Music in China

Description

Music in China is one of many case-study volumes that can be used along with Thinking Musically, the core book in the Global Music Series. Thinking Musically incorporates music from many diverse cultures and establishes the framework for exploring the practice of music around the world. It sets the stage for an array of case-study volumes, each of which focuses on a single area of the world. Each case study uses the contemporary musical situation as a point of departure, covering historical information and traditions as they relate to the present. Visit www.oup.com/us/globalmusic for a list of case studies in the Global Music Series. The website also includes instructional materials to accompany each study.
Music in China offers a unique exploration of the rich, dynamic, and multifaceted Chinese musical landscape. In contrast with previous scholarship--which focused almost exclusively on the role of music in elite culture--this volume takes a balanced look at a variety of traditional and modern genres, including those performed among local and regional folk musicians, in academia, in the media, and on concert stages both inside and outside of China. Using the interrelated themes of identity, modernization, and ideology as a narrative framework, author Frederick Lau discusses the musical features of the selected genres, the processes through which they came into existence, and related socio-political issues. Lau draws on his own extensive fieldwork and performance experience in both mainland China and its diasporic communities to show how the ever-changing Chinese musical tradition takes on particular meanings in China, in overseas Chinese communities, and in diverse international settings.
Enhanced by eyewitness accounts of local performances, interviews with key performers, vivid illustrations, and hands-on listening activities, Music in China provides an accessible and engaging introduction to Chinese music. It is packaged with an 80-minute audio CD containing examples of the music discussed in the book.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
CD Track List
Notes on Romanization, Spelling, Chinese Names, Notation
1. Music of the People
First Encounter: Teahouse Music in the Jiangnan Area
Chordophone
Aerophone
Second Encounter: Xianshi in Chaozhou Region
Amateur Music-Making in the People's Republic of China
Music Regionalism and the Meaning of Regional Music
2. Constructing National Music
Defining National Music Guoyue
Institutions and National Music Conservatory
The Chinese Orchestra
The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
Solo Repertory in the Making
Solo Repertory for Dizi
Solo Repertory for Erhu
Blind Musician Abing (1893-1950)
Solo Repertory for Pipa
Solo Repertory for Guzheng
3. Regional Musics with the National Soundscape
The Canton Guangdong region
Instrumental Music: Guangdong yinyue
Opera: Yueju
Beijing Opera
Fujian: Narrative Nanguan Vocal and Instrumental Genre
The Jiangnan Area Ensemble Music: Jiangnan Sizhu
Regional Variants of a Widespread Ensemble Music: Luogu and Chuida
4. Musical Interfaces between East and West
A Glimpse at Chinese Music in Europe and America
Western Music in China
Piano in China
New Voices in Chinese Music
Chou Wen-Chung
New Wave Composers
Popular Music
Hong Kong Cantopop
Minority Pop in the Mainstream
5. Music and Ideology
Confucianism and Music Through Time
The Seven-stringed Zither: Guqin
Amateur Music Clubs
Dongjing Music of the Naxi People
Music and Ideology in the People's Republic of China
Revolutionary Songs for the Masses
Model Opera: Yangbanxi
Conclusion
6. Chinese Music Beyond China
Expressing Chineseness Musically
Traditional Music in the Diaspora
Cantonese Music Clubs in the New World
Expressing Chaozhouness in Bangkok, Thailand
Chinese Music Singaporean Style
Circulation of Popular Music of Various Sorts
Jon Jang, the Chinese Jazzman
Mandarin Song Singing Clubs
Chinese Chorus and Singing/Karaoke beyond Asia
Something New, Something Old: Chinese Music at a Crossroad
Conclusion
Glossary
References
Resources
Index