California State University, Northridge

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE

Analysis of Compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Joseph Haydn, Frédéric Chopin, Claude Debussy, and Lisan Wang

A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music in Music, Performance

Kaiyan Qian

August 2020

The thesis of Kaiyan Qian is approved:

______Dr. Dmitry Rachmanov Date

______Dr. Gayle Kowalchyk Date

______Professor Mark Richman Date

______Dr. John A Roscigno, Chair Date

California State University Northridge

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Dr. Rachmanov, Professor Mark Richman, Dr. Gayle Kowalchyk,

Dr. E. L. Lancaster, Dr. John A. Roscigno for all your guidance, passion, wisdom, and

encouragement.

Thank you to my family and friends for your support and love.

iii

Table of Contents

Signature Page ii

Acknowledgements iii

Abstract v

Section 1: French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817 by Johann Sebastian Bach 1

Section 2: Sonata in E-Flat Major, Hob. XVI: 52 by Franz Joseph Haydn 8

Section 3: Nocturne in D-Flat Major, Op.27 No. 2 by Frédéric Chopin 13

Section 4: Scherzo in B-Flat Minor, Op. 31 by Frédéric Chopin 17

Section 5: Estampes by Achille-Claude Debussy 20

Section 6: Geometrical Pattern in A Yu Mode by Lisan Wang 25

Bibliography 30

Abstract

ANALYSIS OF COMPOSITIONS BY JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN, FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN, CLAUDE DEBUSSY, AND LISAN WANG

Kaiyan Qian

Master of Music in Music, Performance

This paper explores the author’s understanding and analysis of Johann Sebastian

Bach’s French Suite in E Major, BWV 817; Joseph Haydn’s Sonata in E-Flat Major,

Hob. XVI: 52; Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in D-Flat Major, Op.27 No. 2 and Scherzo in B-Flat Minor, Op. 31; Claude Debussy’s Estampes; and finally, Lisan Wang’s

Geometrical Pattern in A Yu Mode. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the historical background, form, harmonic language, stylistic time periods, tempi, texture, character, articulation, and other important aspects of these works. Musical score examples are provided to illustrate points given.

Section 1: French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817 by Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a total of nine suites in the French style in his lifetime, namely six sets of French Suites, BWV 812-817 and the French Overture,

BWV 831, as well as two additional suites, one in A minor, BWV 818 and the other in E-flat major, BWV 819. The set of French Suites, BWV 812-817 was written between 1722-1725, at the time the composer was moving from Köthen to Leipzig.

The French Suites do not have as large a scale as the English Suites, nor the freedom of the genre of “Partita.” However, they are exquisite and compact in their form, moderate in length, melodious, highly unified in style, and reflect elegant and delicate emotions.1 French Suite No. 6, BWV 817 occupies an indelible position in the entire cycle. This work inherits the form of “suite” and adopts a combination of homophony and polyphony of writing styles. They follow the basic characteristics of the suite genre, yet break through the traditional with innovative ideas, style, and techniques.

This French Suite in E major consists of the following dances: Allemande,

Courante [Corrente], Sarabande, Gavotte, Polonaise, Menuet, Bourrée and Gigue, featuring the largest variety of dance forms in all six sets of the French Suites.

The Allemande is a common dance music that originated in Germany in 1550 typically with a moderate tempo in 2/4 or 4/4 and smooth in its flow. After the 17th century, the allemande became part of stylized dance music, with a pulse of about

1 BENT, IAN. Schenker and Bach's French Suite in E Major (Wiley Online Library, 2015). 1

66-76 beats per minute. The melodic line often started with a weaker sixteenth note upbeat and formed a homophonic repetition with the first strong beat of the next measure. The performer should express the content of the music with a positive mood and highlight the strong beats to reflect the rhythm of a dance swing. The allemande consists of two sections: A and B. The first four measures of part A start on a dominant upbeat, and the hidden melodic line in the sixteenth note runs through the theme and plays between the main and third notes of the tonic chord, finally ending with an authentic cadence (Figure 1).

(Figure 1)

Mm. 13-20 of part B repeats the theme of part A and expands it, but the eighth notes of the left hand only play a simple two-measure counterpoint and ends on the tonic chord, then modulating into C-sharp Minor in measure 20 (Figure 2).

