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The Preludes in Chinese Style The Preludes in Chinese Style: Three Selected Piano Preludes from Ding Shan-de, Chen Ming-zhi and Zhang Shuai to Exemplify the Varieties of Chinese Piano Preludes D.M.A. DOCUMENT Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Musical Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Jingbei Li, D.M.A. Graduate Program in Music The Ohio State University 2019 D.M.A. Document Committee: Professor Steven M. Glaser, Advisor Dr. Arved Ashby Dr. Edward Bak Copyrighted by Jingbei Li, D.M.A 2019 ABSTRACT The piano was first introduced to China in the early part of the twentieth century. Perhaps as a result of this short history, European-derived styles and techniques influenced Chinese composers in developing their own compositional styles for the piano by combining European compositional forms and techniques with Chinese materials and approaches. In this document, my focus is on Chinese piano preludes and their development. Having performed the complete Debussy Preludes Book II on my final doctoral recital, I became interested in comprehensively exploring the genre for it has been utilized by many Chinese composers. This document will take a close look in the way that three modern Chinese composers have adapted their own compositional styles to the genre. Composers Ding Shan-de, Chen Ming-zhi, and Zhang Shuai, while prominent in their homeland, are relatively unknown outside China. The Three Piano Preludes by Ding Shan-de, The Piano Preludes and Fugues by Chen Ming-zhi and The Three Preludes for Piano by Zhang Shuai are three popular works which exhibit Chinese musical idioms and demonstrate the variety of approaches to the genre of the piano prelude bridging the twentieth century. How did these composers manage to combine this European musical genre with Chinese musical language? This paper will examine the solutions and compositional techniques each composer utilized. Structure, harmony, melody, and the composers’ attempts to integrate Chinese national elements into a Western art form are analyzed. It is the author’s hope that this paper will allow for greater understanding and hopefully, worldwide promotion of these works. The study consists of six chapters. Chapter one briefly introduces the history of Chinese piano music before, during and after the Cultural Revolution. Chapter two presents a historical overview of the piano Prelude from the Baroque period to the twentieth century as well as the development of the genre in China. Chapter three provides an overview of Chinese national i modes. Chapter four focuses on the biography of Ding Shan-de, the background of The Three Piano Preludes, and analysis of harmony, texture, and Chinese cultural elements. Chapter five provides the biography of Chen Ming-Zhi and the background and analysis of The Piano Preludes and Fugues, with an emphasis on structure and the innovations of using the twelve- tone approach. Chapter six introduces the biography of Zhang Shuai and the background and analysis of The Three Preludes for Piano, with discussion of the innovations of the piece with regard to musical concepts, harmony, and jazz elements. The last section is a conclusion. Research materials include music scores, books, dissertations, and articles that are written in Chinese and English, and other major publications related to the topic. With regard to the history of Chinese piano music some materials such as “Bian, Meng 卞萌. 中国钢琴文 化之形成与发展 (The Formation and Development of Chinese Music Culture);” “Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples” chapter 8, edited by Jeff Todd Titon. 6th edition, 2017 have significantly helped to form a background for my research. Other materials, especially DMA and MM dissertations, such as; You Liang-Yun, A Survey of Ding Shan-de’s Piano Works, Jiang Hui, "Zhang Shuai's 'Three Preludes for Piano,' Performance Research" provide some useful information of the pieces. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express the gratitude to all of the faculties and friends who have participated in my Doctoral Document. Most of all, I want to thank my adviser, Prof. Glaser, for his instruction and encouragement during the DMA study, as well as his patience and help in the process of preparing the document. To Dr. Ashby and Dr. Bak who served as my document committees, thank you for their time and advice. My appreciation must be delivered to my family. Their unconditional support and love is the power and energy to me. Many thanks to my dear friends Yu Qian and Qianni Yang who helped me to prepare many things during the time I was in China. Love you! A special thanks to an important friend, Chuanqi Yang, thank you for everything you’ve done for me for the five years’ graduate study. Your musicianship and thoughts can always inspire me. iii VITA 2004…………………… Attached Middle School of Wuhan Conservatory of Music, China 2010…………………… B.M. Piano Performance, Wuhan Conservatory of Music, China 2014…………………… M.M. Piano Performance, Cleveland Institute of Music 2016-2018…………….. Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Music, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Music iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ iii Vita ........................................................................................................................................... iv Table of contents ...................................................................................................................... v List of examples ...................................................................................................................... vii List of table ............................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1: Briefly Introduce the History of Chinese Piano Music Evolution ................... 1 Before the Cultural Revolution (1911-1967) .................................................................. 2 Before the Second Sino-Japanese War (1911-1937) ............................................... 2 War Period (1937-1949) ............................................................................................ 4 The Establishment of People’s Republic of China (1949-1967) ............................ 6 The Cultural Revolution (1967-1977) ............................................................................. 8 After the Cultural Revolution (1977-) .......................................................................... 10 Chapter 2: Piano Preludes in the Western Countries and China ..................................... 15 Chapter 3: Introduction to Chinese Traditional Modes .................................................... 20 Chapter 4: Ding Shan-de and His Three Preludes for Piano, Op.3 .................................. 23 An Introduction to the Composer Ding Shan-de ......................................................... 23 Ding Shan-de’s Two Compositional Periods and His Piano Works .......................... 26 Early Period ............................................................................................................. 26 Late Period ............................................................................................................... 28 The Three Preludes for Piano, Op. 3 ............................................................................ 28 The Three Preludes No. 1 ....................................................................................... 29 The Three Preludes No. 2 ....................................................................................... 31 The Three Preludes No. 3 ....................................................................................... 33 v Chapter 5: Chen Ming-zhi and The Piano Preludes and Fugue ....................................... 36 Biography ........................................................................................................................ 36 Chan Ming-zhi’s Compositions ..................................................................................... 36 The Preludes and Fugues ............................................................................................... 38 Harmony .................................................................................................................. 39 Structure .................................................................................................................. 47 Texture ..................................................................................................................... 50 National Elements ................................................................................................... 52 Chapter 6: Zhang Shuai and The Three Piano Preludes ................................................... 54 Biography ........................................................................................................................ 54 Compositional Philosophy ............................................................................................. 55 Background About the Composition ............................................................................ 56 The Three Piano Preludes .............................................................................................
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