Cai’s PhD dissertation project Path to the Third Pole was awarded the 2023-24 Marcus Bach Fellowship by the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for promoting intercultural communication and understanding of diverse philosophies and religious perspectives.
My first exposure to programming came several years ago as I programmed several patches for live-electronic music using Max, a visual programming language for music and multimedia. One of my recent electronic music compositions is entitled “Collapsing Shells” for solo double bass and live electronics. It was based on astrophysical conjectures related to the “frozen star” paradox as predicted by the theory of General Relativity. I programmed a real-time sound sampling program to interact with the bassist’s playing, creating a sci-fi atmosphere. Through this initial experience and subsequent experiences, I have become intrigued with the prospect and potential of integrating music composition with computer technologies. I believe that composition and technology can go hand-in-hand because the components of a piece of music – pitch materials, dynamics, duration of notes, articulations, tempi, pulses, and rhythms are data that can be analyzed, processed, and systemized using computer technologies. In fact, an increasing number of composers collaborate with machine learning engineers to explore the possibilities of composing music with AI.
Drawing the inspiration from literature, philosophy, religion, paintings, science, and technology, my music has always carried a particular fondness for utilizing various forms of sonic representation to convey narrative imagination. I place a special emphasis on themes of love and humanity within my compositions. I've had the privilege of composing music for a diverse array of ensembles, where I've honed the craft of blending idiomatic writing with unique sound effects, thus creating a distinctive voice that resonates with our generation. Through exciting collaborations with both university-level musicians and world-class artists, my compositions serve as a testament to my ability to balance complex conceptualization with practical execution.
My compositions have been performed by eminent ensembles such as the Ensemble Dal Niente, University of Michigan's Contemporary Directions Ensemble, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Chamber Orchestra, University of Iowa Center for New Music, Ensemble Accroche Note, and the JACK Quartet. These works have featured at notable venues, including the 2021 Society of Composers Online National Conference, the Midwest Graduate Music Consortium and the Midwest Composers' Symposium at the University of Michigan in 2021 and 2017 respectively, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2018, and the University of Indiana in 2019. My educational credentials comprise a PhD in Composition from the University of Iowa, a Master's degree from Oklahoma City University, and a Bachelor of Literature in Composition and Music Theory from the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, China.
Path to the Third Pole offers a musical passage into the heart of Tibetan Buddhism, presented through the expressive medium of Western classical music. In this twenty two-minute, listeners are introduced to the sacred rituals of Tibet. The composition is a thoughtful blend of Eastern philosophy and Western structural design, with the third movement's form reflecting the natural balance of the golden ratio and the second movement's sections timed by prime numbers, culminating in a total duration that is itself a prime. This deliberate structuring is a nod to the universal language of music as a bridge between diverse worlds, inviting an experience of introspection and understanding across cultural divides.
Offertory/Communion
for the First Sunday of Lent: “Scapulis Suis”- Psalm 90: 4-5
Scapulis suis obumbrabit tibi Dominus, et sub pennis ejus sperabis, scuto circumdabit te veritas ejus.
translation:
The Lord will overshadow you with his pinions, and you will find refuge under his wings. His faithfulness will encompass you with a shield.
Duration: c. 4 min
How Soon Hath Time is a work for mixed chorus divisi a cappella on John Milton’s sonnet
Duration: ca. 5 min
MIDI File
John Milton (1608-1674)
How soon hath time, the subtle thief of youth,
Stol'n on his wing my three and twentieth year!
My hasting days fly on with full career,
But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth,
That I to manhood am arrived so near,
And inward ripeness doth much less appear,
That some more timely-happy spirits endu'th.
Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,
It shall be still in strictest measure even
To that same lot, however mean or high,
Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heaven;
All is, if I have grace to use it so,
As ever in my great Taskmaster's eye.
Dal Niente, al niente is a song set to Shelley’s “Ozymandias” for soprano, flute, and harp.
“Even with the prospect of achieving supreme power in life, one becomes nothing more than a heap of dust after death.”
— Hongwei Cai
Duration: 9 min
by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—‘Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert … Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings,
Look on my Works ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.’—
The first performance was given by The Ensemble Dal Niente at the University of Iowa School of Music Concert Hall, on April 18, 2021
SCORECollapsing Shells was inspired by astrophysical conjectures related to the “frozen star” paradox, a phenomenon predicted by General Relativity. During the gravitational collapsing of a star, the clock inside the shell slows down as the dust shells collapse toward the existing black hole. In real astrophysical settings, matter can pass through the event horizon of the black hole according to the clock of the external observer and will not accumulate around the black hole. In this case, when matter falls towards a black hole, it will not form a “frozen star” to the external observer. Through this work, I attempt to depict the phenomenon by creating several combinations of gestures for the soloist with guided improvisations and a series of Max patches.
Duration: ca. 13-15 min
First Performance:
Solo version: by Will Yager at University of Iowa School of Music Concert Hall, on March 28th, 2021
With live electronics: by Will Yager at University of Iowa School of Music Concert Hall, on May 9th, 2021
Poppies, tied deeply to sleep, peace, and death, has long been a symbol to fallen soldiers. My second string quartet, Poppies bursting into bloom in the wind and rain, is a response to Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae’s war poem In Flanders Fields. May the world be at peace forever and may you and my heart be at peace forever. The work is dedicated to those spirits who have suffered from war.
by John McCrae (1872-1918)
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
First performance:
by the JACK Quartet, at Merkin Hall NYC on March 10 2021
This piece was composed for the annual SCI 24+24 concert project.
