1. The God of Spring
2. Plain Chant
3. Drum: a. Solemn and Harmonious Prelude; b. Big Footprints (Theme); c. Interlude; d. Festival (Postlude)
Year of Composition: 1982
This work, commissioned by Cloud Gate Dance Theater, was originally a vocal piece and later twice revised to become a piano and percussion piece for a four-person performance. Based on the chapter of “Ordinary People” in “Daya” (大雅) in The Book of Odes, the piece talks about the mythological birth of “Hou Ji” (后稷), the founder of the Chou dynasty. Hou Ji’s mother, Jiang Yuan (姜嫄), conceived Hou Ji after stepping on the footprints of the celestial emperor. However, after his birth, Hou Ji was left in the wilderness, and was thereby brought up by cows, sheep, and birds, thus gaining agricultural wisdom.
Li Tai-Hsiang reinterpreted this mythic tale and understood the footprint of the celestial emperor as “the god of spring.” The music is reminiscent of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” and depicts the progression from primal desire to civilization. The first part, “The God of Spring,” uses the Chinese musical instrument “sheng” to delineate ancient China and awaken all living beings. The second part, “Plain Chant,” is accompanied by guzheng and conveys the sentiments of young maidens. Li especially blurs the gender boundary through a distinct way of singing. The third part, “Drum,” accompanied by percussion music, depicts the god of spring leading a group of young men and women in a primitive dance, forming the musical climax and ending with people forming families and rearing children.
The music arrangement of “Ordinary People” involves two metallophones, two pianos, paigu (a set of three to seven tuned Chinese drums), tanggu (medium-sized and barrel-shaped Chinese drums), as well as alto dagu (Chinese big drums) and bass dagu. The unique music style gives this piece its important in Li’s oeuvre.
Source: Chiou, Joyce Y. Senior Musician Series, Vol. 20—Li Tai-Hsiang: The Beautiful Mistakes. Taipei City: China Times Publishing, 2002.
