現的音型,來傳達時間持續推進的意象,並配合音集 (0 1 6) 維繫素材的統一性。


2017
Rain in a Dream (for yangqin, 3 percussionists, and electronics)

Finished Date: April 2017
Duration: ca. 7 min
Program Notes:
This piece is intended to portray the soundscape and landscape of the rain in a dream by combining the sound of acoustic instruments (yangqin and percussion) and the computer processed sound. They are interwoven into a vast and illusionary soundscape and is shaped with the gradual process of change in pitch, rhythm, note density, texture, and etc. The instrumental part focuses on the dialogue between yangqin and the percussion instruments of definite pitch. For the electronic part, sound samples from cello and metals are transformed through granular synthesis and spectral editing to provide the background drown sound in contrast to the short sonority from live yangqin and percussion instruments and to thicken the overall timbre and texture. In addition, the bell-like or chime-like synthesized sound are used with reverberation and delay effects to produce different short sonority and spatialization as opposed to that generated by yangqin and percussion instruments.

《夢中的雨》這首作品旨在呈現夢境中雨之音景與雨中山水之景象,藉由點狀音色之樂器(揚琴、打擊樂器)搭配電子音樂的特殊聲響,交織成一片廣闊而虛幻的音場空間與聲音的幻境,並以音高、節奏音型、音符密度、織度等的漸變過程,作為建構此作品音樂流動性的手段。器樂的部分,集中在揚琴、固定音高的打擊樂器之間的對話;電子音樂的部分,則主要以預錄的大提琴聲、敲擊金屬的聲音等,經過粒子化合成、頻譜編輯等手法加以變形與拉長,作為現場點狀樂器演奏之外,背景的襯底長音,藉此增加整體音響的厚度;此外也加上鈴鐺似的合成音色,搭配殘響與延遲效果,建構一種相似卻有別於現場樂器的點狀音響與多層次的音場空間。


2014
Don Quixote's Fight against Sheep Monsters (for snare drum and live electonics)
Finished Date: December 2014
Duration: ca. 7 min
Program Notes:
給小鼓的互動音樂作品《唐吉訶德的羊群之戰》旨在描述小說人物唐吉訶德將羊群幻想成怪物、假想敵的一場戰爭,以獨奏樂器加上互動電子音樂的方式來呈現,實際上也在將《唐吉訶德傳》小說故事中的戰爭情境,詮釋為一場內在自我的戰爭,在人生的旅途上,敵人不是他人而是自己。音樂上藉由敲擊小鼓的不同部位所產生的不同聲響來增加音色上趣味,此外並藉由互動音樂系統進行小鼓的即時音量偵測、重音偵測、音符密度偵測等,以此來影響即時殘響、延遲、調變特效的變化,改變原本小鼓的聲音色彩,並變化出新的織度與音場空間。

The Wounded Don Quixote (for solo violin and live electronics)

Finished Date: December 2014
Duration: ca. 7 min
Program Notes:
This piece portrays the mental state of a person who has no control of the external environment but can only pray for a better condition to come. The music is thus intended to present the mixture of pains, eagerness, and passion. The melodic materials are mainly derived from pitch permutation and interpolation. The permutation of the member in a specific pitch collection slows down the process of pitch change, which helps emphasize the rhythmic aspects of it. However, new pitches may gradually be emphasized during the pitch permutation so as to shift the pitch collection from one to another and to maintain the momentum of music. In addition, the timbral change is also reiterated through the interpolation from one way of playing to another (e.g., from normal playing to harmonics, from one bowing position to another, etc.), which also helps keep the music flowing. 

給小提琴的互動音樂作品《受傷的唐吉訶德》旨在呈現小說人物唐吉訶德在暫時的挫敗之際,心中既愁苦又期待再戰的一種心境,同時表現痛苦、渴望、與熱情雜陳的情感。其音高結構主要建立在固定音高群的內部交替以及不同音高群之間的漸變移轉原則下,亦即由反覆交替的音高活動來描繪出較粗的音響線條,並以漸進推宜的過程來維繫音樂的流動性。在電子音樂的部分,利用電腦即時偵測與分析小提琴的音高、樂句來影響聲音凍結、濾波器、延遲等特效,並運用交叉合成法,將小提琴與預錄聲音檔案、FM 合成融合於一體,產生動態濾波的效果與擾動不安的音色,藉此反應唐吉訶德等待另一個東山再起的機會之際,內心的不耐與對於追求自我實現之強烈熱衷。

When the Dream Fades Away (for flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello, piano, and percussion )
Finished Date: March 2014
Duration: ca. 9 min.
Program Notes:
When the Dream Fades Away (for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion) portrays the experiences of the sleeper who gradually hears the sound from the dream in the silent night. The music itself takes shapes mainly by the timbral and textural development. The pitch content in this piece tends to move slowly in order to let the listeners pay more attention to the timbral and textural aspects of the piece. Besides, the permutation of the members in a pitch-class set and its interpolation from the original to another, serve to incorporate the melody and texture as a whole for a single instrument. They are also used as the main method to shift between different sonorities in this piece.

室內樂《遠去的夢境》旨在呈現從沈睡中逐漸甦醒時,半醒半夢間撲朔迷離的聽覺經驗。此曲作為「唐吉訶德跨時空旅程」音樂會的終曲,也用來描寫主角在追求理想失敗後,逐漸從不切實際的夢想中覺醒的過程。音樂本身則主要以音色與織度的變化為其焦點、以此發展、建立其架構。此曲中的音高內容傾向使用緩慢移轉的方式,藉此讓聽者可以更注意到音色與織度層面的細緻變化。此外,特定音群的音高成員間之更換順序出現、以漸變方式從一個音群移動至另一個音群的手法,亦為此曲中縱向音響呈現的主要手法,並常藉由裝飾音型、特定音群之外的音高短暫出現,來製造垂直音響上細微的不穩定感、與細緻的色彩變化。

Dream Walker (for two percussionists and electronics)

Finished Date: December 2014
Duration: ca. 9 min
Program Notes:
此曲為「唐吉訶德跨時空旅程」音樂會之序曲,旨在描寫小說人物唐吉訶德與他的隨從一起進入幻想中的世界之冒險旅程,打擊樂器部分以穩定、重複的節奏作為開始,描述旅人堅定的步履,並常藉由相同或相似節奏下的音色疊合,在重複的節奏中引入不同的打擊樂器,以進行音色上的漸變或轉移,實驗一種以音色營造音樂流動性的想法。此外,也藉由預錄電子音樂搭配打擊樂,在器樂之外開展一種撲朔迷離的氛圍與不同的空間感,藉此呈現小說人物唐吉訶德幻想中的旅程之各種奇幻經驗。

Soundscape in Meditaion (stereo fixed media)
Finished Date: October 2014
Duration: ca. 7 min
Program Notes:
Soundscape in Meditation is intended to explore the possibilities of musical expression through the timbral transformation of tam-tam, gong, cymbal, and chimes. The sound samples of these instruments are used as the main raw materials in this work. The digital processing techniques including granular synthesis, digital sampling, filtering, ring modulation, time stretch, spectral delay, and etc. are used to transform the timbre and to create special rhythm and texture. Based on the aesthetics of musical tension, processed samples are superimposed and arranged to create new soundscape and musical form to present the mystical aura in meditation.  

此首作品旨在探索 tam-tam與鑼、鈸、風鈴等的聲響透過電子音樂的聲音變形技術與數位編輯之後,在音樂表達上的可能性。全曲以 tam-tam、鑼、鈸、風鈴等聲響作為原始聲音素材,所使用的數位音訊處理的技術包括粒子化合成、數位取樣技術、濾波器、ring modulation、聲音拉長、頻譜延遲等之處理,將原本的聲音予以變形或改變節奏,並依照音樂張力消長的美學原則,將之堆疊或重組,建構一個新的數位音景與音樂結構,並藉此表現一種冥想中的神秘感受。

Autumn Thoughts (for solo flute)
Finished Date: February 2014
Duration: ca. 7 min
Program Notes:
此作品取材自馬致遠的元曲《天淨沙》:「枯藤老樹昏鴉,小橋流水平沙,古道西風瘦馬,夕陽西下,斷腸人在天涯」,藉由長笛演奏者唸誦詩文中的意象之英譯文字,配合不同子音之氣聲,藉此將演奏者的身份轉化為兼具聲音製造者與敘事者的角色,並將文字唸誦融入長笛音色變化的表現中。樂曲並常運用減緩音高變化以凸顯音色與織度變化的原則下,使用 trilltremolo、裝飾音、不同八度的重複音、特定音高群成員的改變順序與節奏等手法,將原本獨奏的線條變化為較粗的線條,並藉由音符密度的漸變、吹奏方式的漸變、音高群成員的漸變等方法,讓音樂在重複的音高中持續維持流動性,並呈現音色張力的消長。此曲為中華民國現代音樂協會委託創作、國家文化藝術基金會創作補助。


Snow on the River (for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano)
Finished Date: February 2014
Duration: ca. 10 min
Program Notes:
This piece is inspired by the poem Snow on the River written by Chung-Yuan Liu, a Chinese poet in the Tang Dynasty. The poem reads

A hundred mountains and no bird,   
A thousand paths without a footprint;
A little boat, a bamboo cloak,
An old man fishing in the cold river-snow.

