{"id":8192,"date":"2022-05-02T23:43:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T15:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/?p=8192"},"modified":"2025-05-03T00:09:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T16:09:28","slug":"leong-yoon-pin-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/index.php\/2022\/05\/02\/leong-yoon-pin-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Leong Yoon Pin (II)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;#f5f2f0&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px||true|false&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;][et_pb_column _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; header_5_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; header_5_font_size=&#8221;1.3em&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; header_5_font_size_tablet=&#8221;1.2em&#8221; header_5_font_size_phone=&#8221;1.1em&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h5>Leong Yoon Pin: The Composer\u2019s Life and the Context Around his Symphony No. 2<\/h5>\n<p><em>Gu Wei (November 2021)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aCBXHxc2VWo?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en&amp;autohide=2&amp;wmode=transparent\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; header_5_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; header_5_font_size=&#8221;1.3em&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; header_5_font_size_tablet=&#8221;1.2em&#8221; header_5_font_size_phone=&#8221;1.1em&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h5>A Study of Leong Yoon Pin\u2019s Compositional Ideal in His Symphony No. 2<\/h5>\n<p><em>Gu Wei (December 2021)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The music of Leong Yoon Pin, while mainly written for Western musical forces, often features subject matters and themes that are \u2018Eastern\u2019 in nature. This ideal\u2014one that strives to incorporate Western and Eastern elements\u2014is remarkably prominent and consistent in Symphony No. 2 where he blends Western instrumentation and formal organization with Eastern musical materials, melodic development, and text. Along with the massive force of musicians and singers, the piece exemplifies Leong\u2019s work that is monumental both in aesthetic and scale. The following analysis will take a closer look at the first movement of Symphony No. 2 by Leong Yoon Pin and examine how he crafts the music in service to his compositional ideal.<\/p>\n<p>Structured in four movements, Symphony No. 2 follows some formal elements of the traditional symphony, most notably in the usage of the sonata-allegro form in the first movement. Movements three and four feature a chorus which sings music set to the poems of Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai (\u674e\u767d). Despite written without text, the first movement is not entirely divorced from the poems, since Leong describes in the programme notes the opening introductory section as \u201c\u6d12\u8131\u4e0d\u7f81\u201d [free and easy; unrestrained], a Chinese idiom often associated with Li Bai (Metro Philharmonic Society 1979: 4). The opening section with alternating 5\/4 and 6\/8 gives off this spirit, and sets the mood for the rest of the music.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Fig. 1: Structural diagram of Symphony No. 2, I<\/em><\/p>\n<p>According to Leong, the music then continues in sonata form with the expected first and second subjects in the exposition, followed by the development and recapitulation sections. However, as we take a closer look, there are many aspects in the music that do not follow the conventional sonata-form model. Leong mentions that the first subject is derived from the Cantonese tune <em>Trotting on Horseback<\/em>\u00a0(\u8d70\u9a6c), which first appears in bar 49 (Metro Philharmonic Society 1979: 4). This results in a relatively long introductory section which arguably does not lead into a clear start of the first subject. Without Leong\u2019s programme note, one might perceive the introductory section as the first subject, especially since it also beings the recapitulation in almost exactly the same way. Hence, there is structural ambiguity in the sense that the introductory section (bars 1 to 48) could function either as simply an introduction, or part of the first subject. However, with the given context of the remaining movements, Leong\u2019s overemphasis on the introductory material (he begins and ends the piece with the same 5\/4 material) might have a programmatic reason\u2014to foreshadow the poetry of Li Bai in the last two movements. The first movement can therefore be interpreted as a synthesis of the sonata form (a Western construct) and Li Bai\u2019s character (an Eastern aesthetic).<\/p>\n<p>It is necessary to observe the harmonic and tonal structure when examining the piece in reference to the sonata form. The first subject begins melodically in D major, however the bass line seems to imply a B-minor tonal centre. It is perhaps more appropriate to interpret tonality here in a sense similar to traditional Chinese music, since the melody here is also closely derived from a traditional tune (<em>Trotting on Horseback<\/em>\/\u8d70\u9a6c). Melodic modes in Chinese music are not limited to the major-minor dichotomy, but a variety of modes beginning in each note of the pentatonic scale. These modes are defined by the starting pitch of a passage of music, and tend to sound similar to Western ears, hence when considering the tonality of the first subject, it might be more appropriate to classify it as \u201cthe key with two sharps\u201d rather than assigning it a definite mode. The expected tonal framework of tonic to dominant in the two subject groups is only partially present, since the music seems to modulate one key too far along the circle of fifths to the supertonic instead of the dominant when it arrives at the second subject (bar 69). Here, the key of four sharps is led melodically by the woodwinds accompanied by pizzicato strings, and eventually settles into the proper \u201cdominant\u201d at bar 107 (the key with three sharps).