Bulletin Spring 1975

Concert following lecture tones, diction, etc. It is difficult to say whether traditional materials are used consciously or unconsciously in the process of creation. The serious and systematic study of world folk music has only begun and the best approach is to collect material by the recording process so that the text and music can be preserved and examined carefully and thoroughly as concrete examples. She is pleasantly surprised to meet so many people, both Chinese and Western, at the University who share common interests and face common problems 一 how to teach and do research. She is more than astonished that Hong Kong is so rich in material that almost every kind of folk music and the provincial operas of China can be heard and also there are so many talents and performers that it is difficult for her to find time to meet and listen to them all. In her last lecture, she said: "1 like to talk. This time I certainly had my say." But she also likes to listen, and this time she has had more than her earful of traditional Chinese music, refreshing, melodious, new yet hauntingly familiar. Peking opera, with which she is at home and four of which she is at present engaged in translating, Cantonese opera, Ch'ao-chou opera, Hakka opera, etc. and performances of singers and instrumentalists all become a part of the treasure she has collected during her stay here for future research. The application of western methodology to the study of Chinese music, according to Professor Pian, is the most sensible approach. The evaluation and criticism of Chinese music by western standards, however, is quite another matter. Square pegs will not fit into round holes. The criteria of Chinese music should be developed gradually, perhaps with emphasis on its originality. Asked about the role the Chung Chi Music Department plays and will play in Hong Kong, she believes that it has a very important mission in the community and the musical world at large. As 98% of the local population is Chinese, the introduction and popularization of western music with the correct approach are important, in fact, more important than most people realize in order to enrich the cultural scene. Because of its location and its offer of a great variety of Chinese music, Hong Kong is the only place where such abundance exists. With its trained personnel and dedicated staff and the fine beginning it has made, the Music Department would someday become the centre of Chinese Musicology. 4