About The Group

Taiwan

+
Forum Music

Succession Percussion Group

5/31

Sat. 10:30

National Concert Hall

19917

In early July, 1991 when I finished grading the percussion technical test of the Joint Entrance Examination of Universities, I
want to hold an international percussion convention in Taiwan, professor Ju told me at the gate of National Taiwan Normal
University. His eyes sparkled with excitement when he recounted his dream. Is it possible? I thought, Its a huge
project!
Two years later, the first Taipei International Percussion Convention really achieved. In a blink of an eye its the 8th TIPC this
year. This glittering percussion carnival not only offered an international exchange platform but also brought many positive
impacts on the territory of international music. Professor Ju made it!
I wish every success in each edition of the Taiwan International Percussion Convention.

Percussionist and Artistic Director of Forum Music

Hsu, Bor-Nien

Ju Percussion Group pushed the wave and led the trend.

A striking breakthrough shocked the world.
Exerting themselves tireless for three decades.
Gathering percussion virtuosi in Taiwan.
Musicians have to work hard on skills before staging in order to be loyal to their conscience, not to mention holding eight
editions of Taipei International Percussion Convention successively. The required energy and arrangement behind the event
are not possible to explain. Invite various masters to perform in Taiwan and let the world find the soft power of music in Taiwan,
thats the spirit we have to follow respectfully.

Artistic Director of Succession Percussion Group

Cheng, Li-Feng
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Program Notes

Program

Forum Music

Dolls House Story

Istvan Marta

Hook

Graham Fitkink

In the depth winter of 2004 Percussion Nonet

Lai, Deh-Ho

Kee-Yong ChongMusic for Jimi

Kee-Yong Chong

Doll's House Story1985Marta Istvan(1952)

Amadinda

limited music

Intermission

Succession Percussion Group

Spirits of the Chu

Enseble Bash1992

/()

Overture/ Percussion Septet (Drumming with Vine and Rattan)

The Great Unity/ Solo and Percussion Sextet

2004Morse-Thue SequenceGleichniszahlen
Reihe01123

/7

The Lord of the East/ Drumming Septet

/ 4

The Lord Among the Clouds/ Gongs, Cymbals and Drums, One
Solo and Four Concerto

The Goddess of the Xiang/ Keyboard Percussion Sextet

The Great and Lesser Masters of Fate/ Percussion Septet (Marimba,

Vibraphone, Xylophone, Gongs and Cymbals,
Drums, and Timpani)

/
/

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The River Earl and the Mountain Spirit/ Percussion Septet

(Marimba, Vibraphone, Xylophone, Gongs and Cymbals,
Drums, and Timpani)

C

Hymn to the Fallen/ Percussion Septet (Marimba, Vibraphone,

Xylophone, Gongs and Cymbals, Drums, and Timpani)

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Program Notes

Forum Music

Dolls House Story

Istvan Marta percussion solo (Great Samba)

Dolls House Story (1985) was composed by Hungarian Composer Istvn Mrta (1952) for Amadinda Percussion Group
in Hungry and requires four or five percussionists to perform. The important musical element throughout the whole
composition is the accented semiquaver that quickly takes on different beat and mainly expresses with drum and cowbell.
You can also hear some composition techniques of Limited Music in some passages. In terms of tone, such is relatively
dry and rhythmic interpretation. The part of melody and musical line is expressed with Chinese Bao Gong, chimes, and
soprano xylophone. Its interesting and worth to mention that the composer adopted the sound of toy instruments or
toys, such as pianica or toy piano, or the toy music effect form electronic synthesizer as the background music in the
beginning and the end in order to bring out the musical perception of Dolls House Story.