(Figure 2)

The Corrente originated from a 16th century French dance of the court nobility. In the first half of the 17th century, it became a three-beat French solo dance. It became

2 one of the four basic movements of the Baroque suite, usually the second dance of the suite. But in this Suite, Bach uses the Italian style corrente that is typically written in

3/4 or 3/8 meter to replace the French-style courante. Like the Allemande, the

Corrente starts with a sixteenth upbeat and forms a homophonic repetition with the first strong beat of the next measure, filling the texture with a series of sixteenth notes of equal time value. There is an upward running scale which slips downward on dominant note in measures one to two (Figure 3).

(Figure 3)

After the double bar, the thematic material is inverted on the dominant

harmony (mm. 17-18, Figure 4), modulating into C-sharp minor (vi, m. 24).

Passing through the keys of A major (IV) and F-sharp minor (ii) in mm. 25-27,

the music reaches the dominant harmony (V7) at m. 28, reaching the conclusion

with the perfect authentic cadence in mm. 31-32.

(Figure 4)

The Sarabande may have originated in Mexico. It is characterized by a slow-paced three-beat dance. The first beat has a shorter time value, followed by the longer and stronger second beat, usually accompanied by an ornament in the melodic

3 part, so that the beat is emphasized. The connection between the second and third beats often features a dotted rhythm pattern. In this dance, Bach decorated the sustained long notes with trills to make the flowing continuous effect. When the finger touches the key on the first note, it should sink into the bottom of the key to produce a firm tone with the sound inertia to transmit the energy to the next tone. It is important to prepare for the ornamental notes by hearing them in advance to make the sonority rich. The slowly appearing sixteenth notes adds some sense of longing to the music, making it necessary to create a mysterious mood. In measure 17, there is a sense of warmth and fantasy in the emotion. The imitation of the left-hand part in mm.

18-20 creates an imitative response and interplay between the voices, further developing the music’s emotional engagement (Figure 5).

(Figure 5)

The Gavotte is a folk dance with some pastoral elements that originated in France.

This is a dance of moderate speed with two subdivided beats to the measure, danced on one’s toes, and the mood is lively and elegant. The gavotte begins on the third quarter note (second beat), and the opening is usually composed of two quarter notes.

The Polonaise was a popular folk dance from 16th-century in Poland. It was featured at aristocratic functions, such as harvest, memorial and especially wedding services. The polonaise is a moderate-tempo three-beat dance, and it has been favored by composers since the 17th century. The cadences in the polonaise resolve on the weaker second and third beats. These are also called “feminine endings,” named by

Marpurg who classified cadential breaks that occurred on the strong part of the measure as “masculine” and “feminine” if they occurred on the weak part of the measure. A feminine cadence disrupts the meter because the penultimate note of the melodic phrase falls on the strong beat of the measure.2

The Menuet has a long history and had been popular in Europe for nearly 200 years. It originated in France. It is an elegant three-beat country dance music. King

Louis XIV of France was an aficionado of intimate dance music. The menuet was introduced to the king’s court around 1650, and was sought after by the nobles as an official ceremonial court dance. The tempo is moderate, the character shows the noble temperament, and the style is elegant. This dance, rhythmically similar to a waltz, is short and refined, so if the first beat of the second measure is played as an accent, the dance music will have a particularly elegant lilt. Measure nine in part B repeats the theme and then develops a new material. The developmental materials cite the first theme composed of the eighth notes; however, the direction of the scale is changed in

2 Szymon Paczkowski, Polish Style in the Music of Johann Sebastian Bach. (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017), 48. 5 measure 11 (Figure 6). In measure 15, the music returns to a half cadence in E major, and the first theme plays again. The contrast between measure 15 and measure one should be different in dynamics.

The Bourrée was a popular type of French folk dance music that was later adopted by the French court nobility. Bourrée means “distribution, spread.” It was popular in Europe from the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th century until the 18th century. In the E major French Suite, the melodic pattern of this lively dance music is composed of one quarter or two eighth-notes upbeat. The sound is clear and concentrated, the imagery is vivid and full of vitality, and the music shows a sense of excitement and joy. The strength and individual articulation of the left and right hands should be clearly divided. It is better to use a non-legato touch. The tone is light but bright, so the fluency of the texture must be maintained. The performer should use some sparse pedaling to add some polish to the tonal color.

