Commissioned Composition

Commissioned Composition of 2024 Competition: HOLY GRACE

‘Holy Grace’: NTD International Piano Competition Conveys Hope in Troubled Times

On Aug. 19, dozens of pianists around the world received for the first time the piano score for “Holy Grace,” a work that will premiere in October during the 2024 NTD International Piano Competition in New York City.

Shen Yun composer and pianist Qin Yuan arranged the commissioned piece for the 7th NTD International Piano Competition. (Courtesy of Qin Yuan)

Fans of the competition series may remember that each competition year, a unique new work—featuring a blend of Eastern and Western classical music—is commissioned and premiered. But this year’s piece is different. “Holy Grace,” a symphonic poem, is classical Chinese music for the piano.

Qin Yuan, an expert in transcribing ancient Chinese music for the piano, arranged “Holy Grace” from a melody authored by D.F., the artistic director of world-renowned Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Qin shared with The Epoch Times details of the process, including pivotal moments in the score, the works that inspired her, and her vision for the piece. Much of this will not be revealed until the competition takes place in New York City on Oct. 14 through 19 so as to not spoil the experience for pianists who will endeavor to play the piece, but what is clear is that there is much to discover and much to be gained.

At first glance, the score may look deceptively simple. In fact, several passages are, on a technical level, easy to play.

But soon enough, it becomes evident that the challenge of this piece lies not in the keyboard work, but in the pianist’s artistry. As all musicians know, just because you’ve hit the right notes, it doesn’t mean you’ve found the right sound.

In writing the piece, Qin utilized the entire range of the versatile piano, and each pianist will have to dig deep into their imagination and expression to bring out all of the tone colors and emotions in an interpretation closest to the composer’s vision and style.

‘Holy Grace’

A symphonic poem, also called a tone poem, is a one-movement musical form created in the late 19th century that bridges the space between music, fine arts, poetry, literature, and drama; and the works that inspired Qin included classical Chinese poems and Ming Dynasty landscape brush paintings. She has been a pianist with Shen Yun since 2017 and is immersed in the traditional Chinese culture that this New York-based company has taken as its mission to revive.

But the themes and ideas in “Holy Grace” are entirely universal.

“The prime thing this piece conveys is the Creator’s love for humanity,” Qin said in Chinese. “It should leave the performer and the listener with a sense of beauty and gratitude.”

How does one begin to explain God’s love?

Sometimes, it’s evident through joy, Qin said, but it’s also evident in suffering.

“In this chaotic world full of wars and disasters and illness, it’s clear a lot of things are out of our control,” she said. But even in the darkest of storms, we hold on when we see the light of hope—that’s faith, and but one way in which God’s love for humanity manifests, Qin said.

When one prays, hopes, and reflects, sometimes an answer just appears—this is yet another way that we can sense God watching over humanity with endless compassion, she said. No matter where we are or what we’ve done, “as long as you have the heart to find the truth, there is always a response,” Qin said.

“Whether good times or bad, people are never perfect. But when we repent and have the willingness to correct our mistakes, in these moments we can feel God’s love—as forgiveness, as guidance, and even the absolution of sin,” she said. “If even in the midst of suffering we can keep our compassion, have a heart of gratitude and humility and kindness, we find the path forward.”

God reaches out to us in different ways, if we are only willing to listen, Qin said, and when we do, the response is clear and inspiring.

“My starting point was to bring the pianist and listener a beautiful sonic experience,” she said. “In life, there are tribulations, and there is human vice, but behind everything in life is the compassion of the Creator.”

“I hope the pianists can have a pure mind and heart when performing it.”

Some Characteristics of Classical Chinese Music

As a practical note, listening to the original compositions of Shen Yun can help pianists get a feel for the modes and manner of classical Chinese music, as well as traditional Chinese culture.

The music of ancient China was typically written for a single instrument, such as the pipa (Chinese lute), guzhen (Chinese zither), or the erhu, a two-stringed and bowed instrument. These are all instruments with a tremendous range in pitch, dynamics, and distinctive sounds, and would be played solo or in a small ensemble.

Here, the emphasis is on the melody and, crucially, the feelings behind the melody. This differs greatly from the development of classical Western music later on, which is based on a comprehensive system and theory.

Pianists often think of the piano as representing a whole symphony orchestra; to play “Holy Grace,” it may be helpful to add into that orchestra Chinese instruments such as the erhu, guzhen, and pipa.

The Power of Traditional Music

The NTD International Piano Competition is one in a series of cultural events hosted by NTD TV as part of its mission to promote pure authenticity, pure goodness, and pure beauty.

Helen Li, deputy director of the NTD International Piano Competition, said “Holy Grace” epitomizes what makes the competition unique.