The music is intended to portray the solitude reflected in the imageries of the poem, and also to depict the poet’s sorrow which he tried to alleviate by enjoying the beauty of the nature. The music starts with slow pitch movement to present the solitude reflected in the imageries of the poem. Later on, the music gradually turns into agitated expression through passionate cello melody and superimposition, which presents the constrained sadness of the poet due to his demotion ordered by the emperor in a political struggle. The prominent pitch set in this piece is (0 1 6 7) and the interval of diminished fifth or augmented fourth derived from it is frequently used throughout the piece to maintain its coherence. Besides, timbral and pitch interpolation are used as the main elements to make the music flow.


音樂作品《江雪》之創作靈感來自唐朝詩人柳宗元的五言絕句《江雪》:「千山鳥飛絕,萬徑人蹤滅。孤舟蓑笠翁,獨釣寒江雪」,旨在描述詩中的意象所呈現的孤寂與憂愁。音樂開始於鋼琴、弦樂撥絃、長笛快速音群的清脆短暫之聲響,描述積雪從樹枝上墜落的姿態,因極端的沈靜而被凸顯出來,並以此傳達詩中孤獨的情感。樂曲隨著時間的進行,配合緩慢的音高移動、逐漸累積的音響,以及逐漸加重情感的大提琴旋律,傳達表面平靜之下,詩人心中因政治紛爭而被罷黜的憤恨不平與無奈。全曲主要的音類為(0 1 6 7)以及其所衍伸的減五度或增四度音程,藉此維持音高上的統一性。



Sound from One Hand IV


Finished Date: Aug 2014
Duration: ca. 7 min
Program Notes:
《隻手之聲 IV》互動音樂即興作品乃整合並延伸《隻手之聲 II》、《隻手之聲 III》的概念與技術而來,並賦予新的音樂內容。本作品概念上仍以單手作為互動音樂即興的方式,有別於《隻手之聲 III》使用 Leap Motion 紅外線感應器,《隻手之聲 IV》則再度回歸使用手持智慧型手機,透過 OSC 訊息以及Wifi,遠端遙控個人電腦上的互動聲音系統,以善用手機之多重感應器與位置移動上的自由度。在《隻手之聲 II》運用智慧型手機進行互動聲音控制的表演中,主要是以三軸加速度作為聲音操控機制,而在《隻手之聲 IV》中,則加入了陀螺儀、旋轉速率偵測等機制,再結合原有的三軸加速度偵測,亦即以多重感應器的偵測結果,影響多重聲音參數,藉此豐富音色的層次變化。此外,此互動系統並整合閼值判斷、事件密度偵測、預設音色參數變化、預置聲音變化等之運用,輔助音樂形式的建構。本作品之音響上則主要運用FM和成、頻譜延遲、粒子化合成、聲音播放速度之即時變化等技術來製造各種噪音聲響與節奏變化,也藉由特定音高群的輪替機制操控固定音高之音源,藉此設計音樂上的和聲變化。

Sound from One Hand III
Finished Date: July 2014
Duration: ca. 7 min
Program Notes:
《隻手之聲 III》互動音樂即興作品是延伸《隻手之聲 II》之行動裝置操控互動音樂系統的概念而來,旨在探索以 Leap Motion 感測器作為互動聲音系統的參數控制器之可能性。有別於現場表演時由滑鼠移動來修改聲音參數、或藉由有線的MIDI控制器來操控參數變化,Leap Motion感應器透過紅外線攝影技術,偵測手部的姿態變化,使表演者的動作可以更為明顯,並藉由視覺的輔助與聯覺的作用,使聽者更容易理解音樂的張力起落與結構安排。此互動聲音系統主要藉由單手在Leap Motion 感應器上的 xyz三軸的位置,操控各種聲音參數與觸發預設的音樂事件,並透過閼值的設定、互動事件緊密度的判讀等,建構進階的互動關係。此外,也在特定時間點上運用隨機選擇機制,使每次表演都能在既定的結構下產生不同的變化與趣味。此作品中,即時音訊處理的技術則包括粒子化合成、FM合成、減法合成、頻譜延遲、聲音方向控制器等。
  

2013

Sound from one Hand (Live Electronics, Improvisation)


Finished Date: December 2013
Duration: ca. 8 min.
Program Notes:
此作品旨在探索以行動裝置上的感測器作為互動聲音系統的參數控制器之可能性。有別於現場表演時由滑鼠移動來修改聲音參數、或藉由有線的MIDI 控制器來操控參數變化,行動裝置的感應器透過區域網路遠端控制互動聲音系統,使表演者的動作可以更為名顯,藉由視覺的輔助與聯覺的作用,使聽者更容易理解音樂的張力起落與結構安排。此互動聲音系統主要接受來自行動裝置上的三軸加速度之參數以及面版觸控的訊息,來操控各種聲音參數與觸發預設的音樂事件,並透過閼值的設定、互動事件緊密度的判讀等,建構進階的互動關係。此外,也在特定時間點上運用隨機選擇機制,使每次表演都能在既定的結構下產生不同的變化與趣味。此作品中,即時音訊處理的技術則包括粒子化合成、FM 合成、減法合成、頻譜延遲、聲音方向控制器等。

Sailing towards the Sea (Electroacoustic Music)
Finished Date: November 2013
Duration: ca. 7 min.
Program Notes:
This electroacoustic piece is intended to explore the timbral possibilities of cymbals through the transformation with digital signal processing, and to portray the soundscape “heard” internally on an imagined sailing journey towards the sea. The raw materials are mainly from samples of bowing the suspended cymbal. Methods of timbral transformation used in this piece include granular synthesis, ring modulation, reverberation and delay. The piece starts from cymbal harmonics produced through bowing and transformed by granular synthesis and ring modulation in a light texture. It later accumulates into a heavy texture simulating the soundscape of a stormy sea, and accelerates its pulse towards the climax of the piece before fading away at the end.

本作品旨在透過電子音樂的技法探索鈸的音色變化之可能性,並藉此描述一個幻想中朝向海洋航行之旅內心所聽到的音景。此作品所使用的素材主要來自琴弓摩擦吊鈸所產生的泛音,並透過粒子化合成、Ring Modulation、殘響、延遲效果而達成聲音變形的目的。此作品開始於較輕薄的織度,使用透過粒子化及 Ring Modulation 技術處理過的鈸的泛音為主要素材。音樂後來累積成較為厚重的織度,藉此描述暴風雨中巨浪翻騰的海洋,並且逐步增快其節奏步調,進而引至全曲的高潮,最後再以淡出的方式結束。

A Legend in the Mountains (Electroacoustic Music )

Finished Date: October 2013
Duration: ca. 7 min.
Program Notes:
This piece is commissioned by the Development Association of Taiwanese Indigenous Group at Ping-Tung County. It is intended to explore the possibilities of digital sound transformation based on the traditional instruments of Taiwanese indigenous groups. The main sound source is from the Jew's Harp, one of their traditional instruments. The digital signal processing techniques used in this piece include granular synthesis, digital sampling, filter, ring modulation, time stretch, and etc, with which special timbre, texture and rhythm are created and are juxtaposed, superimposed, or morphed from one to another according to the musical aesthetics about the tension and its release. The music is also intended to portray the mysterious atmosphere conveyed by their rituals for admiring gods.


此首作品為屏東「原住民部落發展協會」之委託創作,旨在探索原住民樂器轉化成電子數位音景之可能性,主要藉由口簧琴等較具音色特殊性之原住民樂器及鼓聲作為聲音來源,透過數位音訊處理的技術,包括粒子化合成、數位取樣技術、濾波器、ring modulation、聲音拉長等處理,將原本的聲音予以變形或改變節奏,並依照音樂張力消長的美學原則,將之堆疊或重組,建構一個新的數位音景與音樂結構,以此表現原住民文化中祭典儀式的神祕色彩。 

Dream (for soprano, flute, violin,  cello, and piano) 

Finished Date: February 2013
Duration: ca. 9 min.
Program Notes:
The music Dream is composed according to William Blake's poem A Dream


聲樂作品《夢》是根據十九世紀英國詩人William Blake 的詩作 A Dream 而作,歌詞主要描述詩人的夢境:螞蟻的母親在夜裡迷了路,而擔心自己的孩子是否因為等不到母親的歸來而哭泣,後來有一隻螢火蟲及甲蟲引導這個迷路的母親回家。詩中隱含著宗教意涵,暗示上天為迷途的靈魂指引明路。本音樂作品則旨在表達迷途、徬徨與苦難中的人,對於上天憐憫與指引的渴望。音樂上以兩音一組的半音為素材核心,搭配大小三度或大二度音程做不同的變化與動機發展,並使用音高漸變的方式,轉移至不同的垂直音響,以維繫音樂的流動性。曲尾並使用搖籃曲的引用句,藉此表示迷途者以已找到歸路,夢境最終獲得圓滿。

歌詞:
Once a dream did weave a shade
O'er my angel-guarded bed,
That an emmet lost its way
Where on grass methought I lay.
Troubled, wildered, and forlorn,
Dark, benighted, travel-worn,
Over many a tangle spray,
All heart-broke, I heard her say:
'Oh my children!
do they cry,
Do they hear their father sigh?
Now they look abroad to see,
Now return and weep for me.
'Pitying, I dropped a tear:
But I saw a glow-worm near,
Who replied,
'What wailing wight
Calls the watchman of the night?'
I am set to light the ground,
While the beetle goes his round:
Follow now the beetle's hum;
Little wanderer,
hie thee home!'


