This article deals with the search for Asian identities through hymns largely published in Sound the Bamboo: CCA Hymnal 2000 (originally published in 1990; revised and enlarged in 2000). It contains 315 hymns with 44 different languages from 22 Asian countries, and was mainly collected and edited by the author. After a brief introduction discussing Christian faith and the recent impact of globalization on Asian churches, the author summarizes features of texts and prominent themes and general musical styles in Asian hymns. The focal point is on the search of Asian musical identities through the analysis of harmonic languages, such as adopted Western harmony, indigenous/traditional harmony, contextual harmony, and contemporary and international styles. The author finally uses two of his own compositions to demonstrate his personal search for Asian identities, and concludes that the best of Asian musical styles have emerged from approaches that are ethnic and indigenous, with syncretic harmony, and those that are innovative, incarnational, and confessional.
Author: I-to Loh
Dr. I-to Loh received his M.Div. from Tainan Theological College in Taiwan and Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles. Dr. Loh is the former President of Tainan Theological College and Seminary where he also served as the Department Head of Church Music and Professor of Worship, Church Music and Ethnomusicology. He currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Church Music and Liturgy at the Southeast Asia Graduate School of Theology, a consortium of over twenty seminaries in Asia.
Dr. Loh has compiled and edited several hymnals and praise collections including New Century Hymnal (PCT, 2002) and Sound the Bamboo: CCA Hymnal 2000 (Taiwan Church Press, 2000). He has also written articles for Theology and The Church and is a member of the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, NJ.