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ADAPTATION OF ETHNIC CHINESE MUSIC FOR WESTERN STRING INSTRUMENTS. A STUDY OF THREE WORKS: THE SONG OF THE PRAIRIE, SUMMER NIGHT, AND WHY ARE THE FLOWERS SO RED?
Wang, Zhaolin
Wang, Zhaolin
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Abstract
Western string instruments were introduced to China in the 17th century by missionaries visiting the Qing Dynasty court (1644-1972) but did not become more widely heard by the Chinese public until the end of the 19th century. As China engaged with Western powers in matters of trade and imperialist conflict, public bands and orchestras as well as conservatories began to appear in international ports such as Shanghai. After the worldwide and civil conflicts of the early twentieth century, the eventual rise of the People's Republic of China, established by Mao Zedong in 1949, created a social environment which allowed for the development and emergence of Western composition in China. Music by Chinese composers written for Western instruments became normalized, especially works for violin and piano. Artistic creation related to Western music was effectively stopped during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966–76) as the government encouraged the development of Chinese native culture with an emphasis on traditional Chinese music. After this period, the development of Western music in China again grew, but violin music still carried a myriad of Chinese traditional features.To highlight the characteristics of Chinese traditional music in works written for violin (and adapted for viola), this study will analyze the musical structures, composition techniques, and traditional Chinese features found in three works: The Song of The Prairie (1975) by Guan Qingwu (b.1938), Summer Night (1952) by Yang Shanle (b.1934), and Why Are the Flowers So Red? (1962) by Lei Zhenbang (1916–97). These pieces were composed in different time periods and geographical locations; their differences also draw attention to variance in their respective minority cultures.
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Date
2021-01-01
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University of Kansas
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This item contains archived web content.
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Wang_ku_0099D_17594_DATA_1.pdf
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- Embargoed until 2171-05-31
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Keywords
Music, Music history, Ethnic Chinses music