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Crouching Tiger
Hidden Dragon
Creating Tranquility and Intimacy Using
Solos
A Film Music Analysis by Drew Redman
Table of Contents
Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------------------------03
Plot Summary------------------------------------------------------------------------------04
Narrative Themes-------------------------------------------------------------------------10
Finding Inner Peace----------------------------------------------------------------------12
Action Sequences and Percussion---------------------------------------------------14
Melodic Themes & Motifs---------------------------------------------------------------16
!
Li Mu Bai & Shu Lien’s Love Theme------------------------------------------------17
!
Jen & Lo’s Love Theme ---------------------------------------------------------------18
!
Lo’s Song (The Desert Love Song) ------------------------------------------------19
Conclusion----------------------------------------------------------------------------------21
Introduction
!
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a film made in 2000 based on the fourth novel
of a five part epic (“The Crane-Iron Series”) by Wang Dulu. The novels are of a Chinese
literary genre called wuxia, which translates to “martial hero”. Generally, wuxia stories
consists of a protagonist that has considerable fighting skills, no lord or master, and a
strong, righteous moral code.1
!
The film was directed by Ang Lee, and the score composed by Tan Dun. Tan
Dun is a Chinese contemporary classical composer who - having been raised in a
village in the Hunan province of China - grew up with a heavy influence from rituals of
the village shaman. These rituals were usually set to music comprised of natural items,
such as water or rock. Having studied music in both China at the Central Conservatory
of Music in Bejing, and in the United States at Columbia University, he has formed his
unique voice fusing both Eastern and Western traditions.2 These influences are very
apparent in his score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
!
In this analysis, I will examine how the score’s use of soloing instruments of both
western and Chinese origin gives the film a unique character and warmth. While
creating a very intimate and emotive support for the story, the solos often reflect the
characters’ inner emotional dialogue, whilst creating an overall colour to the score that
ultimately supports the main theme of the film - the search for inner peace.
1
Teo, Stephen (2009). Chinese Martial Arts Cinema: The Wuxia Tradition. Edinburgh University
Press. pp. 17–19.
Frank J. Oteri. "Tradition and Innovation: The Alchemy of Tan Dun." Tan Dun Online, October
15, 2007. Accessed November 1, 2013.
http://www.tandunonline.com/mystory
2
Plot Summary
!
The film is set in the Qing Dynasty during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor.
The protagonist, Li Mu Bai, is a legendary Wudang swordsman that has given up his
meditations, having failed to reach enlightenment. There was something keeping him
from finding inner peace - his love for Shu Lien.
!
He seeks out his old friend Yu Shu Lien to ask her to transport his legendary
sword - “The Green Destiny” - to their mutual friend Sir Te in Bejing. This was a difficult
decision for him as he had yet to avenge his master’s murder by killing the Jade Fox.
!
Shu Lien successfully delivers the sword to Sir Te who reluctantly accepts the
grand gift, claiming that he will be the sword’s custodian. Te then discusses the
relationship between Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien, stating that although they are both brave
warriors, they are cowards for not expressing their feelings for each other.
!
When placing the sword in a room that seems to display several other artifacts,
Shu Lien meets Jen, the daughter of Governor Yu - a visiting aristocrat. Jen, who is to
be wed soon in an arranged marriage, is enamored and envious of Shu Lien’s
adventurous lifestyle.
!
That evening, a masked thief wearing all black sneaks into Sir Te’s estate to steal
the sword. A guard named Bo catches the thief in the act, but is quickly outmatched by
the thief’s superior martial arts skills. Bo sounds the alarm and gives chase after the
thief. The thief easily evades Bo and the other guards by running on rooftops, however,
the thief is then confronted by Shu Lien.
!
During their fight, somebody interferes by blowing a dart at Shu Lien. Shu Lien
catches the dart, but while she is distracted, the thief manages to escape somewhere in
Governor Yu’s compound.
!
During the chase, Bo had crossed paths with an undercover police man named
Tsai and his daughter from a different region of China. They were hunting a criminal
named Jade Fox, and they believed her to be hiding among the Yu family’s staff. After
posting “wanted” fliers around Bejing, the Jade Fox sends the policeman a message to
meet her to settle things. Tsai, his daughter and Bo meet with Jade Fox to kill her.
Even with numbers, the three of them find themselves outmatched by the Jade Fox.
!
Li Mu Bai enters the conflict, and effortlessly bests the Jade Fox. Ten years
earlier, the Jade Fox had poisoned Li Mu Bai’s master, and stole the Wudang secret
manual. Just as Li Mu Bai was about to finally avenge his master, the thief interferes
wielding the Green Destiny sword, and although the thief is clearly no match for Li Mu
Bai, she proves to be more talented than her master, the Jade Fox. The conflict ends
after the Jade Fox kills Tsai. Jade Fox and the thief make their escape.
!
With a sword theft escalating to murder, and implications that both the thief and
the murderer are hiding within General Yu’s compound, Sir Te cannot ignore the
situation any longer. The situation if handled without subtly, would prove disastrous for
the Yu family, and could place Te in a politically troubling situation, so Shu Lien decides
to help.
!
Having suspected Jen to be the thief, she meets with Jen and her mother Mrs.
Yu. She subtly hints that the thief should return the sword in order to avoid harming
their family’s reputations.
!
The ploy works. Later that night, Jen - wearing her thief clothing - goes to return
the sword, but is met by Li Mu Bai. Li Mu Bai, having fought with her the other night,
saw potential in her martial arts skills and offers to teach her the discipline of Wudang.
Jen seems slightly intrigued by the idea, but is mostly repelled by the thought of siding
with her master’s enemy. They have a small fight, where Li Mu Bai effortlessly and
calmly disarms Jen. She flees, leaving the Green Destiny with Li Mu Bai.
!
At night, the man seen earlier interfering with the first conflict between the thief
(Jen) and Shu Lien sneaks into Jen’s sleeping quarters. When Jen recognizes the man
as Lo, they embrace and kiss.
!
Flash back to years earlier when bandits raided the Yu’s caravan in the desert.
Lo, also known as Dark Cloud, was the leader of the bandits, and managed to steel a
comb that was precious to Jen. With her mother having fainted, Jen steals one of the
bandit’s horses and pursues Lo. She follows him for a while, they have several fights,
and eventually Jen passes out from dehydration.
!
