Tai-Ping Fantasy Overture by Tang-Jazz in SCL2024 Pre-departure Concert 20240702

Composed by Shih-Chieh Tang (1985~) and Principal Suang-Chung Chiu (1904~1986)
The 16-min long Tai-Ping Fantasy Overture is an extended version of 6-min Overture from Taiwanese Historical Musical Drama "TaiPing era - DaCheng century" for centurial celebration of DaCheng Elementary School of Taoyuan City in 2023. Dr. Hsien-Po Chiu wrote the script based on his grandpa Principal Suang-Chung Chiu's life stories and his grandpa's Taiwanese nursery rhymes, lullaby, and popular songs published by Taihei/TaiPing Gramophone TW as composer pseudonym Happyman during Japanese-governed/colonized era of Taiwan. After 1st performance of this musical drama in Taoyuan Arts Center on Dec 31, Tang received several audiences' suggestions and evolved the Overture to Tai-Ping Fantasy Overture in order to cover shared experiences among Taiwanese throughout 50-yr long JP-colonized TW era, 1895~1945. Chiu's "firefly" (main melody), "Dark sky", "Cute girl" and "Lover's wait" were contained in this Fantasy Overture. Tang-Jazz will take it as free selection for the competition in Summa Cum Laude International Youth Festival 2024.
Summarized description of Periods:
0:00 Shock：Qing Dynasty lost 1st Sino-Japanese war and ceded Taiwan/Formosa to Japan 1895
0:17 Solo: Formosan Republic got no support from Qing and massacre of Taiwanese by Japanese troops during invasion
0:49 Suang-Chung Chiu was born in a farmer’s family in Bade, 10 yrs after the war
1:05 Firefly (Taihei T401B, 1934)：childhood in the countryside
2:39 After 9-yr public education, Chiu passed entrance exam and got admission of Taipei Teacher School
3:06 From countryside hometown to big city for normal education: advance and prosperity of Taipei
3:32 Cute girl (Taihei T400A/TS1002B, 1934)：with fashion of western culture from Japan, Chiu made a girlfriend
3:46 After graduation in 1923, Chiu returned to his mother elementary schools as teacher, then became head of teachers in new established Da-Cheng elementary school. He found so many new Japanese nursery rhymes, which inspired him to compose Taiwanese nursery rhymes for his students and children as Chinese cultural inheritance in JP-colonized TW.
4:35 Dark sky (Taihei T419A, 1934): Chiu composed historical 1st version of Dark sky and taught his students
5:18 Japanese inspector: Chiu’s teaching Taiwanese nursery rhyme was caught by a local Japanese inspector. Chiu’s Japanese school principal tried to calm inspector down, but inspector blamed him that he as Japanese principal should monitor his Taiwanese teachers critically and should not treat them equally/well (e.g. meal and tour).
6:22 Arguments between Chiu and inspector, and between principal and inspector. Chiu and Principal decided to resign.
6:52 Solo: after losing teaching job, Chiu thought about what job to look for.
7:35 Cute girl (Taihei T400A/TS1002B, 1934): Chiu got a composer position in newly established Taihei Gramophone TW in 1932. He returned to Taipei alone, 10 yrs after education and first love. He made himself to compose hard then dedicate his songs to his wife and 3 children who stayed in the hometown for his father’s farming business.
8:44 Lover’s wait (Taihei T428A, 1934), string quartet: as 3-yr composer pseudonym Happyman in Taihei, Chiu published 17 songs and scarcely return home due to hard working in Taipei, song recording in Japan, and rural transportation. His wife sang his song dedicated to her with farming sweat and sorrow tears.
9:48 Lover’s wait (Taihei T428A, 1934), ensemble: Taihei Gramophone published records to criticize Japanese colonial government and was harassed by police in 1935. Chiu gave up his composer career, reunited with his family, and found a new wine-selling company job in hometown Taoyuan. His boss Fan Chung also supported him to establish historical 1st orchestra and cabaret in Taoyuan for wine advertisement.
11:03 Japanese fascism and expansion to Greater East Asia. Japanization in TW for military mobilization
11:48 Brave not alone: conscripted Taiwanese youth as soldiers, middle-aged men (e.g. Chiu) for military constructions in TW, women (e.g. Chiu's wife) who take the elderly and kids to avoid U.S. air-raid.
12:56 After regained Philippines in 1944, US troop began everyday daylight air-raid to Taiwan. Taiwanese needed to hide in family-dug air-raid trenches within 1-2 min and wait for 8 hrs everyday, otherwise wound be killed by machine gun bullets and bombs. The US & JP dogfight and practice by immature Kamikaze young pilots looked like fireflies flying. After bombing, everything is messy and disordered.
14:00 With Nazi Germany’s surrender, US armed force focused on Asia Pacific and progressed to approach Japan.
15:00 Atomic bombs were invented and ordered to drop in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, JP.
15:17 Japanese Emperor Showa declared surrender and WWII was ended in 1945. JP-governed TW was ended too.
P.S. Tai-Ping in Taiwanese is pronounced as Taihei in Japanese.