The Gigue is a fast and lively dance with intense emotions. It often uses a fugue-like texture of imitative polyphony featuring dotted rhythms. The longer notes are often followed by short notes, and the short notes are played in quick succession.

This gigue has a two-voice texture throughout, though it does create a multi-part effect. The first theme starts in the right hand with the eighth-note staccato line, imitated by the lower voice beginning on the last beat of measure one. The initial

6 musical motive also appears in measures four and six creating a multi-voice effect.

For the half cadence like in mm. 17 and authentic cadence in measure eight, the performer should properly use some pedaling in order to fill out the harmony.

In the French Suite, the fingers should be strictly controlled, and every section played should be balanced. The interrelationship of each part forms a series of logic and rhythm and only in this way the performer can experience the value of the

“French Suite.”

Section 2: Sonata in E-Flat Major, Hob. XVI: 52 by Franz Joseph Haydn

Haydn's Sonata in E-Flat Major, Hob. XVI: 52 is his last piano sonata, completed during 1794-1795 and dedicated to Ms. Therese Jansen. When Haydn wrote this piece during his second visit to the United Kingdom between February 1794 and August

1795, he completed his cycle of important “London Symphonies” (Nos. 100-104),

“Piano Trios,” and the last three piano sonatas. As far as the composer’s piano music is concerned, this sonata represents Haydn's creative peak and shows his highest achievement in the genre. This piano sonata shows extraordinary imagination. The superb skills of rich expressions and harmonic imagination, strong contrasts of tone and character, and magnificent orchestral effects all point to Haydn’s compositional technique having reached its peak. The sonata is a milestone in the composer’s late piano compositions.

The substantial opening movement of 116 measures in length is marked Allegro, in 4/4 time, featuring the sonata-allegro form. Haydn seems to have a predilection for majestic character when writing in the key of E-Flat major. However, here the sense of seriousness is often mixed with a slightly moving, warm and humorous touch.

Moreover, the second subject, set in the key of B-flat major is both expressive and full of light-hearted imagination (Figure 7).

(Figure 7)

At the beginning of the first theme in the first movement, the dotted rhythm has the air of military music. The melody’s upward direction is dignified and majestic. It complements and contrasts with the second theme of light-heartedness and humor.

The character is unique and original. Haydn shows his mastery of tone colors, with different keys bringing different color effects. There is also a clever use of imitative counterpoint (Figure 8).

(Figure 8)

The second movement, Adagio, is set in a far-removed key of E major (a half-tone upward shift) consisting of 54 measures in 3/4 time. This movement is full of spirited elegance and a sense of intrigue, has an impromptu character, and displays

9 a rich sense of fantasy. The movement uses much ornamentation and smaller note subdivisions, including double-dotted rhythms. The rhythmic elasticity adds a sense of tension, in turn, tightening and loosening its elaborate melodic lines. The movement is an ABA ternary form. Measures one through four and five through eight

(Figure 9) are like a duet and are composed of two regular phrases. The second sentence of each motive is deeper in content and tone than the first theme. The feelings are progressive, showing Haydn's eagerness to express inner desires.

(Figure 9)

The virtuosic Presto third movement, consisting of 307 measures in 2/4 time, returns to the E-flat major tonic, and features a rondo-sonata form. This is an exciting finale; the music is brilliant, surging forward. The first theme starts with the five repeated eighth notes (G) on an upbeat to the first measure. At the sixth note, the downbeat arrives, supported with the tonic E-flat in the bass. There is a fermata in measure eight, following the initial phrase, leaving it unresolved. Dramatically, it is full of surprise, showing Haydn's ingenious imagination and each time (three times with same theme shifting the keys) creating different musical emotions (Figure 10).