Southern Mountain Lakes (for soprano and Max/MSP)



Finished Date: July 2013
Duration: ca. 8 min.
Porgram Notes: 
Southern Mountain Lakes is inspired by the poem "Southern Mountain Lakes" of Hakka poet Liang Tzao in Tang Dynasty. The piece mainly portrays the peacefulness, leisure and totally contented life in the mountains as described in the poem. Different modes of the Pentatonic scale are used in the vocal part mixed with the recitation of the poem. The computer interacts with the live soprano singer by detecting the pitch, note density, and note length to trigger real-time effects including reverberation, looper, granular synthesis, delay, harmonizer, and etc.



此曲採用閩西客家詩人梁藻的作品《南山》為歌詞:「翡翠吹翻荷帶雨,鷺鷲飛破竹林煙。時沽村酒臨軒酌,擬摘新葉靠石煎」。人聲部分以五聲音階為音高控制的主要準則,搭配唸誦與吟唱,配合互動電腦音樂系統的運用,注重人聲與互動系統結合所產生的特殊織度、空間感、與空靈的氛圍。主要使用的即時效果器包含殘響、粒子化特效、延遲、合音器等,藉此傳達一種遺世拔俗、渾然自得的歌詞意境。



Chrysanthemum in the Rain (for marimba and Max/MSP)




Finished Date: June 2013
Duration: ca 9 min.

Program Notes:
This piece portrays the strong vitality of chrysanthemum which resists rain and cold in full bloom. Chrysanthemum may not be considered gorgeous or fragrant but still show its elegant and refined disposition. The composition makes use the timbral quality of marimba to simulate the sound of rain drops through the repeated notes and patterns. The pitch set (0, 1, 2. 6) is used as the dominant one to control the pitch content in this piece. Besides, through the gradual change of pitch content, the vertical sonority moves from one to another in a slow and smooth way. ( This piece have two versions, one is for marimba solo, the other for marimba and live electronics. )

互動音樂作品《雨中菊》旨在讚嘆「花之隱逸者」菊花其雖無豔麗之姿及濃郁的芬芳來吸引人的注意,但卻淡雅脫俗且不畏霜雪,暗藏著強韌的生命力。《雨中菊》乃藉由木琴顆粒狀的音色特性,描寫雨點落在菊花上而菊花卻兀自綻放的一種堅毅。音樂上,以大量的重複音型來表現雨滴,並在音高處理上以音類 [0, 1, 2, 6] 作為主要的控制準則,透過漸變的方式在不同的垂直音響與織度間做轉移。電子音樂的部分則主要透過音高偵測、聲音密度偵測、樂句起點偵測之結果來控制殘響效果器、粒子化合成器、和音製造器、濾波器及與延音效果器,藉此交織出此起彼落的特殊音響與空靈的氛圍,展現雨中菊花飄逸脫俗之姿。




At the End of Spring (for flute, violin, viola, cello, piano, and two percussionists )
(commissioned by National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra)



Finished Date: February 2013
Duration: ca. 9 min.
Program Notes:
This piece is inspired by Ouyang Xiu's lyrics to the melody of Butterflies Chasing Flowers which reads "How deep is the inner garden that is deep? Shrouded in smoky mist are willows, as if filtered by many a screen. On a horse with a rein set with jade and a sculpted bridle I saunter. Many buildings soar yet no longer existent is the Terrace of the Seal. Stormy is the wind and rain of this March evening. Doors close in the remains of the day, yet there's no way to hold on to spring. With my teary eyes I appeal to blossoms, yet they silence keep. Stirred are their petals that drift across swings." The music is intended to portray the scene of the late spring when the petals are falling, and to express the viewers' reluctance to accept the fact that the spring is ending and the time never comes back. In the music itself, limited pitch changes are used in order to direct listeners' attention on timbre and texture. Through the permutation and interpolation of pitches, the roles of texture and melody are also obscured intentionally. Besides, the flutist is asked to whisper into the instrument the given phonemes and the phrases "stirred petal in silence" and "stormy wind and rain" that present the images of the lyrics, which serves to incorporate the timbral expression and the meaning of the lyrics into a whole.


此曲創作靈感來自歐陽修的詞《蝶戀花》:「庭院深深深幾許? 楊柳堆煙,簾幕無重數。玉勒雕鞍游冶處,樓高不見章臺路。雨橫風狂三月暮,門掩黃昏,無計留春住。 淚眼問花花不語,亂紅飛過鞦韆去。」創作意旨在藉由音樂描繪落花片片、春色將盡的景象,並抒發觀景者內心對於即將減損殆盡的春色之不捨與對於年華飛逝之無奈。音樂上則試圖以音色、織度之表現為主要焦點,並藉由有限音高素材以順序輪替、音高漸變轉移、疊置等手法,於織度與線條間作角色功能之轉換與銜接。此外,長笛部分也藉由邊吹邊念的方式,唸誦《蝶戀花》詞中呈現關鍵意象之詩句片斷,包括:stirred petal in silencestormy wind and rain,搭配唸誦子音的方式吹奏,藉此將音色的處理與詩意的傳達融合為一。



2012

I Hear the Wind Talking with the Trees (Real-time Interactive Music for Clarinet and Max/MSP




Finished Date: October 2012
Duration: ca. 7 min 30 sec
Program Notes:
此作品靈感來自聆聽風吹樹葉所發出的翕響,其中包含了風聲,也包含了藉由風動所引發的樹葉摩擦的穸窣聲響,故藉由互動電子音樂的表演形式,以演奏者為風,透過豎笛之吹奏,驅動電腦以穸窣的聲響之回應,交織成一種抽象化的風與樹之音景。音樂上對於音高變化的速度予以一定的限制,使聽者可以更注意到整體音響上的變化;在互動音樂技術上,則主要使用音量偵測、音符密度偵測、音長偵測、樂句偵測等技術,來控制各種即時效果器、以及預錄聲音檔案播放的速度音高變化。


Tune of Falling Leaves (for viola solo)





Finished Date: April 2012
Duration: ca. 8 min 30 sec.
Program Notes:
“Tune of Falling Leaves” is inspired by Chinese Poet Du-Fu’s Poem “Climbing High” which reads:

Swift wind, heaven high, an ape's cry of grief,
At the islet of clear white sand, birds circle round.
Endlessly, trees shed leaves, rustling, rustling down,
Without cease, the great river surges, surges on.
Ten thousand miles in sorrowful autumn, always someone's guest,
A hundred years full of sickness, I climb the terrace alone.
Suffering troubles, I bitterly regret my whitening temples,
Frustratingly I've had to abandon my cup of cloudy wine.

The music is intended to portray the scene of the falling leaves and the feelings of the viewer. It also expresses the sadness about the invariability of the fast flying time and the unstopable cycle of birth and death. In this composition, besides the use of the melodic materials, timbral ideas are presented through the interpolation between different performing techniques and made noticeable through limited pitch changes. Regarding the treatment of pitches, interpolation is used in combination with the permutation of the pitch content. Through the gradual replacement of the old pitch content with the new one, the phenomenon of “out with the old and in with the new” in nature is presented in music.

給中提琴獨奏的之《落葉吟》(Tune of Falling Leaves)之靈感來自杜甫的《登高》詩句:「無邊落木蕭蕭下,不盡長江滾滾來」,以音樂描寫風吹落葉的景象與觀者的感受,藉此抒發對於韶光疾逝,年華歲月在新舊更迭中轉瞬間成空無之無奈。音樂部分,除了旋律性的表現之外,更嘗試運用音色漸變的概念,常藉由同一音群之實音與泛音之轉換、或其他演奏法之漸變,造成音樂色彩之推移,以有限的音高變化中的音色變化凝聚聽覺的焦點。在音高處理上,也使用相似的概念達成,在音群的重複中,放棄舊的音高,並引入新的音高,藉此連結不同的音高組合,並以此呈現一種汰舊換新、萬物更迭的自然現象。


Flying Petals  (for String Quartet)
Finished Date: 2012
Duration: ca. 11 min
Program Notes:
Flying Petals for string quartet is intended to express the feelings and experiences described in the Chinese poet Du Fu’s poetry “We seem to have less of spring as blossoms fly down. A myriad petals drifting in winds make me sad.” The music begins with limited pitch changes to emphasizing its timbral nuances, and gradually introduces melodic materials. Sometimes polyphonic texture is formed among different instruments to portray the image of flying petals. Sometimes the four instruments are untied as one with the same rhythm and repeated notes played loudly to present the feelings of anger and sorrow towards the brevity of beauty, which also serves to create some local climax. There is also a short passage full of staccato playing in the middle of the piece to create a contrast in form and to portray the rain that causes the falling of petals. 


