Eastern Light: Choral Music

from Asia – Part 2

Dr. Marian Dolan, Choral Conductor

This article continues the review of choral music from Asia

begun in ICB 03/2010.The internet links herein take you to
score samples, audio and/or videos, and composer’s web pages.

MALAYSIA

Malaysian-born musician Juliette Lai, Head of the Music

Department at the Malaysian Teachers’ College as well as
Director of the National University of Singapore Choir for
many years, is active in the choral life of both her native
Malaysia and in Singapore as pianist, singer, composer and
conductor. Her arrangement of the Malay folksong Potong
Padi/Rice Harvest (satb-div acap; Malay; Earthsongs),
depicting the joy and celebration of harvest-time in song and
dance, has been sung at many international choral festivals.

Juliette Lai, Potong

Padi m.1-15
For information on her scores, please contact the composer
directly ([email protected]). Singaporean conductor Nelson
Kwei has arranged a number of Malay traditional songs
including Suriram – Hela Rotan / Shuttle Comb on a Weaving
Loom – Hauling Rattan (ssa acap, Malay; Edition Music-Contact
308970) and Potong Padi / Rice Paddy (satb acap, Malay; Carus
2.303).

A younger ensemble, or one less experienced with international

repertoire, might appreciate the arrangements of Malay
folksongs by Singaporean physicist and musician, Bernard Tan.
These three folksong scores, in very accessible settings for
unaccompanied mixed choir, also contain helpful performance
and contextual information by editor Nancy Telfer: Chan Mali
Chan / Where is my Goat? (Malay; Kjos ED-872); Suriram (Malay;
Kjos ED-873); Lenggang Kangkong / Swaying with the Kangkong
(Malay; Kjos ED-8784).

Conductors looking for a sacred Malay score can consider

Karthaathi Karthar Ivarey / God of All Gods (unison,Tamil,
AugsburgFortress Let the Peoples Sing v.3), a Christmas piece
by D.A. Chelliah, aTamil-speaking Indian who works with
Lutheran congregations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.This piece is
very much in the style of IndianTamil music: a unison melody
over a drone, with traditional Indian tabla drum and bass
ostinato.The refrain can be sung in Tamil or English; verses
are in English.

MONGOLIA

Founded by Genghis Khan in 1206, Mongolia is one of the

largest yet one of the most sparsely populated countries in
 the world. With mountains to the north
and west, and the Gobi Desert to the
south, it is understandable that horses
are and have been a symbol of national
identity for Mongolia. We hear this
image embodied in native composer Se
Enkhbayar‘s vibrant score, Naiman Sharag
/ The Eight Chestnut Horses (satb div,
Mongolian; Earthsongs), where the
musical rhythms mirror that of a running
horse. Taiwanese-born composer Jing Ling Tam describes her
Magnificent Horses setting as a “fantasy on a Mongolian folk
tune”: the text is syllabic (‘ding di li’), and the satb
voicing includes an Erhu or Chinese Flute and sleigh bells
(Alliance AMP-0324). Enkhbayar’s Zeregleent Gobi / Mirage on
the Gobi Desert (satb div, Mongolian, Earthsongs), written for
the Inner Mongolian Youth Chorus, is a reflective call to care
for the environment lest it disappear as a mirage. Native
composer Yongrub‘s Dörven Dalai / The Four Seas (satb, acap;
Earthsongs) exhorts everyone from the ‘four seas’ to raise
their glasses to rejoice and sing together.

PHILIPPINES

Leo Locsin dscribes his homeland’s choral culture this way,

“As there are many islands that make up the archipelago, the
Philippine choral scene is a melting pot bursting with the
polyphony of sonic identities.” And bursting with composers.
John Pamintuan (www.johnpamintuan.com) is perhaps the most
prolific Filipino choral composer of his generation. In the
past ten years, he has written approximately 200 scores for
choirs around the world. His pieces are heard regularly in
major international competitions and festivals by global
ensembles. And Filipino choirs regularly program his music,
including The Madz (The Philippine Madrigal Singers) and this
year’s Llangollen “Choir of the World” winners The University
of St. Tomas Singers. His own choral affiliations include the
famed Ateneo College Glee Club in Manila, the new professional
Chamber Choir of Asia, as well as the Young People’s Chorus of
New York City. Many of his sacred mixed-voice Latin scores
from the “Maior Caritas, op.5” collection are published
by Astrum (http://bit.ly/g2Ymrm), such as his Crucifixus
(http://bit.ly/h6G1aD), Pater noster (http://bit.ly/eGmAD9),
Verbum caro and Regina Caelii (http://bit.ly/gOryK9). Sacred
pieces for treble choir include the Missa brevis, op.4 in
Tagalog, the Ama namen / Pater noster in Cuyunon, Crucifixus
(ssaa div.) and Oremus (http://bit.ly/Oremus) in Latin or O
magnum mysterium with guitar. John’s Filipino folk songs are a
treasure: Ummah, Sallih (satb) is a traditional Molbog melody
with a text from the Koran (http://bit.ly/UmmahAudio and
http://bit.ly/UmmahScore). Buwa-buwa ni utu is a gentle
lullaby (http://bit.ly/PaminBuwaAudio and
http://bit.ly/PaminBuwaScore). His catalogue is here
(http://bit.ly/PaminCat) and inquiries for scores here
([email protected]).