<\/p>\n<p>Besides the modulation towards the dominant direction (by adding sharps) leading into the second subject, most of the piece tend to modulate in the opposite direction towards the subdominant. While atypical in Western harmonic language, in particular the sonata form where the push towards the dominant key area gives rise to instability that demands resolution, modulation towards the subdominant\u2014known as <em>yangdiao<\/em> (\u626c\u8c03)\u2014is extremely common in Chinese music, since this frequently represents a heightening of mood that brings more excitement into the music (Du 2004: 7). If we take a look at the original tune of\u00a0<em>Trotting on Horseback<\/em>, it does modulate to the subdominant after the introductory segment (bar 6 in Fig. 2).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Fig. 2: Trotting on Horseback\/\u8d70\u9a6c, opening bars<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Fig. 3: Symphony No. 2, I, bars 47\u201356<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The concept of modulation in Chinese music can be manifested in several ways, but for the purposes of comparing to Western harmony, the modulatory technique similar to key changes in Western music is <em>xuangong<\/em> (\u65cb\u5bab), in which a new pitch foreign to the original key is introduced, resulting in a change in the tonic pitch. We see the exact method of modulation a few bars into the first subject in bar 53, where the note \u2018C\u2019 is introduced in order to modulate the music to the subdominant. In the closing theme and development section, the music takes the modulation even further by moving constantly along the circle of fifths towards flat keys: the original key of three sharps at the end of the second subject (bar 107) modulates to two sharps at bar 116, one sharp at bar 112, no sharps\/flats at bar 128, one flat at bar 134, and two flats at 166. The recurring modulation to the subdominant is not coincidental, and it is perhaps a way for Leong to incorporate the Eastern aesthetic of \u2018excitement\u2019 and even \u2018tension\u2019 into the sonata framework by using\u00a0<em>yangdiao<\/em>\u00a0in the context in a sonata form.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Fig. 4: Symphony No. 2, I, Vc. &amp;amp; Db., bars 50\u201357<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Relating to modulation and tonality, one more notable observation in this piece, and by extension Leong\u2019s musical language, is that tonality is by far more melodically-driven than harmonically-driven. There is neither clear harmonic cadences to confirm the arrival into new keys, nor clear chord progressions with functional harmony. In the orchestration, there are a lot of doublings in unison, resulting in a somewhat sparse harmonic texture that is enriched by contrapuntal melodic lines. This is a nod to the Chinese aesthetic of creating musical colour through melodic inflexions instead of harmonic intricacy. The use of heterophony is common in Chinese music, where different instruments play a same melodic line with different embellishments idiomatic to each instrument. While such texture is mostly obscured by the note-for-note doubling in most of this movement, certain passages in the cello and double bass suggest a brief heterophonic approach (Fig. 4). Even at points of high harmonic density, Leong tends toward quartal and quintal chord voicings which lead to pentatonic clusters that tend to give the music a more \u201cEastern\u201d colour, such as in the final chords of this movement (Fig. 5).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Fig. 5: Symphony No. 2, I, final chord<\/em><\/p>\n<p>When asked about musical style, Leong talks about his music as two periods: before he studied with Nadia Boulanger in 1966, and after that. The former, according to Leong, is \u201ca little more traditional\u201d and the latter is when he started to \u201cexplore different avenues\u201d (Leong 1994). He also mentioned that one of the biggest takeaways from Boulanger is that \u201cone needs to treasure one\u2019s own heritage\u2026 as an Easterner, you don\u2019t write like a Westerner\u201d (Leong 1994). Despite being somewhat reserved when asked to comment on his own music, Leong shows explicitly in his music an ideal that was developed during the study with Boulanger\u2014to write music informed by his own heritage. Various musical parameters in his Symphony No. 2 manifest a clear deviation from the sonata-form framework\u2014a Western construct\u2014toward one that is informed by traditional Chinese music in material, language and aesthetics. Therefore, in defining Leong\u2019s musical language, Symphony No. 2 is a truly monumental work with a strong statement on his musical ideal.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; header_5_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; header_5_font_size=&#8221;1.3em&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; header_5_font_size_tablet=&#8221;1.2em&#8221; header_5_font_size_phone=&#8221;1.1em&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h5>Bibliography<\/h5>\n<p>Du, Yaxiong.\u00a0&lt;em&gt;Zhongguo chuantong yueli jiaocheng&lt;\/em&gt;\u4e2d\u56fd\u4f20\u7edf\u4e50\u7406\u6559\u7a0b [Chinese Traditional Music Theory]. Shanghai, 2004.<\/p>\n<p>Leong, Yoon Pin. Interview with Cindy Chou [Tape recording]. <em>Performing Arts in Singapore (Music)<\/em>, Accession Number 001490. National Archives Singapore. Singapore, June 4, 1994.<\/p>\n<p>Metro Philharmonic Society. \u201cLeong Yoon Pin: Symphony No. 2.