Duration: ca. 5 min
The first performance was given by Mark Rheaume at the University of Iowa School of Music Concert Hall, on November 17, 2020
SCOREUnrest (2020), for solo clarinet, is a reflection of the time we are currently experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We all undergo a series of life changes and uncertainty, which results in many negative emotions. I hope the restlessness that has haunted my mind resonates among many in the audience, because this piece describes you, me, and our entire society.
The first performance was given by Arianna Edvenson At the University of Iowa Voxman Music Building Concert Hall, on September 28, 2020
SCOREHongwei Cai’s composition Soaring Over a Storm showcases the violin as more than a technically proficient instrument, but as a conduit for the emotional and narrative arc of the piece. The composer effectively employs harmonics to imbue the music with an ethereal quality, evoking a mystical and supernatural atmosphere that enhances the evocative representation of the bird’s journey through a turbulent storm. The violin’s unique utilization adds to the overall impression of the instrument as if engaged in a struggle against the chaos, evident in the forceful bow strokes that convey a sense of battling against the storm. Notably, the piece offers moments of stillness and introspection, contributing to a dynamic range and interplay of emotions that culminates in a dramatic climax, creating a deeply moving and unforgettable musical experience. Cai’s proficiency in fully utilizing the expressive capabilities of the violin demonstrates his compositional skill and highlights the enduring appeal of this beloved instrument.
Duration: ca. 9 min
The first performance was given by Yixue Zhang at the Indiana University on November 9, 2019 during the Midwest Composers Symposium.
SCORE
© Estate Dorothea Tanning / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Inspired by Dorothea Tanning’s painting Tempête en jaune, my solo cello piece Tempest in Yellow is a reflection while studying the painting, which is found in the Minneapolis Institute of Art. At first glance, the details in the painting were not easy to make out, except for the foreshortened woman’s face. Four major parts, unveiled from the fragmented yellow canvas, hazily connected one with another, creating a circle as if revealing something hidden behind the canvas. Through its static frame, I perceive a dynamic image and abundant energy hidden within the warm tones. The painting conveys meaning through the viewer’s experience, which is similar to our experience listening to music: people with different personal experiences interpret musical works differently. With regard to my composition, motifs, themes, and gestures came from my imagination when gazing at the painting, and I attempt to present the music in a way that corresponds with Tanning’s original painting.
Duration: 5 min
The first performance was given by Eva Richards at the University of Iowa School of Music Concert Hall, on September 8, 2019
SCOREPartly inspired by Michael Jackson’s song Heal the World, my string quartet Attainment of the other shore is an imaginary journey searching for a “place” where there is no damage or hurt, sorrow or fear. The music begins moaning-like and is slow-paced, constantly changing timbre with a dark expression. After a sudden flash — a metaphor for the dawn of hope—, the music shifts, sending a signal to God asking a way to travel from shore to shore. After a difficult trek, the “place” appears unexpectedly. It is quiet and peaceful, like a beautiful meadow, birds singing and with flowers fragrant. Everything is created in beauty and exists in harmonious coexistence.
The music is dedicated to all the beautiful things in the world.
The recording from a reading session by the JACK Quartet on Dec. 5, 2018, at the Concert Hall in the University of Iowa School of Music.
The piece received its first performance with the JACK Quartet on Mar.13, 2019, at the Concert Hall in the University of Iowa School of Music.
SCORE王維(692—761 A.D.)
君自故鄉來，
應知故鄉事。
來日綺窗前，
寒梅著花未？
Performance history:
Society of Composers, Iowa Student Chapter
Anika Kildegaard, Voice
University of Iowa Voxman Music Building, Concert Hall
September 9, 2018
Moments related to a couple of ideas that have haunted my mind for years. These scenes, which are depicted musically by creating certain kind of moods, feelings, and atmospheres, are presented quickly and connected seamlessly. The piece begins with the pitch F and gradually introduces a striking and exploding gesture. After three times, the music restarts with a soft ostinato and undergoes a couple of developments as the tension continuously buildst o the climax, after which returns to the same pitch F as an echo of the beginning.
Performance history:
2018 Midwest Composers Symposium: Opening Concert
CCM Chamber Orchestra
Aik Khai Pung, director
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Patricia Corbett Theatre
October 19, 2018
The 9th Annual Exchange of Midwest Collegiate Composers Festival of New Music (premiere)
Center for New Music
David Gompper, director
University of Iowa Voxman Music Building, Concert Hall
April 6, 2018
Early last September, I found my self looking out of a window at mid-night and finding beatuy in the harmonious night. The breeze gently swayed the grass and twigs, and the light of stars in the sky flickered from time to time. This piece is inspired by that evening: quiet but not silent, dark but not for lack of brightness.
Performance history:
The Tnsemble Accroshe Note
Armand Angster, clarinet
Christophe Beau, violoncello
Wilhem Latchoumia, piano
University of Iowa Voxman Music Building, Concert Hall
April 27, 2019
2017 Midwest Composers Symposium (premiere)
Mauricio Silva, clarinet
Craig Hultgren, cello
Hongwei Cai, piano
The University of Michigan Moore Building, McIntosh Theatre
November 11, 2017
A Shadow Shrouded was inspired by a book "Voices from Chernobyl" by Svetlana Alexandrovna Alex. ievich. Several impressive moments in the book were selected and as a clue for propelling the plot of the music. In this piece, you wil hear "nightmare approaching' "solitary monolog", "sufferer's calling" "interrupted memory", and "shadowof death'.
First performance:
The JACK Quartet
Christopher Otto & Austin Wulliman, violins
John Pickford Richards, viola
Jay Campbell, cello
The University of Iowa Voxman Music Building, Concert Hall
December 8, 2016
University of Iowa
Department of Computer Science
14 McLean Hall
Iowa City, IA 52242
USA