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EnZhao Zehua
“New currents and old traditions”: on the formation of the pedagogical music repertoire in China (Wang Lisan’s piano cycle “Child’s Innocence” as an example)
The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of Chinese children’s music in the context of the formation of piano repertoire for beginners in China in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. In this respect, the music of one of China’s most prominent composers, Wang Lisan (1933–2013), is of particular research significance, as works for children and on themes of childhood feature prominently in his piano legacy. This article explores one of Wang Lisan’s most striking works for a young public, the author’s large-scale and lifelong project, the cycle “Child’s Innocence» (1959–2007). The article examines the genre, stylistic features and imagery sphere of individual works of the cycle from the point of view of the aesthetic and practical tasks realized by the composer. This analysis allows us to see how the national features of the works, which reflect existential ideas, customs and objects of Chinese culture, are conveyed through the means of musical acoustics. Wang Lisan does not lose touch with his national identity, which is evident in his reliance on Chinese harmonies and rhythms as well as techniques of imitation of folk instruments sound, even though he bases his work upon the albums of children’s pieces by European composers. In conclusion, the author gives a general characteristic of Wang Lisan’s works for children, calling them a concentrated reflection of the general trends in the process of formation of the national piano repertoire for the younger generation. Thus, children’s music in China naturally combines the achievements of European musical culture and the musical means of Chinese music, which is reflected in the natural synthesis of folklore and professional, national and European music – “new currents and old traditions”, as Wang Lisan said.
Key words
Chinese piano music in the second part of the 20th and early 21st centuries, pedagogical repertoire, children’s piano albums, Wang Lisan, the cycle “Child’s Innocence”.
For citation
Zhao Zehua. “New currents and old traditions”: on the formation of the pedagogical music repertoire in China (Wang Lisan’s piano cycle “Child’s Innocence” as an example) // South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2023. No. 3. Pp. 58-67.