She wakes up at Lo’s cave. He has been taking care of her. At first, she resists
his kindness, but eventually, they fall in love. Yu’s men search the desert for Jen, whom
they believe to be kidnapped. Lo suggests Jen return to her family, with the intention of
legitimizing himself to one day be able to impress her father so they can be together.
!
He then tells her of a legend of a man that jumped off the mountain to make a
wish come true. The man’s heart was pure, so his wish came true, and he did not die,
but instead floated away, never to be seen again
!
Back to the present, Lo explains how he tried to make something of himself, but
he was recognized as the famous bandit “Dark Cloud” everywhere he went. Since Jen
was due to be wed, he could not wait any longer. Jen sternly refuses him with very
subtle reluctance.
!
The next day, Jen is a part of a ceremonial wedding parade, when Lo makes a
scene. Yelling for Jen to come back to the desert with him. The Yu guards go after Lo,
but he manages to escape on the rooftops.
!
Shu Lien and Li Mu Bai, however, manage to catch him, but decide to keep him
hidden from the guards. They learn of Jen and Lo’s backstory and decide to try and
help them. Li Mu Bai sends him to the Wudang Mountain to wait for Jen.
!
On Jen’s wedding night, she steals the Green Destiny again and runs away.
During her travels she gets into a bar fight with people wishing to have a sparing match.
She is rude and arrogant, but they are no match for her and the Green Destiny.
!
Meanwhile, Li Mu Bai tells Shu Lien that he had given up the Green Destiny and
his journey to enlightenment to spend the rest of his days with her, because when he is
with her, he feels at peace. Shu Lien’s deceased husband was a brother by oath to Li
Mu Bai, and had died protecting him. They had decided it would dishonour his memory
if they were to be together. However, Li Mu Bai can no longer ignore his desires.
!
Jen eventually shows up at Shu Lien’s home seeking help. Shu Lien tells Jen
about Lo waiting for her at Wudang Mountain, and advises Jen to return to her family,
offering to help Jen persuade them to let her live the life she wants.
!
On hearing that Lo was sent to Wudang Mountain through Li Mu Bai, Jen
becomes angry with Shu Lien. Shu Lien can no longer put up with Jen’s lack of
appreciation for all the help they have given her, and breaks off their friendship.
!
Jen challenges Shu Lien to a fight. The Green Destiny sword makes Jen more
formidable than she otherwise would be. Sundering many of the weapons Shu Lien
uses in the fight. Eventually, Shu Lien wins the fight, and gives Jen one last chance to
see reason. Jen declines by striking a cheap blow to Shu Lien, cutting her arm.
!
Li Mu Bai arrives at this point. Angry that she hurt Shu Lien, he sternly gives Jen
another chance to see reason. Like a rebellious adolescent, she refuses again and flies
away. Li Mu Bai pursues, and follows her into a bamboo forest.
!
Much like their previous fights, Jen - even with the Green Destiny sword - is no
match for Li Mu Bai. The confrontation is that of a teacher giving a lesson to a student.
The fight leaves the forest and ends at a river, where Jen agrees to be his student if he
can take the Green Destiny from her in three moves. Li Mu Bai, with little hesitation,
takes the sword from her in a single move. Despite her word, Jen still refuses him.
!
Li Mu Bai then throws the Green Destiny off the nearby waterfall, and to his
surprise, Jen jumps after it. She manages to retrieve the sword, but passes out in the
process. Before Li Mu Bai can get to her, the Jade Fox flies in and takes the
unconscious Jen.
!
Jen awakens in a cave - presumably the Jade Fox’s hideout. The Jade Fox tells
Jen to rest while she goes out. Li Mu Bai discovers the hideout. Jen attempts to
confront him, but she has trouble moving properly. Jade Fox has drugged her.
!
Li Mu Bai gives her some kind of smelling salts to help snap her out of it enough
to tell her where the Jade Fox is. Shu Lien and Bo arrive at the cave to find Jen and Li
Mu Bai. They had followed the Jade Fox to the cave.
!
Suddenly, out of the shadows, the Jade Fox attacks Li Mu Bai with a volley of
darts. Whirling the Green Destiny sword he seemingly deflects all the darts and deals a
fatal blow to the Jade Fox. Li Mu Bai then realizes he was hit with one of the poisoned
darts. In the Jade Fox’s dying last words, she reveals that she was actually aiming at
Jen.
!
She felt betrayed by Jen, because Jen had been keeping information about
techniques in the Wudang manual from her, and had then vastly surpassed her in
fighting skills.
!
The poison affecting Li Mu Bai is a fatal one, but Jen knows what poison the
Jade Fox used, and therefore, she also knows the antidote. She rushes away to
retrieve the ingredients. Meanwhile, Li Mu Bai confesses his love for Shu Lien and dies
before Jen can return.
!
Jen goes to meet Lo at the Wudang mountain. Their reunion, however, is very
brief as she decides to jump off the mountain in order to make a wish come true. This
wish, she asks Lo to make. His wish is for the two of them to be back in the desert
together. Lo looks on with tears in his eyes as he watches Jen float away into the fog,
knowing he will never see her again. It is a paradoxical ending since his wish is for
them to be together, yet as the tail goes, for the wish to be granted, she must float away
never to be seen again.
Narrative Themes
!
There are several themes throughout the film - a teacher-student relationship,
forbidden love, poison, and the search for inner peace. These themes are portrayed
through several characters in a parallel fashion.
!
The teach-student relationship focuses on Jen’s desire to have someone to guide
her. Having surpassed her master the Jade Fox, she felt lost. The opportunity to have
a new master left her confused and conflicted because it would require her to betray her
current master. With each offer from Li Mu Bai to train her, she could not help but feel
slightly drawn to the promise of someone capable of giving her the guidance she
desired, but was always repelled by her loyalty to the Jade Fox.
!
The poison theme can be seen in two respects. Poison is a weapon of the Jade
Fox. She used it to kill Li Mu Bai, and his master. She also uses drugs to weaken Jen,
and attempts to kill her using poisoned darts. Poison is considered a cowards weapon,
signifying the Jade Fox’s incapability to surpass her own limitations, thus being
surpassed by her disciple, Jen.
!
Poison is also referenced on a more spiritual level in the film as well. The slow
decay of a relationship through the betrayal of a loved one. The Jade Fox, with her
dying words states, poison is “an eight year old girl, full of deceit.”
!
The forbidden love theme is the most obvious theme of the film. Both of the love
stories are about forbidden love. Jen cannot be with Lo because he is a lower class
bandit, and she is an aristocrat’s daughter. Jen’s search for adventure stems from her
desire for freedom from her parents - in regards to the arranged marriage - and from the
constraints of society - in regards to the divide in classes.
