Ilha Formosa: Requiem for Formosa's Martyrs
Encyclopedia
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese composer Tyzen Hsiao
Tyzen Hsiao
Tyzen Hsiao is a Taiwanese composer of the neo-Romantic school. Many of his vocal works set poems written in Taiwanese, the mother tongue of the majority of the island's residents. His compositions stand as a musical manifestation of the Taiwanese literature movement that revitalized the island's...
(b.1938). The composition is based on a 1994 poem in Taiwanese Hokkien by Min-Yung Lee.
Description
Ilha Formosa ("Beautiful Island") is the name given to the island on the maps made by PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
mariners in the Age of Discovery
Age of Discovery
The Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration and the Great Navigations , was a period in history starting in the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans engaged in intensive exploration of the world, establishing direct contacts with...
. The heart of the piece is the second movement in which the male and female soloists, in lyrical phrases, remember those who suffered in the White Terror
White Terror
White Terror is the violence carried out by reactionary groups as part of a counter-revolution. In particular, during the 20th century, in several countries the term White Terror was applied to acts of violence against real or suspected socialists and communists.-Historical origin: the French...
and throughout Taiwan's history. In the andante first movement, the island's most ancient voices offer their wisdom and admonish newcomers to give themselves completely to their new home. The third movement, in march tempo, encourages survivors of suffering to rise above their pain. The finale envisions an island that fulfils everything contained in the name Formosa.
Texts
1. If You AskIf you ask about the island's father,
I will tell you the sky is Taiwan's father.
If you ask about the island's mother,
I will tell you the sea is Taiwan's mother.
If you ask about the island's past,
I will tell you blood and tears have dropped onto Taiwan's feet.
If you ask about the island's future,
I will tell you to step out. The path is open before us.
2. Memory and Perception
For every victim we chisel a name into marble.
For every victim we weave flowers into a wreath.
For every victim we offer an ode.
For every victim we sing a hymn.
3. Onward
Do not surrender to convulsions of self-pity.
Do not poison yourself with recriminations.
Lift your hand to the azure skies.
Set yourself upon the shining road.
4. This Beautiful Country
This beautiful country is our everlasting love.
This beautiful country is our heart's treasure.
And this modest tapestry of dreams only sketches our hope
for this beautiful country: a green peace.
Min-yung Lee
(Translation: Alton Thompson)
Performance History
- The world premiere of Ilha Formosa Requiem took place in Taipei in 2001. The American premiere took place later the same year in Lincoln Center, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. - In September 2007 the piece was featured in an AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
West Coast tour program by the NTNUNational Taiwan Normal UniversityNational Taiwan Normal University is an institution of higher learning operating on three campuses in Taipei, Taiwan . NTNU is widely recognized as one of Taiwan's elite institutions of higher education. The university enrolls approximately 11,000 students each year. The ratio of undergraduate to...
Symphony Orchestra and Formosa Festival Choir conducted by Apo HsuApo HsuApo Hsu is a conductor born in Taiwan and resident of both Taiwan and the United States. Hsu served as music director of the National Taiwan Normal University Symphony Orchestra and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Springfield, Missouri...
. The soloists in the second movement were Meng-Chieh Hsieh (soprano) and Yu-Hsin Chang (baritone). The Formosa Festival Choir combined the forces of the NTNU choirs, the Mangka Presbyterian Church Choir, the New Taoyuan Philharmonic Choir, and the Buddhist Candles Choir. The choirs were prepared by Tsui-Yu Huang.
Recordings
- Formosa Dreaming (2007). 1 DVD. Concert given 9 September 2007 by Apo Ching-Hsin HsuApo HsuApo Hsu is a conductor born in Taiwan and resident of both Taiwan and the United States. Hsu served as music director of the National Taiwan Normal University Symphony Orchestra and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Springfield, Missouri...
conducting the National Taiwan Normal UniversityNational Taiwan Normal UniversityNational Taiwan Normal University is an institution of higher learning operating on three campuses in Taipei, Taiwan . NTNU is widely recognized as one of Taiwan's elite institutions of higher education. The university enrolls approximately 11,000 students each year. The ratio of undergraduate to...
Symphony Orchestra and Formosa Festival Chorus. Soprano: Meng-Chieh Hsieh. Alto: Yu Lee. Tenor: Ying-Tung Hsieh. Bass: Yu-Hsin Chang. Venue: San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
USA. Repertoire by Hsiao includes Ilha Formosa: Requiem for Formosa's Martyrs and songs "The Most Beautiful Flower", "Brother Andon Goes to Market", "The Grasshopper and the Rooster", and "Eternal Home". Also features works by Fan-Long Ko. Tyzen Hsiao Music Association with National Taiwan Normal University.
See also
- RequiemRequiemA Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
- Taiwanese literature movementTaiwanese literature movementThe Taiwanese literature movement refers to the effort of authors, poets, dramatists, musicians, and publishers in Taiwan to establish recognition of a distinctly Taiwanese body of literature...