Taiwan Hakka Musicians

[Dixie Dixie <dixie1999_2000@yahoo.com>]

Obtained from:
http://www.south.nsysu.edu.tw/group/NTUHakka/emusic/pop.htm


Popular Music
[Tshai Men-fu] [Hsieh Yu-wei] [Luo Kuo-li] [Yen
Chih-wen] [Chen Yung-tao] [Liu Ping-fang] [Lim
Sen-siong] 

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Tshai Men-Fu

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 Tshai Men-fu, musician from Taitung in eastern
Taiwan, now lives in Taipei. He modestly claims to use
a tape recorder to record his inspiration insead of
claiming expertise in playing instruments. He then
arranges each song before releasing it. Among the
younger generation of Hakka song writers, he has a
diversified compositional style. From cutting-edge
punk and reggae to popular nakashi melodies, he
produces results that satisfy. "A nickname given by
Auntie" celekrates a nickname given the songwriter by
a younger sister of his father that evokes memories
from his youth. Only after completion of the song do
we learn that the name was actually given to him by
his mother. The sentimental lyrics and melody match
his resonant, yet languid, voice to produce a song
loved by the younger generation of Hakkas.  
A Nickname Given by Auntie
This song comes from the album Different People. The
lyrics reflect the experience of modern people who
have left home for a better life yet retain feelings
of permanent ties to their hometown, its people, and
events. This song stirs warm memories. 
Released in 1991, rights are held by Hanhsing
Broadcasting Co. 


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Hsieh Yu-wei

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 Hsieh studied art in college, and his creations then
were worth a great deal of money. When he thinks of
how simple Taiwan's society was during his childhood
years, the materialism, superstition, and mammon of
life more than twenty years later elicits a yearning
for the past. Folk songs popular on campuses for more
than twenty years nearly died out during Hsieh's
college years, but the creative style of college and
university students had already shifted from
folk-music accompanied by an acoustic guitar to rock
and roll music. However, nowhere was the indigenous
sound of Taiwan's culture heard.  
Divination Song
This song comes from the album I am Hsieh Yu-wei. It
is the first modern Hakka song released in the Taiwan
area sung in the Hailu subdialect of Hakka. This tune
was an attempt to use folk music to overturn the
ubiquity in popular music circles of jazz, blues, and
Western fusion. The most beguiling aspect of this
recording is the way that the lead singer modulates
his voice in a natural tone to match the effect. 
First release in June 1992, the rights are held by
JuiHsing Record Company. It was then recorded in 1995
with production by Shuich'ing Sound Productions and
release by UFO Enterprises, Ltd. in Hsieh Yu-wei's
individual album. It was reissued by Shuichi'ing Sound
Productions in March of 1999. 


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Luo Kuo-li

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 Luo Kuo-li is the lead singer of the band "Never Say
Die", or " Ngang-Kiang" in Hakka dialect. He is the
lyricists and composer of the band's album. He desires
to create a new Hakka music and pave the way for his
own band. Although his lyrics are somewhat shallow,
given the limitations of his age and life experience,
the efforts of this first band to exclusively perform
and issue modern Hakka songs in the Taiwan area are
worth recognizing and encourgaging.  
Mountain Song Rock'n Roll
This song is one of the pricipal cuts from the album
Remembrance of Winter That Year. The lyrics reveal the
'Never Say Die' Free-Flow Band's plan to fuse the rock
and roll music that young people adore with the flavor
of mountain songs, indicating that younger Hakka
people are struggling to strike a balance between
modernity and tradition. They are anxious not to
forget their roots, yet try hard their utmost to
absorb the modernity they see all around them. 
Released in January 1997, Lanya AV Bradcasting Co.,
Ltd. 


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Yen Chih-wen

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 Yen Chih-wen, who has always been engaged behind the
scenes musical work, studied art in college. He then
went to the US to study music theory and graduated
from the Berkeley Contemporary Music Academy. He
participated in recording the score for Hou
Hsiao-hsien's movie, "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" and
tried his hand at composing Hakka music before
discovering a strong desire to return to composing in
his native dialect. After a good response to his first
Hakka album, he formed the Mountain Dog Big Paw Band
and continued to promate music with those of similar
interests. He transformed his memories of his home
town (Hsinpi, Pingtung) long ago into the impetus for
modern life and composition. These, along with his use
of expressions from southern and northern Taiwan, give
his works a profound humanity rarely seen among young
composers.  
Early Autumn Taipei
This song is from his first album Who is Singing
Mountain Songs there? The entire album consists of
carefree plantation melodies that have won praise from
reviewers and average listeners alike. This one is a
love song. A boy is waiting for his girlfriend in
Taipei in the early autumn. He feels cold becuase of
the early autumn, just like his heart feeling cold
becuase he cannot find his girlfriend. 
Abandoned Gardern
This song illustrates an abandoned garden. There is no
one there. Only a cat which nobody cares about and
weeds are there. Many people in Hakka towns leave for
the city for a better life, so there are many
abandoned houses in the town. This song just describes
this phenomena. 

