soprano and piano | 35’
Program Note:
Commissioned by and dedicated to Chunhui Yang, Songs and Poems from Shi Jing is a song cycle inspired by selected texts from the ancient Chinese poetry anthology Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). Written more than two thousand years ago, these poems speak with remarkable clarity about love, longing, grief, devotion, and the natural world. Their language is simple and direct yet emotionally profound.
In this cycle, I explore the rhythmic qualities and musicality inherent in ancient Chinese poetic language. Each setting responds not only to the meaning of the text, but also to its internal cadence, repetition, and tonal contour. Many of the selected poems are structured in three stanzas, and in my setting each stanza inhabits its own tonal center. This tripartite harmonic design mirrors the poetic form while allowing subtle emotional shifts within recurring text.
The entire cycle unfolds through a systematic descent or ascent by fifth to form a large circular harmonic architecture. This continuous cycle by fifth creates a sense of inevitability and return like the circular rhythms of wind, seasons, and human emotions throughout the song cycle.
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Wind and Rain: C♯ → F♯ → B
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Quince: E → A → D
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Vines Grow: G → C → F
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Swallows, Swallows: B♭ → E♭ → A♭
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The Great Cart: D♭ → G♭ → C♭
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Valley Wind: C♭ → G♭ → D♭ (a reversal of direction)
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The Young Peach: A♭ → E♭ → B♭
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Bending Tree of the South: F → C → G
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In the Garden There Are Thorns: D → A → E
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Morning Wind: B → F♯ → C♯
The ten songs are also organized according to the traditional Chinese pentatonic modal system: Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu with each modal center shaping the emotional atmosphere of its group.
I. Gong-centered (Wind and Rain; Quince)
The first two songs are gentle and intimate. They carry tender thoughts and quiet affection, with a sense of contentment and innocence. The Gong mode provides stability and grounding, evoking warmth and simplicity.
II. Shang-centered (Vines Grow; Swallows, Swallows)
These songs turn toward sorrow and farewell. The Shang mode lends a plaintive quality, reflecting grief, separation, and the ache of remembrance.
III. Jue-centered (The Great Cart; Valley Wind)
More intense in character, these settings express yearning and restrained anger. The Jue center introduces brightness and tension, amplifying emotional urgency.
IV. Zhi-centered (The Young Peach; Bending Tree of the South)
Here the mood becomes warm, luminous, and hopeful. The Zhi mode radiates openness and gentle joy, suggesting youth, vitality, and quiet celebration.
V. Yu-centered (In the Garden There Are Thorns; Morning Wind)
The final two songs descend into deeper, trembling introspection. The Yu mode carries a darker hue, colored by vulnerability and inward reflection, bringing the cycle to a resonant close.
Duration: 35 minutes
Score and Parts: Available for rental or purchase directly from the composer.
Performance History:
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Unperformed