《飛花》弦樂四重奏作品主要在描寫杜甫詩句當中:「一片花飛減卻春,風飄萬點正愁人」的哀愁與美感經驗。作品開頭以有限的音高及音色細微變化為起點,逐漸引入旋律性的素材。樂曲當中,時而透過不同樂器間的對位織度,交織成一片翕響,呈現落紅無盡的景致;時而又將四個樂器合而為一,以一致的強音與同音重複,展現觀花者對於生命稍縱即逝的無奈而興起的惱怒,並藉此將音樂的張力帶至局部的高潮點;樂曲中間也加入以跳音為主的片段,除了作為結構上的對比之外,也藉此描寫雨滴催花落的景象。


Elegy (for cello solo)
(prize winner in TMC International Composition Competition)





Finished Date: September 2012
Duration: ca. 10 min
Program Notes:
給大提琴獨奏的之《輓歌》(Elegy)旨在悼念我已辭世的父母,藉此感懷父母對我的栽培。音樂部分,除了旋律性的表現之外,更嘗試運用音色漸變的概念,藉由同一音群之實音與泛音之轉換、或其他演奏法之漸變,造成有限音高變化之下的色彩推移,藉此使聽者在此種有限的音高變化中,得以將聽覺焦點置於音色的細微變化。在音高處理上,則運用順序更換的方式與漸變的概念,在音群的重複中,逐漸放棄舊的音高,並引入新的音高,藉此連結不同的音高組合。


Morning at the Window (for soprano, flute, and piano)



Finished Date: August 2012
Duration: ca 8 min.
Program Notes:
The lyrics of this piece are from T.S. Eliot’s poem Morning at the Window which presents a vision of modern society characterized by decay and weary detachment, where human interaction is limited by the apathy and emotional distance. The music is sometimes calm, and sometimes agitated to convey the viewer’s apathy and the depression of the people on the street. In order to achieve better sonority, sometimes the singer is asked to hum like an instrument instead of singing the lyrics. For  emphasizing the imageries in the poem and for echoing the vocal part, sometimes the flutist is asked to whisper the imageries of depression such as “trampled edges”, “damp souls”, “twisted faces”, “aimless smile” when playing the flute at the same time.   

此作品以英國詩人 T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) 的詩作 Moring at the Window 為歌詞,藉由描述詩人在窗口觀望街道景象,傳達一種冷眼看人世的感覺。音樂上則藉由時而冷靜、時而激昂的方式來傳達旁觀者冷漠與街道上的人們暗懷之悲苦感受。聲樂的部分除了歌詞的演唱之外,也配合整體音響上的考量,哼唱非屬於歌詞的長音。長笛則在吹奏時加入耳語的部分,唸出詩詞中的關鍵意象,如 trampled edges, damp souls, twisted faces, aimless smile等,藉以強調之,並與聲樂相回應。


Village Sound (Electroacoustic Music) 
Finished Date: May 2012
Duration: ca 7 min.
Program Notes:
This piece depicts my impression of the Taiwanese folk rituals in an abstract way. The main materials used in this piece are mainly taken from Hakka Ba-Yin, one of the traditional Chinese music style developed in southern China including Taiwan. The main DSP techniques used in this piece to transform the original pentatonic materials from Hakka Ba-Yin include granular synthesis, convolution, and ring modulation, which make the transformed soundscape sound familiar and also unfamiliar to those who know Hakka Ba-Yin. Through the transformation, a dreamy effect with special sonorities and textures are created to convey the composer’s memory about the almost forgotten music tradition. In addition, reverberation and random panning techniques are also used to create special spatialization which can not be realized in traditional Hakka Ba-Yin live performance. Structurally, a punchy sonority is usually used to start a “phrase” followed by the transformed Hakka Ba-Yin, which serves as the main organization principle throughout the piece. 

此曲旨在回顧記憶中的民俗儀式之音景,創作素材主要來自客家八音,並以 granular(粒子化 )、 convolution (音色交融) 等技術,將原本五聲音階的客家民俗音樂片段予以陌生化,使其形成一種撲朔迷離的特殊聲響與織度,並隱約展現客家民俗音樂的特徵,此外也透過 reverb(殘響)與 random panning (隨機聲音方位控制) 的方式,將聲音賦予不同的空間感。音樂結構安排上,以重擊似的聲響,作為每段音樂之開頭,隨之帶出陌生化後的民俗音樂片段,藉此慣性作為在變化的聲音素材下,形式建構的基本原則。


2011

When Wind and Rain Come at Night (for orchestra)
(prize winner in NTSO composition competition, CD released by National Taiwan Symphonic Orchestra)
Finished Date: September 2011
Duration: ca. 15 min
Program Notes:
“When Wind and Rain Come at Night” for orchestra is inspired by listening to the soundscape of the wind and rain at night. Entitled as such, it is intended to refer to the verse "I wonder how many blooms alight" in Meng Hao-Ran’s poem “Dawn of Spring.” The composition laments the fragility and the brevity of life in which man’s will fights against the destiny but eventually yields to it just as the beauty of blossoms are immediately ruined by the wind and rain.

Regarding the music itself, the melodic and harmonic materials mainly derived from the pitch set (0, 1, 4). The melodies are created essentially based on the permutation of members in the pitch set. The motives of minor third and semitones derived from (0, 1, 4) also play an important part in the melodic construction. Besides, the technique of interpolation is often used to shift between different vertical sonorities. As for the formal structure, the textural changes and the design of the local and overall climactic points serve as the main forces to make the music flow and to maintain its momentum. They also serve to portray the start and stop of the wind and rain as well as the rise and fall of man’s will against the destiny.

管弦樂曲《夜來風雨聲》啟發自深夜聆聽風雨聲所引發的繁思雜想,名為「夜來風雨聲」,實指孟浩然《春曉》詩句的「花落知多少」,藉此感嘆生命脆弱與韶光易逝,風雨聲中多少意志與生滅定數的搏鬥,風雨過後仍是落花片片終化塵泥的莫可奈何。

此曲在音高控制上,以音類(0,1,4)作為旋律與和聲的素材來源:旋律部分主要藉由固定的音高成員之輪替與順序重組(permutation)來設計,其中,由 (0, 1, 4) 所衍生而來小三度與半音動機之運用,在旋律中扮演重要角色;和聲上採用音高成分漸變(interpolation)的方式,達成不同音響上的轉移。在張力鋪陳的設計上,主要以織度變化作為其推進的力量,藉由織度的疏密對比與多次局部高潮點的營造,來維繫音樂的流動性與持續的趣味,也同時藉此描繪風雨驟起驟停的倏忽變化、意志與環境對抗中的成敗與生滅。


Soliloquy (for violin and Max/MSP)
Finished Date: September 2011
Duration: ca. 12 min
Program Notes:
Soliloquy, an interactive music composition for solo violin and interactive computer music system, is intended to describe a self-dialogue behavior in which an individual is divided into two roles that either contradict or support each other. The instrumental part acts as the self-speaker and the computer response acts as the inner thought of the speaker. The two are separate on the surface but actually come from the same self. The self-speaker speaks in well-defined words but the inner thought can be some vague feelings or unlingualized will. Similarly, the violin conveys itself with definite pitch but the computer may response with indefinite pitch. During the live performance, the interactive music system detects the note density, pitch range, and the phrase onset of the violin part and musically responses to it in real-time. The interactive music system is programmed in Max/MSP. The real-time audio synthesis techniques used include reverberation, harmonizer, delay, granular synthesis, looping, ring modulation, and etc.



Soliloquy(獨白)為給小提琴與互動電腦音樂系統之作品,旨在描述一種自我對話的情境,單一個體化為兩個時而衝突、時而一致的角色,器樂的部分猶如獨白者的自言自語,電腦的回應則猶如獨白者的內心所思。兩者表面上獨立,卻來自同一個自我;獨白者使用明確的語言如同樂器演奏者以固定音高演奏;內心所思則可以是化成語言之前的抽象的意念與感受,猶如電腦可能以非固定音高的方式回應。演出時,以電腦偵測小提琴的音符密度、音高範圍、樂句起落點等,並以此偵測結果來控制或影響電腦對於演奏者的回應。此曲之互動系統是在Max/MSP 中完成,並使用即時效果器如reverb、harmonizer、delay、granular synthesis、looper及 ring modulation等。



Morning Rain - Real-time Interactive Music for Piano and Max/MSP


Finished Date: 2011
Duration: ca. 11 min
Program Notes:
Morning Rain for piano and electronics portrays the soundscape of morning rain in winter which is mixed with illusion and reality, and is blurred by the listener’s vague consciousness when he is half-awake. During the performance, the pre-recorded sounds and effect settings need to be triggered in Max/MSP sound playback system by a computer operator or by the pianist with a MIDI pedal according to the cues notated in the score. The main real-time DSP effects used in this piece include reverb, delay, and filter. The piano pedal is also frequently used throughout the piece to help create the dreamy effect.