!
Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien’s forbidden love is very different. Out of respect for Shu
Lien’s deceased husband - who was also an oath brother to Li Mu Bai - they cannot be
together. Where Jen and Lo’s story is one of young, reckless love, Li Mu Bai and Shu
Lien’s story is much more mature and deep rooted.
!
The search for inner peace is perhaps the most important theme of the film.
Whether it is about love or vengeance; finding inner peace is ultimately the goal. This
theme can be seen most clearly through Li Mu Bai and Jen’s characters.
!
Li Mu Bai, after years of loving a woman from a distance, comes to the
realization that he cannot live without her, and when trying to reach enlightenment, he
finds only immense pain and sorrow stemming from his desire to be with her. Whereas
when he’s with her, he feels at peace.
!
Jen, being a very conflicted character seeks many things - freedom, guidance,
love - however, her anger and confusion cause her to push away her opportunities to
attain these things. This anger and confusion is her lack of inner peace. She’s so
troubled that she cannot make the right decisions, and ends up needlessly hurting
herself as well as those around her.
!
The interesting thing about this theme of peace is that it permeates the entire film
through means that are less obvious than some of the other themes, such as forbidden
love. The film makers achieve this visually through the cinematography (drawn out
close-ups in slow motion to slow the pace of otherwise very active scenes); set design
(fantastic peaceful landscapes, such as bamboo forests, or flowing waterfalls); and the
choreography (dance-like action sequences that are beautiful and flowing). All of this is
supported and enhanced by the music.
Finding Inner Peace
!
Although the music has several functions within the film, re-enforcing the theme
of inner peace I believe to be it’s primary function. Love themes still have their place, as
do action cues, however, the entire score, whether it be a love scene or a battle
sequence, has a unified sound of tranquility, simplicity and sorrow, with few exceptions.
!
This sound is achieved primarily through clever instrumentation. Although an
orchestra is used for the film, it is used very subtly. The majority of the music is solo
instruments - mainly the cello, harp, dizi and erhu. There are other solo instruments
used as well, such as the rawap - a Chinese lute - however, the cello, harp, dizi and
erhu make up the majority of the melodic content of the score.
!
Tan Dun uses the orchestral accompaniment to add warmth, utilizing a lot of
string pads, string motion in 8th or 16th notes, and the occasional dissonant chords to
usher in brief moments of rising tension.
!
He also uses the orchestra to provide harmonic accompaniment and size. For
example, the orchestra might be slowly introduced underneath a solo, thickening the
sound, adding size and importance to the scene. However, this size increase is usually
kept to a minimum in order to maintain the tranquility of the film. Occasionally there are
moments in the film that require a larger sound - eg. entering the big city of Bejing. The
orchestra takes on this role as well, however, these moments are generally brief, and far
and few between.
!
The solo instruments themselves are used to great effect. The cello is very
warm, rich and raw sounding, and is used for most of the main themes. The erhu is a
sharper sound as it is a Chinese violin of sorts, however, they still managed to achieve a
certain warmth from the instrument while still maintaining the ethnic sound. This warmth
may have been achieved in the mixing stage. Much of the time the cello and erhu are
interchangeable; taking on call and response roles, or harmonizing with each other’s
melodies.
!
The harp’s primary role is to
provide harmonies to the other solo
instruments, or to play a thematic
ostinato that can be heard
throughout the film. This ostinato
suits the film very well by
maintaining the tranquil sound, but with a touch of sadness. It is because it is a very
good base that it is used frequently throughout the film - sometimes even alone,
underneath dialogue.
!
The dizi, a Chinese flute, is used similarly to the erhu - playing main themes and
melodies - however, unlike the erhu, the dizi does not have the same relationship with
the cello. The dizi adds a slightly different colour to the sound. Similar to the erhu by
adding a Chinese sound, but with a breathy, woodwind quality. The dizi is also capable
of playing very playful passages that the other string instruments are not quite able to
do.3
!
The four instruments work very well together; the cello and harp providing
warmth, and the erhu and dizi providing a Chinese, airy colour. Together, these four
3
Listen to the first 30 seconds of “In The Old Temple” from the supplementary material for an example of
the harp ostinato and dizi flute
instruments create the unique sound of the film, however, there is one more element
utilized frequently throughout the film - percussion.
Action Sequences and the Use of Percussion
!
During many of the action sequences, Chinese percussion is used with minimal
to no melodic accompaniment. The action sequences involving quarrels between Jen
and Shu Lien have only hand drums. Having the drums alone during a fight sequence
gives the sense of action, motion and rhythm, while still maintaining the film’s sound of
simplicity. The rhythms used generally play off of the dance-like choreography of the
martial arts sequences. The scene where Jen fights a tavern full of warriors is similar,
however, the flute accompanies the drums to add a sense of playfulness - reflecting her
immaturity as well as her enjoyment in the quarrel.
!
There are a few action cues during the desert flash back that have a unique
flavour to them. The primary instruments used are the hand drums, and a lute-like
Chinese instrument called the rawap.
!
The hand drums continue their role as supporting the choreography of the action.
The rawap takes on the same role as the erhu - soloing to create intimacy, while the
strummed timbre of the instrument creates the “sound of the desert” for the film.
!
During the scene where the bandits raid the Yu’s caravan in the desert, the
orchestra plays a larger role, accompanying the hand drums and the rawap. The
orchestra takes on the task of adding size while hinting at new themes not heard until
this point in the film - essentially introducing a variation of a theme before the actual
theme is itself introduced. This theme is Lo’s song, and will be discussed further later
on.
!
There are a few action sequences involving the Jade Fox that utilize both
percussion and orchestra. These are much more tense, serious and even dangerous.
A stark contrast separating the Jade Fox from the rest of the characters.
!
I believe this is a very important contrast to make as the Jade Fox is the only
character in the film incapable of reaching inner peace due to a lifetime spent as an
immoral, bitter, and resentful person. This is a very valid departure from the consistent
tranquil sound of the score as it draws attention to this contrast in a very powerful, yet
subtle way. The music itself is powerful, but the choice to show this contrast primarily
through the music, gives it a sort of subliminal influence on the viewers, rather than
blatantly telling the audience visually.
!
This subtlety is a key feature of the film. Ang Lee and Tan Dun’s decision to
underscore character’s deeper emotions rather than focus on what’s happening gives
the music the capability to achieve this duality of powerful, yet subtle; action packed, yet
calm; tranquil, yet sad.
