Calligraphy is all about breath, the flow and the control of air and strength. The style of calligraphy known as ‘Wild Cursive’ reached its greatest heights of expression during the Tang Dynasty(A.D. 618-907) in Chinese history. It has more powerful and dramatic strokes and brush techniques than commonplace cursive. The strength of Wild Cursive draws upon a deep breath energy of the calligrapher. From the beginning to the end of the writing in wild cursive, the breath energy is constant, and is said to flow from the calligrapher to the page. The air itself is thought to originate in high mountains and deep waters. In the process of writing, there is an interplay between silence and sound, motion and stillness; it is said that only deep calm can bring forth the full emotional and aesthetic power of the form. In telling the inspiring story of Wild Cursive through a musical and theatrical medium, I bring together the elemental forces of water, stone, pebbles, bamboos, black silk scarves, and Chinese drums.

In the score, the water is the symbol of ink. The control and blending of the ink with water is the essence of calligraphy. When playing the water parts, the performers should move gracefully as if creating brush strokes in the air. The images and the sounds of picking up and dropping pebbles in the water tanks depict the deep, mineral nature of pigments. The sound of clapping and brushing the water is the expression of the swirl of ink; those performing these parts should allow their hands to dance along the surface of the water. The black scarves in the score symbolize the resultant image of Wild Cursive calligraphy. The specified motions of the black scarves stand for the power and beautiful line of ink on rice paper. The performers who play these parts should as much as possible embody the line and stroke of Wild Cursive. The element of Bamboo, whether used in brushing, rubbing, or scraping motions on Tam Tam and Gong, to me embodies the alternating repose and urgent rush of breath energy in the calligraphy. Finally, the Chinese drum settings represent the complete, indivisible power of Wild Cursive. The Tam Tam, Gong, Suspended cymbal, and Stones are all played with unconventional techniques. The employment of these techniques is my personal response to well-known saying that the ‘sound’ of Wild Cursive is the sound of gold and the hardest stone.

Master calligraphers believe that the power of their work stems from the energy of their breath; without that breath energy, they could not rise to the emotional demands of Wild Cursive. And so I suggest that all the performers of this piece likewise stay attuned to their breath energy from the beginning to the end. Ultimately, each player separately and the whole ensemble together should feel as if they are creating abstract calligraphy of sound.