Composing in the globalized world: a witness of music diaspora

Abstract

Music composition is the most direct form of expression for a composer to reflect wholeheartedly upon his knowledge, upbringing and musical preferences. Being a composer, who bears the most direct role in the making of music, has the responsibility to understand and acknowledge how the music of his own culture has developed from the past, and how it has been impacted by other cultures. Such awareness prevents music from narrowing down into one single type, and instead gives rise to many new musical possibilities.

In order to examine the composer’s role and to explore musical possibilities of the modern time, this thesis begins with an introduction that investigates the effects of globalization on four areas of music, namely 1) the music of traditional cultures, 2) the music of popular cultures, 3) music in the technological world, and 4) cross cultural music. Understanding these areas more thoroughly may lead to new ideas in artistic creation, and can help myself to shape my own personal style built upon a firm cultural foundation.

Thirteen new works, written in very different styles during my candidature, are presented in 13 chapters respectively. These chapters are arranged chronologically. Each chapter provides a descriptive explanation for my creative motives and reveals the process in writing the works. To show my works chronologically not only demonstrates how I gradually developed as a composer over the past few years, it also serves as a witness to show how a composer who lives in the cultural hub of Hong Kong reflects his feelings and thoughts about the world in a creative way.