Artists: Huang Ya-Ling, Huang Li-Ya, Suen Ming-Jen, Wu Ya-Shung

Hook Graham Fitkin

/()

Hook was commissioned by Ensemble Bash for performance in the 1992 Park Lane Group Concerts.
Having been given an unlimited choice of percussion instruments to work with, I chose four marimbas as the medium
best suited to the fast and rhythmic music I wanted to write. I felt that in order for the little counterpoints to come though
properly the four players should perform on instruments of the same timbre and not rouge it up with lots of unnecessary
clatter. Having said that there is a little punctuating clatter supplied by rototoms and an ironic splash cymbal.
- Graham Fitkin

Lai, Deh-Ho

In the depth winter of 2004 Percussion Nonet was started in early winter of 2004 and completed in the end of the same year.
The repertoire adopted Morse-Thue Sequence and Gleichniszahlen Reihe as the foundation of composing. The former
displays with a string of zero and one, and the latter displays with a string of one, two, and three. These two series of numbers
contain infinite rhythm. In addition to these two series of numbers, some of my personal subjective associations were certainly
appended into the middle passages.
- Lai, Deh-Ho
Artists: Suen Ming-Jen, Wang Ya-Ting, YU Tan-Ling, Wu Ya-Shung, Yoshino Hsueh, Weng Ying Han, Wu Chia Ying

Music for Jimi

/7
/ 4

Artists: Huang Ya-Ling, Huang Li-Ya, Chen I-Ju, Huang Hsiu-Tan

In the depth winter of 2004 Percussion Nonet

/
/
/
/

Chong,Kee-Yong

Music for Jimi is homage to Jimi Hendrix the electronic guitarist died young genius. The repertoire centers on the parade
of technique and the performance of chasing each other on the same wavelength of six percussionists. In addition, the
performance plays with the pre-recorded sound samples of Jimis classic electronic guitar virtuoso.
I offer my thanks to Mr. Hsu, the artistic director of Forum Music, and the musicians of Forum Music for years of cooperation,
and also to Yeo Chow Shern from my C Studio who designed the pre-recorded sound sample. The repertoire is dedicated to
Mr. Hsu Bor Nien.
Artists: Huang Ya-Ling, Huang Li-Ya, Suen Ming-Jen, Huang Hsiu-Tan, YU Tan-Ling, Yoshino Hsuehli

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Program Notes

Succession Percussion Group

Spirits of the Chu

The inspiration of this percussion theater derived from Qu Yuans Nine Songs in The Songs of Chu. The seven performers
are the spirit witches of musician, actor, and dancer at the same time to present the mysterious kingdom of Chinese
ancestral ethnic Chu with the percussion of great momentum and pre-recorded music.
Even though the keynote of Nine Songs is praising the gods, some content is near the description of mortal romance.
The romance is filled with the breath of life on earth, no matter among gods or between god and human. They also have
the same desire for happy love like mortal, and their feelings are as strong and sincere as mortal.
Repertoire

1.Overture/ Percussion Septet (Drumming with Vine and Rattan)

2.The Great Unity/ Solo and Percussion Sextet

3.The Lord of the East/ Drumming Septet

4.The Lord Among the Clouds/ Gongs, Cymbals and Drums, One Solo and Four Concerto
5.The Goddess of the Xiang/ Keyboard Percussion Sextet
6.The Great and Lesser Masters of Fate/ Percussion Septet (Marimba, Vibraphone, Xylophone, Gongs and Cymbals, Drums,
and Timpani)
7.The River Earl and the Mountain Spirit/ Percussion Septet (Marimba, Vibraphone, Xylophone, Gongs and Cymbals,
Drums, and Timpani)

8.Hymn to the Fallen/ Percussion Septet (Marimba, Vibraphone, Xylophone, Gongs and Cymbals, Drums, and Timpani)

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Program Notes

1. Nine Songs

5. The Goddess of the Xiang

Nine Songs is a kind of divertimento, which was popular in Chu. This kind of divertimento is the combination of lyric,
music and dance. Its an art form similar to opera and dance drama to perform in the ritual events regularly then.
The repertoire starts with the combination of music & dance and the concept. Instead of the percussion instruments
generally, it uses vine and rattan as the main playing tools and draws on the worship dance for the music performance.
Whipping floor with vine, whipping Chinese drum with rattan combining the shouts, the song creates an original and
magnificent visual and audio appearance.

