A survey of Chu Wang-Hua's piano works (China).

摘要

Chu-Wang Hua (b.1941), composer and pianist, is one of China's most celebrated musical figures and is known best for his fusion of Chinese and Western musical styles in piano compositions. This dissertation is the first comprehensive study to offer stylistic analyses of Chu's representative piano works in the context of milestones in his biography, revealing how the political environment in China impacted the development of his compositional style. Based on the consultation of rare periodical archives from the Central Conservatory of China and interviews with the composer, this dissertation provides an overview of Chu Wang-Hua's contribution to piano repertoire and his role in the ongoing evolution of piano music in China.; The unfolding of Chu's maturation as a composer and artist is examined chronologically in four chapters, one for each of his four periods. The first chapter covers Chu's background and early musical style, visiting a time in the 1950s when the Chinese government supported professional musical training. His early compositions demonstrated a firm grasp of the folk idiom and the ability to blend it with Western harmonies and forms. Chapter two attempts to articulate the influence of the Cultural Revolution on Chu's compositional development. From the 1960s to 1976, Chu's compositions were limited to the ideological guidelines of the Communist Party. Chapter three focuses on the reemergence of Chu's own compositional voice. From 1978 to 1982, Chinese musicians coped with the Cultural Revolution's aftermath and renewed their efforts to reach out to the Western musical world. It was during this time that Chu finally received formal training in Western composition, a first step that would lead eventually to graduate studies in Melbourne, Australia. Chapter four begins with Chu's arrival at the University of Melbourne and follows Chu's rapid growth in this new environment, evident in the increasing complexities of harmonic language, rhythm and texture from compositions of this period which span a wide range of genres and instrumentations but never stray too far away from his Chinese folk roots.; In spite of the tumultuous events churning in the world around him, Chu still managed to create art of astounding breadth and depth. In it can be found the diverse spectrum of flavor unique to Chinese folk music, and as one of the most productive Chinese composers, Chu Wang-Hug's contribution to the national identity of Chinese music cannot be overstated. This dissertation introduces Chu's music to Western audiences and presents another opportunity to promote the establishment of Chinese piano music on the international stage.