Jiang Wen-Ye
Encyclopedia
Jiang Wen-Ye was a Taiwan
ese composer, active mainly in Japan
and later in China
. While known in the West by his Chinese name, the three Chinese characters that form his name are pronounced "Kō Bunya" (こう ぶんや) in Japanese. In his compositions, which range from for piano to choral and orchestral works, he merged elements of traditional Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese music with modernist
influences. Due to the political turmoil surrounding his life, he came to be largely forgotten during the latter part of his life. After his passing, however, his work has started to gain new recognition in East Asia as well as in the West.
at the time, and so his nationality was Japanese from the birth. In 1923, he came to Ueda, a small town in the prefecture of Nagano
, Japan, to attend secondary school. He later proceeded to the Tokyo Engineering and Commerce Advanced School (presently Musashi Institute of Technology
) where his major was electrical engineering. At the same time he also started to attend evening classes at the Tokyo Music School (today part of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
).
Initially, he was active as a singer, and in 1932, discovered by his choir leader, he became a baritone singer for the Columbia Record Company
. A few years later he would become a member of the Opera Company led by one of Japan's foremost opera singers, Fujiwara Yoshie. In 1933 he married his first wife, a Japanese woman. Around this time, he also started studying composition under prominent composers Kosaku Yamada
and Kunihiko Hashimoto
. Soon he started to earn laurels as a composer himself, and a breakthrough came in 1936 when he submitted the orchestral work Formosan Dance to the Art Competition
of the Berlin Summer Olympics
, which was awarded a bronze medal. Alexander Tcherepnin
who was visiting China and Japan at the time recognized Jiang's talent and published his works in Europe, the United States, and China.
In 1938, in the midst of the Second Sino-Japanese War
, Jiang was appointed professor of musical arts at the Teacher's College
in Beijing
, which was then under Japanese control. The Japanese government considered him a valuable tool to gain the appeal of the general public of both nations. In the ensuing years, he commuted between Beijing and Tokyo, where his family still resided. During this time, Jiang (or Kō) was one of the most frequently played composers in Japan. However, that was to change as the Japanese surrender
in 1945 deprived him of his Japanese nationality; he now became a composer of the People's Republic of China
, and his name soon vanished from the Japanese music scene.
In Communist China, Jiang's cultural and political bonds to Japan and his aesthetic affinity with European modernism led him to be regarded as a traitor and a bourgeois. In order not to be expunged he was forced to recast his style of composition to comply with the more moderate taste of the government party. Events such as the Anti-Rightist Movement
in the 1950s and early 1960s, and the Cultural Revolution
in 1966 made him a political target. Some of his compositions, including three symphonies with opus numbers, seem to have disappeared in the midst of these charges.
In 1978 his honor was finally restored. By that time, however, he was afflicted with disease, and he died in Beijing in 1983.
Jiang Wen-Ye was a theme of the 2003 Japanese film Café Lumière
directed by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien
, which tells the story of a young Japanese woman doing research on the composer. His work is featured on the soundtrack, and his Japanese wife and daughter make appearances as themselves.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese composer, active mainly in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and later in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. While known in the West by his Chinese name, the three Chinese characters that form his name are pronounced "Kō Bunya" (こう ぶんや) in Japanese. In his compositions, which range from for piano to choral and orchestral works, he merged elements of traditional Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese music with modernist
Modernism (music)
Modernism in music is characterized by a desire for or belief in progress and science, surrealism, anti-romanticism, political advocacy, general intellectualism, and/or a breaking with the past or common practice.- Defining musical modernism :...
influences. Due to the political turmoil surrounding his life, he came to be largely forgotten during the latter part of his life. After his passing, however, his work has started to gain new recognition in East Asia as well as in the West.
Biography
Jiang was born in 1910 to Chinese parents in Tan-Shui, Taiwan – a Japanese territoryTaiwan under Japanese rule
Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....
at the time, and so his nationality was Japanese from the birth. In 1923, he came to Ueda, a small town in the prefecture of Nagano
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
, Japan, to attend secondary school. He later proceeded to the Tokyo Engineering and Commerce Advanced School (presently Musashi Institute of Technology
Musashi Institute of Technology
, often called for short, is a private university in Japan.The institute has four campuses, the Setagaya campus in Oyamadai, Setagaya, Tokyo being the main campus...
