Contemplation Permutation
permutasyon ng Pagmumuni-muni · I and II, for SATB vocal ensemble · 2021
permutasyon ng Pagmumuni-muni · I、II，为 SATB 声乐组合而作 · 2021
No pure hue: words on colour and renewal, permuted for voices.
没有纯粹的颜色——关于色彩与重生的话语，为人声排列组合。
| Works 作品 | Contemplation Permutation I (2021) Contemplation Permutation II (2021) 《Contemplation Permutation I》（2021） 《Contemplation Permutation II》（2021） |
|---|---|
| After 取材 | H. R. Ocampo, Dancing Mutants, National Gallery Singapore H. R. Ocampo《Dancing Mutants》，新加坡国家美术馆 |
| Commission 委约 | II: Pictures @ (SEA) Exhibition, National Gallery Singapore, 2021 《II》：新加坡国家美术馆 Pictures @ (SEA) 展览项目，2021 |
| Listen 聆听 | ▶ Contemplation Permutation II (video) ▶ 《Contemplation Permutation II》（视频） |
《Dancing Mutants》在新加坡国家美术馆的陈设。摄影：何仲实
Programme note 节目介绍
I was struck by H. R. Ocampo’s Dancing Mutants in the way it is displayed in the former Supreme Court building of the National Gallery Singapore, as if under a proscenium, and I wondered how the space would sound with four singers singing to the painting. The vibrancy of its reds and greens drew me in; closer up, the textured strokes and hues come alive, pulsating and moving — only to realise it was indeed titled Dancing Mutants. And who is Ocampo? I liked the sound of his name, so rich with open vowels.
H. R. Ocampo 的《Dancing Mutants》悬挂在新加坡国家美术馆前最高法院大楼的一处，宛如置身舞台拱框之下，这种陈设方式深深打动了我。我想象着，若有四位歌者对着这幅画歌唱，这个空间会发出怎样的声音。画中红与绿的鲜明色彩把我吸引过去；走近细看，各种质感的笔触与色调仿佛活了过来，搏动、舞动——这才发现，它的标题正是《Dancing Mutants》（跳舞的突变者）。那么，Ocampo 是谁？我喜欢他名字的声音，充满开放的元音。
I composed the text of both versions from Ocampo’s short story Dark of Dawn, from a conversation with the poet Edwin Thumboo published by the National Gallery, and from writing about the artist. It moves from volcanic red that slowly cools to green, to the idea that no part of a painting holds a pure hue: every colour mixes beauty and destruction, pain and reconciliation, death, rebirth and regrowth. The painting, like the artist in his life and era, is rich in energy, driving and surfing change.
两个版本的歌词由我从以下来源编写而成：Ocampo 的短篇小说《Dark of Dawn》、他与诗人 Edwin Thumboo 的对谈（由国家美术馆刊出），以及关于这位艺术家的文章。文字从火山的红色慢慢冷却、化为绿色出发，走向这样的想法：画中没有任何一处是纯粹的颜色，每一种颜色都混合着美与毁灭、痛苦与和解、死亡、重生与再生长。这幅画就像艺术家本人及其时代，充满能量，驱动并驾驭着变化。
Version I follows the text more closely. In Version II, I pared the material down to four pitches in a fixed set of durations; in this iso-rhythmic dance, permutations among the ensemble give rise to changing sonic hues and textures. The whole work is one continuous ritardando, kept by a metronome track that sounds softly in the background. If you spend time roaming the painting’s visual terrains, then close your eyes and listen to the memory of that journey, you may hear what I am trying to express.
《I》较贴近文字。在《II》中，我把材料精简为四个音高与一组固定的时值；在这支等节奏的舞蹈中，声部之间的排列组合生出不断变化的声音色调与质感。整部作品是一个连续的渐慢，由一条在背景中轻轻响着的节拍器音轨维系。如果你在这幅画的视觉地貌中漫游良久，再闭上眼睛，聆听那段旅程的记忆，或许就能明白我想表达的。
Text 歌词
▸Read the full text · 阅读全文（英文）
Look at the colours!
And of course, green is the most powerful.
comes from the very earth itself in the
colours that are best for
the Philippines.
the volcanic red
that gradually cools off and
turns into green. Brighter
than a thousand suns,
I am
There isn’t a single square inch
in my painting where you can
find a pure hue
actually a mix of shades,
the mix of beauty,
destruction, pain, reconciliation
of death, and then
rebirth and regrowth.
You can re-new and un-crust.
(there are) other visions we should respect
bulol of the Cordilleras, festivities in Tawi-Tawi. baskets and blankets.
necklaces and bead work or the brass gador
reflections of these traditions.
Re-configure, re-blooms,
charged and changed,
outstretched arms and legs,
splices, conjugates,
shape,
shade, counter.
We are the dancing mutants,
yes!
Text composed by Hoh Chung Shih from: H. R. Ocampo’s short story Dark of Dawn; “Painting and Poetry into Installation: In Conversation with Professor Edwin Thumboo”, National Gallery Singapore; and Michael “Xiao” Chua, “H. R. Ocampo”, The Manila Times, 2 March 2019.
歌词由何仲实编写，取材自：H. R. Ocampo 短篇小说《Dark of Dawn》；新加坡国家美术馆〈Painting and Poetry into Installation: In Conversation with Professor Edwin Thumboo〉；Michael “Xiao” Chua〈H. R. Ocampo〉，《马尼拉时报》，2019年3月2日。
What others heard 评论
In his programme essay The Sound of Colour (2022), Robert Casteels notes that II begins with vowels drawn from the painter’s name, then restricts itself to twelve words, closing on “We are the dancing mutants … yes!”, with the pitches C, D, E♭ and F permuted among the four voices. Where one might expect a rising climax, a ritardando spans the whole piece, moving from lively dance to flowing prayer, through jazzy and slow dances to an introverted one, before the dance evaporates — leaving the question of a dystopian future in the air. It reminded him of “uncompromising fauvist art”.
Robert Casteels 在其节目文章《The Sound of Colour》（2022）中指出，《II》以取自画家名字的元音开始，继而把文字限定为十二个词，终于“We are the dancing mutants … yes!”，C、D、降E、F 四个音高在四个声部之间排列组合。人们也许期待张力逐步上升至高潮，然而贯穿全曲的是一个渐慢：从轻快的舞蹈到流动的祈祷，经过爵士般的舞与缓慢的舞，走向内省的舞，直至舞蹈悄然消散——只留下关于反乌托邦未来的疑问悬在空中。他说，这令他想起“毫不妥协的野兽派艺术”。
Performances 演出
Contemplation Permutation II — Susanna Pua, soprano; Joyce Lim, alto; Benedict Goh, tenor; John Lee, bass. Pictures @ (SEA) Exhibition, National Gallery Singapore. ▶ Watch
《Contemplation Permutation II》——Susanna Pua（女高音）；Joyce Lim（女低音）；Benedict Goh（男高音）；John Lee（男低音）。新加坡国家美术馆 Pictures @ (SEA) 展览。▶ 观看
For scores, performance materials and other enquiries:
chungshih@chungshih.info
乐谱、演出资料及其他查询：
chungshih@chungshih.info