Introduction to the Special Project - NCAF' s Taiwan Composers Database

Hwang-Long PAN (General Project Advisor)

In the past years (1997-2016), the National Culture and Art Foundation (hereafter referred to as NCAF) has funded 157 composers through the categories of "Creation", "Commissioned Creation" and"Resident Art Professionals", all of which belong to NCAF's Regular Grants for music. With the aim of documenting the concrete results of the above-mentioned grant receivers, a music graduate of the National Taipei University of the Arts in the name of Chieh CHANG was invited in the summer of 2016 to compile a list of these composers and their works funded by NCAF. Some preliminary data information for search and retrieval was established as a result.

Subsequently, NCAF's Research and Development Department followed up with relevant action plans to collect and archive information regarding these works in order to provide a platform for information exchanges, performances, and academic researches of these funded works. On one hand, between the autumn and winter of 2017, four graduates with a master's degree in composition from the National Taipei University of the Arts and the National Taiwan Normal University, namely Yuxi QIU, Chien-Yu LEE, Chian-Ru Yang and Chieh CHANG, were entrusted to contact these composers who have received a grant from NCAF to provide their portrait photo, biography and a complete list of their works in both Chinese and English, representative works of writing as well as excerpts of their musical works in the form of musical scores and audio (visual) recordings. On the other hand, several individuals in the field of music were invited as consultants for the project. These include Professor Kii-Ming LO from the Music Department of the National Taiwan Normal University and Qiumei LI, editor of the National Theater and National Concert Hall's Performing Arts Review magazine, as well as two emerging musicologists - Diau-Long SHEN and Yuzhen HUANG. By way of investigating and analyzing the characteristics and developments of musical creations in Taiwan, they provided invaluable comments and advice from the perspectives of historical materials, developments of musical ecologies, aesthetics of musical creations, and their experience observing performances of works by Taiwanese composers.

NCAF's Taiwan Composers Database Project

NCAF's Taiwan Composers Database project was initiated with the goal to support the creation and performance of works by Taiwanese composers, encourage future performances of these commissioned works after the premiere, and to assist performers in obtaining performance materials for these works. With these objectives at its base, several implementing plans were proposed including the collection and archiving of information relating to the funded compositional works mentioned above, the compilation of research articles on these composers and their music, and subsequent utilizations of the project results while the author here was appointed the general project advisor. Although the Taiwan Music Institute has previously established The Online Database of Taiwanese Musicians, as the general project advisor who hopes to open up new horizons for the music field in Taiwan via this project, I am committed to expanding the substantive contents of the NCAF database, strengthening its quality and details, and making these two databases complement each other in the best way possible. This website (available in both Chinese and English) is divided into the following four sections: Introduction to NCAF's Taiwan Composers Database (ABOUT), Composers' individual webpages (COMPOSERS), List of works categorized by genres (WORKS) and Samples of scores and audio/visual recordings of these works. Below one finds further clarification on the organization of some information found in the section of composers' individual webpages, specifically composer's biography, list of works, and samples of scores and recordings.

1. Composers' Portrait Photos and Biographies:

Currently internationally accepted formats for composer's biographical information vary radically according to geographic locations. Some use essay format while others prefer bullet-point entries as in resumes. In the case of resumes, individual entries are listed in chronological order in Europe while it is the reverse in the United States. Both formats have their own advantages and disadvantages. NCAF's Taiwan Composers Database is generally made in accordance with individual composer's personal habits. Taking the author here as an example, the composer’s personal history, education and professional experiences are introduced first in essay writing highlighting major life events before a list of works and documentation of special performances are presented in a list of entries. Other composers may adopt or combine different styles of presentation as they see fit.

2. List of Works:

Composers' work lists are categorized by genres and supplied with specific information of each work including its title, instrumentation, the year of composition, duration, and its premiere record. The genre categories are modified according to individual composer's needs with the possibility of adding subcategories if a second level is necessary.

(1) Opera, Cantata, Music Theater, and Musical: In the case of large amounts of works, second-level subcategories are used and entries are listed under 1-1 Opera, 1-2 Cantata, 1-3 Music Theater, 1-4 Musical...etc.

(2) Orchestral Music and Concerto: In the case of large amounts of works, second-level subcategories are used and entries are listed under 2-1 Orchestral Music and Concerto, 2-2 Orchestral Music and Concerto (Chinese Orchestra), or simply 2-1 Orchestral Music, 2-2 Concerto, 2-3 Wind Ensemble Music, 2-4 String Orchestra Music…etc.

(3) Vocal and Choral Music: In the case of large amounts of works, second-level subcategories are used and entries are listed under 3-1 Vocal Music, 3-2 Choral Music…etc.

(4) Chamber Music: In the case of large amounts of works, second-level subcategories are used and entries are listed under 4-1 Chamber Music, 4-2 Chamber Music (Mixed Instrumentation of Eastern and Western Instruments), 4-3 Chamber Music (Traditional Instruments), 4-4 Chamber Music (Percussion Ensemble)...etc.

(5) Solo Instrumental Work: In the case of large amounts of works, second-level subcategories are used and entries are listed under 5-1 Solo Instrumental Work and 5-2 Solo Instrumental Work (Traditional Instrument).

(6) Others: Such as Arrangements, Electro-acoustic Music...etc.

(7) Essay Writing Samples: Representative articles or other essay writings by the composers are provided by the composers themselves for consultation.

3. Samples of scores and audio/visual recordings as well as contact information or links to personal websites:

(1) Composers choose a number of different pieces and provide a one-page excerpt from each work for online viewing.

(2) Composers provide three audio/visual recordings each lasting 3-5 minutes that are excerpted from three different works for online listening/viewing.

(3) Contact information or links to personal websites are provided to facilitate future contacts with the composers.

NCAF's Taiwan Composers Database displays the latest information regarding the composers who were funded by NCAF for their musical creations over the past 20 years. Its purpose is manifold: it serves as a platform and mechanism for the mutual exchange between composers and a place to observe and learn from each other; it provides a medium for performers, bands, and choirs to search for information about the creation and performances of works by these composers; it encourages repeated performances of the commissioned works and other compositions by these composers beyond the premiere performance; it also provides opportunities for the general public and musicologists alike to discover and engage in research studies of Taiwanese music. May the establishment and abundant uses of NCAF's Taiwan Composers Database enrich our mind, heart and soul, and expand our spiritual lives.