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Chinese Choral Music Accessible in the United States: A in the Cantonese Christian Choral Database are short
Standardized IPA Guide for Chinese-language Works” hymns in hymnals.
(DMA diss., Indiana University, 2020); and Pingyi Song, 16 Numbers recorded as of January 2025. If there are multiple
“A New Approach to Mandarin Chinese Lyric Diction in editions of a work, the latest version is used for calcu-
Choral Music” (DMA diss., University of North Caroli- lation. As Chan Kai-young’s database relies heavily on
na at Greensboro, 2023). a composer’s submission through a Google form, works
2 The five pieces are “Niannujiao: Reminiscence at Chibi” by written before 2000 might have existed but not been doc-
Vincent Yip (Vol. I), “Remapping by Mak Chi-piu” (Vol. umented.
VI), “Ave Maria” by Clement Kong (Vol. VI), “Benevo- 17 “Songbooks,” Hong Kong Children’s Choir, accessed De-
lent” by Paul Lau (Vol. VI), “The Lamb that was Slain” cember 4, 2024, https://www.hkcchoir.org/en/songbooks.
by Antonio Riganti (Vol. VI). Prices range from $8 to $18 USD.
3 “Frequently Asked Questions,” Cantonese Language Asso- 18 The information about the concerts presented is based on
ciation, Brigham Young University, accessed December research conducted up to June 2025, to the best of the
17, 2024, https://cantoneselanguageassociation.byu. author’s knowledge. One of the concerts, performed by
edu/frequently-asked-questions. Fluente Chorus, can be found at https://youtube.com/
4 Stephen Matthews and Virginia Yip, Cantonese: A Comprehen- playlist?list=PLO8_dz6noKzo3TUfV1QDjay0U76c5I
sive Grammar (Routledge, 2011), 3. Yix&si=A52U3S6L0zL0PqCf.
5 The information about the concerts is based on research 19 “Schedule,” Decoding Cantonese Creativity, accessed De-
conducted up to June 2025 to the best of the author’s cember 2, 2024, https://www.cantonesecomposition.
knowledge. com/schedule-2608531243.html.
6 Shin-fung Hung, “From Singing ‘Out-of-Tone’ to Creat- 20 The full concert program of the Decoding Cantonese Creativ-
ing Contextualized Cantonese Contemporary Worship ity conference can be viewed here: Chan Kai-young, “From
Songs: Hong Kong in the Decentralization of Chinese Constraints to Creativity: Cantonese Choral Showcase
Christianity,” Religions 15, no. 6 (2024): 3. 2023,” uploaded November 18, 2013, YouTube, https://
7 The term Chinese is commonly understood as a written lan- www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-s_7EQvA-s.
guage, versus Mandarin or Cantonese, which are com- 21 To listen to the recording, see https://www.youtube.com/
monly understood as a spoken language. watch?v=_A-CsJdyK5k&list=RD_A-CsJdyK5k&start_
8 Hung, “From Singing ‘Out-of-Tone,’” 5. radio=1.
9 Matthews and Yip, Cantonese, 18. 22 John Winzenburg, ed., Half Moon Rising: Choral Music from
10 Daniel P. L. Law, Hong Kong Vocal Music Collection I (Chinese Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan (Peters
Christian Literature Council, 1998–1999), x. Edition, 2015).
11 Chan Kai-young, “Writing Choral Music in a Tone Lan- 23 Richard Tsang, ed., Tang Poetry for Choirs: A collection of original
guage: Problems, Practices and Potentialities,” TEMPO choral compositions by Hong Kong composers based on Tang-Dy-
(forthcoming), 3. nasty poetry, Volume II: for mixed and male voices (InTuition
12 Chan, “Writing Choral Music,” 3. Creative Learning, 2017).
13 “Database of Cantonese Choral Works,” Decoding Can- 24 Chan Kai-young, Constraints/Creativity: Cantonese Choral Works
tonese Creativity, last updated May 9, 2024, https:// für Studienzwecke (Studienpartitur) (Universal Edition,
www.cantonesecomposition.com/canto-choral-datab 2024), vocal score.
ase2429126481354412151221809360392600924235. 25 “CU Chorus Choral Series,” the Chinese University of Hong
html. Kong Chorus, accessed December 4, 2024, https://www.
14 “Cantonese Christian Choral Database,” Christian Renais- cuchorus.org.hk/scores?lang=en.
sance in Motion, accessed December 2, 2024, https:// 26 John Winzenburg, ed., Half Moon Rising: Choral Music from
choirdb.hk/. Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan (Edition
15 Numbers recorded as of January 2025. Leung’s database Peters, 2015).
has more works than Chan’s because many of the works

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