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Jingbei Li - DMA Dissertation final.pdf (5.24 MB)

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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

Li, Jingbei
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574682375531785

Abstract Details

2019, Doctor of Musical Arts, Ohio State University, Music.
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 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 twelvetone 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.
Steven Glaser (Advisor)
Arved Ashby (Committee Member)
Edward Bak (Committee Member)
85 p.
Music

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Citations

  • Li, J. (2019). 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 [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574682375531785

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Li, Jingbei. 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 . 2019. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574682375531785.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Li, Jingbei. "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 ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574682375531785

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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