Composer Francisco Feliciano is the visionary founder of the

Asian Institute of Liturgy and Music. In addition to his own
scores, he collected and edited AILM’s pioneering collection
Sound the Bamboo, now available via GIA (www.giamusic.com).
Two of his scores – Silence My Soul (satb or ssaa; gong; via
AILM; http://bit.ly/SilenceMySoul) and To the Unnamed Light
(any; bell; Augsburg-Fortress Let the Peoples Sing v.3) have
arching melodies sung over a drone, first by a soloist, then
echoed in overlapping free rhythms by individual ensemble
singers. Completely different in style is his Pokpok Alimpako,
based on a motif of a south-Philippines melody and the worlds
of a Muslim children’s circle game (satb acap; Maranao;
Earthsongs; video- http://bit.ly/Pokpok). The interlocking
rhythmic patterns under the melody resemble the sound of
kulintang ensembles which are similar to Indonesian gamelans.

Francisco Feliciano,
Pokpok Alimpako m.
71-84

How one discovers a score and composer is sometimes just pure

luck and good timing. Such was the case one evening when I
found a YouTube video of Alejandro Consolacion‘s gentle yet
powerful “Alleluia”, written in 2002 for the Asian Youth Choir
(satb div; acap; http://bit.ly/ConsolAlleluScore; video
http://bit.ly/ConsolAllelu). The composer describes this score
as a ” revelation…and an acclamation of hope for humankind”.

Alejandro Consolacion,
Alleluia m. 1-4

Many of his other scores (satb) also capture this same spirit
that just draws your ear to listen and be still. The Four
Marian Antiphons (2005), Ave Verum (2004), Dona Nobis Pacem
(2004), Pater Noster (2002) and Three Eucharistic Prayers of
St. Thomas Aquinas (2001) are among his most well-loved and
popular scores, found in repertoires of many Filipino choirs.
Bio and score infos here (http://bit.ly/ConsolBio); contact
the composer regarding other scores ([email protected]).
Imusicapella, Imus, Cavite, Philippines, conducted by Tristan
C. Ignacio International Chamber Choir Competition 2007 in
Marktoberdorf – Photo: Dolf Rabus

Ilay Gandangan / Beautiful Sun (satb, soli, drum; Maguindanao;

Earthsongs) by Rodolfo Delarmente, director of the De La Salle
University Chorale, embodies the sun chant of the Maguindanao
peoples. His Dumbele is based on a dance ritual that honors
the rain god, Dumbele, and depicts via choral vocables the
sound of rain, from drizzle to downpour (satb, Carus 2.303;
video- http://bit.ly/Dumbele). Joy Nilo’s choral scores
include many sacred settings, often in
Filipino (www.holymeasures.com/joynilo), suitable for concert
or liturgical use.

SINGAPORE
Singapore’s choral life is well represented by scores from a
number of native composers. Conductor, composer and educator
Leong Yoon Pin writes for both professional and amateur
ensembles. A scholar at the Guildhall School of Music in
London, he also studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He has
held many conducting positions in Singapore and is currently
music arts advisor to the National Arts Council. His most
popular choral works include Street Calls, Pedlars and the
Soprano, Like a Rapid Stream, Love Quatrains and Dragon Dance
(satb, syllables; Hinshaw_HMC2001; score sample and audio
http://bit.ly/hzd255). Listen online to performances of Si
Nian /
Nostalgia (http://bit.ly/dEMGq7) and Solitude (http://bit.ly/g
84YC2) by the SYC Ensemble Singers.