“In these days of chaos, music—especially good music—provides a sort of answer,” Li said. She said good music can bring us wisdom from the divine, the depth of human emotion, and the power to heal and comfort us after loss, and it can guide us to the future.

“We hope that through this competition, the pianists experience strong positive energy and inspiration that they will carry on long after the competition,” she said. “Whether it be humility, gratitude, or faith, these are messages that can only help the pianists strive forward in their career growth and artistry.”

The performing level of the contestants is higher than ever this year, as applicants include accomplished concert pianists and piano artists at the peak of their careers. They will travel from Europe, Asia, and across the Americas to participate in the competition in New York City. NTD will broadcast much of the competition, including performances from the semifinals and finals, the awards ceremony, and the gala concert concluding the five-day event.

Besides the commissioned piece, NTD’s piano competition only ever includes repertoire from the baroque, classical, and romantic periods. Li said that these periods comprise the “golden age” of classical piano repertoire, and were also periods in which music was composed to glorify God—both treasures that NTD wants to revitalize.

“We hope to achieve our mission of pure authenticity, pure goodness, and pure beauty through this commissioned composition, ‘Holy Grace,’” Li said.

From The Epoch Times

Commissioned Composition of 2022 Competition: THE SACRED JOURNEY

Silver Award/Best Rendition Award – Jiusi Zhang (China) (Best Rendition Award Winner of 2022)

Gold Award-Antonii Baryshevskyi (Ukraine) (Gold Award Winner of 2022)

‘The Sacred Journey’: A Monumental Challenge Awaits Pianists of the NTD International Piano Competition

After interruption by a global pandemic and a war, the 6th NTD International Piano Competition is fast approaching, and participating pianists are set to receive the much-awaited commissioned piece that serves as the centerpiece of the competition.

Shen Yun composer and pianist Qin Yuan arranged the commissioned piece for the 6th NTD International Piano Competition. (Courtesy of Qin Yuan)

On Sept. 15, pianists will see the work “The Sacred Journey” for the first time. They have 45 days to prepare for this monumental challenge, which will be played in the semi-final round.

Since 2016, the competition has made a special effort to commission a piano arrangement of a piece by D. F., the artistic director of Shen Yun Performing Arts, a world renowned music and dance company that has led the way in the revival of traditional Chinese culture through the arts.

The piano piece was arranged by Qin Yuan, a composer and piano accompanist with Shen Yun. Qin is a prolific composer with notable expertise in delivering the melodies and rhythms of ancient Chinese music through the language of classical music as it was established in the West. Many musicians around the world have tried their hand at combining the musical traditions of the East and West, but none so successfully as Shen Yun, which has wowed millions the world over with its unique compositions and orchestrations.

In past years, jury members have advised pianists to study Shen Yun’s music as they prepare the commissioned piece, as the work is given special weight. Classical music with a Chinese flavor is not common in competitions, at least not nearly as often as French, Russian, Polish, or the Austrian school—so established in the repertoire that a general listener can recognize their origin after a few bars, and a musician can explain why exactly that is so.

The special works commissioned by the NTD International Piano Competition receive acclaim from listeners and pianists alike; during the semi-final round both are often moved to tears. Perhaps it is also stirring to hear new, serious literature for the piano. When Beethoven expanded the repertoire with the Hammerklavier, he wrote that this could occupy pianists for the next 50 years, underestimating the zeal of composers of future centuries. Yet too few composers, even great composers, have added to the canon of great classical piano literature, but today the NTD International Piano Competition is making the effort.

“The Sacred Journey”—vast, virtuosic, and pianistic— is a work well worth the effort and study. Like other works of NTD’s commissioned works it serves to promote the pure authenticity, pure goodness, and pure beauty of traditional arts, and showcase the glory of piano masterpieces from the 250-year golden period of piano literature.

“There’s a common saying that the piano itself is a small orchestra, with its expansive range, expressivity, and dynamics, it’s a very fitting instrument for this undertaking,” Qin said.

A Message of Universal Relevance

Qin’s advice to the interpreters is this: “You must mind the details meticulously, carefully study it, and also—be bold.”

“I can’t give too many spoilers away, lest we encroach on the pianists’ imagination and freedom as they approach this work for the first time,” she said.

At the forefront of her mind when she began to compose was that the music would face an international audience. The competition has historically drawn scores of contestants from scores of different countries around the world, and Qin wanted to deliver a message of universal relevance. This would be a work that artists would contemplate for many hours, and she wanted it to be well worth that deep reflection.

“How can I let them contemplate something meaningful?” Qin thought.