Melodic Themes & Motifs
!
The narrative themes are not just realized by the timbre of the music, but also
through the use of motifs. The two primary motifs used in the film are both love themes.
There is the love theme of Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien (which also acts as the main theme
of the movie), and Jen and Lo’s love theme.
!
Both love themes have a beautiful sorrow to them. There are two elements at
work here - adaptable melodies, and emotive performances. The melodies are not
inherently sad, however, they are very malleable to the character’s inner emotions and
changing moods within the scene without necessarily having to change anything
melodically or harmonically. I believe this is achieved in no small part due to the
emotive performances by the soloists - specifically the erhu player and cellist. The
soloists were given great freedom dynamically, expressively (namely glissandos and
portamentos), and rhythmically. Essentially, Tan Dun gave the performers the freedom
to make their instruments “weep” when necessary.
!
Yo Yo Ma was the soloist for the cello, and much like Tan Dun, he has a strong
background in both Chinese and western styles of music making him the perfect
performer for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’s hybrid score.
!
Yo Yo Ma manages to play the cello like an erhu at times, giving the cello a slight
Chinese quality when called for, and making the combination of the two instruments
more nature without compromising the unique sound of each instrument. He
accomplishes through the use of glissandos/portamentos, and how he uses trills. The
erhu tends to use a lot of glissandos and trills as a technique. This technique, however,
is not just ornamental, it has become part of the character of the erhu sound. By
implementing the same techniques, Yo Yo Ma successfully brings the two worlds
together.
Li Mu Bai & Shu Lien’s Love Theme
!
Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien’s love theme seems to exemplify this the best of the two
themes - which is perhaps why their love theme was also used as the main theme of the
film. Their love theme focuses on erhu and cello solos performing a kind of call and
response - often playing one part of the theme twice before hearing the same in the
other instrument. For example, there is a scene in the film where Li Mu Bai is practicing
his sword techniques seemingly alone in an empty courtyard one night. Unbeknownst
to him, Shu Lien watches him for a time before approaching to talk to him.
In this scene the erhu plays the first five bar phrase, and the cello responds with the
next seven bar phrase as seen in the transcription below.4
4
Listen to “Yearning of the Sword” for the cue to this scene.
They then continue this pattern throughout the rest of the theme by repeating the
melody below.
!
The choice to have this interaction between the erhu and cello could be a
reflection of the interactions between the two characters. They both love each other,
but will not say so with words. The music takes over this role of inferring the character’s
inner emotional dialogue to the audience through the soloist’s exchange.
Jen & Lo’s Love Theme
!
Jen and Lo’s love theme have many of the same elements in regards to melody
and expressive performances - the themes are even harmonically compatible.
However, this theme differs very slightly in function. Jen and Lo’s love is young, and
passionate.5
5
Listen to “Silk Road” starting at 1:22 to hear the above love theme.
!
There is a slight tinge of hope embedded within this theme that is not present in
Li Mu Bai’s motif, and as such, it’s variations are used with a much wider range of
emotional contexts and functions. Including one that is entirely hopeful for the scene in
which Lo convinces Jen to
go back to her family, but
promises to return to her a
changed man, and a
variation (image to the
right) used as a transition.
Lo’s Song (The Desert Love Song)
!
Lo’s song doubles as a theme for the desert, and as an honourary love theme.
As mentioned earlier, this theme is first introduced as a variation in the orchestra during
the bandit raid. However, it is first introduced in full as source, not score.
!
Lo is singing this melody as he tends to his cooking fire before being hit over the
head by a still vicious Jen. Jen escapes, only to pass out of dehydration and be
rescued once again by Lo. After she recovers, he offers her fresh clothing and a bath.
So that she feels comfortable, he starts to sing this song once again so that she can
know that he’s not peeking at her.
!
The manner in which he starts singing the song in her presence is very flirtatious.
It’s clear that he likes her, and is using the song as a part of his courting her. So
although this theme is not technically used as a love theme, it is still an active part of
their love story.
!
It is also worth noting that this source music is keeping with the tranquility of the
film in the same manner as the score. That is, through the emotive performance of the
musician, as well as the intimacy inherent in a solo instrument - in this case, Lo’s solo
voice.
Conclusion
!
Although the theme of unattainable romance is the primary content of the story of
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it is the underlying theme of finding inner peace that is
the dominant concept of the film. Li Mu Bai finds peace in Shu Lien, and wishes to
leave his warrior lifestyle behind to be with her. Meanwhile, Jen’s turbulent and
conflicting emotions cause her to make impulsive decisions in an attempt to find herself.
!
This theme is supported through the music by it’s overall sound of tranquility and
simplicity. Although there are exceptions to this, the majority of the score sticks to this
sound fairly consistently. Tan Dun achieves this by utilizing the orchestra, percussion
and soloing instruments in various roles.
!
The orchestra’s primary role is to control the size of the music while providing
harmonic accompaniment. The orchestra’s great dynamic range enables Tan Dun to
make things sound huge when necessary or to simply support the soloing instruments
harmonically, adding warmth to the overall tone.
!
The percussion is used primarily to support scenes rich with action and
movement. Keeping the percussion simple, rhythmically active and small in size
(meaning very few drums playing at a time) enables the music to support the action of
the scene without adding size or tension. Any tension needed in the scene can be
controlled through the accompaniment of the orchestra or soloing instruments, although
several times there is no accompaniment at all.
!
The choice of soloing instruments - cello, harp, erhu and dizi - add to the sound
of tranquility. The cello and harp add warmth, while the erhu and dizi add an airy,
Chinese ethnicity to the sound.
!
The performances by the soloists play a huge role in blending the various soloing
instruments. For example, the cello is played using techniques used to play the erhu namely glissandos and trills - giving the cello an ethnic character to the sound.
!
The soloists are also given great freedoms dynamically, expressively, and
rhythmically. This enables the melodies to really hone in on the underlying emotional
dialogue of the characters in any given scene. It also creates an intimacy that greatly
supports the theme of finding inner peace.
!
The love themes make up the main motifs of the film, and are great examples of
all of the techniques and methods used by Tan Dun to create his sound for the score.
!
Tan Dun’s score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a very simple score by
design. The music very successfully supports the visual aesthetics of the film while
conveying the underlying emotional dialogue of the characters to the audience. This
score is a fantastic illustration of the concept “less is more” - a concept that more film
composers should consider adopting.
