Jockey Club New Arts Power JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power, launched in 2017, is an annual Arts Festival presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council with the funding support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The Festival brings together established and emerging local artists to produce creative, approachable and engaging arts experiences for all.
In the past four editions, 43 arts groups have participated in the Festival. Together they produced 90 live performances and a remarkable number of major exhibitions. Uniting art groups and various organisations from the social welfare, academic and commercial sectors, the festival held over 550 community and school events, reaching some 460,000 participants. JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power 2021 / 2022 has been launched in September 2021, featuring a total of 6 selected programmes that include dance, theatre, music, as well as presenting more than 100 community and school activities.
Table of Content About Théâtre de la Feuille ............................................................................................... 2 About #1314 ....................................................................................................................... 3 A dialogue between Ata Wong and Chow Yiu-fai: Between Poetry and Theatre .......... 4 About Sonnets .................................................................................................................... 6 Characteristics of Shakespearean Sonnets ....................................................................... 8 Chinese Poetry and Lyrics ................................................................................................ 11 Cantonese Lyrics .............................................................................................................. 14 (Note: The English version is translated from the Chinese version. In case of discrepancies between the two versions, the Chinese version shall prevail.)
JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power
#1314 · 1 ·
About Théâtre de la Feuille Founded in 2010 in Paris by Wong Chun Tat (Ata), Théâtre de la Feuille is currently based in Hong Kong. Théâtre de la Feuille is made up of 20 performers from different countries and backgrounds who diligently polish their craft by receiving regular training devised by the company, in order to grow as a team that is collectively fluent in self-expression and abundant in creative energy. The artistic approach of the company is to blend elements East-and-West, where the Western pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq interweaves with the traditional arts of the East. Its recent works include L’Orphelin, Mad Man, Papa and The Lost Adults. Not only does Théâtre de la Feuille produce high-quality theatre that experiments with a diverse range of genres and topics, it also aims to glean as much overseas touring experience as possible. It has undertaken 200 overseas tours, performing in over 80 locations, including the United States, France, Italy, Croatia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and different cities in China. Ata is one of the very few graduates of Chinese descent to have completed the twoyear Introductory Course and The Laboratory of Movement Study at École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq (Jacques Lecoq). In addition to his training, Wong also attended the Jacques Lecoq teaching certification in 2018.
JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power
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About #1314 For canker vice the sweetest buds doth love
“A wealth of poetry is delivered by eccentric bodily movements, inflicting fierce collision between bodies and discourses. Unrestrained and illogical, #1314 offers a theatre experience more lifelike than the reality.” Shakespeare’s sonnets illustrate all forms of human love and desire, pondering repeatedly on whether one should commit or not. Flattery leads to degeneration; even the most refined verses are unable to disguise our candid bodily reactions. Produced by Théâtre de la Feuille and premiered in 2016, #1314 presents bloodstained love affairs and romantic killings through the collision of poetic bodies and words. Wearing the fanciest costumes, uttering the gentlest verses, and clutching fists of violence, the actors portray a sense of sentimentality that deals rounds of devastating blows to human’s will. Fear arises out of love. Scuffling and killing each other, the devoted but wounded lovers perpetually sustain their relationship with determination. Online Short Film of #1314
All content of #1314 originates from Shakespearean sonnets. Verses are transformed to music and lyrics, constituting an experience detached from quotidian life. The online short film of #1314 featured songs of different genres: folks and rock, etc. The Chinese translation of lyrics were crafted by the actors. Formerly known as 14, #1314 made its debut at Beijing Fringe Festival in 2016 and was produced as online short film during early 2021. The picture was made with one single long take, which corresponds to Ata Wong’s theatre approach of consistency and establishes a third person perspective through the camera.
Online Short Film
JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power
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A dialogue between Ata Wong and Chow Yiu-fai: Between Poetry and Theatre Ata Wong has invited Chow Yiu-fai to composed lyrics of 13 pieces in #1314. While Wong is specialised in physical theatre manifested with actors’ physical bodies, Chow, as a renowned lyricist, penned countless popular songs over the past three decades. This first collaboration of theirs is bound to generate unconventional chemistry.