(Figure 10)

After the sudden fermata, the second sentence of the theme immediately follows one step higher (on A flat). It presents a repetition of the first idea, now in F minor, and the mood and color are completely different. If the initial phrase of the first theme sounds well-balanced with a sunny disposition, then the second similar passage in F minor feels like a question with a little doubt, sounding suspenseful. Immediately afterwards, another fermata appears. This pause is different from the first one. It indicates that another thematic idea is about to happen.

Suddenly, the mood shifts by the five heavy repeated B-flat bass octaves, followed by the brilliant passagework in the soprano, switching back to the tonic key.

Haydn seems to use this sudden burst of energy to express his randomly appearing sense of humor. Its energetic and repetitive rhythmic pattern shows a dance-like rhythmic flow with some elements of folk-style, just like percussion in the bass, displaying peasant-like boldness (Figure 11).

(Figure 11)

At the beginning of the measure 17, the continuous sixteenth note passages

11 appear in the right-hand part. The sound is clear, the speed is stable, with an even touch. The development section maintains the rhythm of the exposition, full of energy and humor. A performer should strive for clean and uniform articulation of the sixteenth notes in mm. 17-28, reflecting the music’s stability and balance.

One should also note the prevalence of the half-note chromatic melodic progression in the movement. Haydn uses the semitones to the extreme, and then enters the recapitulation in measure 204. The sonata’s finale requires a high degree of skill to play, and it is the most brilliant movement of this work. In this final movement, Haydn takes listeners into a world that is full of exciting, joyful, and radiant power.

Section 3: Nocturne in D-Flat Major, Op.27 No.2 by Frédéric Chopin

Rubato is an important factor in Chopin's piano style. Without rubato, his music will lose its charm and emotion. However, abusing his expressive means will produce sentimentality and even completely distort the original intention of the music. For

Chopin’s rubato rhythm, the left-hand accompaniment should always observe a strict rhythm, but the melodic part in the soprano expresses the freedom of the music from the metronome, at times hesitating, sometimes anxiously advancing. Therefore, to properly grasp Chopin's rubato, the performer must first realize that Chopin's classical foundations are very strong.

Chopin wrote 21 nocturnes. Chopin composed his nocturnes throughout all of the important moments of his lifetime from 1827 to 1846. When Chopin was a student, he had heard of the nocturnes written by the Irish composer, John Field (1782-1837), who is considered “the father of nocturne,” and was attracted to the melodious and fanciful genre. He visited Field after arriving in Paris in 1832. There is no doubt that

Chopin’s early nocturnes were created during this time period and were influenced by

Field’s nocturnes. Chopin’s nocturnes are full of charm, are delicate and sentimental, and at the same time, have the mystery of “the night.” Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op.

27 No. 2, composed in 1836, is predominantly delicate, hushed and whispering, and there is no lack of passion. It is amazing how the composer portrays the inner activity

13 of the characters and points to the reason why Chopin is called the “poet of the piano.”

Chopin inherited the lyrical character that Field laid out in his nocturnes. In

Field's nocturnes, the dynamics are mostly p and pp, and the expression signs are gentle and cantabile. In Chopin’s nocturnes, he uses wider range of expression with dynamics ranging from pp to fff. Chopin deeply understood the melodic quality of cantabile. He also inherited from Field the characteristic of highlighting the melody in the right hand and using broken chord accompanying figures in the left hand.

Ornaments and melismas are a major feature of Field's nocturnes, and they also are found in Chopin's nocturnes. Chopin added appoggiaturas, trills and turns to his nocturnes to enrich the melodic themes. In the execution of the ornaments, a performer should try to make the fingers touch the keys as lightly as possible. The palm of the hand is supported by the arm and uses the strength of the fingers to create an elegant sound. In terms of passage speed, there should always be flexibility and rubato, such as in the long ornament sentences in mm. 52 and mm. 60, and the melodic lines should be articulated clearly (Figure 12).

(Figure 12)

Another important feature of Chopin's nocturnes is his use of variation as his creative technique. He repeated the theme with a new texture and continued to use

Field's binary and ternary forms while paying more attention to the content of the music and creating a more complex structure.

The structure of Nocturne in D-Flat Major is a ternary form, and the music is mainly composed of three parts and a Coda. The beginning of Part A (mm. 1- 25,

Figure 13) is based on D-Flat major, and then naturally switches to B minor in measure 10. Part B’s natural reference to Part A’s materials and the modification of ornaments in Part A’s materials a further enriches the musical expression. The transposition in Part B (mm. 26-45, Figure 14) gives the listeners a sense of urgency.

