Despite being in a “experimental orchestra” [N.B. meaning that the Chinese orchestra was, and still is an experiment] for decades, we still do not seem to comprehend the spirit of the Western Symphonic Orchestra. We still do not understand that “timbre” – often regarded as the lifeblood of Chinese music – surprisingly is not a vital* element.

[*Mr. Ng gave the example that the “Butterfly Lovers” violin concerto is undoubtedly Chinese music despite being played by western instruments, while Chinese instruments playing a Western tune does not make that tune Chinese. This shows that the timbre of an instrument does not determine the “Chinese-ness” of the music it plays.]

The unstable sound production of Chinese instruments often hinders us from teaching students consistent fingerings and techniques. We cannot standardise the effective range, volume, intonation, timbral tension and maximum volume etc. This has led to differing schools of teaching, hindering effective proliferation and education. When the understanding of aesthetics cannot be improved and nothing is done about this situation, the instruments’ development cannot be augmented.

For the last 200 years, Westerners have already understood that the optimal sound is achieved when musical instruments have optimal vibration, a rich harmonic spectrum, timbral finesse, and malleablility. As an analogy, an actor which can play any role has the most comprehensive range of expressive capabilities, compared to an actor who specialises in specific kinds of roles. The narrower the expressive range, the more limited and unmalleable an actor would be. If you cannot speak without crying, then you will never be able to laugh. If you can only enter like a whirlwind*, you will only cause upheaval. If your timbre is muffled, then forget about projecting your sound far.

[*N.B. The original phrase 李逵上场 refers to Li Kui, a rough warrior from «The Water Margin» 《水浒传》 nicknamed “Black Whirlwind” for his berserk behaviour in combat.]

As an inevitable result of blindly emphasising timbre and individuality in sound character, the process of improving musical instruments can hardly take any step forward. With inadequate constructive interference of sound waves, our orchestral playing can only remain as a mix of sounds. No matter how expressive you are, our instruments cannot satisfy the natural (unamplified) environment of a concert hall without adequate and controllable projection of sound waves.

From the communist spirit to the Singapore spirit, from non-existent to existent, from existent to profound, these were all the achievements of our forebearers. The Chinese idiom “inherit the past and pave a way for the future” means that people of this day should make up for past deficiencies, and shoulder the responsibilities of passing the torch into the future. If not, our efforts remain at rigidly guarding the past without any outlook for the future, leading to an increasingly strenuous and passive situation. There is no music without sound, and there is no good music without good sound. Without instruments which can produce a good sound, the soul will be handicapped no matter how sublime it is.

Since 1949, China has produced countless beauteous new musical works. However, the performances of Chinese instruments often seem unpolished and unrefined. How many pieces for Chinese instruments can stand its ground in the face of [Chinese pieces for] the symphony orchestras, which does not have any so-called “Chinese timbres” ? Another Chinese idiom goes, “to perfect his craft one must first hone his tools”. In order not to let the sublime “musical soul” get lost in the wilderness of the arts landscape, we have to keep on exploring the sound production potential of Chinese instruments, and find a “healthy physical body” to carry these immortal melodies. Only then can Chinese music fly its own colours and ascend the pedestal of elegance.

The objective of university education is to endow the student with soul and independent thinking, to bear the responsibility of inheriting and progressing. However, in music education from China to Singapore – besides covering basic courses on fundamental musical concepts – is there any scientific focus on instilling students with correct values on music history and aesthetics, or is the teaching of aesthetics neglected? Or for the sake of “racial harmony”, one remains at the level of picking one instrument from each race to play a melody in unison, without searching further for relationships in the harmonious interaction of sound waves? Similarly, a husband and wife of different races should bind in both spirit and physical form, not live physically together but spiritually apart.

If we do not properly educate our successors on how to face up to the current state of Chinese music, remove unnecessary baggage and boost their confidence, wouldn’t we then become feebleminded and hollow? The author believes that without an in-depth perspective of history, Singaporeans would not be able to create a solid cultural enterprise.

Where is the path for the development of Chinese orchestral music? Like in «Journey to the West», where the Buddhist monk sought out the great scriptures, we need humanities scholars to grow a scientific mind. The Qing dynasty suffered defeat with their vastly backward weaponry at the hands of Europeans. With prolonged “deafness to acoustics”, we would head down a similar path. No matter whether one bears a tenacious Chinese spirit or a pioneering Singaporean spirit, only a mind that combines humanities with science can lead us to breakthroughs and successes, and fill our souls with vigour.

Only when more humanities scholars and musicians are equipped with acoustics thinking – using the quality of sound to improve the quality of music – can we find the path for the development of Chinese orchestral music.

[Translator’s epilogue: «Journey to the West» is one of the Four Classic Novels in Chinese literature. It was made into a TV series in 1986, whose popularity also made its theme song «Where is the Path» famous throughout Chinese-speaking regions.

The lyrics of the song describes the arduous pilgrimage of a Buddhist monk and his three followers across treacherous lands to obtain scriptures from India/Central Asia, concluding with the line “Where is the path? The path is right at our feet”. (This line was inspired by a sentence by Lu Xun, which reads “Actually it doesn’t matter whether there are paths in the world – they naturally emerge where many people travel.” 其实世上本无所谓路，走的人多了，也便成了路。)

Mr. Ng clarified that he referenced the song merely to make his title livelier and more attractive, but doesn’t mind people reading further connotations into it.]