Please do not remove this page Chou Wen-Chung's Piano Music: A Study in “Re-Merger” Aesthetics Lin, Mengqian https://scholarship.miami.edu/discovery/delivery/01UOML_INST:ResearchRepository/12386798810002976?l#13386798800002976 Lin, M. (2021). Chou Wen-Chung’s Piano Music: A Study in “Re-Merger” Aesthetics [University of Miami]. https://scholarship.miami.edu/discovery/fulldisplay/alma991031611264102976/01UOML_INST:ResearchR epository Open Downloaded On 2021/09/29 12:27:16 -0400 Please do not remove this page UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI CHOU WEN-CHUNG’S PIANO MUSIC: A STUDY IN “RE-MERGER” AESTHETICS By MengqiAn Lin A DOCTORAL ESSAY Submitted to the FAculty of the University of MiAmi in partiAl fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of MusicAl Arts Coral GAbles, Florida August 2021 ©2021 MengqiAn Lin All Rights Reserved UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI A doctoral essAy submitted in partiAl fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of MusicAl Arts CHOU WEN-CHUNG’S PIANO MUSIC: A STUDY IN “RE-MERGER” AESTHETICS MengqiAn Lin Approved: ________________ Kevin Kenner M.M. SAntiAgo E Rodriguez, M.M. AssistAnt Professor Professor of Keyboard PerformAnce of Keyboard PerformAnce TiAn Ying, M.M. Guillermo Prado, Ph.D. AssociAte Professor DeAn of the Graduate School of Keyboard PerformAnce Juan ChattAh, Ph.D. AssociAte Professor of Music Theory LIN, MENGQIAN (D.M.A., PiAno PerformAnce) (August 2021) Chou Wen-Chung’s PiAno Music: A Study in “Re-Merger” Aesthetics Abstract of a doctoral essAy at the University of MiAmi. Doctoral essAy supervised by Professor Kevin Kenner. No. of pages in text.(104) The interaction between EAstern and Western cultures has inspired mAny significAnt musicAl works which highlight specific aspects from eAch part of the world. Wen-Chung Chou (1923-2019), an AmericAn Chinese composer, fashioned a unique style by integrating traditional Chinese cultural elements with Western compositional techniques of his time; his music cAn be interpreted as an artistic response to the opposing cultural influences in his life. This project is a study of a selection of Wen-Chung Chou’s instrumentAl works for the purpose of investigating how Chou synthesized EAstern elements with the Western musicAl system. This study will explAin how form and diverse styles interact and influence one another. Wen-Chung Chou wAs one of the first Chinese born composers who wAs successful in introducing an EAstern artistic conception into the field of Western contemporary music. The relAtionship between his sociAl cultural background and Chou’s musicAl concepts will be explored. Chou’s solo piAno work The Willow Are New will be used as a cAse study for examining the mechanisms of his musicAl conception which operate towArds the integration of EAstern ideAs with Western musicAl elements. It is hoped that this study will contribute to a greAter awAreness and understAnding of cross-cultural compositions and the aesthetics of transcultural works. Keywords: Wen-Chung Chou, piAno, eAstern, re-merger, western, cross-cultural ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to acknowledge the generous support and encouragement given me by my advisor, Kevin Kenner, who encouraged me to pursue this project during a challenging time. His wide-ranging experience as a concert piAnist and comprehensive knowledge of music has deeply imPActed me As A musiciAn throughout my three yeArs of doctoral studies. I truly enjoyed working in a reseArch environment that stimulAtes original thinking and initiAtive, which he creAted. Professor Kenner’s skillful guidance, innovative ideAs and stoic patience are greAtly appreciAted. Throughout the entire leArning yeArs with Professor Kenner, I have received a greAt deAl of support and assistAnce from him. He taught me to cArry all the power we need inside ourselves alreAdy: we have the power to become better. I will never forget the memories of all my lessons and tAlks with Professor Kenner. I would also like to express appreciAtion to the members of my doctoral advising committee members, Professor SAntiAgo Rodriguez, Professor TiAn Ying, and Dr. Juan ChattAh for the generous amount of time and effort they expended in assisting me to complete this project. My deepest appreciAtion belongs to my family And my friends for their patience and understAnding. With regards to numerous questions about my future acAdemic endeAvors from family and friends I shall answer in the words of Sir Winston Churchill: “Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But is it, perhaps, the end of the beginning”. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAge LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................ vi Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................................5 Wen-Chung Chou’s life ..........................................................................................6 Wen-Chung Chou’s musical and cultural synthesis................................................6 Approaches to Wen-Chung Chou’s music ..............................................................7 Wen-Chung Chou’s aesthetic...................................................................................8 Wen-Chung Chou’s personal statement.................................................................11 3 METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................13 4 CHOU’S BIOGRAPHY AND COMPOSITIONAL DEVELOPMENT ............. 17 5 INFLUENCE OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY AND TRADITIONAL. ARTS..................................................................................................................... 21 BAsic principles of the I-Ching, ConfuciAnism And TAoism.................................. 21 Chinese Calligraphy................................................................................................28 The Guqin and the Single Tone ..............................................................................30 Ancient Chinese Poetry...........................................................................................37 iv 6 CHOU’S MUSICAL THEORY..............................................................................39 Introduction of Chou’s Theory................................................................................39 Chou’s pitch organization........................................................................................41 Variable modes..........................................................................................................43 7 ANALYSIS OF THE PIANO WORK THE WILLOWS ARE NEW ..................47 The concept of The Willows Are New ....................................................................47 Pentatonic modes in The Willows Are New...........................................................50 Mutation in The Willows Are New........................................................................ 54 Overview ............................................................................................................... 62 The Structure And MusicAl LAnguages in The Willows Are New ......................... 62 Analysis of The Willows Are New by the method of Sonic Design...................... 65 Musical Space ....................................................................................................... 65 Color of Sound...................................................................................................... 72 Time and Rhythm.................................................................................................. 74 8 A PERFORMANCE GUIDE AND PRACTICE STRATEGIES FOR The Willows Are New ...............................................................................................................81 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................... 95 GLOSSARY OF TERMS..............................................................................................98 BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................................................................................100 v LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE Figure 1 Eight Trigrams from I Ching ................................................................................23 Figure 2 Fu Xi circulAr Arrangement of the eight trigrams..................................................24 Figure 3 Chinese cAlligraphy...............................................................................................29 Figure 4 Range of guqin..................................................................................................... 32 Figure 5 mm.35-47 The Willows Are New ..................................................................... 36 Figure 6 mm.23- 34 The Willows Are New .....................................................................42 Figure 7 The Eight Trigrams of I-Ching .............................................................................44 Figure 8 Yin And Yang segments from He’s dissertAtion.....................................................45 Figure 9 VAriAble mode from He’s dissertAtion..................................................................46 Figure 10 Chinese pentAtonic scAle.................................................................................... 50 Figure 11 m.1 The Willows Are New ..............................................................................51