WEST MEETS EAST – PREP 7

(F-10)

Due Nov 8

This is the first of two weeks on Asian-born composers. We'll concentrate this week on Chinese composers. Please read the following:

Please read:

Chou Wen-chung, “Whither Chinese Composers?” Contemporary Music Review 26 (2007), 501-510.

Eric Lai, “Old Wine in New Bottles: The Use of Traditional Material in New Chinese Music,” ACMR Reports 12 (1999), 1-21.

Eric Hung, "Performing Chineseness on the Western Concert Stage: The Case of Lang Lang," Asian Music 40/1 (2009): 131-148.

Please listen to the following pieces:

Chou Wen-chung. Yü Ko (1965). CD and score on reserve.

Bright Sheng, “The stream flows,” Chinese Love Songs (1988). CD on reserve

“The stream flows,” violin version (1990). CD on reserve

Chen Yi, The Points for pipa (1990). Naxos online

[Xian Xinghai], The Yellow River Concerto (1969) Lang Lang CD on reserve

Zhu Jianer, Happy Times. Lang Lang CD on reserve

Wu Zuqiang, Spring flowers in the moonlit night on the river. Lang Lang CD with with Fan Wei, pipa.

Please prepare answers to the following questions:

Do any of these composers seem to be fulfilling Chou Wen-chung's notions of what kind of music Chinese composers should be writing? Which ones?

Would it be reasonable to call any of these pieces "Chinese traditional music"? Which ones?

Does it seem as though any of these composers is "performing Chineseness" in the sense that Hung discusses that term? Or is that a concept that only applies to performers?