Newsletter No. 27

No27 February 1992 -CUHK Newsletter- regions. Its importance is well illustrated by the high words of praise from Prof. Qiao Jian-zhong of the China Research Institute of Music (Beijing) in his recent visit to Hong Kong. Prof. Qiao was most impressed by the archives' bountiful collection, which, according to him, surpasses that of many mainland institutions in areas such as music of the southern provinces, and Guangdong opera in particular. Three Pillars of Chinese Music Studies Ever since its establishment, the Chinese Music Archives has had an unwritten rule that its director must be a teacher of Chinese music from the Music Department. The current director, Dr. Tsao Pen-ych, is one of the department's three lecturers in the field, the other two being Dr. Chan Sau-yan and Dr. John L. Witzleben, They have different backgrounds and areas of specialization but share two things in common—a passion for Chinese music, and the same roof for their offices: they are all conveniently located at the Chinese Music Archives. Dr. Tsao Pen-yeh's major interests include puppet shows and the folk entertainment of song and narrative recitation. He has in recent years cultivated a new interest in religious music, which promises high research value. Dr. Tsao believes that human thought and cultural developments are closely related to religion; research on religious music is therefore not only a study of a form of music, but also a supplement to the study of music history. Dr. Chan Sau-yan specializes in the study of Guangdong opera, to which end he has even attended singing classes for several years. Dr. Chan is now working on two special books using the plentiful materials he has gathered about the famous Guangdong opera actor, Mr. Sit Gok-sin, and the celebrated composer of Guangdong opera and popular songs of the fifties, Mr. Wong Jyt-seng. Keenly interested in Chinese culture since his childhood, Dr. John L. Witzleben first learnt to play the Chinese zheng and later went on scholarship to Shanghai for Chinese music studies. His specialities are the traditional jiangnan music of stringed and woodwind instruments and chamber ensemble. Promotion Activities All three lecturers at the Chinese Music Archives are greatly devoted to the promotion of music-related academic activities. In 1988 ， they helped found a Society for Enthnomusicological Research in Hong Kong, which organized in the same year an international symposium on Chinese music at which renowned scholars from America, mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong met to exchange views and present papers. They also organized a fund-raising concert which offered performances of traditional Chinese music such as Beijing opera, Guangdong opera, Shaoxing opera and Fujian nanyin. The concert was very well received by the local community. Other regular promotional activities include lectures and demonstration workshops conducted by experienced local and overseas artists. Future Plans Handicapped by limited resources, the archives can only concentrate on augmenting its collection at the moment. The researchers have, nevertheless, laid down a development plan for gradual implementation when circumstances permit. Such plans include hiring a professional librarian for more systematic cataloguing of the collection, producing special publications on its work and holdings, and publishing regular newsletters to foster external linkages. They are also contemplating the reproduction for sale of a unique selection from the archives some 10,000 78-rpni gramophone records and tapes, some of which are actually the only copies extant. This will be most welcome news to Chinese music lovers, a great boost to the art, and may even turn out to be an important source of revenue for the archives. 5