Interactions of Folk Melody and Transformational (Dis)continuities in Chen Yi s Ba Ban

Transcription

1 Interctions of Folk Melody nd Trnsformtionl (Dis)continuities in Chen Yi s B Bn John Roeder University of British Columi Chinese twelvetone composers ] vried esthetic principles re t the core of their compositionl interprettions of the wys in which penttonic scles relte to one nother in the twelvetone pitch spce. In their individul processes of integrtion oth relms penttonicism nd serilism re undoutedly trnsformed. Nncy Ro, Hering Penttonicism Through Serilism: Integrting Different Trditions in Chinese Contemporry Music Generl impressions of the style of Chinese mountin song singing nd Chinese instrumentl plying influence the sounds herd in the textures of the piece. Most Chinese folk solo pieces hve single theme ech, with sectionl developments in different speeds nd performing techniques, with dded decortions on the importnt notes from the melody. This inspired me to construct my solo pino piece in four sections, strting with the theme in the initil sevenmesure phrse, which is sed on the pitch mteril of the first phrse of the Chinese folk tune B Bn (which mens ight Bets) Besides the penttonic B Bn pitch mteril, I hve lso pplied two other pitch mterils nd woven them with the B Bn theme into whole. One is 1tone row (B, F, C#, D, F#, G#, A, D#,, B, G, C), nd the other is n scending fivenote motive (B, C, C#, F#, A). All of them re used horizontlly nd verticlly in primry or trnsposed forms, sometimes simultneously in phrse. The folk tune B Bn consists of eight phrses, ech phrse contining eight ets, except the fifth phrse tht hs n dditionl four ets, where the golden section flls in the middle. The rhythmic grouping of the originl B Bn is red s 3++3, 3++3, 4+4, 3++3, , 4+4, 5+3, 4+4. It is completely presented t the highest end of the keyord in the cod. Chen Yi, progrm notes to B Bn Investigtion of the multifceted contexts tht situte the work nd its sounding consists of tking up numer of different perspectives For instnce, these queries might engge such fctors s: historicl context, compositionl technique, technology, gender nd sexulity, rce nd ethnicity, esthetic philosophy, identity, emodiment, cognition, musicl structuring, memory, plcil or sptil fetures, or ny numer of other perspectives discovered y the nlyst. By tking up different perspectives, the nlyst explores the multidimensionl fetures of the work in oth micro nd mcroperceptul experience in reltion to its roder horizons of musicl sensiility. Judy Lochhed, Reconceiving Structure in Contemporry Music Across repeted listenings, the prticulr sonic nd temporl trjectory of the piece grips nd regrips motor circuitry, solidifying kind of motor routine tht mkes the music incresingly feel like fmilir wy of moving, rther thn merely fmilir series of sounds Repetition llows for incresingly successful predictive ttending, nd the resulting entrinment mimics the condition of successful socil interctions nd esy communiction ]ch time we go down the musicl pth etched out y the piece, it gets deeper nd deeper, such tht we fll down it more nd more esily, until it crries with it some sense of inevitle rther thn ccidentl relity. lizeth Hellmuth Mrgulis, How Music Plys the Mind

2 xmple 1: The folk tune B Bn, with Chen Yi s (1999) grouping nlysis (= ++ ) golden section xmple : The tune in n ugmented nd emellished version flowered version U (different grouping structures).... j w B Bn xmple 3: A mountin song

3 xmple 4: Intercting folktune nd posttonl mterils in B Bn mm. 1 1 (047) (ic 1) (ic 6) (05) (ic 6) (ic 1) T (chromtic) (l do mi re) (ic 6)(ic 1) T (penttonic) xmple 5: The opening sttement of the folk tune hs sequentil ut not metricl continuity Slow, d li. 3 4 #. # # #. J K V # K. j. J. ( ). #. # j #

4 xmple 6: First, metricl presenttion of posttonl mterils, mm. 117 (deepening metric hierrchy) 4 # nn n # # J # # # # # # ccel. J ** 4 D # # # # # (Prime form of the row) n # 1 1 n **r 3 RI 4 n. ƒ Ó # n Ó # (Prtil prime form of the row) nn # xmple 7: Second presenttion of posttonl mterils, mm. 3048: ccelerting to chos F n Ó # # # J n ƒ n j. w 0 (continully shortening relized projections) α α α α α α β β β. h w w. w Ó n K Ó n J ' n j (meter ceses) n n. Á #. 016 Tle 1: Chnging temporlities of folk nd posttonl mterils during the opening of B Bn mm. B Bn Posttonl (1T, ) 11 strongly sequentil ut ccicctur/temporl hphzrd pulse 117 intervl frgments trnsform continully deepening meter PT mterils 189 meter ut frgmented verticl/temporl sequentil continuity 3048 sent continully shrinking metricl projections xmple 8: Folktune sequence nd pulse control posttonl mterils in the first vrition, mm n n. 4 # n. (B Bn first phrse in highest voice) P # ( n ) n n n n n n P n n n n ( n ) ( ) ( ) RP