\u201d Programme notes for Metro Philharmonic Society, <em>20th Anniversary Celebration Concert<\/em>. Leong Yoon Pin, conductor. November 24, 1979, Singapore Conference Hall.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; header_5_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; header_5_font_size=&#8221;1.3em&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; header_5_font_size_tablet=&#8221;1.2em&#8221; header_5_font_size_phone=&#8221;1.1em&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h5>Reference<\/h5>\n<p>Metro Philharmonic Society. \u201cLeong Yoon Pin: Symphony No. 2.\u201d Programme notes for Metro Philharmonic Society, 20th Anniversary Celebration Concert. Leong Yoon Pin, conductor. November 24, 1979, Singapore Conference Hall.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; header_5_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; header_5_font_size=&#8221;1.3em&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; header_5_font_size_tablet=&#8221;1.2em&#8221; header_5_font_size_phone=&#8221;1.1em&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h5>Interview with Prof. Lim Seh Chun, Flautist of Leong Yoon Pin\u2019s Second Symphony in 1979<\/h5>\n<p><em>Gu Wei (February 2022)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>GW: Hi Prof. Lim, could you share with us your relationship with Mr. Leong \u2013 how did you get to know each other and how did your relationship develop over the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LSC: Well, the beginning will be a bit of a long stretch. I first got to sing his songs when I was a primary school student. But it all came about when I was involved in the concert preparation for the NJC alumni band back in 1978. I cannot remember why Mr. Ho Hwee Long, who was the conductor then, asked me to do a solo item. And for reasons that I can\u2019t remember, he introduced me to Mr. Leong who agreed to be my accompanist on the piano. That was actually our first meeting and Mr. Leong was very generous, since he agreed to accompany this young nobody despite being such an experienced musician himself. So I felt extremely honoured later on when I realized who actually accompanied me. That was our first time working together, I would say, our first collaboration on the musical front. And after that, when he was preparing for his premiere of his Symphony No. 2, he invited me to be part of the orchestra. And so that is how I got involved in this very important premiere. Of course, one detail which I forgot to mention is that it was during that event that I got to perform together in the same orchestra with Phoon Yew Tien who played the flute. So I got to know him because of that concert. It was an extra bonus since I got to meet another important composer-in-the-making. So that\u2019s how I got to know [Mr. Leong], met him, worked with him, and in a way culminated in this very exciting event, the premiere of the Second Symphony.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GW: Let\u2019s talk a bit more about the premiere of the Second Symphony in 1979. Could you share some of your experiences working with him during the rehearsals or the performance of the Symphony?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LSC: Now, that is so long ago that the recollection is a little bit dim, but yeah, certain things I still remember very fondly. First is that the orchestra actually had our rehearsals at his apartment, in his living room. I cannot remember exactly where the apartment was, but I got myself there. And it was a quite a bit of a squeeze for everybody, but we all accommodated well and we had a very \u201cwarm\u201d rehearsal. I still remember at the first rehearsal, we started off playing the third movement. We did just the orchestra part, but I could already feel the beautiful harmony that\u2019s coming through because we\u2019re supposed to accompany the chorus part, which got involved in the third and fourth movements. And so, we were doing the accompaniment and not so much playing the melody. But I could feel the beautiful harmony, bass line and so forth. And then subsequently, when the choir joined us and sang, I was blown away because the melody was just so beautiful. And I think when I realized that they were singing Li Bai\u2019s poem, I went back home and started reading these poetry and then I could connect, because when you understand the meaning of the poetry, it makes the music come alive. For certain parts I got very emotional because the words and the music just push you to a different level of appreciation. It was an unusual experience for me: you\u2019re busy playing your notes, and yet you get carried away by the melody.<\/p>\n<p>I would say that that would be the third time I was in an orchestra accompanying voices. The first time I was in an orchestra pit to accompany a college production of a Gilbert and Sullivan opera. So it\u2019s a different kind of feeling because you\u2019re playing in the dark, in the orchestra pit, and the effect is quite different. The second time was with the Singapore Youth Orchestra, playing some Viennese songs with the Singapore Youth Choir singing behind us. And I think the music is little bit different, so the emotional response was quite different. But with the Second Symphony, I think it\u2019s the words: because I knew what [Mr Leong] was expressing, it resonated a lot. You see, Gilbert and Sullivan is rather light hearted. It\u2019s <em>Gondolier<\/em>, so it\u2019s a comic opera. And for the Viennese songs I didn\u2019t understand German, so I didn\u2019t know much about what they were singing. It\u2019s lovely music, but there was no additional dimension of the words for me. But here [for Symphony No. 2] I understood the poetry. So I think in the subsequent rehearsals my emotion was very much engaged. It\u2019s more than just a rehearsal. So this was something very memorable. I was overwhelmed by the music and the words because I knew Li Bai\u2019s poetry, but when put together with the music that went with it, it\u2019s just different.