Music in Taiwan
Taiwan's unique geographical location and historical background has allowed people to listen and create a great variety of music. Taiwanese musicologists have developed this website in consideration of this cultural diversity. It is therefore divided into three main themes: aboriginal music, Han music and contemporary creation. We wish to provide the result of our researches and archives to whom is interested in Taiwan's music. This information is backed up by integration of multi-media databases, digitalization and internet or web technology.
1- Aboriginal Music
Taiwan's indigenous people belong to Austronesia, and they have been divided into 13 different tribes, plus another urban tribe – the Ping-Pu tribe. Nevertheless, it is possible to have an even more detailed differentiation since new theories emerging all the time regarding this subject.
Despite their difference and evolution, aboriginal tribes hold an undoubtedly important status in Taiwan's historical civilizational development. Regarding the development of the whole Austronesia, Taiwan's indigenous people carry significant archeological meaning. Scholars consider Taiwan as one of the starting point of Austronesia. It is also closely connected to the southern Chinese culture. The development of Taiwan's aboriginal tribe's civilizations is formed by Taiwan's unique geographical location. The social institutions, religious beliefs, living habits and many other aspects of Taiwan's indigenous people display a lot of different complex systems and they are still being practiced in Taiwan.
Bunun
Amis
Tsou
Atayal
Rukai
Puyuma
Paiwan
Saisiyat
Pingpu tribes
Tau/Tao
Sediq
Thao
Kavalan
2- Han Music
Han people in Taiwan are immigrants from China since the middle of 17th century. The music they brought to Taiwan also has an intimate connection with China. As time goes by, some aspects of Taiwan's Han people's music has remained like the classical Chinese style from the Han or Tang dynasties, but other aspects of the Han music have evolved into unique styles which are different from those in today's China.
This part of Taiwan's contemporary music introduces musical creations emanating from music's educational system, especially works under influence of western music education and these works' styles are different from contemporary popular music. Retrieved back from our music history, the beginning of western music entered in Taiwan during the colonization by Holland and Spain (1624-1662). The resource was church music. Then in Ming and Chin dynasties (1662-1895), missioners came to preach and establish schools. Their involvement allowed the foundation of western music. Later on, during the Japanese colonization (1895-1945), the music education taught in the school was mainly of western music, henceforth making its roots in Taiwan.
We divide Han music in Taiwan into 6 types: folk song, oral-literature performance, operas, instrumental music, dance music and ritual music. Each type has quite broad music content and they are all important heritage from our ancestors. Folk music is based on features of different tribes; oral-literature performance comes from different sources; and the combination of music, theater, or religious ritual all display the diversity and richness of Taiwan's music.
Nanguan
Pak-koan (Beiguan)
Hakka Ba-Yin
Folksongs
Liam-kua-a
Tai Ping Ge
Chao-diao music
Taoist Music
3- Contemporary Creation
The church music was constrained under the Japanese colonization, but with constant religious activities, the church music remained active along with the western music education promoted by Japanese. Under the western music education's influence, new development and creation styles appear constantly and evolved into 21st century. After the Second World War, the government at that time brought many musicians from China during the power transition. Some of these musicians entered into academicals institutions, some performed in bands and they all made exchange with local Taiwanese musicians, and thus a new page appeared in Taiwanese western music.