A Glimpse Into Chinese Piano Education and Performance Through an Influential Professor

University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Music Music 2021 A GLIMPSE INTO CHINESE PIANO EDUCATION AND PERFORMANCE THROUGH AN INFLUENTIAL PROFESSOR Xin Zhang University of Kentucky, [email protected] Author ORCID Identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6598-1853 Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2021.364 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Zhang, Xin, "A GLIMPSE INTO CHINESE PIANO EDUCATION AND PERFORMANCE THROUGH AN INFLUENTIAL PROFESSOR" (2021). Theses and Dissertations--Music. 192. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/music_etds/192 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Music by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. 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Xin Zhang, Student Dr. Irina Voro, Major Professor Dr. Lance Brunner, Director of Graduate Studies A GLIMPSE INTO CHINESE PIANO EDUCATION AND PERFORMANCE THROUGH AN INFLUENTIAL PROFESSOR ________________________________________ DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS PROJECT ________________________________________ A Doctor of Musical Arts Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Kentucky By Xin Zhang Lexington, Kentucky Co-Directors: Dr. Irina Voro, Professor of Piano and Dr. Lance Brunner, Professor of Musicology Lexington, Kentucky Copyright © Xin Zhang 2021 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6598-1853 ABSTRACT OF DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS PROJECT A GLIMPSE INTO CHINESE PIANO EDUCATION AND PERFORMANCE THROUGH AN INFLUENTIAL PROFESSOR Although China traditionally did not have keyboard instruments of its own origin, the country has taken to the modern piano exceedingly well. In the past decades, piano performance and education have progressed at an impressive rate, its popularity reaching unprecedented heights. The virtuosity of Chinese pianists has earned them prizes at renowned international competitions. These developments have sparked the interest of scholars as well as the general public. First introduced to China around 1840, the piano was slow to be accepted, but interest grew steadily in the twentieth century. Missionaries and foreigners were the first piano teachers, with figures like Mario Paci having trained a number of fine pianists and educators. His student Zhou Guangren, is currently one of the most respected piano professors in China. Born in 1928, her life parallels the history of the piano in China. In this document, I describe three principles of her piano pedagogy and performance style as well as outline specific problems she identified in the music education system. In addition, I present a recent history of the piano performance in China and explore some causes for its successes and issues. A long-standing and widely discussed issue is the relationship between technique and musical expression in piano education. I maintain that the current educational model is imbalanced, placing too much emphasis on technical abilities while lacking in aesthetic depth. KEYWORDS: Chinese Piano Pedagogy and Performance, Zhou Guangren, Chinese pianists, piano education, piano performance Xin Zhang July 5, 2021 Date A GLIMPSE INTO CHINESE PIANO EDUCATION AND PERFORMANCE THROUGH AN INFLUENTIAL PROFESSOR By Xin Zhang Dr. Irina Voro Co-Director of DMA Project Dr. Lance Brunner Co-Director of DMA Project Dr. Lance Brunner Director of Graduate Studies July 5, 2021 Date DEDICATION To Professor Ying Wu, my piano teacher in my first master’s program in China, who was the first one to encouraged me to go to the United States. Professor Joanna Polk, who made a positive difference in my music life, and inspired me to pursue the DMA degree after my two master’s degrees. Professor Brunner, who is passionate about music and the world, and shared his wisdom with me. Professor Voro, my dear DMA supervisor, who led me to learn the most beautiful world of imagination and taught me how to use imagination to produce the most beautiful music. My dear parents, who encouraged me from the first day I met the world until now, thank you for enduring me. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to say an extra-special thank you to my teacher and director, Dr. Irina Voro, for her support, guidance, encouragement, and overall insight into the field of piano performance and pedagogy, which have made my time at the University of Kentucky an impressive and life-changing experience. I would also like to thank Dr. Brunner, who gave me countless encouragement and support, provided guidance when I felt confused, and shared his wisdom generously with me and other students. I would also like to thank Dr. Hobbs, who gave me extra help and helped me improve my writing to be more precise and concise. Additionally, I would like to thank my dear friend Changpeng Ti, who has always done his best to help me, thank you so much for all of your kind and generous help with many things. Finally, I would like to thank my family members, dear Haigui, Changhua, Jingyao Lin and Kang. Thank you all for supporting me during the compilation of this document. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii LIST OF EXAMPLES ........................................................................................................ v PART I A GLIMPSE INTO CHINESE PIANO EDUCATION AND PERFORMANCE THROUGH AN INFLUENTIAL PROFESSOR................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 1 THE PIANO IN CHINA: EARLY DEVELOPMENT ................................ 1 1.1 From Imperial Times to the Early 20th Century ...................................................... 1 1.2 Mario Paci and Zhou Guangren ............................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 2 THREE CHARACTERSTICS OF ZHOU GUANGREN’S PIANO PEDADOGY....................................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Discovering and Developing the Strengths of the Students ..................................... 6 2.2 The Impact of the Soviet Piano School and Sound Quality ..................................... 9 2.3 Sight Reading Pedagogy ........................................................................................ 12 CHAPTER 3 THREE ISSUES OF PIANO EDUCATION AND PERFORMANCE IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA ............................................................................................ 14 3.1 Balancing Technique and Musical Expression in Piano Education ....................... 14 3.2 Competing for Attention ........................................................................................ 19 3.3 Disparity Between Quality and Ability in Performance ........................................ 22 CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION........................................................................................... 24 PART II DEGREE RECITALS ........................................................................................ 26 Program I ...................................................................................................................... 26 Program II .................................................................................................................... 31 Program III ................................................................................................................... 36 Program IV ................................................................................................................... 41 Program V .................................................................................................................... 43 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................. 46 VITA ................................................................................................................................

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