《晨雨》給鋼琴與 Max/MSP 的互動音樂作品,在描述冬季的早晨,乍醒未醒之際,窗外雨聲與夢境所交織而成的一種現實與幻境重疊的聲景。演出時以Max/MSP所設計的互動音樂表演系統,配合鋼琴演奏的部分,依序觸發相對應的預置聲音檔案與即時效果器,其中,即時效果器的部分主要包括殘響、延遲、濾波器的使用等,並配合鋼琴延音踏板的大量使用,交織出有別於純粹傳統器樂演出的特殊聲景。



Time Slays (for soprano, cello, and piano)



Finished Date: July 2011
Duration: ca. 7 min
Program Notes:

為女高音、大提琴、鋼琴之音樂作品Time Slays (時間的殺戮) 歌詞來自英國詩人 Rudyard Kipling(1865-1936)的詩作Epitaphs of the War(戰爭墓誌銘)中的Salonikan Grave作品:

I have watched a thousand days
Push out and crawl into night
Slowly as tortoises.
Now I, too, follow these.
It is fever, and not the fight –
Time, not battle, – that slays

音樂本身則依照詩文之原意,試圖傳達一種哀傷而無奈的情感。音高結構主要來自於(0, 1, 4) 的集類,並常強調其所形成的小三度,以產生調性音樂中的小三和絃之聯想,藉以傳達哀傷之意。器樂部分,除旋律性的寫作之外,也嘗試使用電子音樂中常見的漸變內插( interpolation )的手法,在重複的音型中,達成音色、或音高的漸變,並以此建構的音樂姿態之張力起落。


Notes on Rain (for pipa and tape)

Finished Date: May 2011
Duration: ca. 7 min
Program Notes:
This piece portrays the imagined soundscape of the spring rain. In this piece, the sound of pipa, a four-string Chinese pluck-string instrument, is echoed by the pre-recorded sound featuring synthesized pluck strings. The pre-recorded sounds also include evolving drones which serve to create a dreamy atmosphere in the background. The instrumental part starts from the pitch center E repeated to portray the sound of raindrops. Later the music is intensified by gradually deviating from pitch E and by increasing rhythmic activities. At the end of the music, it eventually returns to pitch E and ends the music in piece. 



Rain Reflection (stereo tape piece)
Finished Date: April 2011
Duration: 7 min 43 sec
Program Notes:
The main materials of the stereo tape piece Rain Reflection include a variety of sounds from piano including pizzicato, string bowing, string striking with mallets, muted piano, and etc. The main digital processing techniques used in this piece include granular synthesis, spectral editing, delay, reverb, and ring modulation, which make the original materials sound new and unfamiliar. With these processed sounds, the music portrays the changing lights reflected from the raindrops in an abstract way and also presents the logic of its formal structure.


二聲道電子音樂《雨光》(Rain Reflection) 以鋼琴聲音為原始素材,包括撥弦、使用琴弓擦弦、以鼓棒擊弦、及按住琴弦時的彈奏等之聲音,透過粒子化合成、頻譜編輯、延遲效果器、Ring Modulation 等之使用,將原本的素材予以陌生化,配合聲音的堆疊,交織成一片抽象的、顆粒狀的音響,藉此來描寫雨滴所反射出的光影變化。



2010

Behind the Door (stereo tape piece) 《門後》(電子音樂)
Finished Date: May 2010
Duration: 7 min 9 sec
Channel Configuration: Stereo
Program Notes:
When I was a child, I was often left along at home when both my parents went to work. At that time, I tended to be scared by the noises made by the doors when they were moved by the wind because they made me think that a thief or a ghost was breaking in. This piece is intended to portray my childhood experiences of being frightened by the sounds and my own imagination. In this piece, sound samples from opening and closing the door are used as the main materials for further timbral transformation with signal processing techniques such as granular synthesis, convolution, and ring modulation.

幼年時,只要父母親外出工作,我便被鎖在家中,當時常易於被風吹門所引發的噪音所驚嚇,因為這些聲音總讓我聯想到竊賊或鬼怪的闖入。這首作品主要描述我年幼時,被聲音與自己的幻想所驚嚇的經驗。此曲以開門、關門的聲音作為全曲的主要素材,透過音色變形、音高移位、粒子化合成、聲音融合、振福調變等方式達成創作需求。



2009
Deep Silence - Quartet for flute, violin, cello, and piano 《深沈的靜默》 
Finished Date: May 2009
Duration: 9 min
此曲在描述一種表面深沈的靜默之下,內心活動卻如暗潮洶湧無法止息的狀態。 樂曲開頭以有限的音高活動與較為閒散、即興式的步調,表達一種表面的寧靜。 隨著音樂的進行,逐漸引導出中段、及後段對內心激昂的情感之描述,藉由音域的開展、線條的複雜化、步調的緊湊來彰顯之。 曲末則又逐漸回到表面的靜默,藉由重複性的提高,和緩音樂的步調,並以數個短促的、訊號似的弦樂與長笛高音域短音,描述一種即將埋沒在表面靜默中的內心掙扎。



The Journey - electroacoustic music
Finished Date: Feb 2009
Duration: 10 min 13 sec
Program Notes:
The journey of life is like driving - many faces and different sceneries pass by; sometimes we slow down or even stop when we have to or want to; sometimes we try hard to restart and sometimes we enjoy speeding up. In this piece, the idea about such a journey is realized through the soundscape with sound samples taken from engines and horns of cars and motorcycles. These samples are transformed mainly through granular synthesis programmed in Max/MSP and are organized in Adobe Audition. Other synthesis techniques used in this piece include delay, reverb, ring modulation, time-stretch, and spectral editing. 


《旅程》雙聲道電子音樂作品,主要取材自汽車、摩托車之引擎聲與喇叭聲,利用數位音訊變形技巧 ( granular synthesisring modulationtime stretch convolution ),配合Max/MSP 的程式設計,將原本的聲音樣本陌生化,製造新的趣味,卻又不失引人聯想的空間,藉以呈現一種在車流中穿梭、或在空曠的路上駕車奔馳的意象。作品名為《旅程》,乃意味人生旅途恰如行車,時而在車流中不得不停滯,時而在快道上不得不飛馳; 車窗外,偶而記下過往的面孔與衣衫的色澤,旋即又忘卻; 至於「速度」,非屬永恆的能力,下車時依然緩行 — 猶如曾經攀爬泅泳於書山學海中所追尋的才慧與超凡,在髮零目眊時,亦須還諸天地,回首之際,眼神依然空茫。




2008


Echo of Winter (for wind ensemble and percussion)《冬之迴響》(給管樂團與打擊樂器)
Finished Date: March 2008
Duration: 9 min
Program Notes:
此曲意在描寫留美期間,旅經愛荷華州時,一場雪景的驚豔。猶記當地一望無際的雪地,猶記愛荷華大學裡,覆雪的樹叢中,野兔靈巧的跳躍。也記得在當地一次夜晚的意外步行迷途中,一對熱心的學生情侶好意搭載。這些記憶的片段,一直在我的腦海裡,成為留美期間最美的回憶之一。 此曲乃藉由音樂描寫這次旅途中對於雪景的印象、寒冬中迷途的驚恐、及當地人的溫情,種種回憶片段,交織成一種似幻卻又真實的印象。音樂上則藉由配器上刻意製造的延音、回音的效果、即興所交織成的特殊音響,以呈現回憶中似真似幻景象。




2007


Tune of Wind, Rain, and Thunder (stereo tape piece)《風雷引》(電子音樂)
Finished Date: August 2007
Duration: 11 min 10 sec
Program Notes:
This piece is intended to create an imagined soundscape of a summer typhoon at the place where I currently live (Taipei). Although it sometimes brings damages, I still love the soundscape it creates. During the typhoon time, the rain and wind always rise and fall in an extremely dramatic way, very much like the expression in the avant-garde contemporary music. For me, it actually carries a soothing power during such hot summer not only because of the cool wind and rain it carries but also because of its dramatic action which seems to shout out the emotions inside me. In this piece, all the sound materials are taken from the recorded noises produced by various ways of striking a pot. Signal processing techniques used to transform the sound sources mainly include spectral mutation, spectral extraction, convolution, granular synthesis and sampling techniques. Random spatial distribution of sound grains is created in Max/MSP. Special FFT filter with gradual parameter transition programmed in Max/MSP is also applied to create special musical gestures.

