Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2001

Tracking the Development and Changes in Hong Kong's Musical Culture The Chinese University isthefirstlocal university to offer courses in music. Its Department of Music, established in 1965, has studied and analysed Hong Kong's musical cultures, comp i l ed relevant literature and other data on the topic, and actively written music, with the aim of putting Hong Kong music on the world stage. F ourDecades of Mu s i c a l Changes in Hong Kong The department's large-scale project, Tour Decades of Musical Changes in Hong Kong (1950 to 1990)' is the combined effor t of eight teachers who began, in 1989, to collect musical data of the period from 1950 to 1990. The material collected includes newspaper cuttings on Chinese and Western music, scripts of operas and musicals, photographs, slides, video- and audiotapes, scores composed by local artists, and records o f musical a c t i v i t i es o r g a n i z e d by mu s i c a l b o d i e s and organizations. The body of information collected is unprecedented in scope, depth , and volume. The project shows that Hong Kong is h i g h l y tolerant o f music o f all kinds, Traditional or contemporary, Chinese or Western —all music can flourish on Hong Kong soil. Local composers and musicians work hard not only to preserve local musical traditions but also to create new ones. Inspired by the research project , the eight teachers carry out in-depth investigations into their respective specialities, and many theses and publications have been produced as a result. Chinese University Bulletin Spring • Summer 2001 16