Hidden Dragon
Creating Tranquility and Intimacy Using
Solos
A Film Music Analysis by Drew Redman
Table of Contents
Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------------------------03
Plot Summary------------------------------------------------------------------------------04
Narrative Themes-------------------------------------------------------------------------10
Finding Inner Peace----------------------------------------------------------------------12
Action Sequences and Percussion---------------------------------------------------14
Melodic Themes & Motifs---------------------------------------------------------------16
!
Li Mu Bai & Shu Lien’s Love Theme------------------------------------------------17
!
Jen & Lo’s Love Theme ---------------------------------------------------------------18
!
Lo’s Song (The Desert Love Song) ------------------------------------------------19
Conclusion----------------------------------------------------------------------------------21
Introduction
!
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a film made in 2000 based on the fourth novel
of a five part epic (“The Crane-Iron Series”) by Wang Dulu. The novels are of a Chinese
literary genre called wuxia, which translates to “martial hero”. Generally, wuxia stories
consists of a protagonist that has considerable fighting skills, no lord or master, and a
strong, righteous moral code.1
!
The film was directed by Ang Lee, and the score composed by Tan Dun. Tan
Dun is a Chinese contemporary classical composer who - having been raised in a
village in the Hunan province of China - grew up with a heavy influence from rituals of
the village shaman. These rituals were usually set to music comprised of natural items,
such as water or rock. Having studied music in both China at the Central Conservatory
of Music in Bejing, and in the United States at Columbia University, he has formed his
unique voice fusing both Eastern and Western traditions.2 These influences are very
apparent in his score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
!
In this analysis, I will examine how the score’s use of soloing instruments of both
western and Chinese origin gives the film a unique character and warmth. While
creating a very intimate and emotive support for the story, the solos often reflect the
characters’ inner emotional dialogue, whilst creating an overall colour to the score that
ultimately supports the main theme of the film - the search for inner peace.
1
Teo, Stephen (2009). Chinese Martial Arts Cinema: The Wuxia Tradition. Edinburgh University
Press. pp. 17–19.
Frank J. Oteri. "Tradition and Innovation: The Alchemy of Tan Dun." Tan Dun Online, October
15, 2007. Accessed November 1, 2013.
http://www.tandunonline.com/mystory
2
Plot Summary
!
The film is set in the Qing Dynasty during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor.
The protagonist, Li Mu Bai, is a legendary Wudang swordsman that has given up his
meditations, having failed to reach enlightenment. There was something keeping him
from finding inner peace - his love for Shu Lien.
!
He seeks out his old friend Yu Shu Lien to ask her to transport his legendary
sword - “The Green Destiny” - to their mutual friend Sir Te in Bejing. This was a difficult
decision for him as he had yet to avenge his master’s murder by killing the Jade Fox.
!
Shu Lien successfully delivers the sword to Sir Te who reluctantly accepts the
grand gift, claiming that he will be the sword’s custodian. Te then discusses the
relationship between Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien, stating that although they are both brave
warriors, they are cowards for not expressing their feelings for each other.
!
When placing the sword in a room that seems to display several other artifacts,
Shu Lien meets Jen, the daughter of Governor Yu - a visiting aristocrat. Jen, who is to
be wed soon in an arranged marriage, is enamored and envious of Shu Lien’s
adventurous lifestyle.
!
That evening, a masked thief wearing all black sneaks into Sir Te’s estate to steal
the sword. A guard named Bo catches the thief in the act, but is quickly outmatched by
the thief’s superior martial arts skills. Bo sounds the alarm and gives chase after the
thief. The thief easily evades Bo and the other guards by running on rooftops, however,
the thief is then confronted by Shu Lien.
!
During their fight, somebody interferes by blowing a dart at Shu Lien. Shu Lien
catches the dart, but while she is distracted, the thief manages to escape somewhere in
Governor Yu’s compound.
!
During the chase, Bo had crossed paths with an undercover police man named
Tsai and his daughter from a different region of China. They were hunting a criminal
named Jade Fox, and they believed her to be hiding among the Yu family’s staff. After
posting “wanted” fliers around Bejing, the Jade Fox sends the policeman a message to
meet her to settle things. Tsai, his daughter and Bo meet with Jade Fox to kill her.
Even with numbers, the three of them find themselves outmatched by the Jade Fox.
!
Li Mu Bai enters the conflict, and effortlessly bests the Jade Fox. Ten years
earlier, the Jade Fox had poisoned Li Mu Bai’s master, and stole the Wudang secret
manual. Just as Li Mu Bai was about to finally avenge his master, the thief interferes
wielding the Green Destiny sword, and although the thief is clearly no match for Li Mu
Bai, she proves to be more talented than her master, the Jade Fox. The conflict ends
after the Jade Fox kills Tsai. Jade Fox and the thief make their escape.
!
With a sword theft escalating to murder, and implications that both the thief and
the murderer are hiding within General Yu’s compound, Sir Te cannot ignore the
situation any longer. The situation if handled without subtly, would prove disastrous for
the Yu family, and could place Te in a politically troubling situation, so Shu Lien decides
to help.
!
Having suspected Jen to be the thief, she meets with Jen and her mother Mrs.
Yu. She subtly hints that the thief should return the sword in order to avoid harming
their family’s reputations.
!
The ploy works. Later that night, Jen - wearing her thief clothing - goes to return
the sword, but is met by Li Mu Bai. Li Mu Bai, having fought with her the other night,
saw potential in her martial arts skills and offers to teach her the discipline of Wudang.
Jen seems slightly intrigued by the idea, but is mostly repelled by the thought of siding
with her master’s enemy. They have a small fight, where Li Mu Bai effortlessly and
calmly disarms Jen. She flees, leaving the Green Destiny with Li Mu Bai.
!
At night, the man seen earlier interfering with the first conflict between the thief
(Jen) and Shu Lien sneaks into Jen’s sleeping quarters. When Jen recognizes the man
as Lo, they embrace and kiss.
!
Flash back to years earlier when bandits raided the Yu’s caravan in the desert.
Lo, also known as Dark Cloud, was the leader of the bandits, and managed to steel a
comb that was precious to Jen. With her mother having fainted, Jen steals one of the
bandit’s horses and pursues Lo. She follows him for a while, they have several fights,
and eventually Jen passes out from dehydration.
!
She wakes up at Lo’s cave. He has been taking care of her. At first, she resists
his kindness, but eventually, they fall in love. Yu’s men search the desert for Jen, whom
they believe to be kidnapped. Lo suggests Jen return to her family, with the intention of
legitimizing himself to one day be able to impress her father so they can be together.
