The Music of Marc Battier, Kee Yong Chong and Gene Coleman: Compositions for Traditional Asian Instruments and Electronics in the Twenty-First Century
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THE MUSIC OF MARC BATTIER, KEE YONG CHONG AND GENE COLEMAN: COMPOSITIONS FOR TRADITIONAL ASIAN INSTRUMENTS AND ELECTRONICS IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Hong-Da Chin A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS December 2017 Committee: Marilyn Shrude, Advisor Adam Fullenkamp Graduate Faculty Representative Nora Engebretsen Mikel Kuehn © 2017 Hong-Da Chin All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Marilyn Shrude, Advisor Well-known repertoires exist of instrumental works synthesizing Eastern and Western elements and also of works that combine acoustic instruments with electronics. In this document, I study the integration of Eastern and Western elements in a subset of works for electronics with Traditional Asian Instruments (TAI) and, in some cases, also traditional Western instruments. The goals are to draw attention to this repertoire and its inherent challenges, and specifically to demonstrate strategies used to integrate the TAI and electronics—with the hope that the analytical tools provided in the document will help others approach works involving cultural syntheses and, in particular, that this will offer guidance to composers interested in writing for TAI and electronics. This document examines three music compositions chosen because of the composers’ different cultural backgrounds and relationships to TAIs: Mist on a Hill by Marc Battier (France), Endless Whispering by Kee Yong Chong (Malaysia) and Spiral Network by Gene Coleman (United States). Their individualistic orientations toward materials offer three solutions to the three problems in composing for TAI and electronics: how the three chosen composers with different cultural backgrounds, write for TAI and electronics and their perspectives on traditional instruments; the difficulty in dealing with the nuances in timbre and different notational systems; and how they define the role of electronics in the chosen works for this document. Studies of individual pieces examine the influences of TAI on pitch structure, and explore the connections between TAI and electronics/Western instruments in terms of pitch, timbre, and musical technique/gestures. iv This study is supported by my original contribution of cultural maps which are guides to the recurrence of any traditional playing techniques associated with the TAI, whether they occur in the TAI, Western instruments, or electronics. The issues of notation will be discussed in the document because the three selected compositions are engraved in Western notation while TAI music is engraved in traditional notation that reflects the aesthetic, musical style and practical purposes of the culture of the TAI origins. Battier, Chong and Coleman present three different solutions to notational problems, but all integrate TAI elements into electronics and other instrumental parts if present. I hope the findings and approach through cultural maps lead to greater interest in this repertoire among composers and musicians at large. v This document is dedicated to my parents, Chin Boon Lit and Chin Choon Sim, whose unconditional love and support have made possible the pursuit of this passion. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am the first and the only one in my family who will have earned a doctoral degree. This has a special meaning for me and my family. Coming from my background, the idea of pursuing a doctoral degree is a rare one, let alone obtaining it. Receiving a doctoral degree has been the goal I set out to achieve before I stepped foot on America soil ten years ago. I represent not only myself, but my family, mentors and the friends who have been supportive along this journey. Therefore, I would like to share my academic achievements with them. First of all, I would like to thank all the composition teachers with whom I have studied: Drs. Mikel Kuehn and Marilyn Shrude (Bowling Green State University); Drs. Steve Rouse and Krzysztof Wolek (University of Louisville); Dr. Rob Smith (University of Houston); Dr. Neil Flory (Del Mar College). I am also deeply indebted to my teacher Mr. Yii Kah Hoe for his continuous encouragement since I was 11 years old. I would also like to thank my brother Chin Hong Wei and my sister Chin Jia Ming for introducing me to the Yu Hua Secondary School Chinese Orchestra, where I discovered and developed a lifelong passion for music. A special thanks to Chen Kham Chien and Chew Hee Chiat, who were my mentors and gave me many opportunities to display my ability in music. I would also like to express my deep gratitude to my parents who unconditionally supported my decision to become a musician. I am extremely fortunate to have them in my life. Finally, I would like to thank my doctoral committee members—Drs. Nora Engebretsen, Adam Fullenkamp and Mikel Kuehn—for their guidance in the process of writing the document. Special gratitude goes to my mentor Dr. Marilyn Shrude for her unwavering support and unconditional generosity throughout my four-year journey at BGSU. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………….. 1 CHAPTER ONE: SYNTHESIS/CROSS-CULTURALISM.……………………………. ... 4 1.1 Definition of Traditional Asian Instruments…………………………………… 4 1.2 Traditional Asian Instruments Used in Battier’s Mist on a Hill, Chong’s Endless Whispering and Coleman’s Spiral Network ............................................................... 5 1.3 The Synthesis of Traditional Asian Values in the Context of Contemporary Music……………………………………………………………………………….. 17 CHAPTER TWO: THE ROLE OF ELECTRONICS IN WORKS FOR TAI AND ELECTRONICS…………… ................................................................................................ 28 2.1 The Synthesis of Acoustics and Electronics.…………………………………… 28 2.2 The Role of Electronics in Music Written for TAI and Electronics …………… 31 2.3 Cultural and Philosophical Correspondences ………………………………….. 34 2.4 The Aesthetic of Silence and Musical Space in Works for TAI and Electronics ………….. ................................................................................ 39 CHAPTER THREE: MARC BATTIER’S MIST ON A HILL ………………………... ..… 44 3.1 Composer Biography ........................................................................................... 44 3.2 Analysis of Mist on a Hill/山中薄暮 (2009) for pipa and electronic sounds ....................................................................................................... 45 3.2.1 Formal Structure ................................................................................... 45 3.2.2 Controlled Freedom and Improvisatory Passages ................................ 50 3.2.3 Harmonic Structure ............................................................................... 51 viii 3.2.4 Pitch Collection of the Pipa and Electronics as Written in the Score ............................................................................................................ 54 3.2.5 Unifying Elements …………………………………………………… 62 3.2.6 Idiomatic Writing ……………………………………………………. 66 3.2.7 Electronic Sounds ……………………………………………………. 67 3.3 Cultural Mapping ……………………………………………………………… 71 CHAPTER FOUR: KEE YONG CHONG’S ENDLESS WHISPERING …………………. 75 4.1 Composer Biography ………………………………………………………….. 75 4.2 Analysis of Endless Whispering/无尽的私语 (2006) for solo 37-reed soprano Sheng (also Xun) & 4 Western instruments with live electronics…………………... 76 4.2.1 Formal Structure……………………………………………………… 77 4.2.2 Harmonic Material……………………………………………………. 79 4.2.3 Unifying Elements……………………………………………………. 90 4.2.4 Electronics……………………………………………………………. 97 4.3 Cultural Mapping………………………………………………………………. 103 CHAPTER FIVE: GENE COLEMAN’S SPIRAL NETWORK……………………………. 113 5.1 Composer Biography…………………………………………………………… 113 5.2 Analysis of Spiral Network (2013) for 2 voices, video, ensemble and electronics ……….……………………………………………………………. 114 5.2.1 Formal Structure……………………………………………………… 115 5.2.2 Harmonic Structure…………………………………………………… 117 5.2.3 Coloristic Effects……………………………………………………… 124 5.2.4 Texture……………………………………………………………....... 127 ix 5.2.5 Electronics……………………………………………………………. 132 5.3 Fibonacci Numbers……………………………………………………..………. 136 5.4 Cultural Mapping……………………………………………………………… . 139 CHAPTER SIX: MUSIC NOTATION.…………………………………………………... 145 6.1 Traditional Music Notation and Its Idiomacy …………………………………. 145 6.2 Problems with Western Music Notation for TAI ……………………………… 151 6.3 Assimilation of Traditional Music Notation into Western Notation ………… .. 152 CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSIONS …………………………………………………… 159 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………… .. 164 APPENDIX A. CULTURAL MAP OF MIST ON A HILL .................................................. 173 APPENDIX B. CULTURAL MAP OF ENDLESS WHISPERING ...................................... 178 APPENDIX C. CULTURAL MAP OF SPIRAL NETWORK .............................................. 193 APPENDIX D. INTERVIEWS WITH COMPOSERS ........................................................ 203 APPENDIX E. HSRB INFORMED CONSENT LETTERS ............................................... 216 APPENDIX F. PERMISSION LETTERS ............................................................................ 222 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1 Qin Pipa ..................................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Present Day Ruan ...................................................................................................... 7 1.3 Quxiang Pipa ...........................................................................................................