Teng Yu-hsien


Teng Yu-hsien was a Taiwanese Hakka musician. He is noted for composing many well-known Hokkien songs. Teng gave himself a Japanese-style pen-name as Karasaki Yau and a formal name called Higashida Gyōu. Teng is regarded as the Father of Taiwanese folk songs.

Biography

Teng Yu-hsien was born in Ryūtan, Tōshien Chō of Japanese-ruled Taiwan. He migrated to Daitotei with his family when he was three years old. In 1914, Teng joined Bangka Public School. He graduated in 1920, and subsequently entered the Taihoku Normal School. In 1925, Teng graduated and became a teacher of the Nishin Public School. After he married Chung You-mei in 1926, he departed from his teaching job and went to Japan to study composition theory in the Tokyo Music Academy.
Teng returned to Taiwan in 1930, then served as a translator in Taichū District Court. In 1932, he was invited by Wen-sheng Records to compose the March of the Daitotei, a Japanese popular song which was thought to be lost, until it was rediscovered by a collector in 2007. Later, he was interested in Columbia Records, an early disc company in Taiwan, and was invited by Tan Kun-giok, a songwriter that served as an officer of the Columbia Records. In 1933, Teng composed several well-known Hokkien songs such as Bang Chhun Hong and Goat Ia Chhiu.
He created a representative work U Ia Hoe in 1934, a song that depicts the mood of a fictional pathetic woman. Between 1934 and 1937, Teng composed many other songs include the Moa Bin Chhun Hong and Su Kui Hong. After the World War II occurred in 1937, the Japanese government began to reinforce the influence of Japanese culture, and thus suppressed the development of the Taiwanese Hokkien songs. Many of the songs that were composed by Teng were banned, and some were rewritten into Japanese language.
In 1939, the Pacific War intensified, thus Teng resigned from his job and fled to Kyūrin Village of Shinchiku Prefecture with his family, then served as a teacher in the Kyūrin Public School. His health situation was gradually getting worse at that time, but he still composed some Japanese songs. At that time, Teng adopted two Japanese names: Karasaki Yosame and Higashida Gyōu. On 11 June 1944, he died from lung disease and heart disorder. Asteroid 255989 Dengyushian, discovered by Taiwanese astronomers Chi Sheng Lin and Ye Quan-Zhi in 2006, was named in his honor. The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on 12 October 2011.

List of composition works

SongMeaningSongwriterYearNote
大稻埕行進曲March of the Daitotei1932
一個紅蛋A Red EggLee Lim-chhiu1932
望春風 / Bāng Chhun-hongDesire to the Spring BreezeLee Lim-chhiu1933rewritten as Mother Earth is Calling on You by Japanese Army
月夜愁 / Go̍at Iā ChhiûChou Tien-wang 1933Mandarin Chinese version: 情人再見
rewritten as The Soldier's Wife by Japanese Army
跳舞時代1933
橋上美人1933
雨夜花 / Ú Iā HoeRainy Night FlowerChou Tien-wang1934rewritten as The Honorable Soldier by Japanese Army
春宵吟Chou Tien-wang1934
青春讚1934
單思調Chou Tien-wang1934
閒花嘆Lee Lim-chhiu1934
想要彈像調 Chen Chun-yu 1934
文明女Chen Chun-yu1934
不滅的情Chou Tien-wang1934
情炎的愛Chen Chun-yu1934
老青春Lin　Ching-yueh 1934
梅前小曲1934
琴韻
碎心花Chou Tien-wang1934
閨女嘆Chou Tien-wang1934
風中煙Chou Tien-wang1935
姊妹心1938
對花1938
番社姑娘 / 蕃社のむすめKurihara Hakuya 1938
寄給哥哥的一封信1938
四季紅 / Sù Kùi HôngSong of Four SeasonsLee Lim-chhiu1938
滿面春風Chou Tien-wang1939
小雨夜戀Chen Chun-yu1939
密林的黃昏Chen Chun-yu1939
純情夜曲1939
南風謠1940
南國花譜1940
送君曲1940
不願煞Lee Lim-chhiu1941
昏心鳥
月昇鼓浪嶼
菅芒花