Part A1 (mm. 46-62 Figure 15) still quotes the music materials of Part A, but there are differences on this basis, making the melodies freer. At the end, the Coda (mm. 62-77,

Figure 16) returns to D-flat major, not only making a return of emotions, but also an end.

(Figure 13)

(Figure 14)

(Figure 15)

(Figure 16)

The Nocturne in D-Flat Major is a profound work in its poetic expression.

Although belonging to a small-scale form, it is particularly unique, creative, and beautiful. The changeable melody also makes the listeners admire this music from the heart.

Section 4: Scherzo in B-Flat Minor, Op. 31 by Frédéric Chopin

Another of Chopin’s popular pieces, the Scherzo in B-flat Minor, Op. 31, is totally different from his nocturne. This scherzo was written in 1837, at the mature stage of Chopin's creative period. Under the inspiring atmosphere of romanticism, while staying in Paris at the time, Chopin’s creative powers were at their peak.

Compared with some of his earlier works written in an elegant style, the dramatic content of the Scherzo in B-Flat Minor seems richer, deeper and brighter. Chopin's personality had become more complex due to his growing life experience. Optimism and depression were coexisting as part of his personality. This contradictory personality is fully reflected in his piano works of the period.

The Scherzo’s first theme (mm. 1-3) seems to start with a series of question-like inflections, followed by rests (Figure 17).

(Figure 17)

The immediate answer consists of a line of powerful chord progressions, like a firm and decisive answer, highlighting the strong dramatic effect. Through the ensuring connecting passages covering the full range of the piano’s registers, the mood gradually shifts from assertive enthusiasm to peaceful joy. The second theme

(m. 65, Figure 18) is like a continuous lyrical song, with each phrase connected to the next one, forming interlocking structures. It speaks with passionate eloquence to the listeners. The musical image of this theme expresses an ardent youthful exuberance.

(Figure 18)

For the next section of the piece, marked sostenuto, the key shifts to A major. The atmosphere is very soft and gentle with a singing tone and melodic lines moving around the sustained tone of C-sharp, appearing in the alto voice, in a lingering mood.

The use of pedal may be more sustained, creating a dreamy haze, as if expressing a reverie or invoking a distant memory. The following theme with its rocking accompaniment (m. 310), is set contrapuntally in four parts (Figure 19).

(Figure 19)

The musical character here is that of a graceful waltz, its triplet’s figurations sounding like a lover's eager response to an emotional confession, the two upper voices intertwined with each other. In the section’s closing theme (m. 334), the music

18 features a soaring and brilliant waltz, with its light and flexible passagework in an unrestrained flight (Figure 20).

(Figure 20)

From the second theme of the Presto and the second theme in the sostenuto, it is not difficult to see that the distinguishing feature of Chopin's music is its melodic structure. He was enamored with the Italian opera at that time and asked his students to listen to Italian singers and learn how to use their voices calmly, thus gaining extraordinary vocal sustainability in imitation of their pure voices on the piano.3

3 Tad Szulc, Chopin in Paris: The Life and Times of the Romantic Composer (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999), 93-95. 19

Section 5: Estampes by Achille-Claude Debussy

Impressionistic music is often a musical manifestation of French symbolist literature. Most of Debussy's mature works have titles. This title is more like a refinement of a poem, highlighting the transformation from visual to aural in the characteristics of Impressionism. The title of the music points out the various images of the visual description of the scene and is allowed to make hints or slightly implicit expressions in various situations. As his first breakthrough work, Estampes marks the birth of Debussy's auditory revolution and the transition from visual to auditory.

