Chinese Composers on Marimba Composition. In the Early Twenty-first Century

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The history of the introduction of marimba to China Liu Guangsi, the father of percussion in China, was teaching in The Central Conservatory

1 Chinese Composers on Marimba Composition In the Early Twenty-first Century By Wei-Chen Lin Handout I. Introduction of marimba composition in China and Taiwan CHINA 1. The history of the introduction of marimba to China Liu Guangsi, the father of percussion in China, was teaching in The Central Conservatory in Beijing since In 1950s, he studied marimba and percussion with the conductor of former Soviet Union Red Army stationed in Dalian, Liaoning Province, and with Willie Kauffman, the conductor of the East Berlin police band. Liu Guangsi Taneya Mutsuko

Leigh Howard Stevens After the Culture Revolution (1966-1976, until the arrest of the Gang of Four), Taneya Mutsuko performed the arrangement of

In 1984 Kitahara Chidori, the president of the North Star Society, a Japanese marimba society, visited China and held a series of North Star marimba

2 Leigh Howard Stevens After the Culture Revolution ( , until the arrest of the Gang of Four), Taneya Mutsuko performed the arrangement of Paganini s La Campanella as one of the repertoires for her concert tour in CHINA in In 1984 Kitahara Chidori, the president of the North Star Society, a Japanese marimba society, visited China and held a series of North Star marimba ensemble concerts Leigh Howard Stevens performed Rhythmic Caprice 2. The development of marimba solo composition in China Lu Qingshan. According to the interview with Prof. Lu Qingshan, the deficiency of money

3 caused Prof. Lu owned his first marimba which was imported from Japan as late as Prof. Lu started to learn marimba after 1988 with Prof. Liu Kuangsi and started to teach marimba around Lu Qingshan became the first professor of percussion department at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music in 1992 and established the Shenyang Conservatory Percussion Ensemble there in 2000, which is the first student percussion ensemble in the music history of China. Feeling very unfamiliar with marimba, the composers in China rarely compose for marimba solo; instead, Chinese composers Tan Dun and Qigan Chen compose some important marimba parts in their orchestral works that require higher performance technique, such as, Tan Dun s Internet Symphony Eroica, Violin Concerto The Love and Qigang Chen s Creation of Enchantements oubliés. 3. Solo works for marimba in China a. Zerming Fan: Restless, composed in 2007 as the set piece of the China National Youth Music Competition b. Liu Gang: Sunshine over Tashkurgan arranged from violin solo piece. 4. The future event of marimba composition in China Chinese Percussion Composition forum in Shenyang, China in 2015

his Diploma of Music Perfomer at Vienna Academy of Music in 1982. Mr.

4 TAIWAN 1. The history of the introduction of marimba to Taiwan Tzong-Ching JU Ya-Wen Lien Tzong-Ching Ju, the founder and artist director of Ju Percussion Group, studied with Richard Hochrainer and received his Diploma of Music Perfomer at Vienna Academy of Music in Mr. Ju is the former president of Taipei National University of the Arts and currently the chairman of the Board of the National Chiang Kai-Shek Culture Center in Taipei, Taiwan. Ju Percussion Group established the first composer-in-residence for percussion composition in the music history of Taiwan. The current composer-in-residence is Ms. Chien-Huei Hong Ya-Wen Lien, the founder and former artist director of Taipei Percussion and the artist director of Lien Percussion and Kigo Music Education. In 1975, Mr. Lien learned percussion performance with American percussionist Michael Ranta at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei in Mr. Lien studied abroad to learn percussion with Walter Veigle and George Frome at Vienna Academy of Music in In 1985, Mr. Lien received his Diploma of Music

5 Perfomer. Mr. Lien is currently the principle timpanist of the Taiwan Philharmonic. 2. Solo works for marimba in Taiwan Wan-Chen Huang: Fire Dance for six mallets (2011) Wan-Chen Huang: Moonlight forest for marimba solo (2005) Hsin-Yi Chen: The Swallow (2002) Hsin-Yi Chen: Variations on "Little Golden Oriole" (2002) Chien-Hui Hong: Marimba Concerto (1997) Yiu-Kwang Chung: Concerto No.1 for marimba solo and band (2006), commissioned by Taiwan Brass Society Concerto No.2 for marimba and string orchestra (2006), commissioned by National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra 3. The future event of marimba composition in Taiwan The Ministry of Culture of Taiwan funds Taiwanese composers to compose new works annually. IV. Ting-Chuan Chen: Constantine for solo marimba (2010) The composer, Ting-Chuan Chen (b. 1977) Assistant Timpanist of Taiwan Philharmonic Structural form of Constantine Form:

6 Quasi-Ternary Form (or Unique form) Introduction m.1 A. m.2-70 a. m (Seconds) Trans. m (Perfect Fifths) b. m (Seconds + Perfect Fifths) Trans. m (Seconds) c. m (Perfect Fifths + Octaves) B. m d. m e. m A m a m (Seconds) Trans. m (Perfect Fifths + Octaves) a m (Perfect Fouths + Perfect Fifths + Octaves) Trans. m (Octaves) f. m (Seconds + Octaves) Coda m (Seconds + Perfect Fifths + Octaves) Concept of Constantine The music concept of the Constantine is from the movie with the same name which is released in The piece won the Universal Marimba Composition Competition in The music depicts the fighting between kindness and viciousness; and, due

