Joseph Koo Kar-FaiMBEGBS (Chinese: 顧嘉煇; 25 February 1931[1] – 3 January 2023) was a Hong Kong composer. He used the pen name Moran (莫然) for Mandarin songs early in his career.[2] According to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Koo was one of the most respected composers in Hong Kong.[3]
Koo joined TVB as their director of music in 1973,[7] where from the late 1970s until immigrating to Canada in the 1990s, he collaborated with the lyricist Wong Jim on many memorable TV theme songs. Koo has composed over 1,200 songs in his career,[8] many of which are now considered as classic Cantopop[citation needed]. He only has 2 notable works as a lyricist, both very short in length and total number of words. One was a children's song about the ten numbers, the other was the ending 'Goodnight' jingle for Enjoy Yourself Tonight. These two little-known facts were revealed by James Wong in 1998 during a concert dedicated to both Koo and him.
In 1961, he composed his first published song "Dream" (夢), which was sung by his sister Koo Mei.[3] He later had another hit song "Suburban Road" 郊道. In 1974, he wrote the first Cantonese TV theme song The Fatal Irony [zh] which was one of the first popular Cantopop songs.[9]
Koo immigrated to Canada in the 1990s but continued his work in Hong Kong music.[3] In 2007, he wrote the theme song for The Drive of Life, a drama produced by TVB to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Hong Kong handover.[3]
In 2012 from 30 November to 3 December, he held a concert titled "Joseph Koo Concert 2012" at the Hong Kong Coliseum, which featured many singers including Adam Cheng, George Lam, Teresa Cheung, and Anthony Wong.[10] In 2015, he announced his retirement as a conductor, and that he would significantly reduce his musical works and become an oil painter like his sister.[citation needed]
Koo died in Richmond, Canada on 3 January 2023, at age 91.[11][12][13][14][15] Joseph's son, Koo Chi Ho, revealed that he had suffered symptoms and complications of COVID-19 and decreased appetite and energy weeks before his death. He was otherwise fit and healthy beforehand.[16]
Splendid Story (精彩故事), theme song from TV series Corner the Con Man (1997)
Has You Rarely (難得有你), theme song from TV series Corner the Con Man (1997)
Top of the Head, One Piece of the Day (頭頂一片天) (1998)
The Cool Breeze Does Not Dye (清風不染), theme song from TV series Justice Sung II (1999)
The Wine of Mellow Shade (醇酒醉影), theme song from TV series Country Spirit (2001)
The Immortal of the Water Center (水中仙), theme song from TV series Where the Legend Begins (2002)
Beautiful Fate (美麗緣份), theme song from TV series Better-halves (2003)
The Sky is Blue (天這樣藍), theme song from TV series Drive of Life (2007)
Glory Mark (光輝的印記) (2008)
Referencesedit
^ abFrater, Patrick (4 January 2023). "Joseph Koo, Hong Kong Musician and 'A Better Tomorrow' Composer, Dies at 91". Variety. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
^"Joseph Koo". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015.
^"顧嘉煇姐弟畫展望籌百萬 (Joseph Koo and his siblings exhibit paintings for profits) at the Wayback Machine (archived 6 December 2008)." WenWeiPo.com 31 October 2006. 23 May 2012. Archived from the original.
^Mackie, John (4 January 2023). "'Godfather of Canto-pop' Joseph Koo passes away in Vancouver". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
^"Riding a Melodic Tide: The Development of Cantopop in Hong Kong" (PDF).
^"Oriental Watch Company Exclusively Presents《Joseph Koo Concert 2012》Press Concerence". Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
^"Popular Cantopop composer passes away in B.C." 5 January 2023.
^"Music legend Joseph Koo dies in Richmond - BC News". 5 January 2023.
^"'Godfather of Canto-pop' Joseph Koo passes away in Vancouver".
^"香港殿堂級音樂家顧嘉煇離世 享年92歲". Sing Tao Daily Canada (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 3 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
^洪怡霖 (4 January 2023). "著名作曲家顧嘉煇加拿大逝世 享年92歲". HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 4 January 2023.
Man, Oi Kuen, Ivy (1998). Cantonese popular song in Hong Kong in the 1970s: an examination of musical content and social context in selected case studies(PDF) (M. Phil. thesis). Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong: The University of Hong Kong. doi:10.5353/th_b3122147 (inactive 2 April 2024).{{cite thesis}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of April 2024 (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)