Estampes is a representative work of the French composer Claude Debussy, shining the brilliance of turn-of-the-20th-century European modern music, integrating various art forms such as literature, painting, music, and philosophy, through artistic ideas and artistic language. Listeners can get a glimpse of Debussy's novel musical thinking and bold breakthrough consciousness from his original thematic material and stylistic language. Debussy thoroughly explored the native music culture in the creation of Impressionistic music. He not only drew melodies from folk music, but also borrowed from folk dance rhythms. After the victory of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, musicians set off a revival of French music.4 Debussy was very keen on exotic musical styles, such as the Spanish Habanera, the Gamelan in Java, and some forms of traditional Eastern music. These musical elements with Asian qualities

4 TYRE, JESS. Music in Paris during the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune. (The Journal of Musicology 22, no. 2, 2005), 178. 20 abound in his works. Estampes integrates the characteristics of national music of different cultures and expresses different pictures with East Asian, Spanish, and

French colors.

One of the features of the Impressionist movement is to focuses on the depiction of instant impressions. The title of the suite’s first movement, Pagodes, is an expression of the imagery of a distant and mysterious Far East. In Estampes, the

Gamelan music’s polyphonic structure is adopted in the melodic lines. The continuous sound in the bass register simulates the ostinato effect of the gong in the

Gamelan. In the third measure, the main theme appears in the soprano using a pentatonic scale, and the two middle parts are similar to some small percussion instruments in the Gamelan music (Figure 21).

(Figure 21)

The texture integrates different voices which are independent and have different functions. Two new melodic lines that are added in the both hands in mm. seven and

11 show Debussy’s use of pentatonic scale (Figure 22).

(Figure 22)

When the melodic lines of the Eastern flavor and the multi-layered texture of

Gamelan music are combined, a complex multi-sound effect with Eastern stylistic characteristics is formed, reflecting the original design of Debussy's creation.

La soiree dans Grenade portrays the night scenery in Spain depicting street dancers, borrowing from the tone scale and rhythmic characteristics of Spanish folk music. In terms of rhythm and tempo, we hear two characters of the Spanish

Habanera dance - dotted rhythms and syncopation. The melodic theme starting in measure seven uses the augmented second (m. 9) that is a common interval in Spanish and Arabic music. The repeated ostinato figure in the alto voice is typical of the habanera (Figure 23).

(Figure 23)

In terms of acoustic sound, La soiree dans Grenade incorporates the sound characteristics of Spanish national instruments. Mm. 17-20, 29-32, and 92-97 imitate the strumming of a guitar (Figure 24). This second movement of Estampes is a typical

Spanish-style piece of music, and it is a good example of incorporating the characteristics of the Spanish national style in Impressionistic music.

(Figure 24)

Debussy studied the works of Rameau and Couperin, inspired by Couperin’s experience in the creativity of his harpsichord music, particularly the rhythmic characteristics of the toccata.5 In the third work of Estampes, Jardins sous la pluie,

Debussy integrated the classical toccata, blending it with the Impressionistic colors.

The music uses French folk tunes to depict simple and naïve imagery, such as showing little children playing after the rain. The music consists of two major sections and the ending. The first section is marked pp but in Net et vif, with clearly executed chords and highlighted LH melody (mm. 1-15). When the key is changed from E minor to F major, the color shifts as if the skies brightened up (mm. 16-26), then suddenly turning into the drizzle (mm. 27-30). During the transposition process in mm. 16-26, harmonic shifts with the change of colors become the focal points.

There are no tangible melodic lines in the whole passage, but the clear and transparent arpeggios create a sense of raindrops (mm. 100-121). From Debussy’s Estampes, we can get a glimpse of the essence of Impressionistic art at the end of the 20th century.

5 TYRE, JESS. Music in Paris during the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune. (The Journal of Musicology 22, no. 2, 2005), 178. 23

The artistic value of this work allows people to appreciate Impressionism with its original national themes and languages, and new musical thinking. The Estampes embodies Debussy's love and contemplation of nature, aspirations and longing for freedom, and also embodies Debussy's awe of ancient Eastern music.6

6 Burkholder, James P., and Claude V. Palisca. Norton Anthology of Western Music: Twentieth century. (New York: W W Norton & Company, 2010.) 24

Section 6: Geometrical Pattern in A Yu Mode by Lisan Wang

Lisan Wang is a famous contemporary composer in China. He was born in

Sichuan in 1933. He pursued a wide range of literary and artistic interests since his youth, and was deeply influenced by both Chinese music and Western music. His piano cycle Other Mountains (1980) is considered to be one of the representative works of contemporary Chinese polyphonic music.