7 to the ambition of Satan s son Mammon, the collapse of paradise, human world, and hell. The end of the octaves implies the honorable sacrifice of Constantine s life and depicts Constantine s soul approaching to heaven. The composition technique 1. The symbolism of intervals in part one and part three a. major and minor seconds b. Perfect fifths and perfect fourths c. Perfect eights

8 2. Bass ostinato Part 1 Part 2

9 Part 3 3. Transposition of phrases

10 4. Extensive technique a. Dead stroke b. One-hand Roll

11 c. The awkwardness of playing position 5. Unplayable tempo For playing hand-to-hand for an extended period of time, an average percussionist can play sixteenth notes at 160 per quarter note. When holding four mallets, speed is slowed to sixteenth notes at 120 per quarter note since two mallets in a hand are more mass to move 1 1 Solomon (2004: 13).

12 II. Chen Yi Jing Marimba for solo marimba (2009) The Composer, Chen Yi (b.1953) Chen Yi is the first female composer who received the Master of Music from The Central Conservatory in Beijing, China. Currently, she teaches at the University of Missouri Kansas City. The introduction of the instrument Jing-Hu ( 京胡 ) The concept of Jing Marimba The motive of the work: Extracted from a fragment of the Beijing s Opera fiddle s typical fixed pattern that has a leap of an interval of seventh in accompanying the opera singing. Chen Yi s Jing Marimba explores the percussive nature of the marimba. Gordon Stout s deft control of note-to-note dynamics, bringing out the different

13 voices of compound melodies, animates its moto perpetuo character. A segment of the jinghu part from the Beijing opera repertoire serves as a jumping off point for short musical journeys that always wind their way back to the main theme, often in surprising ways. 2 FORM: The usage of Golden Ratio (1.618:1) The form and structure of the work is based on Golden Section principle. Take the 180 measures of music in 2/4 beat to time 0.6, to get the GS in m. 109 and the proportions starting at m. 109, m. 66, m. 40, m. 152, and so on. The whole work is divided to two parts (the first from the beginning to m. 108, the second 109 to the end). Texture changes take place when GS point in different levels occurs. Here is a list of the details. 3 2 Britt (2011: 137) 3 Zeltsman (2009: )

First Part m.1 m.108 Part A Part B a. m.1-23 m. 66-90 b. m. 24-39 m. 91-108 a. m.40-65 Second Part M.

14 First Part m.1 m.108 Part A Part B a. m.1-23 m b. m m a. m Second Part M.109 M.151 Part A Part B (Code) m m GS1 GS 2

15 GS 3 GS 4

16 Tonality a. Pentatonic Scale b. Heptatonic Scale The instrumentation of Beijing Opera Melodic Section 1. Bowed instrument 2. Plucked instrument 3. Blown instrument Percussive Section 1. Leading percussion instrument 2. Brass percussive instrument 3. Supplementary percussive instrument

17 Compositional Technique a. The contrasting image of A-flat G-flat and A G M.122 to M. 132 two pentatonic scales overlap to each other. The dissonant sound simulates the sound of percussive section of Jing Opera.

18 b. The transposition and juxtaposition of pentatonic scales M. 133 M.135 M.135 M138 C D E G A C G E F G B C C D E G A B D E F A B Pivot Note: B (C ) M.135 M138 M.138 M140 E F G B C B E G A B D E D E F A B D F G A C D Pivot Note: D

19 M.138 M140 M140 M143 G A B D E C F A B C E F F G A C D F A B C E F Pivot Note: F M140 M143 A B C E F A B C E F M148 M151 The aggregation of the notes: Chinese Heptatonic Scale III. Yao Chen: Asura for solo marimba and two Tibetan bowls (2014) The composer, Yao Chen (b. 1978) Yao Chen received his PhD in music composition from the University of Chicago. He was the part-time assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Currently, he is the assistant professor at the Illinois State University. The concept of music The composer depicts the Asura in the Buddhism: In the Buddhist cosmology there are six realms of Samsara, or the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. They represent the inevitability of past and future rebirths in different states. In order to end the cycle of Samsara, one has to achieve the nirvana, or enlightenment. In one of the five lower realms exists the asuras.

20 The Form of Asura and the meaning of Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ Om purifies bliss and pride (realm of the gods) Ma purifies jealousy and need for entertainment (realm of the jealous demi-gods, asuras) Ni purifies passion and desire (human realm) Pad purifies ignorance and prejudice (animal realm) Me purifies poverty and possessiveness (realm of the hungry ghosts) Hum purifies aggression and hatred (hell realm) Unique Form A. m.1-45 B. m C. m D. m E. m F. m Coda m Extensive Technique

21 1. Human voice 2. Dead Stroke 3. Consecutive wide range melodic pattern 4. Theatrical effect: Playing notes without producing sounds.

22 5. The technique of one-hand roll

23 Tibetan Thangka Tibetan chakra. (2005, September 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:19, March 2, 2014, From

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