A Performance Guide to Fan-Ling Su’s Hymn of the Nine Ruyis – The Birthday Song 《九如之頌》, and Lion Dance 《舞獅》: Context, Analysis, and Interpretation of Contemporary Taiwanese Violin Works

ABSTRACTFan-Ling Su (蘇凡凌) is a contemporary Taiwanese composer whose music blends traditional Taiwanese and Chinese cultural influences with modern Western compositional techniques. This research paper focuses on two of her works for violin: Hymn of the Nine Ruyis – The Birthday Song and Lion Dance. Hymn of the Nine Ruyis reflects the symbolic phrase Jiu Ru (九如) representing blessings and longevity, while Lion Dance draws inspiration from Taiwan’s festive temple traditions, expressing energy, rhythm, and community spirit. Together, these pieces highlight Su’s ability to transform cultural imagery and ritual symbolism into vivid musical expression.
In this document, the author will explore the cultural and musical contexts of both works, analyze their form, harmonic language, and symbolic materials, and provide a performance guide based on personal communication with the composer and her own notes, offering an artistic interpretation and a scholarly contribution to the modern violin repertoire.