這首作品是由颱風時節,雷、雨、風之驟起驟停所交織而成的音景所啟發。此作品藉由聲音的各種參數之對比,作為音樂推進的主要力量。整個作品皆使用相同的素材來源,取材自敲擊電鍋的聲音,經過特殊的數位音訊處理而完成,主要包括各類濾波器、殘響效果器、延遲效果器、取樣技術、及基於快速複立葉轉換原理的 phase vocoder、mutation、spectral extraction等技術。此外,也包含了運用 Max/MSP 程式設計所完成的特殊空間處理器,使得聲音可以被任意切割成長短不同的片段,並在雙聲道的虛擬音場路徑中隨機分佈,藉以描寫風雨交織的音景。



Snow Spell ( Real-time Interactive Music for Erhu, Flute, Cello, and Piano, and Max/MSP ) 《雪咒》(為二胡、長笛、鋼琴與大提琴與Max/MSP的四重奏之互動音樂)
Duration: ca. 18 min.
Finished Date: March 25, 2007
Program Notes:
This one-movement piece, Snow Spell for erhu, flute, cello, piano and Max/MSP, is intended to depict the beauty of a snow scene mixed with eastern cultural association and related personal fantasy by presenting four different impressions of snow through music, The First Snowflake, Footprints Vanishing in the Storm, A Soliloquy in the Snow, and The Past Melts from the Window Panes. The four impressions of the snow scene will be presented in order in music through different textures, timbres, and temporalities. Transitions will obscure the demarcation between the four different sections. Pentatonic scales, traditional erhu glissandi, embellishment, and pizzicato techniques, and quotations from Chinese folk tune River of Sorrow are incorporated to evoke Chinese folklore as a context for the images of snow. The pitch structure focuses on the interval of a third, used both diatonically and chromatically in (0 1 4) or (0 1 4 5) pitch sets in order to combine the elements of eastern pentatonic materials, and western atonal techniques as a whole.




Moth and Fire (Real-time Interactive Music for Flute and Max/MSP) 《飛蛾與火》
Duration: ca. 12 min.
Finished Date: Jan 10, 2007
Program Notes:
This piece is inspired by the irony and sadness in the relationship between moth and fire - a moth tends to be attracted by the flame of fire in the darkness and eventually falls into the blaze. In this piece, the flute is intended to symbolize the moth and the computer the flame. The interactivity between the two is achieved by various real-time effects mainly including FFT freezer, spectral delay, granular delay, and reverse delay controlled by different algorithm based on the audio analysis of the flute performance. Different real-time effects and processed sound files of the flute are layered in various combinations to represent the image of the moth going in and out of the fire before its inevitable death in the fire.

《飛蛾與火》這首作品主要靈感來自飛蛾撲火的典故:「過去有佛,欲令眾生厭舍五欲,而說偈言:譬如飛蛾見火光,以愛火故而競入,不知焰炷燒然(燃)力,委命火中甘自焚」(《心地觀經·離世間品第六》)。 有感於生命的無奈乃在於無論你用何種方式去過,也都將走向結束,只是不同人選擇不同的方式去經歷它而已。 此曲乃藉由音樂呈現不願庸碌無為者,寧葬身火中也要擁有瞬間粲然的勇氣與此中無奈。長笛主要用來象徵飛蛾翩然,電腦部分則代表火焰灼灼,藉由互動科技將器樂與電腦即時數位效果器兩者緊密結合。其中使用的主要DSP技術包括快速傅立葉轉換(FFT)產生的踏板效果及頻譜延遲技術、結合粒子化合成之延遲效果、反相延遲技術,並由電腦偵測現場器樂演奏的各種姿態數據來控制上述效果器的各類參數。藉由不同起落的即時效果器,搭配預先錄製、變形處理過的相似音色,疊合出各種絢麗繽紛的音色與織度,飛蛾在化為灰燼前來往穿梭於熾熱火焰間的景象,乃歷歷呈現。




2006


Snow Spell (Quartet for Erhu, Flute, Cello, and Piano)
《雪咒》(為二胡、長笛、鋼琴與大提琴的四重奏)
Duration: ca. 15 min.
Finished Date: Sept 25, 2006
Program Notes:
給二胡與長笛、大提琴、鋼琴之四重奏單樂章作品《雪咒》(Snow Spell) 之創作靈感源於欣賞雪景之時所喚起之夾雜著文化聯想、個人情感與幻想的四種對雪的印象(英文標題因文化之不同,僅以相似的意象命名之) — 「初雪晶瑩落地融」 (The First Snowflake)、「漫天飛雪掩孤墳」 (Footprints vanishing in the storm)、「雪夜獨白」 (A Soliloquy in the Snow)、「雪疏風杳記憶殘」 (The Past Melts from the Window Panes)。樂曲依照此四個雪的印象為段落標題,依序發展。每個段落之間,或以音樂過渡相連結而模糊了標題段落的區分,或以織度對比、張力起落、和聲的穩定度及不同的音樂時間感傳達不同的標題意象,彼此串連成曲。樂曲中並運用二胡的各種傳統滑音、裝飾音的技巧,結合不同撥絃技法,藉以傳達中國文化的意象;此外,也藉由引用二胡名曲《江河水》的音樂片段於「雪夜獨白」的段落中,呈現《雪咒》一曲所要表達的對於往事陳跡之無奈與感傷,並引發對於中國文化中各種淒美印象的聯想。全曲運用三度音程為主要動機,轉換於調性與無調性之間,以期將東方素材及西方的創作技法融合為一。




Sail away II ( for Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano ) 《扁舟行》
Date: finished on August 31, 2006 (extended version of 2000 Sail Away)
Duration: ca. 9 min.
Program Note:
This piece was inspired by a Chinese poem entitled “The Nymph upon the River Bank” written by Su Shu (1037-1101). When he wrote this poem, he was disappointed by the corrupt government for which he worked. In this poem, he imagined that he sailed a small boat at night toward a desolate place, to escape the political intrigue of his real life. The poem presents not only the poet’s sense of the heavy burden he faces, but also represents the sense of solitude that is a consequence of his higher moral standard. My piece is intended to express an ambivalent state of mind, affected by the joy of freedom and the sorrow of resulting solitude.




Tune of Late Spring (for Erhu solo) 《晚春》
Duration: ca. 12 min.
Finished Date: May, 2006
Program Notes:
The scenery of the late spring is beautiful but is approaching its end. Imagine the flowers of the late spring trying hard to take the fullest breath of the last spring breeze, to absorb the last rain of spring, and to grow into their full bloom before the torturing heat of the summer comes. While the beauty of life is short, it is so that we learn to cherish it and learn to make the most of life. This piece is intended to depict such complicate feelings toward life – a mixture of a little bit of sadness but also an eagerness to create beauty, to claim a moment of eternity, and to thrive on imperfectness and brevity of time.


In this piece, I try to incorporate pentatonic scales into the contemporary composition techniques and also try to combine traditional notation and the modern improvisation to present free temporality. Different techniques of pizzicato on Erhu are also explored to create new life for this ancient instrument.


晚春的繁花似錦總是稍縱即逝,試想此刻群芳盡最後的氣力,吸吮即將消逝的春風和被夏陽蒸乾的春雨,欲以其最後的絕豔,像悠悠天地爭取一瞬的永恆。生命中的美亦然如是,因為短暫,而使我們意識到它價值。歐陽修的詞《蝶戀花》:「雨橫風狂三月暮,門掩黃昏,無計留春住,淚眼問花花不語,亂紅飛過鞦韆去」正感嘆這種稍縱即逝的美,然而晚春的片刻及花與人之間的情感,實際上早已永恆留駐在這段文字中。此曲便是基於這種相似的情感而發,試圖傳達一股在傷逝中展現的新生命力,表現藝術家在殘缺與短暫的生命裡追求片刻永恆的渴望。

樂曲中試圖融合五聲音階於現代音樂的創作技法中,並結合傳統記譜法的優點配合現代音樂即興的手法,展現自由的時間感。此外,也試圖藉由不同的撥絃技巧為二胡開發出新的語言。有鑑於近代二胡演奏家之專業訓練,已經朝向小提琴的訓練方法,逐漸揚棄首調的練習方式,使得新生代的二胡專業演奏家得以在音高上更輕易掌握音準,此曲在音高的運用上,因而也採取更多的自由度,並期以此為古樂器賦予新的生命。



2005


Under the Sea (stereo tape piece) 《海底尋夢》

Date: finished in April 22, 2005
Duration: 6 min.
Program Notes: 
This piece is inspired by Jules Verne’s novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. In this piece, sound samples from piano, glasses, and a computer keyboard are transformed through convolution, ring modulation, time stretching techniques to represent the imagined soundscape of a submarine and waves. The piece is also intended to portray the shimmering scenes under the sea when an imagined submarine passes through, flashing the light around for illumination. Reverberation effects are used in this piece to give the impression of mystery, and the sudden surge of textural density and velocity is also used several times to create different surprises in this adventure. The piece ends with a fade-out drone to represent the continuation of the journey toward more adventures under the sea.

