As I aim to create a Chinese-inspired EP, learning about the music of China will be a crucial step in completing this project. The chapter “The Music of China”, within the book “Listening to The World” by Antoni Pizà, is a great resource that provides a brief overview of Chinese music. The chapter covers its history, genres, instruments, issues, and musical elements including pitch, timbre, and texture. As explained in the chapter, Chinese music often uses the five-note pentatonic scale; however, there are variations and modes including the Zhi mode, Yu mode, and Shang mode which have their own distinct characteristics. Chinese music also features several unique instruments such as the Guqin, Erhu, Guzheng, and Dizi just to name a few. The tone of these instruments contributes to the overall sound of the music. Heterophonic texture is also a prominent element within Chinese music. Pizà describes heterophony as “a musical texture where multiple voices sing or play the same melody but with slight variations in rhythm or phrasing” (Pizà, 2023, p. 63). This adds an element of depth, spontaneity, and improvisation to the music. Often, traditional Chinese compositions would be based on literature such as poetry, and were intended to tell stories or convey emotions.
The chapter goes into much more depth offering a lot of knowledge that can guide me in the making of this EP. The stylistic traits in traditional Chinese music such as heterophonic texture, scales, and improvisation are musical ideas I can fuse into my music in creating this project. While this resource offers a breadth of knowledge, further research is needed for me to develop a detailed understanding of Chinese music. I would like to do more research on some of the instruments played and listen to more traditional Chinese pieces.
This week I focused on making progress on research for my project. In doing so I created a literature list of related resources for me to analyze. Pizà’s article is a part of the literature list that features research on cultural identity and Chinese music. I have good sources on the topic of Chinese music, but I would like to find a few more sources on the topic of cultural Identity.
Bibliography
Pizà, A. (2023). The Music of China. In Listening to The World: A Brief Survey of World Music (pp. 60-73). CUNY Graduate Center. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_pubs/751/