Music of Hong Kong
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The music of Hong Kong is a combination of traditional and popular genres. Cantopop is one of the more prominent genres of music locally produced in Hong Kong. Also, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta regularly perform western classical music in the city. There is also a long tradition of Cantonese opera in Hong Kong.
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[edit] History
In Colonial Hong Kong, pipa was one of the instrument played by the Chinese, [1] and was mainly used for ceremonial purposes. Western classical music was the main focus among British Hongkongers and the Sino-British Orchestra was established in 1895. In the beginning of 20th century, Western pop music become popular. Mandarin pop songs in the 1920s were called Si Doi Kuk (時代曲). They are considered the prototype of any Chinese pop songs.[2]
In 1949 the People's Republic of China was established by the communist party. One of the first actions taken by the government was to denounce popular music as pornography.[3] Beginning in the 1950s massive waves of immigrants fled from Shanghai to Hong Kong.[4] Along with it was the Pathé Records (Hong Kong) record company, which ended up becoming the one of the most significant popular record companies in Hong Kong.
The 1960s was marked by the rise of Hong Kong English pop which peaked until the mid-1970s among both British and Upper Middle/Upper class ethic Chinese Hongkongers. After the Chinese language had become an official language in 1974, Cantopop's popularity increased sharply due to the improved status of the language and the large Cantonese Chinese population in the city. Traditional Chinese Huangmei opera, on the other hand, had a popularity peaked in the 1960s among general Chinese population.
[edit] Market
As an "open economy", vast variety of music is commeically available in Hong Kong. Most retails music stores in Hong Kong carry Cantopop, Mandopop, imported English language Pop music, Japanese pop music and Korean pop music. Larger music stores, such as HMV in Hong Kong, carry more extensive genre which include classical music, Cantonese opera in addition to the aforementioned genres.
[edit] Music
[edit] Cantopop
Prior to the development of popular music in the 1960s, Hong Kong's musical output was dominated by Cantonese opera and English pop. Other prominent singers included Tang Kee-chan (鄧寄塵), Cheng Kuan-min (鄭君綿). The godfather of Cantopop Roman Tam (羅文) made significant strides in the industry. The youth began to gravitate towards Cantonese pop in the 70s.
Around 1971, Sandra Lang (仙度拉) was invited to sing the first Cantonese TV theme song, "The Yuanfen of a Wedding that Cries and Laughs" (啼笑姻緣). This song was the creation of the legendary songwriter Joseph Koo (顧嘉輝) and the songwriter Yip Siu-dak (葉紹德). The genre was launched to unprecedented levels with virtually every TV drama using localized cantopop songs. Another big name singer was Paula Tsui.
While TV theme songs are still important part of Hong Kong music, the arrival of the Four Heavenly Kings(四大天王) took cantopop another stage higher. Today cantopop is the dominant form of music with strong association to pop culture with some levels of decline. Record companies have had a majority stake in the segment, and Hong Kong is considered the central hub of cantopop in the world.[5]
[edit] Mandarin pop
Mandarin on the other hand dominated the language of film until the emerging Cantonese counterparts in mid-1970. Many singers from Taiwan came to Hong Kong creating a spectrum of Mandarin pop. The period ended in its height with Teresa Teng. Her songs were so popular even in mainland China. Mandarin pop will likely continue to gain in popularity, specifically after the 1997 handover, which made Mandarin one of the standard languages under Basic Law. One of the TV series that emulate the 60s/70s mandopop club scene in Hong Kong is the TVB series Glittering Days.
[edit] English pop
The term English pop in Hong Kong does not mean pop music from England, but western style pop songs sung in the English language. In the 1950s, popular music of Hong Kong was largely dominated by pop songs in the English language until the Cantopop's emergence in the mid-1970s. Many well-known Cantopop singers of today, like Sam Hui and Alan Tam, began their early careers singing in English. Specifically, western culture at the time was a mark of education and sophistication.[6] Inspired influenced by imported popular music from the West such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis and The Beatles [3], Hong Kong artistes started to produce English language pop music in the 1960s.
Today, imported pop music in English language remains popular in Hong Kong, second only to C-pop. Most Hong Kong artists now sing primarily in Cantonese and Mandarin and occasionally perform in English. Artists who produced substantial works in English include Chet Lam, The Pancakes, Ketchup, Ghost Style, etc. Jacky Cheung released an English album in 2000. Other artistes who have native fluency in English include Janice Vidal, Jill Vidal, Karen Joy Morris, Fiona Sit, Edison Chen, etc.
[edit] Cantonese opera
The art form is one of the first organized form of entertainment in Hong Kong. The artform still exists today in its traditional format despite all the changes in trends in the other industries. There is a debate about the origins of Cantonese opera, but it is universally accepted that predecessors of Cantonese opera originated from the northern part of China and slowly migrated to the southern province of Guangdong in late 13th century, during the late Southern Song Dynasty. Beginning in the 1950s massive waves of immigrants fled Shanghai to destinations like North Point[4], boosting its fanbase.
[edit] Classical music
Western classical music has a strong presence in Hong Kong. Organisations such as The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra receives substantial annual funding from the Hong Kong Government and other major sponsors such as the Swire Group. The budget of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2002/2003 financial year was HK$86 million, of which 70% comes from The Hong Kong Government. Their production adds dynamics to the music culture. All primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong are required to take music class as part of their school curriculum.
[edit] Festivals
[edit] References
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"Romance Trap (愛情陷阱)" A fast tempo song with modernized arrangements in the 1980s by Alan Tam
Eighteen miles away (十八相送) A huangmei opera song by veteran artist Ivy Ling Po partnering with Jenny Tseng - Problems playing the files? See media help.
- ^ Bard, Solomon. [2002] Voices from the Past: Hong Kong 1842 - 1918. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 9622095747
- ^ Shoesmith, Brian. Rossiter, Ned. [2004] (2004). Refashioning Pop Music in Asia: Cosmopolitan flows, political tempos and aesthetic Industries. Routeledge Publishing. ISBN 0700714014
- ^ a b Broughton, Simon. Ellingham, Mark. Trillo, Richard. [2000] (2000) World Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides Publishing Company. ISBN 1858286360
- ^ a b Wordie, Jason. [2002] (2002) Streets: Exploring Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 962-2095631
- ^ China Briefing Media. [2004] (2004) Business Guide to the Greater Pearl River Delta. China Briefing Media Ltd. ISBN 9889867311
- ^ Wiltshire, Trea. [First published 1987] (republished & reduced 2003). Old Hong Kong - Volume One. Central, Hong Kong: Text Form Asia books Ltd. ISBN Volume One 962-7283-59-2
[edit] See also
- Hong Kong Music venues
- MTV Networks Asia
- Gangtai culture
- Music of United Kingdom
- Music of China
- Music of Japan
- Music of United States
[edit] External links
- Guide to Classical Music in Hong Kong - about the classical music scene in Hong Kong
- Youtube: The plight of rock and roll in Hong Kong part 1.
- Youtube: The plight of rock and roll in Hong Kong part 2.
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