Taiwanese choral music: History and use of traditional aboriginal music in selected works

The purpose of this study is to present the development and the characteristics of Taiwanese choral music based on traditional Taiwanese aboriginal music. While research in the field of Taiwanese choral works based on other Chinese and Taiwanese folk song style has become a focus of studies, the examination of choral works with aboriginal music materials is yet in its beginning stage, and no current research focusing on this genre has been done until now.The first chapter introduces the background of Taiwan, Taiwanese aborigines, and their music. The second chapter consists of a review of literature and a chronological presentation that discuss Taiwanese choral music. The third chapter contains a list of contemporary Taiwanese composers with introductions to and a catalogue of their choral works based on traditional aboriginal music. The fourth chapter gives an analysis of eight selected works and shows the aboriginal music elements used in these works. The fifth chapter summarizes the discussion and concludes with findings from the analysis.The Appendices are an anthology of the eight selected works that are discussed in this essay