Death of Joseph Koo Ka-fai leaves hole in Hong Kong’s Cantopop culture
- Work of Koo, a prolific composer during Hong Kong’s golden era, lives on today and will never be forgotten
No one has cut a more imposing figure on Hong Kong’s music scene than Joseph Koo Ka-fai. Having composed more than 1,200 tunes, many of which were timeless theme songs of popular television dramas in the golden era, Koo is as much a household name as a true legend.
The outpouring of sorrow and tributes to the 92-year-old, who has died in Canada, is testament to his place in Cantopop culture.
It is not too much to say that most local and overseas Chinese could hum a few lines from his vast repertoire that spans decades. The former TVB music director pioneered with others in the 1970s and composed Cantonese songs for TV prime-time series when Western and Mandarin numbers were dominating the local scene.
He co-wrote some 200 hits with late lyricist James Wong Jim. They are to Hong Kong music what John Lennon and Paul McCartney are to British pop.
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Renowned Hong Kong composer Joseph Koo dies at the age of 92
Prolific as he was, the godfather of Cantopop never set out to be a composer. Born into a Guangzhou family, Koo picked up painting from his father and later learned the piano at the age of 17, after his sister, Koo Mei, made a name in singing and acting in Hong Kong.
He later won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston in the United States and returned to perform in a band at a Central nightclub. His career reached a turning point when he landed at TVB.
“I made it popular to listen to Cantonese music … those songs became hits that Hongkongers could identify with,” he told the Post in a 2011 interview. The theme tune for the RTHK drama series Below the Lion Rock captures the perseverance and identity of Hongkongers and still touches the hearts and minds of many.
Tributes paid to Cantopop songwriter and composer Joseph Koo, who dies at 92
His countless local and overseas accolades over the years, including the Life Achievement Award by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1982 and Gold Bauhinia Star in 2015, are testimony to his outstanding career. Yet the humble maestro always kept a low profile.
He preferred to talk less and work more, with many of his favourite pieces still resonating across generations today. He embodied the qualities behind the Hong Kong success story.