The Shanghai Conservatory of Music in the 1950s had a very good academic tradition. First of all, the academic atmosphere was relatively relaxed and democratic, professors and students had the opportunity to be exposed to modern Western schools of composition. The knowledge of Paul Hindemith and other theoretical systems had opened Lisan Wang’s horizons. Secondly, Mr. He Lüting, as the dean of the Shanghai

Conservatory of Music at that time, vigorously promoted folk music, and encouraged students to create compositions freely, regardless of form. Such academic atmosphere created a good creative environment for Lisan Wang’s development as a composer.

When the Cultural Revolution happened, China government forbade any Western art and music. In the "anti-Rightist struggle" in a special historical period, Lisan Wang was designated as "the head of the anti-party," and he was beaten as a "rightist." In

1959, Lisan Wang was sent to the Great Northern Wilderness in Heilongjiang for labor reform. In addition to actively completing agricultural work, he also served as an accompanist in various performances. The hard work of farming during the Great

Northern Wilderness period provided richer material and inspiration for his music creation. He successively created works such as “The Girl of the Great Northern

Wilderness” and dance music “Deer Jumping” which were welcomed by the working people in the reclamation area. After the end of Cultural Revolution and the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the Party Central Committee, the issue of

Wang Lisan's misjudgment as a “rightist” was finally completely changed, and the normal political ordeal was truly over. Until that time he had the chance to explore new artistic concepts and new techniques in his creation. In 1980, he adopted the

Western polyphonic music genre of the prelude and fugue, by adopting five modes of the Chinese pentatonic scale in his composition “Other Mountains.” Geometrical

Pattern in A Yu Mode is the second movement of his Other Mountains collection, which was part of my program.

Geometrical Pattern in A Yu Mode uses the Hunan Flower Drum tune as the material to describe Chinese folk patterns. This is a custom piano piece that combines the flower drum folk materials with modern compositional techniques. The composition is more abstract, giving the listeners a very broad feeling for imagination.

This work can be divided into two sections: section A (mm. 1-53) is a prelude and section B (mm. 54-135) is a fugue.

Section A starts with Chiaroscuro, which means clear and dark timbre, and the tempo is 120 beats per minute. In mm. 1-4 (Figure 25), there is a four-measure

26 melodic thematic pattern, and in mm. 5-8, the melodic line shifts from treble to bass, giving people a sense of magpies or butterflies coming in pairs like a beautiful pattern.

Motivic sequences are found in mm. 9-33 (Figure 26) alternating between the soprano and bass, coupled with the constant change of tonality and changing colors, like a moving flashing light with continuously shifting patterns, fitting the title very well.

Mm. 36-53 (Figure 27) bring back the opening theme, but in order to add new color, the bass features dissonant chords, and there are minor second intervals between the treble and bass parts. The sparse writing with rests in mm. 50-53 (Figure 28) shows acontrast with the previous hustle and bustle atmosphere, deepening the mystery of the music and making the listeners anticipate that magical things are about to happen.

(Figure 25)

(Figure 26)

(Figure 27)

(Figure 28)

The fugue in Section B (mm. 54-135) is humorous and quirky in character.

Grottesco ma espressivo means expressive and grotesque. The theme in section B uses the pentatonic scale. Due to the use of G-sharp and D-sharp in the melody, the tune sounds beautiful and rich in regional colors (Figure 29). The use of ornaments

(ornaments are composed of seconds and thirds) such as in mm. 57, 61 and 67(Figure

30) gives the tune a unique flavor, which sounds humorous and funny, giving people a completely different aesthetic feeling.

(Figure 29)

m. 57 m. 61 m. 67 (Figure 30)

Finally, starting from measure 121 (Coda) (Figure 31), the bass part repeats the theme of the fugue, and the entire measure of rest with a fermata enhances the strange and humorous expressions, making the listeners experience a unique musical experience (Figure 32).

(Figure 31)

(Figure 32)

Bibliography

BENT, IAN. Schenker and Bach's French Suite in E Major. Wiley Online Library. Last modified July 20, 2015. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/musa.12051.

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