Prominent Taiwanese composer Tyzen Hsiao (蕭泰然) passed away at his residence in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday morning at the age of 77 from multiple organ failure after battling lung cancer for two years.
Hsiao’s son, Joseph Hsiao (蕭傑仁), yesterday confirmed the news on Facebook, saying: “My father, is now in heaven today as of 9:10am. No more pain and suffering.”
The post also called on the public and media not to disturb him with calls, as he still needed time to grieve.
Photo courtesy of the Tyzen Hsiao Culture and Education Foundation
Known as “Taiwan’s Rachmaninoff,” after legendary Russian composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninov, Tyzen Hsiao was born in Kaohsiung on Jan. 1, 1938.
He studied music at National Taiwan Normal University and Musashino Academia Musicae before relocating to the US in 1977.
Tyzen Hsiao was known primarily for his efforts to “use the spirit of Taiwanese folk melody as the core and meld it into the classical, romantic, impressionistic and modern styles of music to form the basis for the neo-Taiwanese music style.”
His works include three concertos, composed from 1988 to 1990: 1947 Overture (一九四七序曲), composed in memory of the 228 Incident; Love Taiwan (嘸通嫌台灣), a piece which many believe caused Tyzen Hsiao to be blacklisted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government; and Formosan Angels (福爾摩莎的天使).
The 228 Incident refers to an uprising that began on Feb. 27, 1947, against the authoritarian KMT regime of the time and the resulting brutal crackdown that left tens of thousands dead and led to nearly four decades of martial law.
Despite being diagnosed with lung cancer after a visit to Taiwan in 2012, Tyzen Hsiao nonetheless made several appearances last year at multiple concerts held in his name in the US, and helped the Taiwan Center Foundation of Greater Los Angeles raise funds for their events.
Many of Tyzen Hsiao’s friends in Los Angeles said they were sad to hear the news of his passing.
The Shepherds of the Valley Presbyterian Church in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles, also said it would hold a memorial service for him on March 14.
Minister of Culture Hung Meng-chi (洪孟啟) expressed his sadness upon hearing of Tyzen Hsiao’s passing, and said the ministry was already in the process of applying for an official commendation for him.
Tyzen Hsiao completed nearly 100 compositions, including concertos and symphonies, and his influence would continue to resonate among music lovers for years, Hung said.
Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) posted on Facebook her sadness at hearing of the composer’s passing.
His works will become an asset that all Taiwanese will have in common, Tsai wrote, adding that it was also due to his efforts that many folk melodies in the nation had become popular overseas.
“Taiwan is not absent on the ethnic musical map; may he rest in peace,” Tsai wrote.
Taipei Department of Information and Tourism Commissioner Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) said the nation needed a song to “help us coalesce our mutual historical memories,” after posting a recording of Taiwan the Green (台灣翠青), which is regarded by Taiwan independence supporters as a candidate for the national anthem.
Taiwan the Green is a poem written by the late John Jyigiokk (鄭兒玉), a Taiwan Presbyterian Church pastor and professor at Tainan Theological College and Seminary. Tyzen Hsiao set to music in 1988.
Additional reporting by CNA
This story has been amended since it was first published.
ACTION PLAN: Taiwan would expand procurement from the US and encourage more companies to invest in the US to deepen bilateral cooperation, Lai said The government would not impose reciprocal tariffs in retaliation against US levies, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as he announced five strategies to address the issue, including pledging to increase Taiwanese companies’ investments in the US. Lai has in the past few days met with administrative and national security officials, as well as representatives from various industries, to explore countermeasures after US President Donald Trump on Wednesday last week announced a 32 percent duty on Taiwanese imports. In a video released yesterday evening, Lai said that Taiwan would not retaliate against the US with higher tariffs and Taiwanese companies’ commitments to
Intelligence agents have recorded 510,000 instances of “controversial information” being spread online by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) so far this year, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report yesterday, as it warned of artificial intelligence (AI) being employed to generate destabilizing misinformation. The bureau submitted a written report to the Legislative Yuan in preparation for National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee today. The CCP has been using cognitive warfare to divide Taiwanese society by commenting on controversial issues such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) investments in the
‘SPECIAL CHANNEL’: Taipei’s most important tasks are to stabilize industries affected by Trump’s trade tariffs and keep negotiations with Washington open, a source said National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) arrived in the US for talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. Wu was leading a delegation for a meeting known as the “special channel,” the Financial Times reported earlier. It marked Trump’s first use of the channel since returning to the White House on Jan. 20. Citing a source familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported that Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) was also a part of the delegation. The visit came days after China concluded war games around Taiwan and amid Trump’s
HELPING HAND: The steering committee of the National Stabilization Fund is expected to hold a meeting to discuss how and when to utilize the fund to help buffer the sell-off The TAIEX plunged 2,065.87 points, or 9.7 percent, to close at 19,232.35 yesterday, the highest single-day percentage loss on record, as investors braced for US President Donald Trump’s tariffs after an extended holiday weekend. Amid the pessimistic atmosphere, 945 listed companies led by large-cap stocks — including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and Largan Precision Co (大立光) — fell by the daily maximum of 10 percent at the close, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. The number of listed companies ending limit-down set a new record, the exchange said. The TAIEX plunged by daily maxiumu in just
RSS