Traditions: Ohio Heritage Fellows; 202; Rosa Lee interview

Q:

ROSA: My name is Rosa Lee, R-O-S-A that’s my first name. And the last name Lee, L-E-E.

Q:

ROSA: Um, I think guzcheng artist

Q:

ROSA: I am from Taiwan. And I was born in Taipei.

Q:

ROSA: Um, it’s a big metropolitan city and I was brought up in the uh, metropolitan city. We don’t have backyard, we just live in the apartment. Ninety percent people live in the apartment, so uh, the only entertainment we can choose, would be either music or art. Not outdoor sports.

Q:

ROSA: Guzcheng... yea, guzcheng is Chinese name. But, the English name we call Chinese zither, because America they do have the instruments called zither, ok, it’s like a horizontal board and they pluck the instrument, so we call zither... so we call Chinese zither.

Q:

ROSA: Initially, I didn’t have the choice to determine which instrument, because we have fam... PAUSED... Initially, I didn’t decide which instrument we should uh, play, because we have five children in the family. But my mom has to assign us... one to play piano, the second one play violin, the third one to play the guzcheng or, you know, everybody choose different instruments, so we don’t fight for specific instruments and I was assigned to play the uh guzcheng.

Q:

ROSA: My mother, she played, yungcheng, we call butterfly uh, instrument. However, with five children in the family, she has count on us it’s not an easy job. So, the best way is have everybody practice the instrument after school, so we can keep the peaceful time at the house. I think that’s her main purpose.

Q:

ROSA: I start to learn this instrument at age ten years old. Ok, we have uh, uh, instrument uh, studio right next door to our house, so we just uh, went to there to play different instrument over there and to learn the instrument from there.

Q:

ROSA: Uh, actually we can start earlier, but at that time, my mother just start to teach me the butterfly instrument what she perform, but the uh, butterfly instrument was too heavy for me to carry. So I changed my interest to the uh, guzcheng, because guzcheng, at least, I can carry it and the butterfly instrument I will ask my brother do me a favor all the time. They are not willing too, so they convince me to switch to flute, so he says you carry your own instrument. I’m not carrying for you, so it’s very difficult for me, so I said, well, then might choose the instrument I can carry for my own.

Q:

ROSA: Mm, relatively it’s not really difficult to get into the entry level or intermediate level, but if you want to master into anything... everything is difficult to take time, to take patience.

Q:

ROSA: Ok... initially the instrument we call Zu is twenty-five strings instrument and two sisters, they fought to play those two instruments, so the father was very angry, so cut that in half, so the older sister get the thirteen strings, the other sister get twelve string to play with. So, they called zchung, zchung means fighting... so, fighting for the instrument. So, that’s how the instrument get the name. We call guzcheng, gu means Asian... Asian instrument. So, that’s how this instrument get this name. And that’s a horizontal instrument with all the string stretch on top of the sound board with the fingernail to pluck with it.

Q:

ROSA: Ok, the song we start to learn would be all the folk songs, because the music was not designed for uh, public entertainment. It’s basically is the uh, personal expressions, or the personal enrichment, so most of the song we start to learn would be the folk songs.

Q:

ROSA: Yes... because uh, she only can teach me the uh, beginner level. And uh, she also teach me the susuki notation, which is (inaudible) we call Chinese (inaudible), Chinese notation. Ok, um, I think way back hundred years ago, there’s no (inaudible). We use the typical Chinese letter to wrote the uh, notation. And they find out the Arabic number’s much easier to record the music, so they start to use (inaudible). And my mother learning the (inaudible) so, she can teach us the uh, (inaudible). But after two or three years, her skill level, she won’t be able to teach me anymore, so she started uh, formal lesson with the teacher for me.

Q:

ROSA: Uh, because, at that time, there is not too many uh, college or institute they have musical major, particular for Chinese instruments. So, if we want to learn, basically, just on our own. But I take it as my hobby and uh, I like to keep learning, so basically, I just still, you know, follow the same private tutor to continue my learning through to college.

Q:

ROSA: Uh, when I know I won the championship I was so excited, of course, that motivated me to study more and uh, really stimulate my interest to explore more about this instrument.

Q:

ROSA: Um, I think at my age, yes, it is, of course and uh, for any kind of a competition, if you can win and it’s always motivation to the uh, children or to—to the people to um, explore or study more, yes.

Q:

ROSA: Yes, at my time um, I have uh, collections of all the song I have been performed. And my instructor encouraged me to have a solo conc—concert, because uh, not too many people learn that instrument at my age during that time. So, actually it just like a promote this instrument into society. And uh, I’m very happy I have done that, because, right after, and you’ll find out there are so many people they are interested in this instrument. So, actually, my solo concert is not just for my own solo concert, it’s for the uh, promotion and the give the opportunity to learn this instrument. And I basically introduced this instrument to the society.

