How to enjoy music: A poet's personal guide

Dear listeners, listen to this piece of cantata carefully. 

Even if you cannot name the music, have you found its opening notes surprisingly familiar? 

In the eyes of Chen Li, a Taiwan-based music aficionado, even a layman could recognize this dramatic, stirring piece--either from films, or TV shows: 

"Years ago, the BBC conducted a research which asked British audiences to pick out their favourite classical music piece of the past 75 years. Then 'O Fortuna', German composer Carl Orff's composition from his 1937 oratorio 'Carmina Burana', was named the UK's most widely heard classical track. Why does it sound so familiar? Well, that's because even if you have never heard of the vocal composition 'Carmina Burana', you must have learned the piece 'O Fortuna' somewhere from TV commercials."

One of the most frequently performed choral work in the 21th century, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana was originally inspired by a medieval manuscript of peoms.[Photo:IC]

Literally translated into English as "Oh Fate", "O Fortuna" is the staple of Orff's repertoire. Transformed from a medieval poem into music, the piece laments the fickleness and impermanence of fortune, resonating with the old saying that fortune and misfortune are two buckets in the same well. 

"I think throughout our life, we all experience being smitten, either by someone's eyes, or something or some smell. But for me, it was the time when I could afford the original records of Carl Orff's trilogy of cantatas." Chen recalls how he got infatuated when he first listened to the chorus.

Hailed as "one of the most innovative and exciting poets writing in Chinese today," Chen Li is a Taiwan-based prolifc poet and translator.[Photo: Courtesy of East China Normal University Press]

Born and raised in Hualien of Taiwan, Chen Li is known primarily as a prolific poet. Published over two dozen books of poetry and prose, he is widely recognized by critics as "one of the most innovative and exciting poets writing in Chinese today." Teaching English at local junior high schools and universities, Chen has also indulged himself into the passion of translation. Over the years, he has introduced the works of some brightest names in the poetry pantheon, such as those from the late Nobel laureates Wislawa Szymborska and Pablo Neruda as well as American poet Sylvia Plath. 

But few know that the metrist is also a committed music dilettante. 

"I have a large collection of music. Anyone visiting my house for the first time would be shocked. Some even ask me: 'hey, do you own a record shop or what?' Because there are thousands of records, videotapes, and DVDs stacked against the walls! I also own ten video recorders, so I can videotape all the performances I like. "

Yet among all the musical genres he listens to, Chen has taken a special liking to classical ones, particularly opera and choral music. 

Chinese Vice Premier Wan Li(right), joins Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, waving, and Fiamma D'Amico on the stage at the Tianquiao Theatre in Beijing following the Peking premiere of Genoa Opera Company's production of "La Bohème" on June 28, 1986. Pavarotti performed the role of Rodolfo and D'Amico played Mimi.In his later autobiography,Pavarotti said he made his stage debut as the leading character Rodolfo in the opera "La Bohème." [Photo: IC]

One of his favourite arias comes from Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's renowned four-act opera, La Bohème. Loosely translated to English as 'Bohemians', the story focuses on four vagrant young artists living in a garret. On a cold winter night, they all intend to go to a bar, but the poet Rodolfo has not finished writing his poem yet. So he stays behind. When Rodolfo is just about to put the final touch on his poem, a pretty neighbor called Mimi knocks on his door, and asks him to help her light the candle. As she enters the room, she suddenly feels faint. Rodolfo revives her, then helps her to the door and relights her candle. But Mimi returns immediately as she realizes she lost her key. As the two search for it, both candles are blown out. Rodolfo finds the key and slips it into his pocket, pretending it's still lost. In the moonlight, he takes Mimi's icy cold hand and asks if he could warm it for her.

"I used to tell my students that this reverie reflects the art of love and be loved as well as the tricks of seduction. I find this aria deliriously captivating and I think the entire libretto feels like a collection of poems. So it sure would be a shame if you watched the opera yet knew nothing about the lyrics and its meanings." Chen says.

"Sounds of the World" is Chen Li's first music essay collection.[Cover: Courtesy of East China Normal University Press]

The desire of conveying the hidden messages and implications in lyrics has prompted Chen Li to put pen to paper. In his collection of music essays, Sounds of the World, or in Chinese, "Shi Jie De Sheng Yin", the poet not only offers the life sketches of over two dozen musicians across continents and generations, but also provides the original lyrics of over 200 songs with their Chinese translations. 

"I agree that one of the many benefits of music is that you don't have to understand the lyrics to enjoy it. You can fall in love with the same song performed by various singers. Sometimes, you may not know much about a song, but if you listen to it long enough, it will tug at your heartstrings. But I still believe that it never hurts to do a little bit of homework and do a background search when digesting a new piece of music. "

Gustav Mahler is no doubt one of Chen Li's favourite musicians, as three chapters of his book are dedicated to this Austrain composer and conducter. [Photo: IC]

A one-volume compendium that fuses together the history of music, musical biographies, and lyric interpretations, the book "Sounds of the World" no doubt can convert any casual listener into a more knowledgeable, perceptive music lover. 

As Chen Li tirelessly dissects the wordings and phrases of nearly 200 musical compositions, he also lays bare some less-known yet equally fascinating works of some of his favourite maestros. For example, by reading the librettos of Czech composer Leoš Janáček's quartets and operas, we will learn how his fictionalized unrequited love for a married woman almost 40 years his junior fuelled his passion in musical expression, eventually elevating him from an obscure composer to an international sensation. Flipping through the pages, readers will also get a taste of the barbed humour in Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich's works, which is usually disguised by his conservative style; or understand why listening to the music of French composers Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy would make you better catch on the symbolic beauty of French poet Paul Verlaine's verses. 

Dressed in traditional costume, Chinese musicians perform Nanguan, the oldest exiciting classical music in China.[Photo: IC]

But "Sounds of the World" is not merely an essay collection on classical music. After exploring a vast repertory of operas and choral music, the author has also showcased his great malleability in music. In the second half of the book, Chen Li tries to light outward on many other songs and musical genres he finds satisfying, ranging from China's oldest existing classical music Nanguan to the albums of the legendary rock band The Beatles. 

When asked about his diverse choice in music, the author replies: "There are different standards of sensibility and rationality in every age. For example, a contemporary opera might weird you out, since sometimes the form could be adapted into a more post-modern setting. But it doesn't matter. You can always find the version you like. So various art forms teach us to respect and cherish those that are different. Therefore, our society could be more diverse and inclusive."

In his book, Chen Li also pays tribute to American jazz singer Billie Holiday.[Photo: IC]

For anyone lacking the time or willpower to bury themselves in the lofty music encyclopaedia, "Sounds of the World" provides a compact and cerebral alternative, since each essay gives readers a gateway into music and open their ears in a whole new way. However, it would have benefited from a greater emphasis on personal reflections. As Chen Li scholarly examines the bibliographic profiles and compositions of many composers and songwriters, he seems to detach himself from the music he claims to be so deeply in love with. The absence of human touch in his proses might put some music enthusiasts off. Moreover, a poet at heart, Chen can occasionally dilate a little bit too eloquently on the poetic expression of the lyrics rather than the music itself, making his book look more like a self-indulgent poem anthology. 

For sure, the book "Sounds of the Book" appears to be muddled in certain places, with too many lyric translations and interpretations, which may disconcert listeners relatively new to classical music. But if you are patient enough to ponder, you may understand the correspondences between poetry and musical expression, and how great art can free itself from the restrictions of various artistic domains and touch our hearts with its concomitant pain and joy.