Yü Ko (1965)

Yü Ko, or “fisherman’s song,” is originally an ancient ch’in (zither) melody in tablature notation composed by Mao Min chung (c. 1280). The fisherman is a symbol of man in communion with nature. Through the deciphering of the tablature notation, this work produces a modern adaptation that realizes the rich variety in tone production found in the precise ch’in finger technique, one that employs more than 100 symbols to achieve an elusive yet vital expression that is the essence of this art form.

Chou clarifies: “I have magnified… these inflections in pitch, articulation, timbre, dynamics and rhythm to a more perceptible level by expanding the articulations and timbres possible on each instrument used and by controlling the microtonal modifications in pitch according to the nature of each instrument.”