It’s an ancient Chinese belief that mind and matter are one; every thought of the artists’ would appear in their works. For example, ancient China produced a great number of landscape paintings, Qin said, and these landscapes were not depictions of a view the artist saw. Rather, when viewing such a painting, you are experiencing the artist’s state of mind.

Qin had to first calm her mind, clear it of any stray thoughts, and keep only the purest of intentions before she wrote a single note.

In the end, her thoughts turned toward the three essential questions of life.

“Where do we come from? What is the purpose of life? Where do we go after death?” Qin asked. “To think about the spirit is meaningful. As a human being, we live a few decades, and then we pass. What we will leave behind for others? I found this important to contemplate as well.”

Shen Yun’s mission is the revival of 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, a culture believed to be divinely inspired, Qin explained. The entirety of this traditional culture was passed down by the divine, she said, “and what God has always given people is hope.”

In traditional cultures of both the East and the West, faith and hope are intertwined. Hope, as Thomas Aquinas examines thoroughly in his Summa Theologica, is only virtuous if one first has faith.

It is Qin’s wish that this piece brings a little hope to pianists and listeners alike.

“We human beings should preserve the kindness and goodness in our hearts, no matter the external circumstances—whether a pandemic, or a war—whatever chaos arises in the world around us, the one thing we can maintain is what is our our hearts, our goodness and dignity,” Qin said.

The Myth of Pentatonic Music

Any casual listener can tell if music sounds as if it is Chinese, but the technical and structural components of Chinese music—traditional, ancient Chinese music—are beyond most of us.

“A lot of people think it’s based on a pentatonic scale—but it’s actually not. In ancient China there were three scales most commonly used, but all three of these were seven-note scales,” Qin said. “They really used the same notes as the ones you find in Western classical music. But what’s different is how the notes are used and arranged; the musical rules are then entirely different.”

Qin spoke of studying ancient Chinese arts the way pianists study not just Bach’s scores, but his life, in order to understand what the devout Lutheran had left behind in his music. It meant looking at those landscape paintings, and knowing what poems were composed in tandem with the paintings. It was reading the Chinese classic “The Journey to the West” while understanding what the author had gone through in life before he penned the story. Being immersed in this culture is part of what makes Qin one of the foremost composers of music that seamlessly blends East and West. Her works include the music heard in dance performances, where ancient Chinese melodies are brought to life with the arrangement and grandeur of a classical orchestra.

“The pipa and the erhu—both of which we include in our orchestras—are two of the most distinct Chinese instruments,” Qin said.

These two instruments are very characteristic of Chinese music, and so understanding them a bit is key to understanding how to express the music appropriately.

“The pipa is an instrument that is strummed and plucked, many individual and separate notes are played, but the effect is a long unbroken line—it’s very interesting, and I like this instrument a lot,” Qin said.

“The erhu is the instrument closest to the human voice; it has only two strings, which are bowed to be played, but the expressive range and power is tremendous,” Qin said. Many have made a comparison between the instrument’s two strings and the two bands that form our vocal chords; it is an instrument often used to express distinct emotion, from sorrow to mischief, longing to exaltation.

“There’s probably a lot of different ways to interpret the music, but I tried to leave very clear directions,” said Qin, who pored over the score with the publisher over and over, minding even the amount of space printed between two notes. “So the interpreter as a lot of freedom, but can still find their way.”

The 6th NTD International Piano Competition will take place in New York with the semifinal round on Oct. 31, final round on Nov. 1, and the awards ceremony with concert on Nov. 2. All three days will be livestreamed. For more information on NTD Competitions, visit Competitions.NTDTV.com

From The Epoch Times

Commissioned Composition of the 2019 Competition: The Triumph of Goodness

Piano Talks – Ep. 7 “Triumph of Goodness”
© NTD. All rights reserved.
Watch Full Program on Inspired Original

It is our great honor to be permitted to select and rearrange one of the vocal pieces composed by world-renowned composer and Artistic Director of Shen Yun Performing Arts – D. F. – to be this competition’s Commissioned Composition. Pianists who make it to the semi-finals will have the opportunity to perform this specially commissioned composition. A “Best Rendition Award of the Commissioned Composition” is established for the competition.

Inheriting the characteristics of the Music of Shen Yun, the Commissioned Composition features the perfect harmony of Eastern and Western classical music. The Western piano serves as a foundation, accentuating the distinct sound of Chinese classical music. The bedrock of soul-stirring melodies from the ancient Middle Kingdom is fully brought to life by a Western instrument, the piano. The perfect harmony of Eastern and Western classical music is what makes the Commissioned Composition unique.

The Organization Committee will send the sheet music of the Commissioned Composition to all qualified contestants 45 days prior to the live competition.