Ata Wong Chow Yiu-fai Artistic Director, Renowned Lyricist / Théâtre de la Feuille Professor, Department of Humanities & Creative Writing, HKBU Tension between Poetry and Cast
Adapting Shakespearean sonnets, Théâtre de la Feuille rearranged certain verses or a whole poem for #1314. The performance is verbalised in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Wong believes that, as a genre, poetry has its own charm. “I relish the distance in a poem; its words create heaps of space and tension for elucidating and interpreting.” In the short film of #1314, Chow managed to recognise two kinds of tensions that he found reverting. The first was the resonance between words and actors. “The deliberate digression from the meaning of lines by the actors has created a form of resonance,” explained Chow. As Wong added, he purposefully asked his actors to avoid “playing” the actual poems directly. Instead, it is their states through which a distinctive dramatic tension is being portrayed. Such move echoes with, in Chow’s own verbatim, the second kind of tension: “Although some lines tend to convey a poetic and gentle mood, the bodies of actors remain highly strung, leading to an interesting conflict.” Chow hoped, with rewritten lyrics by him and his team, he would open a conversation with the actors instead of contriving lines for them. In Wong’s view, words form the basis of narrative. On the execution of a theatre show, he adopts a human-oriented approach. The stage barely has any theatrical settings. The states of ensemble - converging, dispersing, active, and stationary construct a space that initialised from human beings and allows audience to perceive and express feelings that flow within. Without the need for fulfilling the narrative function, Chow and his team enjoyed a great deal of freedom in confronting such an enjoyable and audacious challenge.
JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power
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Love and the Out-of-balance Relationship
In Chinese culture, “1314” is the homophony of “lifelong” (yisheng yishi). However, it suggests an entirely different meaning for the show. “The number 2 is missing in 1314. Lovers who are unable to be together are in an out-of-balance condition.” Wong believes such an unequal relationship stems from the act of unilaterally coercing your partner and loving yourself more than the other. What are we talking about when we talk about love? Chow maintains that the abundance of texts about love – love songs, sonnets, and song of songs from the Bible – demonstrate how love deeply intertwines with our life. There has been an ongoing reverberation between the two.
JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power
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About Sonnets The dialogues and lyrics of #1314 are developed from sonnets by Shakespeare. So what characterises the genre? Where does it originate from? The Origin of Sonnet
The term sonnet is derived from the Italian word sonetto, meaning "little song" literally. It does not necessarily refer to a poem with 14 lines. It is believed that Giacomo da Lentini, a court poet of Roman Empire, began to write about courtly love with sonnet in the 13th century. He is recognised as the inventor of the genre, and his contemporaries who employ the same poetic form is known as the Sicilian School. It was Dante Alighieri and Francesco Petrarch, especially the latter, who further promoted this form of literary art during Renaissance. Italian sonnets, primarily written from the men’s perspective, express one’s adoration for women as well as unrequited love. The Introduction of Sonnets to England
Sonnet was introduced from Italy to the English world in the 16th century. The first known sonnet in English was the translation of Petrarch’s poem by politician and poet Sir Thomas Wyatt. Apart from translations, Wyatt’s friend Henry Howard formulated the attributes that distinguished English sonnets from their Italian counterparts. The two noblemen were credited as “Fathers of English sonnet”. The structure and rhyme scheme invented by Howard were observed by Shakespeare in writing his sonnets, which appeared later in history and established its status as the English literature canon. Shakespearean Sonnets
Featuring 154 poems, Shakespeare’s Sonnets were published in 1609. Devoid of individual titles, the texts were generally collected in numerical order, e.g. Sonnet 27, which we will discuss in details. Apart from the 154 poems, Shakespeare penned 6 other sonnets for his plays, including Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare’s Sonnets cover a diversity of themes. Other than love, they revolve around time, mortality, desires, and procreation. The titles are also arranged according to their topics.
JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power
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The collection can be divided into two categories: •
Sonnets 1 to 126 are dedicated to a “Fair Youth”. The sequence begins with the poet urging the young man to father children as they are the continuation of his life. The remaining parts centred on the admiration for the young man’s beauty and the friendship between the poet and protagonist.
•
Sonnets 127 to 154 are devoted to the Dark Lady, depicting the lust for her and the suffering that ensues.
There have been divergent views on whether there existed real entities symbolised by the Fair Youth and the Dark Lady and whether the first-person narration in his verses refers to Shakespeare himself. Nonetheless, the influence on English literature casted by his poems is as substantial as his plays do. William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (1564 – 161) is regarded as the most preeminent playwright and poet in the history of English literature. While there was little record for his early life, he already rose to fame during the 1590’s; his creative peak lasted until 1613. During the initial period he penned such outstanding comedies and histories as The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night's Dream. After 1608, his works were dominated by tragedies epitomised by Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare has distinguished himself as a classic figure in world literature; a plethora of his expressions are quoted by English speakers. Furthermore, Shakespeare is a celebrated poet particularly recognised for his sonnets.
JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power
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Characteristics of Shakespearean Sonnets Shakespearean sonnets follow a particular standard of structure, rhyme, and form. Let’s explore them with the poem delivered in #1314. The video clip captures the singing recital of Sonnet 27 in English by its actors. Sonnet 27 quatrain stanza
Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed, The dear repose for limbs with travel tired; But then begins a journey in my head To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired.
Rhyme A B A B
quatrain stanza
For then my thoughts (from far where I abide), Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee, And keep my drooping eyelids open wide, Looking on darkness which the blind do see.
C D C D
quatrain stanza
Save that my soul’s imaginary sight Presents thy shadow to my sightless view, Which, like a jewel (hung in ghastly night), Makes black night beauteous and her old face new.
E F E F
couplet
Lo! Thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind, For thee and for myself no quiet find.
G G
Structure
In most cases, an English sonnet consists of 3 stanzas possessing 4 lines each (quatrain) and ends with a couplet. The Italian counterpart is split into two stanzas of 8 and 6 lines respectively. The overall attributes of Shakespeare’s sonnets: •
The first three stanzas create an atmosphere or emotion or narrates a particular problem and situation. The poem occasionally takes a sharp turn and unfolds with a twist in the third stanza.
•
The ending couplet generally conclude, transcend or deepen one’s contemplation. They may even totally deny the content of the first three stanzas and bring forth an utterly new perspective.
The first three stanzas in Sonnet 27 describe a traveller who, despite of his weariness, is unable to sleep; he imagines himself embarking on the journey of returning to his partner. The final couplet winds up his lovesickness: physical fatigue during daytime and mental tiredness at night.
JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power
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Rhyme Scheme
Exercise Sonnet 27 consists of a number of rhymed words. Try to read them aloud. You should be able to notice the same mouth shape and sound when you are pronouncing the latter half of each pair of syllables. Bed Tired Abide Thee Sight View Mind
Head Expired Wide See Night New Find
In an English sonnet, alternate rhymes are employed for the first three stanzas. The ending rhymes for each stanza may be different, they remain the same for the final couplet. Such rhyme scheme is commonly denoted as “ABAB CDCD EFEF GG”. Take the example of Sonnet 27 on the previous page, the same rhyme is used for line 1 and 3 (bed, head) and line 2 and 4 (tired, expired). A new pair of rhymes are seen in each stanza. The final couplet rhyme with “mind” and “find”. The rhyme scheme of English sonnets stands a stark difference from their Italian counterparts, which render the enclosing rhyme – ABBAABBA – for the first 8 lines. The second stanza, having 6 lines, tends to operate with another rhyme with a more diversified format such as CDCCDC or CDECDE. Metre
Both English and Italian Sonnets follow iambic pentametre. Each line is written with 10 syllables; an unstressed one is followed by a stressed one. This could be deemed as the most prominent feature of a sonnet. Exercise The second line Sonnet 27 observes closely the iambic pentametre. Read it aloud and feel the alternately stressed syllable. The X
/dear /
/re /X
/pose /for / /X
/limbs /with / /X
/tra /
/vel /
/tired /
The reassuring quality of iambic pentametre may be explained by its alternating pattern that is akin to that of heartbeat. Could you notice the rhythm of the above line when you are reciting it?
JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power
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Shakespeare is fond of the metre of iambic pentameter, which can be found in a majority of dialogue and sonnets from his plays. Undoubtedly, the literary effect is also achieved by the occasional violation of norms. For instances, in the following line, the first word “weary” shows an inverted sequence of stressed and unstressed syllables deviating from the metre’s convention. Wea /
/ry /X
/with /X
/toil /
/I /X
/haste /me / /X
/to /
/my /X
/bed /
You may not have to fathom every word and line in order to appreciate a poem. Try to perceive its imageries and similes or simply enjoy its beauty by feeling its rhymes and tempo through reciting. Exercise Listen again to the recitation of Sonnet 27 by the actor from “#1314”. Performed on a theatrical stage, does it inspire any unusual thoughts about its rhymes and metre?
JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power
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Chinese Poetry and Lyrics Despite the popularity of the term “Tang Poetry and Song Lyrics”, these literary genres emerged well before the Tang or Song dynasties. The Classic of Poetry, complied in Spring and Autumn Period in Zhou Dynasty is considered as the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry. Since the Han Dynasty, the art of poetry has been practised by scholars, who favoured a more liberal poetic format than that of gushi (ancient style poetry). The requirement of rhyme and metre became comprehensive and stringent later in the Tang Dynasty, known as jintishi (modern style poetry). There have been differing views on the origin of lyrics, or ci. Some argue that it was introduced along with Middle East music during the Tang dynasty. Initially, ancient tunes were sung along with poetry by scholars. Afterwards, they modified the number of characters by considering the melody and therefore produced ci, whose advancement reached its zenith during the Song dynasty. Scores were drafted before their lyrics by then. Nowadays, while the sheet music was lost, ci has been handed down to generations. The lyrics in #1314 take inspiration from Shakespeare’s sonnets. During the formulation of these Chinese verses, it could be the themes or phrases being brought up first. The process echoes interestingly with the conceiving of ci in Song Dynasty. Regarding its format, the Chinese dialogue and lyrics in #1314 bear more relevance to modern poetry, which only began to prevail during the onset of the 21st century. Chinese poetry is profound and deep. Here in this booklet we only compare Chinese poems and sonnets according to their rhyme schemes and metre. It is palpable that the beauty of cadence is desired by poets from both the East and the West.
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History Structure Rhyme scheme
Sonnet
Chinese Poetry (jintishi)
Chinese Lyrics (ci)
Chinese Modern Poetry
Sonnet gained its popularity in Italy in the 13th century and was introduced to England in the 16th century.
With a long-standing history, poetry matured to its prime during the pinnacle of Tang Dynasty (approx. the 8th century).
Ci has its origin traced back to the Tang Dynasty and ascended to its acme during the Song Dynasty (approx. the 11th Century).
Containing 14 lines in total, an English sonnet can be divided into three quatrains (4-line stanzas) plus a final couplet (2-line stanza).
The style can be categorised by the line length of 5 or 7 characters per line; or categorised by 4 or 8 lines per poem.
Composed for music, the length and number of characters are dependent on individual tunes. These tunes are called cipai.
The New Culture Movement in early 20th Century promoted writing with ordinary vernacular and abandoned ancient Chinese. There is no strict requirement on rhyme structures but influences from Western poetry are deep-seated.
Alternate rhymes are used and may vary. The final couplet end with the same rhyme.
Metre
Iambic pentameter – an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed one. Deviations are occasionally acceptable.
Quiet Night Thoughts (Jin Ye Shi) is a poem read by almost every Chinese child. It is a typical poem with 4 lines and 5 characters each. Even numbered lines end with the same rhyme throughout the poem. The rhymed words are of level tone; lines of odd number are unrhymed. The first line may or may not rhyme. The effect of metre is sustained by the system of tonality, which is further divided into level and deflected tones. Their pattern is regulated according to certain standards.