5 xmple 9: Persistent folktune control of sequentil temporlity, mm f # # # # (Bn first phrse 3+) # ( ) n n # # n n n # #j # # P j n * # Ó j. (B Bn 05) (B Bn 05) n n k n # n # (Row emeds B Bn penttonic set, nd CMm7, used ove) ( ) # ( ) # # n n n xmple 9: Folktune continuity ecomes frgmentry, mm xmple 10: Unpredictle trnsposition of groups t the eginning of the second vrition first vrition n n ƒ 4 # n.. second vrition 11 # 4 ƒ 4 n. # # n #.. # n # # j # P n n n n F # # n P F (melody)

6 xmple 11: Unpredictle trnsposition of groups continues during the second vrition first vrition second vrition xmple 1: All three mterils composed out in the third vrition, mm B Bn first n # # #. n Series of trnspositions composes out the end the first segment (lredo) of B Bn Ó (sic motive ) () # # n n # # ( n ) n n n # n n # n J (+ 8v) n # # () # # # n n j (+ k # () n (, rotted). cf. B Bn first segment Series of trnspositions composes out the eginning of Series of trnspositions composes out the eginning of the row B Bn first segment # n # # # n @ n # n n (in doule octves) 4 K # (sic motive) k. D Motive. (+ 8) Row first 4 notes Series of trnspositions composes out Series of trnspositions composes out the second segment (solldo) of B Bn

7 xmple 13: Folktune sequentil continuity neutrlized s the row ecomes metric, mm right hnd chins the folktune opening motive into closed mjorthird cycle # # # ^ @ 047 ^ j^ ^ ^ # # # j^.. ^ # # # # left hnd repets first hexchord of the row (t first, strting on C) # xmple 14: Composing out of motive directs lrgescle continuity, mm Retrogrde of the first six numers in the Fioncci (1,1) series determines the numer of repetitions of ech sequence leg. x8 x5 x3 x x1 # { { { { { { { # # # # # # ( # ) motive intervls (lso from the Fioncci series) trnsform the first hexchord of the row xmple 15: The projective fecundity of Fioncci rhythm (propos of mm. 193 ). x xmple 17: Trnsfigurtion of the folk tune in the cod 8 ets 8 ets B Bn 3 ets, 5 events ets, 3 events 3 ets, 5 events 4 ets, 7 events 4 ets, 7 events nj 3 events events 3 events 39 4 j 4 events 4 events 11 ets 10 ets

8 xmple 16: B Bn cod: the folk tune effced (complete row, with cler meter) (complete B Bn ut no meter or sequentil continuity (see x. 17)...ut B Bn vnishes ( + B Bn incipit with cler meter...) Works Cited Chen, Yi Trdition nd Cretion. Current Musicology 67/68: Chien, Meiling Leisure, Work, nd Constituted verydyness: Mountin Songs of Hkk Women in Colonized North Tiwn ( ). Asin thnology 74 (1): Hnninen, Dor. 01. A Theory of Music Anlysis: On Segmenttion nd Associtive Orgniztion. Rochester: University of Rochester Press. Feeken, Qing Ndi. 01. The Complete Solo Pino Works of Chen Yi: A Recording, Anlysis, nd Interprettion. Ph.D. diss., University of Arizon. Li, YunHui The Anlysis nd Interprettion of Three Selected Pino Pieces y Chen Yi: Duo Ye, B Bn, JiDongNuo. DMA Monogrph, Louisin Stte University. Li, iole Chen Yi's Pino Music: Chinese Aesthetics nd Western Models. Ph.D. diss., University of Hwi i. Lochhed, Judy Reconceiving Structure in Contemporry Music: New Tools in Music Theory nd Anlysis. New York nd London: Routledge. Mrgulis, lizeth Hellmuth On Repet: How Music Plys the Mind. New York: Oxford University Press. Ro, Nncy Yunwh. 00. Hering Penttonicism Through Serilism: Integrting Different Trditions in Chinese Contemporry Music, Perspectives of New Music 40/: Shen, ChiChing The Asin Inspirtion: Chinese Influences in the Solo Pino Music of Chen Yi. D.M. tretise, Florid Stte University.