!
He then tells her of a legend of a man that jumped off the mountain to make a
wish come true. The man’s heart was pure, so his wish came true, and he did not die,
but instead floated away, never to be seen again
!
Back to the present, Lo explains how he tried to make something of himself, but
he was recognized as the famous bandit “Dark Cloud” everywhere he went. Since Jen
was due to be wed, he could not wait any longer. Jen sternly refuses him with very
subtle reluctance.
!
The next day, Jen is a part of a ceremonial wedding parade, when Lo makes a
scene. Yelling for Jen to come back to the desert with him. The Yu guards go after Lo,
but he manages to escape on the rooftops.
!
Shu Lien and Li Mu Bai, however, manage to catch him, but decide to keep him
hidden from the guards. They learn of Jen and Lo’s backstory and decide to try and
help them. Li Mu Bai sends him to the Wudang Mountain to wait for Jen.
!
On Jen’s wedding night, she steals the Green Destiny again and runs away.
During her travels she gets into a bar fight with people wishing to have a sparing match.
She is rude and arrogant, but they are no match for her and the Green Destiny.
!
Meanwhile, Li Mu Bai tells Shu Lien that he had given up the Green Destiny and
his journey to enlightenment to spend the rest of his days with her, because when he is
with her, he feels at peace. Shu Lien’s deceased husband was a brother by oath to Li
Mu Bai, and had died protecting him. They had decided it would dishonour his memory
if they were to be together. However, Li Mu Bai can no longer ignore his desires.
!
Jen eventually shows up at Shu Lien’s home seeking help. Shu Lien tells Jen
about Lo waiting for her at Wudang Mountain, and advises Jen to return to her family,
offering to help Jen persuade them to let her live the life she wants.
!
On hearing that Lo was sent to Wudang Mountain through Li Mu Bai, Jen
becomes angry with Shu Lien. Shu Lien can no longer put up with Jen’s lack of
appreciation for all the help they have given her, and breaks off their friendship.
!
Jen challenges Shu Lien to a fight. The Green Destiny sword makes Jen more
formidable than she otherwise would be. Sundering many of the weapons Shu Lien
uses in the fight. Eventually, Shu Lien wins the fight, and gives Jen one last chance to
see reason. Jen declines by striking a cheap blow to Shu Lien, cutting her arm.
!
Li Mu Bai arrives at this point. Angry that she hurt Shu Lien, he sternly gives Jen
another chance to see reason. Like a rebellious adolescent, she refuses again and flies
away. Li Mu Bai pursues, and follows her into a bamboo forest.
!
Much like their previous fights, Jen - even with the Green Destiny sword - is no
match for Li Mu Bai. The confrontation is that of a teacher giving a lesson to a student.
The fight leaves the forest and ends at a river, where Jen agrees to be his student if he
can take the Green Destiny from her in three moves. Li Mu Bai, with little hesitation,
takes the sword from her in a single move. Despite her word, Jen still refuses him.
!
Li Mu Bai then throws the Green Destiny off the nearby waterfall, and to his
surprise, Jen jumps after it. She manages to retrieve the sword, but passes out in the
process. Before Li Mu Bai can get to her, the Jade Fox flies in and takes the
unconscious Jen.
!
Jen awakens in a cave - presumably the Jade Fox’s hideout. The Jade Fox tells
Jen to rest while she goes out. Li Mu Bai discovers the hideout. Jen attempts to
confront him, but she has trouble moving properly. Jade Fox has drugged her.
!
Li Mu Bai gives her some kind of smelling salts to help snap her out of it enough
to tell her where the Jade Fox is. Shu Lien and Bo arrive at the cave to find Jen and Li
Mu Bai. They had followed the Jade Fox to the cave.
!
Suddenly, out of the shadows, the Jade Fox attacks Li Mu Bai with a volley of
darts. Whirling the Green Destiny sword he seemingly deflects all the darts and deals a
fatal blow to the Jade Fox. Li Mu Bai then realizes he was hit with one of the poisoned
darts. In the Jade Fox’s dying last words, she reveals that she was actually aiming at
Jen.
!
She felt betrayed by Jen, because Jen had been keeping information about
techniques in the Wudang manual from her, and had then vastly surpassed her in
fighting skills.
!
The poison affecting Li Mu Bai is a fatal one, but Jen knows what poison the
Jade Fox used, and therefore, she also knows the antidote. She rushes away to
retrieve the ingredients. Meanwhile, Li Mu Bai confesses his love for Shu Lien and dies
before Jen can return.
!
Jen goes to meet Lo at the Wudang mountain. Their reunion, however, is very
brief as she decides to jump off the mountain in order to make a wish come true. This
wish, she asks Lo to make. His wish is for the two of them to be back in the desert
together. Lo looks on with tears in his eyes as he watches Jen float away into the fog,
knowing he will never see her again. It is a paradoxical ending since his wish is for
them to be together, yet as the tail goes, for the wish to be granted, she must float away
never to be seen again.
Narrative Themes
!
There are several themes throughout the film - a teacher-student relationship,
forbidden love, poison, and the search for inner peace. These themes are portrayed
through several characters in a parallel fashion.
!
The teach-student relationship focuses on Jen’s desire to have someone to guide
her. Having surpassed her master the Jade Fox, she felt lost. The opportunity to have
a new master left her confused and conflicted because it would require her to betray her
current master. With each offer from Li Mu Bai to train her, she could not help but feel
slightly drawn to the promise of someone capable of giving her the guidance she
desired, but was always repelled by her loyalty to the Jade Fox.
!
The poison theme can be seen in two respects. Poison is a weapon of the Jade
Fox. She used it to kill Li Mu Bai, and his master. She also uses drugs to weaken Jen,
and attempts to kill her using poisoned darts. Poison is considered a cowards weapon,
signifying the Jade Fox’s incapability to surpass her own limitations, thus being
surpassed by her disciple, Jen.
!
Poison is also referenced on a more spiritual level in the film as well. The slow
decay of a relationship through the betrayal of a loved one. The Jade Fox, with her
dying words states, poison is “an eight year old girl, full of deceit.”
!
The forbidden love theme is the most obvious theme of the film. Both of the love
stories are about forbidden love. Jen cannot be with Lo because he is a lower class
bandit, and she is an aristocrat’s daughter. Jen’s search for adventure stems from her
desire for freedom from her parents - in regards to the arranged marriage - and from the
constraints of society - in regards to the divide in classes.
