CHINA
PRIMARY
INTERPRETIVE FOCUS
The
important role of music in the socio-political order; a detailed theory of
music with limited application
Components
of Chinese Sound-Culture
1. scales - a
strong theoretical preference for the pentatonic scale is observed in practice;
the seven note diatonic scale and the 12 note chromatic scale are also
encountered
2. melodies
tend to be highly ornamented with idiomatic inflections within a hetreophonic
texture
3. (harmony)?
While "harmoniousness” is praised and leads to the preference for the
pentatonic scale, there is no system of harmony in the European sense prior to
the 20th-century influences.
4. Register–there
is a strong preference for the high register; even if instruments have notes in
a low range, these are rarely used.
B. Rhythm – tempos range from slow to fast and are somewhat flexible, meter and subdivision is almost always duple. The sense of somewhat loose rhythmic coordination is heard in the preferred texture, heterophony.
E. Timbre --
1. the
preferred instrumental timbre is bright.
A guide
to many Chinese instruments is part of the Melody of China website. A few typical instruments:
a. qin or guqin “Pronounced "chin"
(stringed instrument) or "goo chin" (old stringed instrument), the guqin throughout its long history has been the musical
instrument most praised by China's literati. They categorized it as one of
their "four arts",
collected it as an art object,
praised its beautiful music,
and built around it a complex ideology.
No other instrument was so often depicted in paintings, or so regularly
mentioned in poetry. Because of
the literati's fondness for writing things down, it also has the world's oldest
detailed written instrumental music
tradition, providing sufficient information to allow both historically informed performance
(requiring use of silk strings)
of early music, and practical exploration of the relationship between Chinese music theory and music
practice.” From http://www.silkqin.com/
b.
pipa – 4-stringed lute
c.
erhu – a bowed two-stringed fiddle;
one of the most popular Chinese instruments in the Hu-qin family, where Hu
means "foreign" or "the northern folk" in Chinese. Heard in the Jiangnan Sizhu (Silk &
Bamboo) ensemble.
d.
OPERA GONG! (idiophone)
2. vocal -due
to favoring a high register, the singing is often thin and nasal, piercing or
shrill
F. Sound intensity – ranges from the very loud
opera gong to the most soft & delicate effects on a qin.
II. Social Organization of Music
A. Who can participate (play, listen, make
instruments) in this music? Who is excluded? Traditionally, it was held that “women and
foreigners” could not appreciate qin music.
At times, the Communist Party has controlled who could play and what
they could play.
B. How many musicians are appropriate for an
ensemble? Generally small groups; some
large orchestras developed in the 20th century
C. There is a clear distinction between musician and audience member for opera and virtuoso instrumentalists. One exception to this entertainer/entertained division is the solitary qin player who could in theory be playing solely for his own edification and enjoyment.
D. Transmission -- how is the music learned and
passed on to others? Formal music
academies in opera; “learning by doing” in Jiangnan Sizhou.
E. Social status of musicians – not covered
III. Ideas about Music
A. Music and the belief system – proper rituals
and behavior (Kung FuZi) and harmony with the natural order (Taoism) lead to a
beneficial social order. Most titles of
Chinese pieces make some sort of reference to nature, such as “The Autumn Moon
Over The Han Palace,” “South Breeze,” “Ode To The Plum Blossom,” “Moonlit
Xunyang,” “Brilliance Of Lanterns And Moon,” “Geese Landing On A Sandy Beach,”
etc., or they refer to a story or an emotion, such as “Along the Strategic Pass,”
“The Great Ambush,” “The Sorrow of Lady Zhao-jun,” “The Tears of the Imperial
Concubine Xiang,,” “Longing for the Homeland,” etc.)
B. Contexts for use of music -- ceremonies
(religious/political), for aesthetic enjoyment – yes!
C. History of music – with exceptions in the 20th
century, there is more awareness of continuity rather than of change
D. Composition
– individual pieces are more emphasized than composers’ identities
E. Improvisation
is not emphasized; continuation and elaboration of earlier models is the main
emphasis
F. Genres
covered –
1. regional
opera
2. Jiangnan
Sizhu (Silk & Bamboo ensemble music); associate with tea houses and
Shanghai
3. collections
of pieces (repertoire) for each type of instrument (qin, pipa, etc.)
G. Theory – tablature
notation in use from ancient times, very detailed calculation of intervals,
driven by the belief that proper rituals and behavior (Kung FuZi) and harmony
with the natural order (Taoism) lead to a beneficial social order. Another aspect of theory is a penchant for
classification. Instruments were
categorized (3rd century B.C.) according to their sounding materials: metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourd, pottery,
leather, & wood.
IV. Allied Arts
A. Texts – not covered
B. Movement –
dance
C. Theater –
opera is a spectacular integration of dance, acrobatic movement, acting and
visual splendor
D. Visual
parallels – not covered
V. Listening & Personal Response
A. 1st
hearing reaction
B. After
repeated hearings and discussion?
C. What would
the “ideal” trained & sympathetic listener-participant find in this music?