Chinese Orchestra | Kreta Ayer 《饮水思源：牛车水》 by Liong Kit Yeng

Singapore’s Chinatown may now be a popular tourist attraction, however during the days of colonial Singapore, it was a place where most of the Cantonese immigrants from China settled in. Nested in the heart of Chinatown is a one-way Kreta Ayer Road (which means water cart in Malay), a route where ox and bullock carts transport water drawn from wells around the area. It was where Chinatown’s Chinese name 牛车水 originated. Paying tribute to the composer’s Cantonese roots, the piece took inspiration from the Cantonese pronunciation of 牛车水 - “ngau-che-sui” as its motivic idea. It depicts activities of early Chinatown in three sections: Ox and Bullock Carts, Drawing Water from the Well, and Faces of Chinatown. Kreta Ayer was conceived in the year when Singapore marks its Bicentennial. The composer hopes that the younger generations of Chinese Singaporeans would also take interest in their Chinese dialect roots. Commissioned for Singapore Youth Festival 2020 Arts Presentation for Chinese Orchestra (Primary level) - 《饮水思源：牛车水》 “饮水思源”是小时候学习的其中一句成语，与华人聚集的牛车水相结合，成了《饮水思源：牛车水》的创作灵感。早年先辈过番南来讨生活，居住于牛车水的大部分是广东人。水资源匮乏是新加坡一直以来所面对的问题，开埠初期，牛车水的水源来自于几口井，打出来的自来水由牛车运载分配，因而得此地名。《饮水思源：牛车水》描述先辈生活的情景，乐曲有三个部分：《牛车载水》、《水井打水》及《牛车水人家》。以广东话起伏为作曲动机，作曲家以自己籍贯的方言为题材。创作此曲恰逢新加坡开埠200年，借此作品向新加坡致敬，也希望年轻一代对自己的籍贯与方言产生兴趣。 - Performed by Singapore Chinese Orchestra Conducted by Quek Ling Kiong Full video:    • Concert-in-progress 2020   Copyright © 2019 by Liong Kit Yeng. All rights reserved. #singapore #kretaayer #chineseorchestra #饮水思源 #牛车水 #华乐