) where his major was electrical engineering. At the same time he also started to attend evening classes at the Tokyo Music School (today part of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
or is one of the oldest and most prestigious art schools in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju, Adachi, Tokyo...
).
Initially, he was active as a singer, and in 1932, discovered by his choir leader, he became a baritone singer for the Columbia Record Company
Columbia Music Entertainment
is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as . It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK Columbia trademarks in 1931. The company changed its name to Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. in 1946. It used the Nippon Columbia name until...
. A few years later he would become a member of the Opera Company led by one of Japan's foremost opera singers, Fujiwara Yoshie. In 1933 he married his first wife, a Japanese woman. Around this time, he also started studying composition under prominent composers Kosaku Yamada
Kosaku Yamada
was a Japanese composer and conductor.In many Western reference books his name is given as Kósçak Yamada. During his music study in the Imperial German capital of Berlin from 1910-13 he hated the times when people laughed at him because his "normal" transliteration of his first name "Kosaku"...
and Kunihiko Hashimoto
Kunihiko Hashimoto
was a Japanese composer, violinist, conductor, and musical educator. He was born in the Hongo district of Tokyo. In 1923, he entered the Tokyo Music School where he studied violin and conducting. In composition, he was largely self-taught, but later he would study that subject as a graduate...
. Soon he started to earn laurels as a composer himself, and a breakthrough came in 1936 when he submitted the orchestral work Formosan Dance to the Art Competition
Art competitions at the Olympic Games
Art competitions formed part of the modern Olympic Games during its early years, from 1912 to 1952. The competitions were part of the original intention of the Olympic Movement's founder, Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin...
of the Berlin Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
, which was awarded a bronze medal. Alexander Tcherepnin
Alexander Tcherepnin
Alexander Nikolayevich Tcherepnin was a Russian-born composer and pianist. His father, Nikolai Tcherepnin and his son, Ivan Tcherepnin were also composers, as are two of his grandsons, Sergei and Stefan. His son Serge was involved in the roots of electronic music and instruments...
who was visiting China and Japan at the time recognized Jiang's talent and published his works in Europe, the United States, and China.
In 1938, in the midst of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, Jiang was appointed professor of musical arts at the Teacher's College
Beijing Normal University
Beijing Normal University , colloqiually known as 北师大 or Beishida, is a public research university located in Beijing with strong emphasis on basic disciplines of humanities and sciences...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, which was then under Japanese control. The Japanese government considered him a valuable tool to gain the appeal of the general public of both nations. In the ensuing years, he commuted between Beijing and Tokyo, where his family still resided. During this time, Jiang (or Kō) was one of the most frequently played composers in Japan. However, that was to change as the Japanese surrender
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
in 1945 deprived him of his Japanese nationality; he now became a composer of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, and his name soon vanished from the Japanese music scene.
In Communist China, Jiang's cultural and political bonds to Japan and his aesthetic affinity with European modernism led him to be regarded as a traitor and a bourgeois. In order not to be expunged he was forced to recast his style of composition to comply with the more moderate taste of the government party. Events such as the Anti-Rightist Movement
Anti-Rightist Movement
The Anti-Rightist Movement of the People's Republic of China in the 1950s and early 1960s consisted of a series of campaigns to purge alleged "rightists" within the Communist Party of China and abroad...
in the 1950s and early 1960s, and the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
in 1966 made him a political target. Some of his compositions, including three symphonies with opus numbers, seem to have disappeared in the midst of these charges.
In 1978 his honor was finally restored. By that time, however, he was afflicted with disease, and he died in Beijing in 1983.
Renewed interest
Following his exoneration, Jiang is today gradually being rediscovered by a new generation of East Asians including audiences in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and Japan.Jiang Wen-Ye was a theme of the 2003 Japanese film Café Lumière
Café Lumière
is a 2003 Japanese film directed by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien for Shochiku as homage to Yasujiro Ozu, with direct reference to the late master's Tokyo Story . It premiered at a festival commemorating the centenary of Ozu's birth...
directed by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Hou Hsiao-Hsien is an award-winning film director and a leading figure of Taiwan's New Wave cinema movement.-Biography:...
, which tells the story of a young Japanese woman doing research on the composer. His work is featured on the soundtrack, and his Japanese wife and daughter make appearances as themselves.