Composer Kelly Tang (bio – http://bit.ly/TangBio; audio –

http://bit.ly/TangAudio) is a professor at the National
Institute of Education. His “eclectic style” is informed by
everything from western techniques to South Indian drumming,
Chinese folk song and jazz. His piece My Shadow (Robert Louis
Stevenson, English, 2-part children’s choir & piano, 3′), the
required score for primary choirs in the 2010 Singapore Youth
Festival competition, elicited this comment from one of the
juror-composers: “It was an excellent piece with lots of
dynamic, harmonic and textural contrast. I heard it 121 times
and am still not tired of hearing it!” A Synchrony of Psalms
(2004; Bible, English, satb, piano, cello, clarinet, 20′), a
multi-movement sacred work for choir and instrumental
ensemble, was commissioned in 2004 for the 40th Anniversary of
the Singapore Youth Choir. The Snowman (4′) and Six
Significant Landscapes (15′) for mixed voices were both
written in 2007 to Wallace Stevens’ texts. Land of Dreams
(2008; William Blake, Eng, satb, 4′) was commissioned for the
opening of the Anglo-Chinese Junior College Centre for
Performing Arts. This setting of Blake’s poem explores the
stark tension between dream & reality via a dialogue between a
father & son coping with bereavement, emphasizing Blake’s
central notion that “earth is only a dream and heaven is
reality.”

(http://on.fb.me/hbSiI8) And listen to his lovely arrangement

of Tom Bahler’s lyric melody “She’s Out of My Life”
(http://bit.ly/fN9HnN). For score inquiries, please email the
composer ([email protected]). Audio samples can also be
found here http://www.reverbnation.com/kellytang

KellyTang, She’s Out

of My Life m.9-21

Zechariah Goh, former student of Leong Yoon Pin, did graduate

work in piano and composition at the Univ. of Kansas (USA). He
writes in both instrumental and choral idioms. A full listing
of his choral scores with information and audio samples can be
found here – http://bit.ly/g45NGc Impressions (satb; Carus
2.303) uses various syllables as the text to depict the bright
metallic sounds of a gamelan.
Taipei
Philharmonic
Chorus, conducted
by Dirk Duhei –
Photo: Nadine
Robin

TAIWAN (Republic of China)

Composers interesting in Taiwanese scores might consider Nan-

Chang Chien‘s I am Flying (satb, SS or TT) or Diu diu dang ah
(ssaa, S solo) both published by Earthsongs. Diu uses
onomatopoetic sounds to imitate a train starting slowly,
getting faster, and finally reaching its destination. We hear
the sounds of water droplets on the train’s roof as well as
the blast of the train’s whistle. Native of Taiwan, esteemed
conductor/clinician nationally and internationally, and
Director of Choral Studies and Coordinator of Vocal Arts at
Univeristy of Texas at Arlington (USA), Dr. Jing Ling Tam also
conducts frequently in Southeast Asia. Her mixed voice
arrangements Jasmine Flower / Mwo li hwa (AMP0183), Flower
Drum Song (AMP0323) are both published by Alliance Music.

THAILAND

Thailand was the only Southeast Asian country never colonized

by a European country. Thai musical idioms of ornate
ornamentation and finger cymbals appear in Kittiporn
Tantrarungroj‘s arrangement of the love song Lao Duang Deuan
(satb, finger cymbals; Thai; Earthsongs) by Prince
Benbadhanabongse (1882-1909). This very homophonic yet melodic
score is a good starting piece for exploring the linguistics
and folk stylizings of Thai choral music. There are a number
of good performances of this score online that can also serve
as aural road-maps: http://bit.ly/LaoDuang1,
http://bit.ly/LaoDuang2, http://bit.ly/LaoDuang3. Similar in
style is Phra met ta by Inchai Srisuwan (satb; Thai; Carus
2.303) is an unaccompanied setting of Psalm 25:4-5, in which
imitative entrances fall back into a largely homophonic
framework. Hand drum and finger cymbals can be used
throughout.

Exploration of Asian repertoire by non-Asians like myself is a

rather extraordinary cultural journey. Filipino conductor Joel
Navarro aptly explains that we, via our music, can explore
“Asian concepts of time, space, relationships and community …
The West values clarity, action, confrontation. The East tends
to value ambiguity, the unfolding of events on their own as a
means of preserving harmony and community, and as a way of
ascribing human history to the control of a Supreme Being.
Events in Asia tend not to be time-specific, but function-
specific—they begin when the community feels it is time to
start, and they finish when the community feels it is time to
end.” We, as choral musicians, have the opportunity to build
bridges of understanding between cultures and countries via
our shared love of singing. May the scores and composers cited
in these articles be the starting point for you and your
singers to explore this extraordinarily rich and diverse
musical and cultural region. And may you have a wonderful
journey of discovery!

The author is indebted to the dozens of Asian choral

colleagues, conductors and composers alike, who corresponded,
recommended, answered questions and provided information for
this set of articles.

Publisher’s Information:

AILM – Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music

([email protected])
Alliance Music (www.alliancemusic.com)
Augsburg-Fortress Press (http://bit.ly/MDAugsburg)
Carus Verlag (www.carus-verlag.com)
Earthsongs Music (www.earthsongschoralmusic.com)
Edition Music-Contact/PH-Publishers
(http://www.ph-publishers.com/)
Holy Measures (www.holymeasures.com)
Hinshaw (www.hinshawmusic.com)