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.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
NOVEL METHODS: The PLA has adopted new approaches and recently conducted three combat readiness drills at night which included aircraft and ships, an official said Taiwan is monitoring China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises for changes in their size or pattern as the nation prepares for president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comment at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, in response to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu’s (王定宇) questions. China continues to employ a carrot-and-stick approach, in which it applies pressure with “gray zone” tactics, while attempting to entice Taiwanese with perks, Tsai said. These actions aim to help Beijing look like it has
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
UNWAVERING: Paraguay remains steadfast in its support of Taiwan, but is facing growing pressure at home and abroad to switch recognition to Beijing, Pena said Paraguayan President Santiago Pena has pledged to continue enhancing cooperation with Taiwan, as he and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait using force, Japanese media reported on Saturday. Kishida yesterday completed a trip to France, Brazil and Paraguay, his first visit to South America since taking office in 2021. After the Japanese leader and Pena spoke for more than an hour on Friday, exchanging views on the situation in East Asia in the face of China’s increasing military pressure on Taiwan, they affirmed that “unilateral attempts to change the