This piece is the sacrificial song of the Goddess of the Xiang. Lady and Lord Xiang were gods of the river Xiang that Lord
Xiang was god and Lady Xiang was goddess. Lord Xiang sailed through the river to look for Lady Xiang when she didnt
come and saw her figure in the distant. However, Lady Xiangs appearance was flash in the pan and they never met again,
yet the frustrated Lord Xiang missed Lady Xiang even more. The sincere love between gods reflects the profile of peoples
love in the Yuan Xiang area of Chu.
Nine Songs said that Lady Xiang was Emperor of Heavens son, Its more reasonable that Lady Xiang was Emperor of
Heavens daughter because the daughter of Emperor of Heaven was the Goddess of the Chu and lived by Dongting Lake.
Its naturally that she appeared to be the goddess of river.
The piece starts from the crooning and longing tunes with the melody and harmony of six keyboard percussion
instruments. The piece then develops to the passion attachment like the joy of double flying shadows, and describes the
tender love between Lady and Lord Xiang vividly.

2. The Great Unity

The Great Unity was the Chus most revered god, the Emperor of Heaven. He is equivalent to God the Almighty who
created the world and ruled everything. The ancients believed that the spring orientation was in the east, therefore called
the God as the god of the eastern sky. Unity means the primeval and solely veneration refers to the body of universe.
Historical Records- Fengshan book says: The most respected god is the Great Unity, assisted with five lords. The ancient
emperor offered sacrifice to the Great Unity at southeastern suburb in spring and autumn. It proves that the Great Unity
was the most great and honor god in Chus mind.

3. The Lord of the East

The Lord of the East is the god of sun. According to the inscriptions on bones, the Yin held the ritual of greeting the sun regularly.
Greeting the sun was one of the important rituals until Han Dynasty. In Chu, a country believing in ghosts and witchcraft prevailing,
worship the sun was ceremonious event clearly.
The sound of wooden Taiping Drums rising and falling along with the echo of golden bell rings, the god of spring The Lord of the East

6. The Great and Lesser Masters of Fate

The Great Master of Fate is the god of life who in charge of human life and death. The ancients offered sacrifices to the
Great Master of Fate for long life and extending longevity mostly. The Lesser Master of Fate is the god in charge of love.
There were customs of offering sacrifices to god before marriage service or matchmaking meeting in the ancient times.
Just like the title, the piece contrarily portrays the extremely different gods of fate. It creates the extreme authority of the
Great Master of Fates charge on life with drums of great momentum combining the modern tunes mainly in chromatic
scales. And the piece delicately describes the lingering affinity of the Lesser Master of Fates charge on love with chanting
love lyrics and soft harmony of sound.

dances with pure charm that shakes the earth and the bright red blooms in spring. Chinese gong chimes intertwine the warm and
joyful melody of east wind in the end section. The whirling dancing rhythms of drums symbolize the spring has come.

4. The Lord Among the Clouds

The Lord Among the Clouds is the god of cloud. Only the cloud bringing rain, the amount and time of rainfall relate to
the growth and harvest of crops. So its a long-standing matter that the ancients worshiped the god of cloud to pray for a
good harvest year.
The main instrument of the piece is timpani. In the beginning, the secretive trace and elegant movement of the Lord
Among the Clouds with a tremendous momentum are created with the difficult temporary tuning skills of rapid tone
cluster combines four concerto of Peking Opera percussion. The dark cloudy mystery and vagaries are portrayed with
flue pipes in the middle. The tone cluster is back to the lightening rapidity in the end, plus the treacherous chanting while
worshiping the distant unknown gods, just like the elusive personality of the Lord Among the Clouds.

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7. The River Earl and the Mountain Spirit

The River Earl is the water god of river. The River Earl describes the love story between male water god and female water
god.The Mountain Spirit is the goddess of mountain. The Mountain Spirit vividly portrays the image of a goddess who
affected by touching love. She lives a solitary life in the deep mountain of bamboo and longs for the person of her heart
during each insomnious night. She is honest, kind, faithful, pure, and loyal to love.

8.Hymn to the Fallen

The Fallen means who sacrificed their lives for their country. This piece is the hymn for mourning Chus soldiers who killed
in battle. There are no ritual dance scene and shaman in Hymn to the Fallen.
Just like the title, the war scene goes throughout the entire piece in different angles. Although the powerful rhythm
intertwines ceaselessly, the atmosphere of sorrow and desperation is always hard to conceal. In the middle, the performers
cover their faces with cellophane to chant the sad song for dissipating the spirits, just as the distorted and frightened faces
of the soldiers.

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