這首曲子是來自閱讀法國作家Jules Verne 所著之科幻小說《海底二萬浬》所得之靈感。 此曲藉由 convolution (兩種聲音的音色參數相乘而得之新音色之聲音合成技巧)、ring modulation (一種頻率調變的聲音合成)、granular synthesis (粒子化聲音合成)、time stretching(聲音延展)、spectral filtering (頻譜濾波處理)等聲音變形與合成之技巧,將鋼琴聲、玻璃碎裂聲、電腦鍵盤的打字等聲音重新合成或變形,並依照音樂發展的需要與音色變化的需求,將聲音檔案相互疊合或歷時排列,用以描繪幻想中乘坐潛水艇至深海中探險時,所見聞之海底聲響世界以及探照燈照耀之下海中光影的變化。 此曲並透過 reverb(殘響)的聲音處理,營造一種神秘的色彩,而樂曲中張力的驟然起落,則代表著海底歷險所帶來的各種驚奇。樂曲尾聲以持續變化的長音及其音量淡出的方式,表達後續未完的一連串更精彩的海底歷險。


Toward the Dawn (Fanfare for Brass Ensemble and Percussion) 《朝像黎明》
Date: finished in November 25, 2005
Duration: ca. 3 min.
Program Notes:

The brass fanfare Toward the Dawn combines the atonal and tonal elements to depict a journey from darkness, danger, and struggle to brightness and success, through which passions and hope for a bright future are never given up. The music starts from atonal elements with a few tonal harmonic implications in between before it reaches the stable tonal passage at the last eight measures which implies the final success after previous assiduous efforts in this journey.

為銅管樂團和打擊樂所寫的《朝像黎明》遊移於調性與無調性之間,調性至曲末逐漸明朗,藉以象徵一個從黑暗朝向光明的旅程,而旅人在這旅程中即使經歷多次掙扎、危難,仍鍥而不捨。音樂開始於無調性或多調性的音高結構上,間或穿插少許調性和聲的暗示,直到曲末最後八小節,才真正到達穩定的調區,象徵歷劫之後的最後勝利。


A Message from the Night Rain (Percussion Sextet) 《雨夜札記》
Date: finished in January 20, 2005
Duration: ca. 9 min.
Program Notes:
This piece is inspired by my experiences of listening to the raindrop in the night. The sound of rain tends to calm down all the unknown anxiety and intricate thoughts in my mind. The sounds of rain that strikes the windowpane by my side and other things outside the window seem to form another kind of music that expresses itself mainly through different velocity and spatial settings. With this in mind, I try to simplify the instrumentation of this piece by using only six snare drums of different pitches to present my impression of such listening experiences. I also try to combine traditional notation, modern spatial notation, and aleatory control to create the textures I need to suit the formal structure of my music and to present my impression of the sounds of rain.

這首曲子是來自夜半聽雨所得到的靈感。夜雨阻隔了平日的喧囂擾攘,也沈澱了平日內心無名的紛擾不安,此際所有的思緒都凝聚成一種冥想式的專注,沈浸在雨滴敲打身旁近處的玻璃窗與輕擊窗外遠處萬物所形成的翕響之中,頓時化成一種聲音透過不同空間與力度為主要表達方式,所呈現的美感經驗。移植到這首曲子中,我嘗試著將擊樂的編制單一化,透過六個不同音高的小鼓來表達這種相似的美感經驗。在記譜上,則融合了傳統記譜法與新的空間記譜法、機遇控制的想法,企圖將這些不同方式所能營造的織度配合形式上的需要,來呈現我的音樂想法。


Wind Sketch (real-time interactive music for soprano saxophone and Max/MSP) 《風的素描》


Date: finished in April 19, 2005. Revised in 2007.
Duration: ca. 9 min.
Program Notes:
Wind Sketch (real-time interactive music for soprano sax and Max/MSP) is intended to portray the temporary peace of mind experienced when I am listening to various sounds carried by the wind. In this piece, the saxophone depicts the sounds of the wind while the computer part represents the sounds of the wind, heard by a peaceful mind able to hear everything after all subjectivities are let go. In such an ideal state of mind, no choices are made, no conflicts between good and evil are found, no regret and expectation exists, and only music (nature) states everything in its own way.

The computer part of the piece is programmed in Max/MSP and includes DSP effects such as pitch shifting, delay, reverb, and harmonizer. Musical imitation is created by using delay effects and delay with pitch shifting. A music event detector is used in the Max/MSP patch to detect the phrase of the music which triggers DSP effects to reflect the intensity of the gesture.

欣賞自然界的風雨蟲鳥常帶給我一種出塵的想法,此時此刻,彷彿世俗的理想、現實的侷限、身心的苦痛都可以暫時消融,身體不復存在、思想不復輾轉,只有風的印象與禪心的自然映照。此首曲子及基於這樣的感受,將薩克斯風作為「風」、電腦即時聲音分析與互動的手段作為「心的映照」,放棄大量使用預錄的聲音檔案之搭配,而以即時回饋為電腦音樂部分主要的設計,企圖表達異鄉遊子獨坐聽風,靜待內心矛盾與無奈的繁雜心情沈澱、消融在風與禪心的反照中之心情。

程式設計部分,分為五大部分:聲音播放與收錄、混音器、音樂姿態分析(gestural control)、效果器、Qlist自動化控制。藉由麥克風現場即時將聲音透過Max/MSP收錄到電腦之中,並將聲音透過軟體混音器的控制,發送到每個效果器。利用音樂樂句姿態分析的結果,驅動效果器的內部參數,配合少數預先錄製的聲音片段,由薩克斯風演奏者以MIDI踏板透過Qlist來做整體操控,使之能與薩克斯風即時呼應,產生音樂性地結合。


Dancing Leaves of Autumn (for Soprano Sax, Alto Sax and Piano) 《秋夜之舞》
Date: finished in Feb.20, 2005
Duration: ca. 10 min.
Excerpt download
Program Notes:
This piece consists of three movements. The first movement, Lamento moderato, is intended to depict my feelings when I see leaves falling. This reminds me of the inevitable end of every pleasant event in life. The second movement, Allegretto energico, portrays the rapid passage of time that man can never grasp. The third movement represents the falling leaves of trees which dance with the wind in fall on my campus, University of North Texas. Some UNT students practice saxophone outside the practice room, and the falling leaves, for me, then seem to dance with the jazz tunes they play when the wind blows at the same time. This movement is divided into four sections, Andante comodo, Adagio sereno, Moderato appassionato, and Andante nostalgico. These sections depict different gestures suggested by leaves picking up and dropping with the wind. The movement ends with a diminuendo passage of sax improvisation which is intended to represent the way “dancers” of leaves gradually dance away while only the illusion of the rustle from their dance steps is left behind for the audience, just like a pleasant moment in life that passes so soon but exists forever in memory.


2004

Samsara (electroacoustic music with video) 《輪迴》
Date: finished on August 12, 2004
Duration: ca. 6 min.
Program Notes:
Samsara means “cycle of existence” (cycle of life and death) in Buddhism and Hinduism, where life is nothing but an illusion (maya), and the material world is a place fragmented and constantly changing through the repeated process of formation, existence, destruction, and emptiness.

In the accompanying video, the same footage of flowers is repeatedly used through the distortion, reposition, and rotation of the pixels sampled from the original images. This helps to achieve visual coherence. The different scenes are arranged in a special order to represent the repeated life and death of flowers, symbolizing the endless cycle of birth, age, illness, and the death of all creatures.

In the music, sound samples of water drops, the traditional Chinese bamboo flute, and the Chinese zither are used mainly through the techniques of convolution and granular synthesis to create a dreamy ambiance and to symbolize the fleeting and illusionary life. Besides, pentatonic scales are also intentionally applied to create the mysterious impression of oriental religion and philosophical thinking.

影像與音樂結合之數位作品Samsara,以藝術的手法呈現佛教「輪迴」的概念,以花開花落、夕陽西下、烈火、灰燼、水波等意象,表達凡人眼中所能感受或觸摸的萬事萬物,其實都逃不了「成、住、壞、空」的過程,而此生或許曾有過絕美的一刻或叱吒風雲的一時,也不過如幻象一般,疾逝如旋開旋滅、方生方死的水波。

在影片的處理上,主要使用花開花落的影片片段為軸心素材,運用各種數位影像特效的處理,將其透過扭曲(distortion)、重置(reposition)、旋轉(rotation)及光影的特殊處理來重新呈現,以期達到藝術的集中性(coherence)。每個場景也經過特別的順序安排與連接表達生、老、病、死無盡的循環。

在音樂處理上,則將水滴、中國笛、古箏等聲音,透過音色互融(convolution)、粒子化合成(granular synthesis)等技術,來營造夢幻般的氣氛及表達生命的虛幻短暫。五聲音階也被刻意運用其中,以營造東方宗教哲學之神秘色彩。


Dancing Leaves of Autumn (duet for soprano sax and piano) 《秋夜之舞》


Date: finished on December 10, 2003
Duration: ca. 5 min 35 sec
Program Note:
This piece is intended to depict the falling leaves of the trees which dance with the wind in fall on my campus, University of North Texas. It is divided into four sections, Andante comodo, Adagio sereno, Moderato appassionato, and Andante nostalgico. These sections depict different gestures suggested by leaves picking up and dropping with the wind. The movement ends with a diminuendo passage of sax improvisation which is intended to represent the way “dancers” of leaves gradually dance away while only the illusion of the rustle from their dance steps is left behind for the audience, just like a pleasant moment in life that passes so soon but exists forever in memory.

