Please note that Cantonese Musical Notation and Tuning Systems on 8 December 2020 (Tuesday) will now take place online and not in the Xiqu Centre. Details will be announced on www.westkowloon.hk soon.

One of the ancient systems of musical notation used for traditional Chinese music is Gongche notation (or gongchepu), in which each note is represented by a Chinese character. This system is still commonly used for notating Kunqu and Cantonese opera scores and Cantonese music.

In this series of two 101 talks, members of The Gong Strikes One provide live demonstrations of how to read gongche music sheets, and talk with experts in the field to offer insight into various aspects of this traditional notation form.

Talk 1: Literati Manuscripts｜Talk 2: Cantonese Musical Notation and Tuning Systems

Talk 1: Literati Manuscripts

In conversation with Lee King-chi, Kunqu researcher Cheung Lai-chun introduces the music and song culture of the Chinese literati and looks at gongche manuscripts used in Kunqu.

Date:
1 December 2020 (Tuesday)

Time:
7:30pm–9:00pm

Venue:
Seminar Hall, 2/F, Xiqu Centre and live-streaming

Speaker:
Cheung Lai-chun

Moderator:
Lee King-chi

Register to attend the event at the Xiqu Centre

Register to attend online

Talk 2: Cantonese Musical Notation and Tuning Systems

In a talk featuring live demonstrations by Chan Chi-kong, guqin player and expert in Chinese tuning systems Dr Tse Chun-yan discusses how to interpret the tuning systems in Cantonese music through the gongche musical notation.

Date:
8 December 2020 (Tuesday)

Time:
7:30pm–9:00pm

The talk will be conducted through YouTube. Registered participants will receive a streaming link for the session with their confirmation email.

Speaker:
Tse Chun-yan

Moderator:
Lee King-chi

Demonstrator:
Chan Chi-kong

Register to attend online

Language:
Cantonese

Fee:
Free admission. Limited capacity on a first come, first served basis. Please register online in advance.

Enquiries:
Please contact Ms Chan at (852) 2200 0812 during office hours or email learning@wkcda.hk.

Remarks:
For the safety of participants, visitors, artists and staff, please note the following health precautions:

• Please bring your own mask and wear it at all times in the venue.
• Temperature checks will be carried out before admission. Visitors showing a temperature of 37.5°C or above will not be able to participate.
• If you have travelled outside of Hong Kong in the past 14 days or are wearing a home quarantine tracking wristband, please wait until your quarantine period is over before visiting West Kowloon.
• Special Arrangements in Response to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Accessibility Services:
Live Cantonese audio description and Hong Kong sign language interpretation are available upon request with at least 14 days’ advance notice. Wheelchair accessible seats and companion seats are available on a first come, first served basis. Please request at least four days in advance.

Adverse Weather Arrangements:
If a black rainstorm warning or a typhoon signal no. 8 or above is in force three hours before the start of the event, the event will be rescheduled or cancelled.