Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1995

Four Decades of Vibrant Musical Life A Study of Musical Changes in Hong Kong f r om 1950 to 1990 Is Hong Kong a Cultural Desert? Hong Kong has, for many years, been considered by some as a cultural desert. The feeling has been that, in aplace where people have comparatively shallow roots, it would be more unlikely for musical and cultural life to flourish. But to what extent can it really be said that the people of Hong Kong are by and large only business orientated, and hence totally uninterested and uninvolved in cultural activities? To ascertain an answer to this, eight faculty members, Drs. Chan Sau-yan, Chan Wai-kwong, Chan Wing-wah, Joseph Lam, Daniel Law, Greta Olson, Harrison Ryker, and J. Lawrence Witzleben of the Music Department undertook a three year project in 1989 to study various topics related to musical changes in Hong Kong between 1950 and 1990. The project won a competitive grant of HK$300,000 from the Research Grants Council. Data Depict a Different Picture The project was received enthusiastically by various circles of society. In the course of three years from 1989 to 1992, numerous valuable musical data were collected. The findings are rich and present sufficient evidence to prove that Hong Kong did indeed enjoy a diverse and vibrant musical life in the last 40 years. Some of the valuable materials collected regarding musical changes in Hong Kong between 1950 and 1990 include: • Newspaper cuttings: There are approximately 10,000 articles from the South China M o r n i n g Post, Hong A newspaper c l i p p i n g on theHongKong Philharmonic Orchestra— its change toprofessional status andits inaugural concert asaprofessional orchestra. Kong StandardandWahK iu YatPo onmusic related items such as concert reviews, interviews with artists, conductors, concert organizers, as well as articles on notable musical events. • Material on Cantonese opera: This consists of 65 operatic scripts including masterpieces such as The C o u r t s h i p of the Phoenix by the Side of Lake Peach Blossom,TheSwallow Returns,A d u l t e r y Is the Chief of A l l C r i m e s , etc., together with over 1,000 photographs and slides, and over 60 hours of video and audio tapes featuring both theatrical and ritual performances. Well-preserved materials on Cantonese opera of the 1930sand 1940s: programmes, drafts ofp u b l i c i t y leaflets, and performance announcements. Research 21