Teng Yu-hsien

Teng Yu-hsien (Traditional Chinese: 鄧雨賢; Hakka Language: Then Yí-hièn; Hokkien Language: Tēng Ú-hiân; July 21, 1906 - June 11, 1944) was a Taiwanese Hakka musician. He is noted for composing many well-known Hokkien songs. Teng named himself a Japanese-style pen-name as Karasaki Yosame (唐崎夜雨) and a formal name called Higashida Gyōu (東田曉雨).

Biography

Teng Yu-hsien was born in Longtan, Taoyuan of Japanese-ruled Taiwan. He migrated to the Daitotei with his family when he was 3-year-old. In 1914, Teng joined Bangka Public School (艋舺公學校). He graduated in 1920, and subsequently entered the Taipei Normal School (臺北師範學校). In 1925, Teng graduated from Taipei Normal School, and became a teacher of the Rixin Public School (日新公學校). After he married Chung You-mei (鍾有妹) in 1926, he departed from teaching job and went to Japan to study composition theory in the Tokyo Music Academy.

Teng return to Taiwan in 1930, then served as a translator in Taichung District Court. In 1932, he was invited by Wen-sheng disc (文聲唱片) to compose the "March of the Daitotei" (大稻埕行進曲), a Japanese popular song which was failed to come down until be rediscovered by a collector in 2007. Then he began to be interested by the Columbia Records, an early disc company in Taiwan, and entered this company by inviting of Chen Chun-yu, a songwriter that served as an officer of the Columbia Records. In 1933, Teng composed several well-known hokkien songs such as "Bang Chhun Hong" (望春風) and "Goat Ia Chhiu" (月夜愁).

He made a representative work "U Ia Hoe" (雨夜花) in 1934, a song that depicts the mood of a fictional pathetic woman. Between 1934 and 1937, Teng composed many other songs include the "Moa Bin Chhun Hong" (滿面春風) and "Su Kui Hong" (四季紅). After the World War II occurred in 1937, the Japanese government began to reinforce the influence of Japanese culture, thus suppressed the development of the Taiwanese Hokkien songs. Many of songs that composed by Teng were banned, and some were rewritten into Japanese language.

In 1939, the Pacific War became much more heavily, thus Teng resigned from his job and evacuated to Cyonglin of Hsinchu with his family, then served as a teacher in the Cyonglin Public School (芎林公學校). His health situation was gradually turned down at that time, but he still composed some Japanese songs. At that time, Teng named himself two Japanese names Karasaki Yosame and Higashida Gyōu. In June 11, 1944, he died from lung disease and heart disorder at Jhudong, Hsinchu.

List of composition works

External links

* [http://www.taiwan123.com.tw/musicface/face03-1.htm An introduction written in Chinese]