The composition reflects two cultures, Chinese and European. The lyricist, James Jow (1919-1996) chose the text of the Twenty-Four Filial Pious Stories from the ancient Chinese as the subject for his poems. They are set to music in Western style written in the traditional manner without sacrificing the simplicity of the ancient time. The expression and interpretation of the correct sound or tone of each phrase has been taken into consideration with extreme caution to make the music follow the inflection of the language. Every Chinese character is transliterated in order to facilitate the pronunciation for non-Chinese singers. The English translation also allows a better understanding of the lyrics. Moreover, the narration in the first movement, written in both Chinese and English, draws attention to the importance of promoting filial love.;The music is tonal throughout. It begins with eighteen measures of an accompaniment of steady pulses supporting a static melody, given first to an oboe, then followed by the cellos, depicting an entrance to the ancient era. The first movement goes with the second one to form an ABA
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