Schall von Bell comes alive in oratorio

中国日报

日    期  2012年6月9日

An oratorio telling the story of German priest Johann Adam Schall von Bell will be staged inBeijingon June 11.

The story of a German priest who made great contributions toChinain the field of mathematics, astronomy, machinery manufacturing and philosophy, will be told through an oratorio. 

The production about Johann Adam Schall von Bell (1592-1666) has offered a poetic and musical insight into the life of the eminent figure who played a significant role in the history of culture exchanges between East and West. 

Mainly written in prosaic syntax, the 70-minute piece was intended as a musical gift to commemorate the 420th anniversary of the birth of the talented Jesuit missionary toChina, who was better known as Tang Ruowang inChina. 

Wang Xianjun, chairman of the board ofDalianArtCollege, which organizes the performance, says Schall von Bell made such great contributions toChinathat it warrants for more people to know and understand him. He was even appointed advisor to Emperor Shunzhi during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). 

Beginning with a prelude featuring capricious notes and ending with a postlude characterized by a choral music in which pitches and rhythms are erratically changing, the oratorio is divided into five chapters, each focusing on an important phrase of Schall von Bell's life. 

Dalian ArtCollege professor Ruan Zhenming, a scholar on Schall von Bell, who spent almost one year writing the oratorio, says it was rather difficult to condense Schall von Bell's legendary life and various achievements into an one-hour-odd show. 

"I had to carefully sort out episodes of Schall von Bell's life, frequently adding and omitting stuff to present a relatively complete and dramatic picture of the cultural ambassador," Ruan says. 

To limit the s cript, Ruan says Schall vonBell's early career during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) had to be cast away. 

But monumental events in Schall von Bell's life such as his compilation and modification of the Chinese calendar, his introduction of Galileo's telescope intoChinaand his persecution by treacherous court officials remained, Ruan adds. 

Ruan says as not many people know Schall von Bell today, he added colors to the lines to impress the audience. 

"The words in some parts of the oratorio were even arranged in a bit of doggerel style to enhance its appeal," Ruan says. 

Stephan Rothlin, professor at theUniversityofInternational Businessand Economics inBeijingand an expert on Schall von Bell, believes the oratorio to be an interesting art form to spread the priest's impactful contributions. 

The show will be performed by China National Symphony Orchestra andDalianArtCollegechoir under the baton of Lu Jia, a world-class conductor. 

After the oratorio's debut inBeijing,DalianArtCollegewill stage the show in several German cities, including Schall von Bell's hometown,Cologne. 

Zhang Xiaomin inDaliancontributed to this story. 

sunli@chinadaily.com.cn