CHENG Kam Cheong
1. I am writing this blog post to exorcise a psychological ghost from my past.
When I was in my teens and experienced my first puppy love, there were two songs that were soothing to my soul:
(a) The Western song How Can I Tell Her by Lobo, and
(b) The Cantonese song (New) Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple ("新禪院鐘聲") by CHENG Kam Cheong.
2. When someday someone writes a history of Cantonese music, I think the (New) Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple will be mentioned.
This song was very popular in Hong Kong in the early 1970s.
The decade and a half after the Second World War, most people in Hong Kong were listening either to Cantonese operas or music imported from the mainland; western music was an oddities.
In the mid-1960s to 1970s, however, three musical waves hit Hong Kong nearly simultaneously:
(a) Western music,
(b) Japanese music, and
(c) Taiwanese music.
But before the three waves hit, Hong Kong musicians were already trying to modernize traditional Cantonese operas into more modern Cantonese music.
(New) Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple by CHENG Kam Cheong was one of those attempts and a successful one at that.
3. CHENG Kam Cheong was borne in Malaysia.
He caught his break in the mid-1960s and his first album came out in 1966.
CHENG Kam Cheong was so popular that he was known as "The Prince of Cantonese Songs".
Since Hong Kong's economy started to take off at about the same time, CHENG Kam Cheong moved his base to Hong Kong in the late 1960s.
Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple ("禪院鐘聲"), originally sang by CHENG Kam Cheong, came in two versions:
(a) Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple ("禪院鐘聲"), and
(b) (New) Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple ("新禪院鐘聲").
Nearly all uploaders to YouTube did not discriminate between these two versions.
So whether the label in YouTube is:
(a) Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple, or
(b) (New) Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple
they are almost always (New) Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple.
Although the sound of the two versions is very similar, the lyrics and music of the two are actually different.
I also noticed from YouTube that many singers sang the lyrics slightly differently from the original and each other - it seems as if the lyrics have not been standardized.
(New) Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple came out in 1971 and became a hit immediately.
4. The "original" Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple by CHENG Kam Cheong recorded in 2002:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKKAX3IL8Vo
The person dressed as a Monk in the video is CHENG Kam Cheong.
5. The (New) Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple by CHENG Kam Cheong recorded in 1997:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7WoOUBCk7E
CHENG Kam Cheong has to shave his head for the video.
6. A cover by Hong Kong singer Dicky Cheung:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Md5yemVj0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c0_JUWgK2c
The music arrangement has been modernized for this version; so is the music video.
Very good.
7. A cover by Hong Kong singers Danny Chan and Jacky Cheung in a function:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbTJfyF5Fhw
This was a rare occasion when they performed together.
8. A cover by Hong Kong singer, TV and stage actress Amy Hu (the first of the two songs):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTJAeVaeIS4
I have always enjoyed Amy Hu's acting.
9. The Pearl Sisters of Singapore:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_KXkXuszb0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp1804wTOoI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5ZbdlyQDVo
and another performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuLgALapqVk
They were having fun with this song.
After 40 years, the Pearl Sisters retired from performance in 2010.
10. Three different performances by Lily Chu, the younger of the Pearl Sisters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcR1WrYI7CE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gX-t5OJ_-g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylG2YEYh0zY
The Pearl Sisters have this song down pat.
I think Lily Chu was speaking in Fukienese during her performance.
11. CHEN Rujia of Guangzhou in a concert in Guangzhou in 1989:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J0rs8rLUIA
12. A very unusual but brilliant alternating of two songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaQ3XXjZsNs
Wang Zhaojun is a Beijing Opera style song sang in Mandarin by Rosanne Lui.
(New) Chiming Bells in a Zen Temple is a Cantonese Opera style song sang in Cantonese by Big Al.
13. A cover by CHEN Lijuan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Samrw_CCalM
Competently sung.
But her dress was far too sexy for this song.
The way she was dressed was incongruent with the music and lyrics.
But they were having fun with this song too.
14. The music in the Chinese instrument "Guzheng":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUk7QY6Vv3Y
I agree with the uploader: "This guzheng has a bitter-sweet voice with rich tone."
