The New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) will host the International Chinese Vocal Competition in October 2007.
Renowned vocal educator, Ms. Han Suqiu—who has devoted nearly half a century to teaching—believes that NTDTV has done a great thing in presenting such an event. Han says that for the first time Chinese professionals around the world have an opportunity to demonstrate their talent through a fair competition.
First International Competition of Its Kind
"While this vocal competition focuses on Chinese music, contestants between 18 and 55 years of age from around the world are welcome to participate. The competition provides an unprecedented opportunity for individuals to show their talent. Until now, international vocal contests focused on Western music—there has never been a Chinese vocal competition at the international level. The NTDTV event will take place in New York, and anyone is free to register. Contestants can sing any Chinese traditional or classic song of their choice. The contest is a competition in which participants will compete based on their skills and performance as vocal contestants. There has never been such an opportunity before," said Han in a recent interview with The Epoch Times.
The Current State of Chinese Classical Music
"I have been in the States for several years, so I am not familiar with the current situation in the field of vocal music in China. However, while I was in China, I knew many elder colleagues involved in orthodox and classical music, who were not so successful in their profession," stated Han. "Though they were trying hard to protect this tradition, due to a lack of manpower and resources, the field is shrinking and so is the interested audience. In order to make a living, some singers have switched to popular music, but only a small percentage continue to hold on to their principles [in performing classical Chinese music], yet their ability fall behind their wishes.
Appreciating a Vocal Performance
"It is not difficult [to appreciate this music]," said Han. "Everyone has a pure, kind and sincere side. When you hear a song or a segment of music, if it presents truth, compassion and beauty, you will feel peacefulness and gratification. Even passionate and stimulating music can be rational and elegant. The expressive power and social impact of true and good music can make one want to be better, and long for a beautiful, bright and healthy life.
If a song has these attributes, then it is good. Of course, if you really want to understand music, there are some specific appreciation methods: conscious appreciation, emotional appreciation, and appreciation of technique. If a song sounds sweet it appeals to the appreciation of consciousness.
If a song can arouse a feeling of pleasure, anger, sorrow or joy, one can appreciate its emotion. If you want to study the structure of the song, its changes in theme and the skill of the singer, that is an appreciation of technique.
Qualities of a Good Singer
According to Han, a good singer must:
- Have good morality, and rich social and life experience.
- Be gifted with a good voice. The human voice is like a musical instrument, the more outstanding the more pleasant to hear. The singer must study diligently and practice hard. A career in singing is very challenging. A vocalist often has to endure loneliness and tedium as he or she has to practice the music notes one by one, which can be very dull.
- Must understand and apply the correct voice production methods and know how to sing. If conditions allow, it is best to pursue advanced studies in a music institute. Without studying the vocal techniques for musical theatre singing, it is hard for one to have the quality of artistic realm of vocal music.
- Be familiar with a wide range of classical music as well as other art forms. Preferably one should learn to play at least one musical instrument, and cultivate a keen taste for painting, photography, dancing, sports, etc, because all these will help improve the singer's musical achievement.
- Have solid and systematic knowledge about music, such as music history, music theory, music notes, note reading and ear training. A singer's training is reflected in every detail of his or her performance, from singing to the manner of making an entrance or exit.
A good singer should have an elegant presence and a graceful appearance. During his or her performance, the vocalist should devote all his or her whole heart to the song, and sing in a bright, pure and articulate voice. A good singer should demonstrate skillful control over his or her voice, and match it with appropriate poise and posture. Good singing incorporates both perfect musical presentation and a full demonstration of the singer's personal virtues.
The history of vocal art has witnessed a golden age in which many great singers flourished. Currently there are many gifted vocalists among Chinese, but there is a lack of systematic and well-rounded artistic training. So I wish singers, especially Chinese vocalists, could work hard and together bring about another golden age of vocal music. I believe such an age is not far away.
Han's Decades Long Career
"It's been so many years, and so many things happened that I don't know where to start. I'd say there are three important periods in my career as a singer," said Han. "The first is when I studied Western classical music at the Central Conservatory of Music—the best music institute in China. After graduation I became a vocalist in China's best music ensemble—Central Philharmonic Society. The third stage [of my career] is the years when I taught at China's best minority ethnic music institute—the Central Institute of Nationalities. These three stages cover over 40 years of my life, close to half a century. During those years I experienced so much. It was both happy and hard for me.
"It's happy because music is my dream and my love. Every time I receive warm applause from an audience, or when my students learn to sing beautifully, I'm extremely happy. It's like bliss from heaven, a reward for all my hard works and sacrifices. But it's also hard, because the art world is really a vanity fair where people fight for fame and wealth. It can be very cruel sometimes. It confused me, and I often felt lonely and exhausted."
"Now that I live in the U.S., I often think of my teachers, colleagues and students. I'm grateful for their help and encouragement. I miss them very much. I also know how hard it is for orthodox music to survive in China, especially with the demonic and hysterical rubbish music having overtaken the market.
I've seen performers with long messy hair singing with obscene gestures, wearing weird clothes, almost biting the microphone and slurring meaningless words. They call it a modern style, and categorize it into modern music, but it makes me feel so sad. So, I'd like to call on all vocalists, especially those in China, to renew their attention of orthodox music, and to create a better environment through activities like orthodox music seminars and singing contests. We can work with media like NTDTV to hold such events.
Chinese Folk Songs
"Folk songs have been popular in China since ancient times," explained Han. "Five thousand years ago there were songs about fishing and plowing. One famous ancient folk song is a love song from the time of Yu the Great, over 4000 years ago. Li Bai, the famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote lyrics for a song about war in which soldiers sang on horseback. Almost every dynasty passed down many well-known folk songs.
In modern China, mainly at the end of 19th century, the country also produced many beautiful folk songs. China's folk songs are characterized with a large variety of styles originating from different areas. But many of the songs have been lost due to the lack of systematic collection and study.
Art institutes appeared in the West centuries ago, and a complete theory of music was gradually developed, including music theory, notes of music system and methods of voice production. Therefore in the West a lot of music has been well preserved, and many are still popular today. In China, however, many good folk songs have been adapted into tunes praising the Chinese Communist Party, and have been used as political propaganda. It's a great shame.
Ms. Han Suqiu currently resides in the United States. She graduated from the Vocal Department of the Central Conservatory of Music and was a principal singer at the conservatory for 12 years. She was a solo singer and lead vocalist in numerous large-scale performances. She also gave recitals. She was appointed as voice professor at the Vocal Training Department of the Central University for Nationalities.
In addition, she was invited to teach vocal music at various music institutes in China and abroad. Ms. Han has published many articles on vocal music and has been an adjudicator of many vocal competitions.
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