!
Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien’s forbidden love is very different. Out of respect for Shu
Lien’s deceased husband - who was also an oath brother to Li Mu Bai - they cannot be
together. Where Jen and Lo’s story is one of young, reckless love, Li Mu Bai and Shu
Lien’s story is much more mature and deep rooted.
!
The search for inner peace is perhaps the most important theme of the film.
Whether it is about love or vengeance; finding inner peace is ultimately the goal. This
theme can be seen most clearly through Li Mu Bai and Jen’s characters.
!
Li Mu Bai, after years of loving a woman from a distance, comes to the
realization that he cannot live without her, and when trying to reach enlightenment, he
finds only immense pain and sorrow stemming from his desire to be with her. Whereas
when he’s with her, he feels at peace.
!
Jen, being a very conflicted character seeks many things - freedom, guidance,
love - however, her anger and confusion cause her to push away her opportunities to
attain these things. This anger and confusion is her lack of inner peace. She’s so
troubled that she cannot make the right decisions, and ends up needlessly hurting
herself as well as those around her.
!
The interesting thing about this theme of peace is that it permeates the entire film
through means that are less obvious than some of the other themes, such as forbidden
love. The film makers achieve this visually through the cinematography (drawn out
close-ups in slow motion to slow the pace of otherwise very active scenes); set design
(fantastic peaceful landscapes, such as bamboo forests, or flowing waterfalls); and the
choreography (dance-like action sequences that are beautiful and flowing). All of this is
supported and enhanced by the music.
Finding Inner Peace
!
Although the music has several functions within the film, re-enforcing the theme
of inner peace I believe to be it’s primary function. Love themes still have their place, as
do action cues, however, the entire score, whether it be a love scene or a battle
sequence, has a unified sound of tranquility, simplicity and sorrow, with few exceptions.
!
This sound is achieved primarily through clever instrumentation. Although an
orchestra is used for the film, it is used very subtly. The majority of the music is solo
instruments - mainly the cello, harp, dizi and erhu. There are other solo instruments
used as well, such as the rawap - a Chinese lute - however, the cello, harp, dizi and
erhu make up the majority of the melodic content of the score.
!
Tan Dun uses the orchestral accompaniment to add warmth, utilizing a lot of
string pads, string motion in 8th or 16th notes, and the occasional dissonant chords to
usher in brief moments of rising tension.
!
He also uses the orchestra to provide harmonic accompaniment and size. For
example, the orchestra might be slowly introduced underneath a solo, thickening the
sound, adding size and importance to the scene. However, this size increase is usually
kept to a minimum in order to maintain the tranquility of the film. Occasionally there are
moments in the film that require a larger sound - eg. entering the big city of Bejing. The
orchestra takes on this role as well, however, these moments are generally brief, and far
and few between.
!
The solo instruments themselves are used to great effect. The cello is very
warm, rich and raw sounding, and is used for most of the main themes. The erhu is a
sharper sound as it is a Chinese violin of sorts, however, they still managed to achieve a
certain warmth from the instrument while still maintaining the ethnic sound. This warmth
may have been achieved in the mixing stage. Much of the time the cello and erhu are
interchangeable; taking on call and response roles, or harmonizing with each other’s
melodies.
!
The harp’s primary role is to
provide harmonies to the other solo
instruments, or to play a thematic
ostinato that can be heard
throughout the film. This ostinato
suits the film very well by
maintaining the tranquil sound, but with a touch of sadness. It is because it is a very
good base that it is used frequently throughout the film - sometimes even alone,
underneath dialogue.
!
The dizi, a Chinese flute, is used similarly to the erhu - playing main themes and
melodies - however, unlike the erhu, the dizi does not have the same relationship with
the cello. The dizi adds a slightly different colour to the sound. Similar to the erhu by
adding a Chinese sound, but with a breathy, woodwind quality. The dizi is also capable
of playing very playful passages that the other string instruments are not quite able to
do.3
!
The four instruments work very well together; the cello and harp providing
warmth, and the erhu and dizi providing a Chinese, airy colour. Together, these four
3
Listen to the first 30 seconds of “In The Old Temple” from the supplementary material for an example of
the harp ostinato and dizi flute
instruments create the unique sound of the film, however, there is one more element
utilized frequently throughout the film - percussion.
Action Sequences and the Use of Percussion
!
During many of the action sequences, Chinese percussion is used with minimal
to no melodic accompaniment. The action sequences involving quarrels between Jen
and Shu Lien have only hand drums. Having the drums alone during a fight sequence
gives the sense of action, motion and rhythm, while still maintaining the film’s sound of
simplicity. The rhythms used generally play off of the dance-like choreography of the
martial arts sequences. The scene where Jen fights a tavern full of warriors is similar,
however, the flute accompanies the drums to add a sense of playfulness - reflecting her
immaturity as well as her enjoyment in the quarrel.
!
There are a few action cues during the desert flash back that have a unique
flavour to them. The primary instruments used are the hand drums, and a lute-like
Chinese instrument called the rawap.
!
The hand drums continue their role as supporting the choreography of the action.
The rawap takes on the same role as the erhu - soloing to create intimacy, while the
strummed timbre of the instrument creates the “sound of the desert” for the film.
!
During the scene where the bandits raid the Yu’s caravan in the desert, the
orchestra plays a larger role, accompanying the hand drums and the rawap. The
orchestra takes on the task of adding size while hinting at new themes not heard until
this point in the film - essentially introducing a variation of a theme before the actual
theme is itself introduced. This theme is Lo’s song, and will be discussed further later
on.
!
There are a few action sequences involving the Jade Fox that utilize both
percussion and orchestra. These are much more tense, serious and even dangerous.
A stark contrast separating the Jade Fox from the rest of the characters.
!
I believe this is a very important contrast to make as the Jade Fox is the only
character in the film incapable of reaching inner peace due to a lifetime spent as an
immoral, bitter, and resentful person. This is a very valid departure from the consistent
tranquil sound of the score as it draws attention to this contrast in a very powerful, yet
subtle way. The music itself is powerful, but the choice to show this contrast primarily
through the music, gives it a sort of subliminal influence on the viewers, rather than
blatantly telling the audience visually.
!
This subtlety is a key feature of the film. Ang Lee and Tan Dun’s decision to
underscore character’s deeper emotions rather than focus on what’s happening gives
the music the capability to achieve this duality of powerful, yet subtle; action packed, yet
calm; tranquil, yet sad.