此曲的靈感乃來自在美求學期間,偶然間聽到薩克斯風主修的學生,隨性地在音樂系館外即興演奏時的美感經驗,和著滿地落葉隨著秋風起舞時的沙沙作響,時而激昂,時而沈吟,滿地落葉或簇擁成群,或零星起舞,交織成一片美麗的翕響,也喚起內心一絲恬淡與閒散。 此曲共分四個段落,舒適的行板,寂靜的慢板、激昂的中板、懷舊的行板,並包含薩克斯風的即興片段,以描寫落葉隨風起舞的種種姿態,全曲結束於薩克斯風漸行漸遠的即興中。


2003

Samadhi (2-channel Tape Music) 《三摩地》
Duration: 6 min 10 sec
Date: finished on November 5, 2003 (revised in May 2006)
Excerpt download
Program Note:
Samadhi, a terminology in Buddhism and Hinduism, is a state of deep meditation contemplation which leads to higher consciousness. Inspired by the thinking of Buddhism and with my personal experiences and preference of practicing meditation, I try, in this piece, to convey an imagery of deep meditation and concentration and to create a mysterious atmosphere of oriental religions. However, I did not draw the raw materials directly from real sounds recorded in oriental temples. Instead, only a male’s talking, noises produced by a cart, and school bells recorded from regular life are used. Through the techniques mainly including convolution, granular synthesis, time-stretch, morphing, spectral filtering and etc., the raw materials are transformed into different sounds but at the same time in some way bear the resemblance to the original to be identifiable and are rearranged musically to achieve coherence.

This newly composed piece has been programmed recently to be presented in the International Electroacoustic Music Festival “Primavera en La Habana” on March 21, 2004, held by the the Cuban Institute of Music and the National Laboratory of Electroacoustic Music.

三摩地,或稱三昧,譯為等持、正定。即遠離心之浮沉,而得平等安詳之修行境界。此曲乃由於佛教思想與個人靜坐經驗所啟發,藉由聲波編輯的技巧,包括convolution (多種聲音檔案之特質相乘而產生新音色之技術), granular synthesis(粒子化合成), time stretch(聲音在時間上的延展之技術), pitch change(音高改變之技術), morphing(既有的聲音檔案在時間軸上漸變成另一個既有的聲音檔案之技術), 及spectral filtering(頻譜上的濾波處理),將一些擷取於日常生活中的聲音(包括說話聲、手推車的聲音、學校鐘聲等)經過上述技巧做聲音變形並按照音樂美學上的原則,重新組合混音而來,藉以呈現東方宗教的神秘色彩及禪定中的神秘境界。


2002

Image of Time (for Orchestra ) 《時間印象》
Duration: ca. 15 min.
Date: finished on June 2001
Excerpt download
Program Note:
Life expectancy for men is limited and no one can really have the whole control over time and over one's life. However, our perception about time is never limited by the physical time or clock time. When we are listening to music, what we feel about time is quiet different from the temporal experiences of our daily routines. Drawing on the techniques used in literature and movies such as montage, flashback, etc., also inspired by Kramer's ideas about time in music (vertical time, gestural time, moment time, etc.), I tried to compose a piece that can possibly change some specified listeners' perception about time by special formal design, intended control of repetitions, quotations, etc..
This piece was selected to be presented by National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan in "Tune in to Taiwan 2002 - Taiwan Composers Series" in National Concert Hall in Taiwan in November of 2002.

(以下節錄自鄭建文碩士論文「管弦樂《時間印象》及其創作理念」之論文摘要)
人的生命有限,沒有人可以真的掌握自己的生命長短,儘管有些人並不願意直接面對這個潛藏在每個生命背後的終極問題,但對藝術工作者而言,在藝術的領域中,人卻可以操控時間,即使這種藝術中的時間操控,對於現實生命的無常與生滅而言,也許只是一個無謂的掙扎或吶喊,但也不乏作為一種情感抒發的媒介與安慰。 對於我自身的經驗而言,也自覺到回憶或幻想常是自己最易取得的精神慰藉,而聆賞或創作藝術作品的過程則提供了一種脫離物理性時空限制之暫時性解放,進而在聆賞時或創作時得以藉此忘卻「現實」生活中種種負面經驗,並提供另一個可以拋開俗塵煩憂的虛擬時空。

我除了寄情於音樂之外,也極欲試圖從宗教或哲學中找尋自身的定位與理解人生苦樂的其他角度,儘管凡人如我並無法體會佛家「空性」的說法,但也從莊周夢蝶所傳達出的另類思考中瞭解夢與現實之間,何者為真,何者為虛,其實並無絕對的說法,而一切認知上的虛實、悲喜、苦樂、生滅之間,可能只是主觀的造作而已。西方哲學家康德則認為我們通常所謂的現實,其實是我們的感官和智力對這一現實的感知和理解,而非這一現實自身;如果說有現實的話,那是經過我們的感官和理解力過濾的「我們的現實」,因此康德說:「在我們身上,任何認知過程在時間上都不能先於經驗。」相似的想法在東方提供了一種達觀的人生觀,在西方則被用來強調主觀感受,並肯定人類思考的價值。在藝術的創作與欣賞過程中,也造就了一種虛擬的時空,在這種時空中,個人的主觀感受得到強調,可以暫時不去拘泥於「時鐘時間」與其背後「現實」中的苦惱;在這種時空中,所有回憶或綺想都可以變得真實。

管弦樂《時間印象》之創作乃有感於此,一方面藉由音樂創作的過程,讓自身以另一種形式再重溫或「重現」年少時,行經植物園的荷花池畔,所聽到的悠然樂響(儘管已是挾著另一個時間點所累積的不同想法與觀點去做回顧),另一方面也嘗試使用一種別於一般性的音樂事件之因果安排,傳達音樂經驗中可以是非線性的、因果錯置的時序與時間感。


Sail away I ( for Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano ) 《扁舟行》
Date: finished on August 31, 2000
Duration: ca. 5 min
Program Note:
這一首曲子是由夜讀蘇軾《臨江仙》一詞所得靈感,而寫成之給豎笛、大提琴、小提琴、鋼琴的四重奏。蘇軾《臨江仙》這一闋詞的內容為:
夜飲東坡醒復醉,歸來彷彿三更。家童鼻息已雷鳴,敲門都不應,椅杖聽江聲。 長恨此身非我有,何時忘卻營營。夜闌風靜縠紋平,小舟從此逝,江海寄餘生。

整闋詞的中心精神在於後半闕,酒醒之後,懷疑此身並非屬於自己所擁有,感嘆不知何時能夠拋卻所有的煩惱,而能乘一小舟,在湖光山色中逍遙此生。我的這首曲子便是描寫這種情感與想像,藉由藝術的虛擬空間與時間,而得以暫時跳脫現實中紛然雜陳的事事物物與各種因之而生的諸多煩惱。

音樂的第一小節至第十七小節主要在描寫夜深人靜之時,小舟悄悄卸下纜線而出發,乘舟者的雀躍與期待之情。音樂由寂靜中略帶神秘氣氛而緩緩開始,時而加入短小的節奏音型,表達出乘舟者暗藏在心中的雀躍。

音樂帶至第十八小節,才由小提琴首次呈現一個較清楚的半音下行之旋律動機,使得之前曖昧不明的氣氛營造得到一個較清楚的焦點,樂曲的內容也自此逐漸明朗。在此是傳達小舟已經遠離岸邊時,乘舟者一種忽然得到解放的喜悅。由十八小節的小提琴,對應到第二十七小節大提琴之半音下行的旋律動機之對稱結構,而正式開展了樂曲的主要內容。

第三十小節起,則是描寫乘舟者真正遠離塵囂時,所產生的另一種矛盾的情感,儘管塵世間有種種煩惱,人與人之間亦常有衝突與競爭,但遠離了人群,卻引發另一種生命中喪失人際互動而產生的孤獨與無名的悲情。音樂上,則藉由旋律性抒情的材料之運用與發展,來描寫這種莫名的哀愁。

第四十八小節起的音樂則是要傳達一種哀愁之餘,想要在滾滾江濤中忘卻所有俗世悲喜,尋求一種融入自然、天人合一的解脫,此時,自身已不存在,只有江濤與風聲相互鳴嘯與呼應,音樂此時逐漸引到高潮,並藉由「低限音樂」的手法之啟發,各樂器將一個片段不斷地重複,讓各樂器間相互交融成一片撲朔迷離的織度,藉由這種重複,以產生一種trance的效果,藉以洗滌一切凡塵所帶來的各種雜念與悲喜,進而達到另一種心靈的寧靜。

自第六十一小節開始,則音樂進入另一種安靜與悠閒,材料上回到曲子開始時的材料,但卻捨棄神秘的氣氛之營造與短小節奏動機的使用,轉而直接以柔和的旋律,及與相對於第四十八小節起的音樂比較之下,較為稀疏的織度與溫和的力度,顯示一種因為心靈的寧靜而達到的另一種自在。此外,也藉此音樂逐漸的減低力度與減少音的活動,勾勒出以第三者的角度看小舟漸行漸遠,消逝於霧氣氤氳的江浪中之景象。


1999
Trio for Violin, Cello, Piano (presented in "Tune of Hsin-Chu Series" concert in Taiwan.)


1998
Duet for Percussion and Piano (presented in "Tune of Hsin-Chu Series" concert in Taiwan.)