Do you often feel that certain melodies immediately evoke a distinctly French sentiment, while others unmistakably belong to Chinese? Can the tonal qualities of a language influence the development of its music? Every human community has its own languages and musical traditions, each uniquely shaped by regional variations in speech and sound. When language becomes lyrics, do the specific phonetics, rhythm, and intonation of different tongues deeply affect the resulting musical melodies?
This lecture will explore how linguistic rhythmic patterns intertwine with musical structures, revealing the intricate emotions and expressions co-produced by the two. By examining the interaction of language and music, we will gain a deeper understanding of how their relationship molds musical emotion and expression.
■ Speaker | Chen-Chung Lee
Dr. Chen-Chung Lee, a neuroscientist with a PhD from the University of Michigan, is also an accomplished bandoneonist striving to balance the rational precision of a scientist with the emotional expression of a musician. Dr. Lee specializes in auditory physiology, sound localization, and music cognition. In addition to teaching courses at several universities, he leads the band Circo as both director and principal bandoneon player, earning the title of “Best Instrumentalist” at the 2018 Golden Indie Music Awards.
Dr. Lee also hosted the radio program Why You Like Listening to Music on Philharmonic Radio Taipei and conceived and hosted the National Performing Arts Center’s podcast, Backstage Monologue. Alongside performing, composing, arranging, and producing music, Dr. Lee is actively engaged in advancing arts and science education.