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GW: After hearing what you have said, would you consider the text and how it was set to music as the most monumental aspect of this piece of work?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LSC: I would think so because it really hit me in a big way. Maybe I could give you a bit of context of how I, over the years, got to appreciate it even more. I would consider [Mr. Leong] as a Mahlerian because he writes beautiful songs. Then he puts the songs together in a symphonic manner: not in a Wagnerian way, [but] more a Mahlerian way. In 1979 I only knew Mahler 1[st Symphony] and the Adagietto in Mahler 5[th Symphony] because of the movie <em>Death in Venice<\/em>. But today I know much more of the Mahler Symphonies and I could see a similarity in that the songs seem to be the beginning of that big work. And [Mr. Leong] then puts the songs together in, to me, a very cohesive and meaningful manner. I think the winning thing is because I can really understand the words. In Mahler\u2019s songs, they\u2019re all in German and I can read the translation, but it\u2019s different from being able to read in the original language. I can appreciate Li Bai\u2019s poetry and then you have the music, so it\u2019s a different kind of experience. The emotion responds differently.<\/p>\n<p>So to me it\u2019s quite a monumental work in terms of the impact it has on me. The first two movements are like standard symphonic works, although I particularly have a soft spot for the second movement because it has a beautiful flute solo which I had to play. But to me the highlight is always the third and fourth when the choir comes in. And then the ending reminds me of <em>Das Lied von der Erde<\/em>. You know, you can\u2019t breathe, you just have to hold your breath. This part impacted me a lot. So when I knew Braddell Heights was going to perform, I had to be at that concert and I was so moved. Now hearing it in the audience, and a much better performance than our premiere which we were all still struggling with getting it right. It was terribly emotional for me and thoroughly enjoyable listening to Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra performed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GW: It\u2019s very interesting that you said it is similar to Mahler\u2019s <em>Das Lied von der Erde<\/em>. That piece is also based on the Li Bai\u2019s poem, but in German, so it\u2019s very interesting to see that kind of connection there.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LSC: It\u2019s the ending and how he just got the music to fade away. It\u2019s not a big bang, but the music just fades away. I\u2019ve a few friends who are Mahlerians, and they told me for <em>Das Lied von der Erde<\/em>, you just cannot breathe as the music approaches the end because it is so intensely emotional. I have the same feeling listening to this symphony.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GW: Yeah for me, there\u2019s always something very impactful when we end a long piece of music, that goes on for almost an hour, with a soft ending. To me, personally, it\u2019s a very impactful way to end a piece, a bold statement.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaking of the performance in 2015 by the Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra, as far as I know, there was a recording of\u00a0the third movement\u00a0done by the SSO a few years after\u00a0its premiere performance. There were no further performances until 2015. What do you think was the reason for that?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LSC: Well, first thing is that the SSO performance was an orchestral version of the third movement so there was no choir. Yes, I\u2019ve a CD of that performance. But I felt that it is missing a lot because to me, the high point is really the choral part. As to the reason why [there\u2019s a lack of subsequent performances], this is where I feel maybe there is a lack of awareness of the works by local composers and therefore, a lack of desire to perform them. When I was on the board of the Singapore Youth Orchestra, I tried to see if I could arrange for a performance of the Second Symphony. The orchestra was ready, but I couldn\u2019t find a choir. I had no good connections to local choirs. And those I could get in touch with did not feel comfortable singing this piece. One choir director I spoke to said, \u201cwell, I don\u2019t know whether my choir can make it.\u201d Because if you study his score, there are, in the words of that choir director, \u201cvery odd chords.\u201d So unless your choir is competent, choir members are going to sing off tune and therefore not what [Mr Leong] wanted. When sang correctly, it\u2019s beautiful. So I think the choir director was just being fair to his choir members and honest with me, and told me they were not ready. So this project was aborted. Therefore, I was very happy Braddell Heights made my wish come true.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leong Yoon Pin: The Composer\u2019s Life and the Context Around his Symphony No. 2 Gu Wei (November 2021) A Study of Leong Yoon Pin\u2019s Compositional Ideal in His Symphony No. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[101],"class_list":["post-8192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-composing-monumentality","tag-101"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8192"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8199,"href":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8192\/revisions\/8199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cssingapore.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}