Music 1010-042 Semester Project
by Toni Cerna
Vienna Teng: An Exploration in Sound and Silence
Table of Contents
Biography
Composition History + Listening Guide
Works Cited
Biography
Cynthia Yih Shih born October 3, 1978
Immigrant parents worked in Silicon Valley
Wrote computer code before entering music
industry in her twenties
Began singing before she could talk
Early Years
Began piano lessons at five years old
Wrote her first song at six years old
Created her stage name at twelve years old, “Vienna Teng”
Wrote first song lyrics at thirteen years old
Continued composing but entered Stanford as a CS major
Beginning CareerPerformed informally at Stanford
Self-produced first album while still an
engineer
Began performing locally in 2001
Signed to Virt Records in 2002
NPR and Letterman bring attention
Continuing On
Commercial success an “uphill battle”
Dedicated fans
Second album released in 2004
Widely varied influences
Third album released in 2006
Current AffairsFourth studio album released in 2009
First live album also released in 2009
Hiatus from music to pursue graduate studies
2011 single to support Japanese relief efforts
Musical collaboration premiered Dec 2012
Composition History #1
Shine, written and performed by Vienna Teng.
Listening Guide #1
Shine – Vienna Teng
0:00 Introduction 0:08 Introduction Continues 0:16 Verse 1 0:31 Verse 1 Continues0:49 Chorus
Listening Guide #1 (cont.)
Shine – Vienna Teng
1:05 Post-Chorus 1:11 Verse 2
1:44 Chorus Repeats 2:16 Chorus Add-On
Composition History #2
Antebellum, written and performed by Vienna Teng
and Alex Wong.
Listening Guide #2
Antebellum – Vienna Teng
0:00 Introduction 0:22 Verse 1 0:44 Verse 1 Continues 0:56 Chorus 1:23 Verse 21:50 Verse 2 Continues
Listening Guide #2 (cont.)
Antebellum – Vienna Teng
2:07 Chorus 2 2:29 Chorus Add-On
2:43 Bridge3:08 Bridge Continues3:30 Chorus & Bridge
4:16 Coda
Composition History #3
Nothing Without You, written and performed by Vienna Teng.
Listening Guide #3
Nothing Without You – Vienna Teng
0:00 Introduction 0:14 Verse 10:39 Verse 1 Continues1:00 Chorus
Listening Guide #3 (cont.)
Nothing Without You – Vienna Teng
1:46 Verse 2 2:16 Verse 2 Continues
2:31 Chorus 23:06 Coda
Composition History #4
Stray Italian Greyhound, written and performed by Vienna Teng.
Listening Guide #4
Stray Italian Greyhound – Vienna Teng
0:00 Verse 1 0:33 Verse 1 Continues 0:46 Chorus 1 1:07 Verse 21:36 Verse 2 Continues1:49 Chorus 2
Listening Guide #4 (cont.)
Stray Italian Greyhound – Vienna Teng
2:16 Bridge 1 2:33 Bridge 1 Continued
2:57 Bridge 2 3:10 Bridge 1 Repeats
3:43 Bridge 33:59 Coda
Works Cited Amy. "Interview: Vienna Teng." Collected Sounds. Collected Sounds, 10 Dec. 2001. Web. 25
Feb. 2013. "Bio." Vienna Teng. Vienna Teng, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. "Discography." Vienna Teng. Vienna Teng, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Inoue, Todd. "Metroactive Music | Vienna Teng." Metroactive Music | Vienna Teng. Metro
Publishing Inc., May-June 2004. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Kleinman, Scot. "Vienna Teng Song Notes." Vienna Teng Song Notes. Scot Kleinman, n.d. Web.
25 Feb. 2013. Moore, Summer. "Changing Her Tune." Stanford Magazine. Stanford University, Nov.-Dec.
2003. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. "News." Vienna Teng. Vienna Teng, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Perkins, Lucy. "Dreamy, Ethereal Vienna Teng to Grace the Power Center." The Michigan Daily.
The Michigan Daily, 6 Oct. 2011. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Ransom, Kevin. "Vienna Teng Performing Ark Benefit, Setting Music aside and Moving to Ann
Arbor." AnnArbor.com. AnnArbor.com LLC, 24 Aug. 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Reverte, Michele. "Interview: Singer/Songwriter Vienna Teng Explores a Vast 'Inland Territory'"
: LAist. Gothamist Inc., 29 Apr. 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Sanders, Jonathan. "Review: Vienna Teng - "Dreaming Through The Noise""
InMyHeadphones.com. Jonathan Sanders, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Selvin, Joel. "Songwriter Finds Her Voice, Fame at Dawn of Her 'Waking Hour'" SFGate. Hearst
Communications, 8 Apr. 2003. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. "Vienna Teng." Last.fm. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. "Vienna Teng." Virt Records. Virt Records LLC, 2001. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.