A Canadian erhu player is collecting ancient Chinese farm labor songs, tian shange, which he compares to worlds-apart rap. Hear them at the Zhujiajiao World Music Festival starting tomorrow.

Jeremy Moyer used to live in the center of Shanghai, but just moved with his Chinese wife to Zhujiajiao, the "Venice of Shanghai," an ancient water town in suburban Qingpu District.

His decision to shift from the downtown to the countryside, from the fast to the slow and from the modern to the traditional is reflected in his music beliefs.

Three years ago, the Canadian musician arrived in Shanghai with his beloved erhu (two-stringed fiddle), and his conviction about music: "ethnical is international."

Now, he is pursuing his dream in the countryside, improvising on traditional Chinese folk music to create his own "world music." The ancient tian shange (field and mountain songs) with his modern elements will be performed at the Zhujiajiao World Music Festival starting tomorrow.

One of Moyer's different but still folk-influenced compositions, "Special Song," co-written with Kelvin Na of Shanghai, will be featured at the 2007 Summer Special Olympics starting Tuesday. It is one of the three official theme songs selected for the games in Shanghai.

"I had always been interested in traditional folk music, especially from the mysterious culture in China," says the 37-year-old musician who has played the erhu and gaohu (high-pitched erhu) for more than 10 years. "I believe people should feel the music in a truly organic way without the barriers of technical skills, packaging and audiences."

As probably the first foreigner living in Zhujiajiao, Moyer's arrival in the ancient town a month ago was greeted with surprise. He now lives in a renovated 300-year-old house built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

People doubted whether he could get used to the slow-paced life in the rural area and get along with the locals.

"I practice erhu every day and usually have afternoon tea with my wife and friends," says Moyer. "I get along well with my neighbors, though they are mostly older people."

The experience of participating in a real living folk tradition in Shanghai's water town gives Moyer a lot of inspiration. In addition to his two-story house on the river, he set up a studio to create his own music.

He is now exploring and collecting the Chinese traditional rural labor songs, tian shange, a musical working language among farmers in old Shanghai.

As time goes by, there is hardly anyone left who can sing the authentic tian shange. The songs have long been forgotten by people who lived in the water town for years. Most city dwellers even don't know such songs exist.

While some people find the simple call-and-response songs boring, especially young people who are drawn to pop music, Moyer and his partners are striving to preserve this music style.

They will document some performances by elderly singers from and introduce new elements that will make the songs more appealing to modern listeners.

"I find a similarity between tian shange and rap, which have nothing to do with each other," he says enthusiastically. "They are all performed in a 'rap' manner."

A singing group including old guys from the water town has been assembled to perform in the Zhujiajiao World Music Festival. There will also be live interactions between foreign musicians and the tian shange singers.

The six-day event features musicians from all over the world, including China, France, Britain, Vietnam, Finland, Japan, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia.

Moyer will perform original music with a group of musicians from Shanghai and Malaysia.

Born in Waterloo, Ontario, Moyer has a solid background in classical music. He studied violin and piano when he was a child and was exposed to music in his daily life through church choir.

He is in a unique position, being able to cross the thresholds of two very different musical cultures - the East and the West.

Speaking fluent Mandarin with a strong Taiwan accent, Moyer has been exposed to Chinese music culture for years. About 10 years ago he lived in Taiwan for several years.

In 1996, his experience with Zhang Shidong, an elderly Taiwan erhu artist (then 78 years old), inspired him to dig deeper into the world of this instrument. Through playing the traditional Taiwanese coconut shell fiddle, Moyer was exposed to a whole new world of folk songs, folk opera tunes and ancient court and religious music - most of which passed down in an oral tradition.

"This music touched me deeply. It has a timeless beauty and power," recalls Moyer. "This is the music that made me want to keep playing erhu."

His passion for improvising original music has furthered his love for playing erhu in non-conventional settings. Back in Canada, he regularly plays the gaohu with the East Indian folk music group Galitcha, performing Punjabi folk tunes and a few Bollywood songs.

In 1997, Moyer made his first solo record, "A Discovery of Chinese Folk Tunes," featuring melodies that he memorized in Taiwan. He performs in a rustic traditional manner on the coconut shell fiddle, pipa (Chinese lute) and Chinese percussion.

"This is what people called 'world music'," the Canadian composer says. "For me, world music refers to original folk or popular composition that is strongly rooted in a particular tradition or is a collaboration between different traditions."

Shanghai Zhujiajiao World Music Festival

Date: September 29-October 4

Venue: Zhujiajiao water town in Qingpu District

Tel: 5882-5638

Website: www.zjjwwmf.com

(Shanghai Daily September 28, 2007)