May I Ask?
This song is about a person who has left his hometown
for a long time. When he finally went back, he could
not find his way home. So he asked people there where
the old tree was, why there was no water in the river.
Why everything has been changed. 

First released in April 1997, Yushantikou Co, Ltd. 


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Chen Yung-tao

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 Chen Yung-tao comes from Nanmen Khanhsia, Kunhsi,
Hsinchu. He completed some compositions while
performing military service, but unfortunately, his
compositions of that period have been lost. A free
spirit, who loves and loves to live with the nature,
he was originally worked in the field of ecology and
experimented with pottery. He began learning the
guitar in 1996 and then devoted himself to composing
Hakka songs in his 40s. Along with his unconventional
liftstyle, he prefers to live in the countryside far
from urban areas and his songs thus have a pronounced
countery flavor.  
Past Events
This song records the events of the composer's
childhood in Taiwan's agricultural society of 30 years
ago, which is nativist lyrics bring to life. This
makes listeners of 40 or 50 years of age feel like
they have been transported back in time. When you hear
Chen Yung-tao's song, with its lively slang and
folk-song melody, every cell in your body will stir to
each beat of the music, and you will long that simpler
time. This natural, unfettered, and pointed, but not
sarcastic, song has been made even more profound in
Yen Chih-wen's arrangement. A cut from the album of
the same name, it is the first Hakka song composition
in the Hailu dialect. This is a powerful draw for
those who speak that dialect as a native language, but
rarely get to hear it in song. 
First released in November 1997, Yushantikou Co, Ltd. 


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Liu Ping-fang

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 Liu Ping-fang is not a composer or lyricist. She is a
famous singer in the Hakka society. Her sweet smiles
has attracted many young Hakka people. She is most
famous with her love songs, but she has also sung some
encouraging songs as well.
The photograph is from her album "Growing Up"  
The Spirit of Hakka
This is a very famous song. It is usually sung in
rallies. It is written by a famous Hakka composer Tu
Min-heng who died in May, 2000 becuase of a car
accident. This song first tells the difficulties the
ancestors of Hakka people met when they first came to
Taiwan, then it asks the Hakka people now not to
forget their own language and good spirits. 
My Heart Hurts
This is a love song written by Zuo Zheng. The
composition and lyrics of this song is like madarin
popular music. It is a new way of Hakka popular music.


These songs are collected from albums released by
Hanhsing Broadcasting Co. 


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Lim Sen-siong

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 Lim Sen-siong is famous for his actions against the
Meinung Dam. His music is full of love for the nature
and his hometown, Meinung. The Taiwan government
wanted to build a dam in Meinung, so people there
started a movement to act against it. Lim Sen-siong is
one of them. He uses his music to act aginst the dam.
His songs won the Golden Melody Prizes in 2000. He now
has a band called "Chiao-kung" band.  
Farmer
This song talks about his father, who is a farmet in
Meinung. His father works hard everyday, but is still
poor. So his father asked him not to be a farmer
again. 
Meinung Mountain
This song is about the Meinung mountain located in
Meinung. There are farms, trees, and beautiful scenes
under the mountain. The ancestors of Meinung people
worked very hard to construct Meinung, so it should
not be destructed under the hands of people now. 

Ha-Tam-Sui River Recorded Our Family Tree
This song is a combination of Hakka Mountain Songs,
Eight-Tone and modern music. This song is about the
history that how Meinung is found and constructed.
Part of the lyrics were written a few hundred years
ago by the first Hakka people who arrived Meinung. 

Let Us Sing Mountain Songs
This song is used in the actions against Meinung Dam.
They sung this song in front of the Legislative Yuan.
They want to sing Mountain Songs there to encourage
themselves. 

Released in 1997 and 1999, Chiao-kung Band. 


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