15. Guzheng by Wu Yang (female) and flute by Wang Hua (male):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw_J60pV4wE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgjVHrcVZGM
16. A Guzheng performance in London, UK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQxujqXn4_M
17. The Lyrics in Traditional Chinese:
新禪院鐘聲 -- 鄭錦昌
雲寒雨冷，寂寥夜半景色淒清，
荒山悄靜，依稀隱約傳來了夜半鐘，
鐘聲驚破夢更難成。
是誰令我愁難馨非莫馨，
情緣泡影，鴛鴦夢，三生約，
何堪追認，舊愛一朝斷，
傷心哀我負愛抱恨決心逃情。
禪院宵宵歎孤影，
仿似杜宇哀聲泣血夜半鳴，
隱居澗絕嶺，
菩提伴我苦敲經，
凡塵世俗那堪複聽，
情似煙輕，我禪心修佛性，
夢幻已今朝醒，
情根愛根，恨根怨根，
春花怕賦詠。
唉，情絲愛絲，
愁絲怨絲，
秋月怕留情，
情心早化灰，
禪心都經潔靜。
* 為愛為情恨似病，
對花對月懷前程，
徒追憶，花月證，
情人負我，
變心負約太不應，
相思當初枉心傾，
怨句妹妹太薄幸，
禪院鐘聲，深宵冷靜，
夜半有恨人已淚盈盈。
Repeat *, *
18. The Lyrics in Simplified Chinese:
新禅院钟声 -- 郑锦昌
云寒雨冷，寂寥夜半景色凄清，
荒山悄静，依稀隐约传来了夜半钟，
钟声惊破梦更难成。
是谁令我愁难馨非莫馨，
情缘泡影，鸳鸯梦，三生约，
何堪追认，旧爱一朝断，
伤心哀我负爱抱恨决心逃情。
禅院宵宵叹孤影，
仿似杜宇哀声泣血夜半鸣，
隐居涧绝岭，
菩提伴我苦敲经，
凡尘世俗那堪复听，
情似烟轻，我禅心修佛性，
梦幻已今朝醒，
情根爱根，恨根怨根，
春花怕赋咏。
唉，情丝爱丝，
愁丝怨丝，
秋月怕留情，
情心早化灰，
禅心都经洁静。
* 为爱为情恨似病，
对花对月怀前程，
徒追忆，花月证，
情人负我，
变心负约太不应，
相思当初枉心倾，
怨句妹妹太薄幸，
禅院钟声，深宵冷静，
夜半有恨人已泪盈盈。
Repeat *, *
19. Names, Words and Phrases:
Cheng Kam Cheong (Traditional Chinese: 鄭錦昌; Simplified Chinese: 郑锦昌).
Amy Hu (Traditional: 胡美儀; Simplified: 胡美仪).
Chen Lijuan (Traditional: 陳俐娟; Simplified: 陈俐娟).
Chen Rujia (Traditional: 陳汝佳; Simplified: 陈汝佳).
Danny Chan (Traditional: 陳百強; Simplified: 陈百强).
Dicky Cheung (Traditional: 張衛健; Simplified: 张卫健).
Flute (Traditional: 簫; Simplified: 箫).
Guangzhou (Traditional: 廣州; Simplified: 广州).
Guzheng (Traditional: 古箏; Simplified: 古筝).
Jacky Cheung (Traditional: 張學友; Simplified: 张学友).
Lily Chu (Traditional: 朱莉莉; Simplified: 朱莉莉).
Prince of Cantonese Songs (Traditional: 粵曲王子; Simplified: 粤曲王子).
Rosanne Lui (Traditional: 呂珊; Simplified: 吕珊).
The Pearl Sisters (Traditional: 明珠姐妹; Simplified: 明珠姐妹).
Wang Hua (Traditional: 王華; Simplified: 王华).
Wang Zhaojun (Traditional: 王昭君; Simplified: 王昭君).
Wu Yang (Traditional: 伍洋; Simplified: 伍洋).
References:
"粵語流行音樂", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E7%B2%B5%E8%AA%9E%E6%B5%81%E8%A1%8C%E9%9F%B3%E6%A8%82
(accessed 2012-08-26).
"粵語流行曲史", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%B2%B5%E8%AA%9E%E6%B5%81%E8%A1%8C%E6%9B%B2%E5%8F%B2
(accessed 2012-08-26).
End.
