Comparison of Solo Music for the Western Lute and Chinese Pipa

Abstract

This thesis is a comparison between the Western lute and Chinese pipa in terms of their history, construction, playing techniques, and examples of their solo repertory. This thesis has six chapters in total. The first chapter is an introduction to the Western lute, including the aspects of its history and playing techniques. The second chapter considers the same aspects of the Chinese pipa. The third, fourth and fifth chapters are descriptions of three solo pieces for these instruments: Luis de Milán’s Fantasia XII del tercero quarto tono as a solo piece for lute, and then the contrasting Ambushed from Ten Sides and Moonlit River in Spring for pipa. The last chapter is a comparison between Milán’s Fantasia XII and the two Chinese works, demonstrating how each is an example of its culture and that there are similarities and differences in the way that the composers of each approached various musical elements.