[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#f5f2f0″ module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_5_font_size=”1.3em” animation_style=”fade” hover_enabled=”0″ header_5_font_size_tablet=”1.2em” header_5_font_size_phone=”1.1em” header_5_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Angela Ng Weihan (November 2021)<\/em><\/p>\n Bernard Tan is a composer and a physicist who was born in 1943 (Perera, 2010). Tan is now a Professor in the Faculty of Science, Department of Physics at the National University of Singapore<\/a>.<\/p>\n At present, there are few articles on the music and musical background of Bernard Tan. Research articles briefly touch on specific works of Tan and web articles focus on either physics or music in Tan\u2019s academic background. There is limited evaluation of Tan\u2019s physicist background in his music endeavours. This literature review seeks to analyse his musical journey and the points in which physics has had its part to play.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/bernardtan.png” title_text=”Bernard Tan analyses his musical journey and the points in which physics has had its part to play” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_5_font_size=”1.3em” animation_style=”fade” header_5_font_size_tablet=”1.2em” header_5_font_size_phone=”1.1em” header_5_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n PRISMA flowchart on search strategy.<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_5_font_size=”1.3em” animation_style=”fade” header_5_font_size_tablet=”1.2em” header_5_font_size_phone=”1.1em” header_5_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n The literature review was conducted over 6 databases: Scopus, Sciencedirect, JSTOR, DOAJ Journals, DOAJ Articles and Google Search. Key terms \u201cBernard Tan\u201d and \u201cMusic\u201d were included in the search strategy, and relevant articles were shortlisted based on the title and abstract. A total of 13,900 unique articles were found. Articles discussing Bernard Tan and his music were shortlisted for review through a search strategy of (\u201cBernard Tan\u201d AND \u201cMusic\u201d). Articles on Bernard Tan and his music as well as his professional academic career in Physics were also shortlisted. 7 articles were eventually shortlisted. In the final evaluation, the following exclusion criteria were used: articles that quote the name \u201cBernard Tan\u201d or his pieces as examples without elaboration and articles that have no relevance to this paper but had come out in the search.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_5_font_size=”1.3em” animation_style=”fade” header_5_font_size_tablet=”1.2em” header_5_font_size_phone=”1.1em” header_5_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Bernard Tan obtained his LRSM, ATCL and Honours in Physics from the University of Singapore in the 1960s. According to offstage<\/a>, a web publication by Esplanade, upon graduating with a D.Phil. In Engineering Science, Tan returned to Singapore and became a Physics lecturer and furthered his career in taking up various roles such as the Dean of Science, the Head of Physics, as well as the acting head of the Department of Music.<\/p>\n Tan started with the classical piano and with a lack of confidence as a pianist, he ventured into composing. Without formal training, he began writing anonymously for his church choir. Perera\u2019s article<\/a> entitled Bernard Tan (\u9648 \u5fe0 \u4e49): The Science of Music<\/em> had also compiled the works of Bernard Tan over the years and it can be seen that his earliest published works were music for choir, such as Psalm 23<\/em>, Serenade<\/em> and Three Malay Folksongs<\/em>. The Three Malay Folksongs<\/em> were clearly influenced by Singapore\u2019s social-setting then. Other influences from his environment include his religious faith, where he had written more than ten sacred works over the years, from around when he started composing in 1975, till date, as well as where he had lived, as noted by Perera<\/a>.<\/p>\n As recorded in the list of published works by Perera<\/a>, Tan began writing for chamber in 1976, but has only had a large compositional output in the 1980s and 1990s. A vast majority of his orchestral works were also in the 1980s and 1990s, with works for celebratory events in the 2000s. This is not surprising, considering the Asian Composers League as a major turning point for Bernard Tan, where he described the composition he had presented as \u201cthe most ambitious\u201d. Many of these works for violin, piano, guitar and cello build on established forms such as the sinfonietta and overture, charaterised by their tinge of ethnic music, as recorded by Project Idiom<\/a>.<\/p>\nIntroduction<\/h5>\n
Discussion<\/h5>\n