Haengma for string quartet (2011)

Haengma (행마/行馬) is a Korean word, which literally means “moving horse.” It is used in the game of Go to describe how the stones move on a Go board. (Go is originated from Ancient China, where it is known as Weiqi). There are different moves to connect stones across the Go board. Some of the connections are strong but slow, while others are just the opposite. For instance, placing stones right next to each other creates strong connections; therefore, these stones are more likely to “live” through invasions. Other moves such as the “two-space jump” or “diagonal jump” inflict larger influence across the Go board, but are more vulnerable to attacks. A Go player’s goal is to balance the moves accordingly and occupy more “territories” than his/her opponent. These concepts are borrowed to construct this piece, where intervals are chosen to create a balanced spectrum of tension and resolution. Go fights are often initiated by placing stones close to the opponents’, and they are symbolized by close intervals in the music, thus creating dispute and tension. Some Go games can end peacefully, while others do not without fights and sacrifices. What kind of a Go game does this piece represent?

행마是韓文單字，字面的意思是「移動的馬」。這是在圍棋中用來描述棋子在棋盤上的移動方式。為了連接在棋盤上的棋子，通常會有不同的走法。有些連接很強但速度很慢，而有些則相反。例如，將棋子連在一旁可以建立牢固的聯繫，技術上稱之為「長」；因此，這些棋子更有可能透過入侵對手的領地而「活」。其他的走法如「跳」或「飛」對整盤棋局的影響較大，但卻更容易受到攻擊。一盤棋局的目標是用平衡的步伐，比對手佔據更多的地盤。借用這些概念來建構這件作品，其中選擇平衡的連接來表現音域的張力。通常，在棋局上的爭鬥是透過棋子的相觸來引起的，而在音樂中作曲家則用靠近的音域來象徵。有些棋局可以和平結束，而有些則不能沒有爭鬥和犧牲。這首音樂又讓人想像到什麼樣的棋局呢？

(07/25/2021)

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