Melodic Themes & Motifs
!
The narrative themes are not just realized by the timbre of the music, but also
through the use of motifs. The two primary motifs used in the film are both love themes.
There is the love theme of Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien (which also acts as the main theme
of the movie), and Jen and Lo’s love theme.
!
Both love themes have a beautiful sorrow to them. There are two elements at
work here - adaptable melodies, and emotive performances. The melodies are not
inherently sad, however, they are very malleable to the character’s inner emotions and
changing moods within the scene without necessarily having to change anything
melodically or harmonically. I believe this is achieved in no small part due to the
emotive performances by the soloists - specifically the erhu player and cellist. The
soloists were given great freedom dynamically, expressively (namely glissandos and
portamentos), and rhythmically. Essentially, Tan Dun gave the performers the freedom
to make their instruments “weep” when necessary.
!
Yo Yo Ma was the soloist for the cello, and much like Tan Dun, he has a strong
background in both Chinese and western styles of music making him the perfect
performer for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’s hybrid score.
!
Yo Yo Ma manages to play the cello like an erhu at times, giving the cello a slight
Chinese quality when called for, and making the combination of the two instruments
more nature without compromising the unique sound of each instrument. He
accomplishes through the use of glissandos/portamentos, and how he uses trills. The
erhu tends to use a lot of glissandos and trills as a technique. This technique, however,
is not just ornamental, it has become part of the character of the erhu sound. By
implementing the same techniques, Yo Yo Ma successfully brings the two worlds
together.
Li Mu Bai & Shu Lien’s Love Theme
!
Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien’s love theme seems to exemplify this the best of the two
themes - which is perhaps why their love theme was also used as the main theme of the
film. Their love theme focuses on erhu and cello solos performing a kind of call and
response - often playing one part of the theme twice before hearing the same in the
other instrument. For example, there is a scene in the film where Li Mu Bai is practicing
his sword techniques seemingly alone in an empty courtyard one night. Unbeknownst
to him, Shu Lien watches him for a time before approaching to talk to him.
In this scene the erhu plays the first five bar phrase, and the cello responds with the
next seven bar phrase as seen in the transcription below.4
4
Listen to “Yearning of the Sword” for the cue to this scene.
They then continue this pattern throughout the rest of the theme by repeating the
melody below.
!
The choice to have this interaction between the erhu and cello could be a
reflection of the interactions between the two characters. They both love each other,
but will not say so with words. The music takes over this role of inferring the character’s
inner emotional dialogue to the audience through the soloist’s exchange.
Jen & Lo’s Love Theme
!
Jen and Lo’s love theme have many of the same elements in regards to melody
and expressive performances - the themes are even harmonically compatible.
However, this theme differs very slightly in function. Jen and Lo’s love is young, and
passionate.5
5
Listen to “Silk Road” starting at 1:22 to hear the above love theme.
!
There is a slight tinge of hope embedded within this theme that is not present in
Li Mu Bai’s motif, and as such, it’s variations are used with a much wider range of
emotional contexts and functions. Including one that is entirely hopeful for the scene in
which Lo convinces Jen to
go back to her family, but
promises to return to her a
changed man, and a
variation (image to the
right) used as a transition.
Lo’s Song (The Desert Love Song)
!
Lo’s song doubles as a theme for the desert, and as an honourary love theme.
As mentioned earlier, this theme is first introduced as a variation in the orchestra during
the bandit raid. However, it is first introduced in full as source, not score.
!
Lo is singing this melody as he tends to his cooking fire before being hit over the
head by a still vicious Jen. Jen escapes, only to pass out of dehydration and be
rescued once again by Lo. After she recovers, he offers her fresh clothing and a bath.
So that she feels comfortable, he starts to sing this song once again so that she can
know that he’s not peeking at her.
!
The manner in which he starts singing the song in her presence is very flirtatious.
It’s clear that he likes her, and is using the song as a part of his courting her. So
although this theme is not technically used as a love theme, it is still an active part of
their love story.
!
It is also worth noting that this source music is keeping with the tranquility of the
film in the same manner as the score. That is, through the emotive performance of the
musician, as well as the intimacy inherent in a solo instrument - in this case, Lo’s solo
voice.
Conclusion
!
Although the theme of unattainable romance is the primary content of the story of
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it is the underlying theme of finding inner peace that is
the dominant concept of the film. Li Mu Bai finds peace in Shu Lien, and wishes to
leave his warrior lifestyle behind to be with her. Meanwhile, Jen’s turbulent and
conflicting emotions cause her to make impulsive decisions in an attempt to find herself.
!
This theme is supported through the music by it’s overall sound of tranquility and
simplicity. Although there are exceptions to this, the majority of the score sticks to this
sound fairly consistently. Tan Dun achieves this by utilizing the orchestra, percussion
and soloing instruments in various roles.
!
The orchestra’s primary role is to control the size of the music while providing
harmonic accompaniment. The orchestra’s great dynamic range enables Tan Dun to
make things sound huge when necessary or to simply support the soloing instruments
harmonically, adding warmth to the overall tone.
!
The percussion is used primarily to support scenes rich with action and
movement. Keeping the percussion simple, rhythmically active and small in size
(meaning very few drums playing at a time) enables the music to support the action of
the scene without adding size or tension. Any tension needed in the scene can be
controlled through the accompaniment of the orchestra or soloing instruments, although
several times there is no accompaniment at all.
!
The choice of soloing instruments - cello, harp, erhu and dizi - add to the sound
of tranquility. The cello and harp add warmth, while the erhu and dizi add an airy,
Chinese ethnicity to the sound.
!
The performances by the soloists play a huge role in blending the various soloing
instruments. For example, the cello is played using techniques used to play the erhu namely glissandos and trills - giving the cello an ethnic character to the sound.
!
The soloists are also given great freedoms dynamically, expressively, and
rhythmically. This enables the melodies to really hone in on the underlying emotional
dialogue of the characters in any given scene. It also creates an intimacy that greatly
supports the theme of finding inner peace.
!
The love themes make up the main motifs of the film, and are great examples of
all of the techniques and methods used by Tan Dun to create his sound for the score.
!
Tan Dun’s score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a very simple score by
design. The music very successfully supports the visual aesthetics of the film while
conveying the underlying emotional dialogue of the characters to the audience. This
score is a fantastic illustration of the concept “less is more” - a concept that more film
composers should consider adopting.
