Whither Chinese composers?

Abstract

In China, the millennia-old concept of the traditional Chinese wenren (philosopher-artist) has in the past century been replaced by the new image of a ‘composer’ who functions professionally on an international stage. Today, having followed Western composers for more than half a century, it is time for Chinese composers to think of the revival of the wenren spirit. Beginning in the 1940s, and continuing to the present, four waves of Asian composers have come to the West to study contemporary music—and even those who remained in Asia have felt the pressure to conform to Western aesthetics. In today's commercially oriented ‘world music’ environment, there is an urgent need for Chinese composers to acquire an intimate knowledge of their own cultural heritage in order to contribute meaningfully and on equal terms with the West towards a true confluence of musical cultures.

Keywords:

• Chinese Composers
• Wenren
• Commodification
• Confluence
• Independence

Notes

[1] This parallelism is illustrated by the fact that Chinese theoretical investigations on the relationship of lines in calligraphy are remarkably similar to those studies made in the West on the art of counterpoint.

[2] Chou Wen-chung (b.1923), José Maceda (1917 – 2004), Toshiro Mayuzumi (1929 – 1997) and Isang Yun (1917 – 1995).

[3] Among the exceptions are Tōru Takemitsu (1930 – 1996), who never studied in the West but remained active internationally; Chinary Ung (b.1942), who studied composition exclusively in the United States and has been teaching there; and Joji Yuasa (b.1929), who also taught in the United States and was particularly involved in developing a technological language based on Japanese aesthetics.