Q:

ROSA: Um, let’s put it this way, ok, at that time, this instrument is very rare. And there are more kids they will learn piano, violin, because they think that’s instrument. And this old fashioned instrument, people possibly didn’t have too much knowledge about it, plus not too many instructor available at that time. So um, we have last chance to um, understand this instrument. The reason I have more access because my mother played the uh, yiangshing(sp?) we call butterfly instrument, so she introduced the uh, access for us.

Q:

ROSA: Mm, because my husband is here, so I have settled in Ohio since nineteen uh, eighty-five.

Q:

ROSA: Ok, this instrument become part of my life, so definitely I will try to play as much as I can. Ok, of course, some day I couldn’t play as I travel, of course, couldn’t play, but it’s part of my life and I feel very relaxed and I enjoy the music so much and also it’s kind of like uh, meditation to me. When I play, even that’s very monotonous, I’ll practice repetition and uh, it’s relaxing to me.

Q:

ROSA: Because I like to introduce this wonderful instrument to the community. Let them understand how the instrument um, performing and also the uh, culture associated with this instrument.

Q:

ROSA: Ok, I was awarded possibly more than three times, I couldn’t remember how many but, um, teaching the student, actually, is the feedback to me. Because, through teaching we can learn each other. And actually, I gained more knowledge from the student, because student may have different question I never thought about it. And also, I like to pass down the tradition to the generations. And uh, even they couldn’t continue, but at least they have the chance to explore this instrument, understand the culture. I think that’s very important to bridge the difference.

Q:

ROSA: For the student they were born here, of course, the cultural... we have to explain the cultural background for them to understand why this music expression doing this way, or why we have to perform the other way. However, for technical parts, it’s not difficult for them to pick up the, the uh, local student over in China or Taiwan um, because they can understand cultural easily. However, the technical parts still take time to practice. Mm, I spend more time to explain the student over here um, about the culture associating with the uh, instrument, so this way they can understand and appreciate the cultural in the music.

Q:

ROSA: Of course, number one would be the music or the melody. If they can remember a little bit. And the other one is um, I hope they remember this instrument and also the cultural and they can understand how... (PAUSED)...

Q:

ROSA: Of course, I hope they know this instrument, at least I introduced this instrument and how this instrument to be performed. Um, I also introduced this um, instrument cultural background to them and the history, so mm, I like them to understand the culture. So, this is how we promote the uh, friendly uh, society.

Q:

ROSA: Um, all the songs we pick out, ok, I try to get one piece of more spiritual type, and the other song is more contemporary composed, so this way they can compare the difference. Compare the um, how the uh, music evolved during the different time periods.

Q:

ROSA: Ok, for example, I am going to perform some piece will be more spiritual, so it’s very peaceful, very slow maybe, and uh, we have to listen with our heart, ok. Another piece that’s more contemporary composed, so you will hear the reason and the mm, counterpoint composed um, boom, boom, boom, boom, or left hand accompaniment, so that will let you to feel the difference how the composer wants us to listen.

Q:

ROSA: This instrument appear in the document on year 220 BC, so it has been in the history for about twenty five hundred years. It’s a very, very uh, old instrument, possibly it’s the second oldest instrument appears in Chinese document.

Q:

ROSA: Um, I think I try my best to present the music essence instead of worry about my technical or my um, presentation, am I doing good, I want to just express how I feel about this instrument, because the feeling is more important. Ok, I think every year I watch all the musical competition. The judge at the last, they will make the comment on all the competition, we are looking for the feeling not how good the technical part is. Because the technical part you can um, achieve. But the uh, feeling is how you feel... how you want to present the music to your audience.

Q:

ROSA: Certainly, because people are very curious about this instrument. If they haven’t seen that, or maybe they saw that on the TV, but it’s different when they see the live person to perform, so they will approach me to ask me the question about the instrument and sometimes they are so curious, I see please touch it with your finger. So, they are very happy and they can touch the instrument um, I will tell them a little bit about the instruments structure. Um, they may have question. I do have some question from the musician. They want to know, for example, th—a pianist asked me, what’s the difference between seven scales or five scales instrument? So, we can discuss a little bit. They were very happy.

Q:

ROSA: Um, normally, Chinese instrument, we like to use five scales, ok, that’s what they call pentatonic. Ok, different from western seven scale, but we do have seven scale, however, Chinese doesn’t like the five and the C. They think that’s like a... like a half scale. So, they think it’s not the good notes to play, so they try to avoid that. That’s why we like the five scale system.

Q:

ROSA: Because um, they are eager to learn and we have the responsibility to pass down to next generation being the musician is not just playing the music by themselves, it’s also, let the next generation pick up the uh, music, pick up the cultural, pick up your uh, spirit. END