A majority of cipai is divided into two halves, each featuring the same pattern of lines. They take a much more lenient approach on rhymes than poetry does. Both consistent rhyme and alternate rhyme can be deployed.
During the New Culture Movement, there were poets who attempted to write sonnets in Chinese. One of these was Withdrawal (Shou Hui) by Wen Yiduo.
Each tune has its own pattern of tonality. Since ci is designed to accompany the melody, it shows a more rigid requirement on tonal pattern. The requirement is even more demanding for Cantonese lyrics. It will be further discussed in the following section.
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Below are the two examples cited above, translated into English. Quiet Night Thoughts Li Bai
Bright moonlight before my bed I suppose it is frost on the ground. I raise my head to view the bright moon, then lower it, thinking of my home village.
Withdrawal Wen Yiduo
That day if Fate fan only release us, Don’t be afraid; although we must walk through a dark cave, Go bravely, let me take your hand, There is no need to ask from where blows that gust of dark wind. Only remember what I have said today, keep in your heart The handful of tenderness, the petals of kisses, keep those flames of laughter in your heart, Pick them all up, without losing one – remember words, Pick them up, and the string of coral– coloured heart-beat. I am sorry you have been grieved today – thirsty heart longing for heart – That time I should have let you pick them up, pick them to your heart’s content. Pick up the precious time that we have lost today. Those few mottled fading petals that were our love, Pick them up, and put them on. You have put on the halo of love, Let us go on again, whether it is Hell of Heaven
JOCKEY CLUB New Arts Power
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Cantonese Lyrics In the current version of #1314, there are several songs written and sang in Cantonese lyrics. Let’s probe into the challenge in devising Cantonese lyrics. As a common phenomenon among Cantonese lyrics, characters with tones unmatched to pitches are often mistaken as other words. Accompanied by music, Cantonese lyrics easily have their meanings altered, causing confusion for audience at times. The same problem does not concern lyrics in Mandarin Chinese or English though. Certain scenes of # 1314 contain singings of Shakespeare’s sonnets in original English. Their scores, in whatever style, do not give rise to any misunderstanding of verbal content. This problem, unique to Cantonese, is caused by the dialect’s complex tonal system. Syllable with a slightly varied tone will be interpreted as another character. Tonal System in Cantonese
The four tones in Chinese are level, rising, falling, and entering. The Cantonese dialect further divides these four tones into nine tones, by differentiating the first three each into yin (higher pitch) and yang (lower pitch), and the entering tone into three tones yin, middle, and yang. Pronunciations of characters in the three entering tones is slightly different from the other six. A syllable that ends in nasals, that is ending in -m, -n and -ng, will change to a checked sound ending in -p, -t and -k respectively. Tonal Pattern – Level and Oblique
As its name suggests, level refers to level tone; oblique tones, on the other hand, are rising, falling, and entering tones. The four tones are but high and low pitches. As a result, the regulation of tonal pattern in poetry is reasonably justified, as it generates the metre and makes the lines catchy. Likewise, lyrics, which have to fit in the melody, have a stricter demand on tones. Some linguists argued that Cantonese, by retaining the entering tone, bears a stronger resemblance to ancient Chinese pronunciations. It is therefore easier to verify the tonal pattern of poetry through a Cantonese recital. Comparing with Cantonese, the tonality in Mandarin is less complicated. And English is not a tonal language. Consequently, the issue of unmatched tones does not bother lyrics in these dialects.
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Extended reading Cantonese Phonics Express The Independent Learning Centre, Chinese University of Hong Kong The website systemically introduces Cantonese vowels, consonants, and tunes. It also makes simple comparison of tunes between Cantonese and Mandarin. The website offers a practical means for learning Cantonese at the beginning level.
Participating Art Group: Théâtre de la Feuille Publisher: Hong Kong Arts Development Council Editor: Cultural Connections Design: PAPAPER Date: December, 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the copyright owner. All content is solely produced by the creative team. The views and opinions expressed do not represent the stand of the Council nor the Funder.
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