An Infusion of Eastern and Western Music Styles into Art Song: Introducing Two Sets of Art Song for Mezzo-Soprano by Chen Yi

摘要

Chinese-American composer Chen Yi has been praised as u22the most internationally renowned female Asian composer of contemporary music today,u22 and she u22has in particular become a prominent figure in music circles in the United States and China.u22 Besides her successes in writing orchestral and chamber music, Chen Yi has also written numerous vocal compositions including some art songs. This document aims to introduce two sets of Chenu27s art songs written for mezzo-soprano voice, Meditation and Bright Moonlight, and study the features of these compositions that represent the unique style of her music, which is influenced by Chinese folk music idioms and Western modern music elements.Chen Yi grew up in both the traditional China before the mid-1960s and the reformed China after the mid-1970s. She took her journey of music study a long way from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing to Columbia University in New York City. She is a Western-trained musician and has launched a successful career of teaching Western music in higher education in America. This document reveals Chenu27s bicultural background, strengthens the link between her cultural uniqueness and her musical creativity, and elaborates on how her bicultural background has influenced her compositional style.Ancient Chinese poetry and Peking Opera singing style have inspired Chenu27s art songwriting tremendously. By reviewing the poetic literature of Tang Shi and Song Ci and the performing practice of Peking Opera, this document will give comprehensive interpretations of Chenu27s musical approaches for her Meditation and Bright Moonlight that use the two sources effectively.The scope of this document covers a wide collection of Chenu27s biographical and educational information, as well as her published vocal compositions and the reviews of her works. Some relevant references are gathered from research articles to support the thesis of this document. The theoretical approaches to analyzing Chenu27s art songs emphasize her music expressions that mirror her poetic choices and compositional methods, paying attention to her creative ways of combining Chinese music practices with Western compositional devices.The purpose of this research is to promote Chenu27s solo vocal works and spark contemporary women composersu27 musical creativities. It is hoped that professional singers and voice teachers will consider including Chenu27s art songs in their contemporary repertoires, making substantial contributions to the tradition of art song within their teaching and performing practices.