• “诗乐” is both poetry and song. It is both a literary art and a musical art, and is hence regarded as a hybrid artform.
• In Singapore, the term “诗乐” symbolises a particular era and a unique artistic creation led by the last few student cohorts of Nanyang University, affectionately known as Nantah (“南大”), in the 1970s. The Nanyang University Poetry Society created songs by incorporating modern poetry into music. Later, “诗乐” would lead to the development of Xinyao.
• Ken Chang was a key figure and initiator of Nantah poetry-music, and later a founder of Xinyao. He subsequently also became “the father of Xinyao”.
• Between 2010 and 2020, there were signs of poetry-music’s revival among the younger generations of local poets and musicians, who sought to inject new vitality into their writing through music.

This year’s finale, Da Chuan Deng, originated from Chuan Deng, the poetry-music piece created 28 years ago by Ken Chang and Toh Lam Huat. (Lianhe Zaobao, 7/2/2011)

The Mandarin term “诗乐” can also refer to the music used in The Book of Songs. The Yuefu, Chuci, Songci and Jueju can also be regarded as forms of poetry-music.