Sound Description
Turning a corner from the busy main road, you find yourself under rows of banyan trees with clear and majestic flowing streams. A woman carrying an umbrella gracefully walks by. Perhaps the sound of water and bird songs accompanies her, and your mood settles down.
Crossing the Greenery
Shui-an Temple
Creative Statement
The music design in this segment focuses on echoing Professor Laila Fan’s concept of having water sounds and bird songs accompany and soothe the mood. Therefore, warm and ethereal synthesizers and improvisational guitar playing are used in the music design. This is complemented by the bird songs from the treetops and the soothing sound of flowing water, creating a comfortable atmosphere where the music resonates and blends with the soundscape.
Sound Description
Since 1684, the sounds of seeking guidance from gods and divination have never ceased. The old temple and the old street have unique sounds, but the desire for peace has remained the same throughout history. Seeking answers is like making a phone call, always hoping for a response from the heavens.
Echoes of Life
Nantun
Creative Statement
The music design in this segment aims to echo the concept of seeking guidance and divination from gods, similar to making a phone call. Therefore, the music deliberately retains the ringtone of the LINE communication app from the soundscape materials and uses it as a motif. Using the cello, which resonates with human voice frequencies, as a symbol of one’s heart, the composition blends in the sounds of divination. It draws lots to depict the devout communication between the worshipers and the heavens.
Sound Description
Children from Yongchun Elementary School play basketball on the playground before lunch and feel a sense of freedom when the school bell rings. Nearby, the mosque sends waves of the midday call to prayer, and the plainchant carries a sense of tranquility. In the distance, the temple’s dojo also produces different music. Amidst the bustling environment, they sing in harmony.
Dynamic Melodies
Feng-le Park
Creative Statement
Within the soundscapes, the dismissal bell from Yongchun Elementary School, the call to prayer from the mosque, and the songs from the temple’s practice hall, these soundscapes come together like a fugue, each with its theme yet blending into one harmonious whole. Therefore, in the music composition, to align with Professor Laila Fan’s concept of mutual counterpoint in soundscapes, a post-production approach is used to adjust the tonality of each soundscape. The canon technique is also employed to create a musical piece where various musical phrases intertwine, creating a dynamic composition.
