Reevaluating the complex : a fresh perspective on the Cantonese tone-melody mapping mechanism

Abstract

Cantonese, as a tonal language, utilises variations in speech tone to define lexical semantics. Despite its complex tone system, vocal music performed in Cantonese often preserves the integrity of speech tones within a musical framework, ensuring the accurate delivery and perception of lyrical content. Interestingly, the intricate process of tone-melody mapping, while theoretically challenging, is implemented with relative ease in practical settings. Cantonese-speaking composers and lyricists typically rely on auditory perception and a trial-and-error approach to integrate speech tones into music, thus circumventing the need for a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms. This intuitive process raises a critical question: How is Cantonese speech tone information precisely preserved within a musical context?

Current studies have converged on the notion that the various speech tones can be categorised into four tone levels, and that the tone-melody mapping mechanism is predicated on the concept of “optimal mapping interval”. This principle specifies corresponding musical intervals ideal for different tone level transitions, supplemented by a variety of minor rules and observations to accommodate exceptions. While this framework adequately explains various aspects of the tone-melody mapping mechanism, this thesis identifies and critiques its limitations, particularly its narrow focus on musical intervals, and addresses other persistent unresolved questions within the field.

This study introduces a novel theoretical model to comprehensively analyse the tone-melody mapping process. The model conceptualises this mechanism as a continuous, simultaneous perceptual task that involves identifying potential placements for the four tone levels within the broader musical context, considering all musical information. By applying this model to various musical examples and addressing previously unresolved challenges, the study not only demonstrates the model’s efficacy but also furnishes detailed elucidations and unveils new insights into the intricacies of the mapping mechanism. Furthermore, it establishes a unified theoretical framework that coherently integrates disparate observations noted in prior research.

Following the analysis of the tone-melody mapping mechanism, the second part of this thesis introduces a portfolio of original compositions. Three of these compositions are integrated with text delivered in Cantonese, each employing a distinct musical setting in response to the poetics and hermeneutics of the Cantonese tone-melody mapping complex.