Session 4 (August 6) - Sheila Melvin and Jindong Cai

[Jiaxing Weng-Zhang]

In reading the article on “Why do Chinese Listen to Western Classical Music”, I learned about Confucius’s process of learning the Guqin and that he was never satisfied with his progress until he was able to master the melody, the skill, the aim, and to grasp and fulfill the intent of the composer.  The author mentioned that “In the Li Ji (Book of Rites),  Confucius is quoted as saying:  Music produces pleasure which human nature cannot be without. That pleasure must arise from the modulation of the sounds, and have its embodiment in the movements of the body – such is the rule of humanity. These modulations and movements are the changes required by nature, and they are found complete in music. (K’ung-fu Tzu, 1885/2008, p. 57)”  I love this quote and totally believe in the power of music just like what Confucious has said. 

But as I mentioned during the lecture, there is a decline of interests towards Chinese classical music in China, just like the decline of interests in classical music in the western world.  As Mr. Cai very well put, an art form can only survive as it adapts and changes with the time.  Cellist Yo-Yo Ma created The Silkroad ensemble in 1998 to spark collaboration from world-class musicians from the globe and create new music together.  https://www.silkroad.org/about。   I also like a great ensemble Zi De Qin She that plays classical Chinese instruments but adds their interpretation of pop songs. Here is a Guqin version of the TikTok hit song Yi Jian Mei（Xue Hua Piao Piao）

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ptoxrr9XBA

I also like this full Chinese orchestra that plays one of the two very famous Chinese contretos, the Butterfly contreto 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu5XohUR3Pg&t=163s

Here is an interview with one of the composers https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2166740/chinese-composer-recalls-birth-butterfly-lovers-violin-concerto-60

And a live version of the same piece played by Yu Lina in a live concert in 1998.  She played the same piece when she was 18 in 1958.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjGGYFguYjo&t=335s

I plan to share all these with my students when we talk about Chinese classical instruments.

 

[Marina Forbes]

I was very impressed with the lectures and the follow up discussion. The entire program was very inspirational. I liked how the presenters talked about music, using visual metaphors: traditional music enhanced the sound of falling water in the brook, sang with the birds, brought the fragrance and the beautiful colors of the blossoming flowers. It could all be done by the traditional instruments played by the experienced musician.

I was so inspired that I decided to change my priorities for the evening and schedule some music time. Actually, I attended a music school for eight years last century, learning to play the piano and accordion in one-on-one sessions, studying music literature, music history and solfeggio, singing in the choir, and participating in the orchestra.

We have a beautiful piano in our living room here in NH, but I did not have a chance to play for years. I was so busy working on my art, teaching, networking, booking myself, submitting my art to the juried shows, and meeting the deadlines.

I was so exciting after the discussion that I decided to play the piano again. I agreed with myself that I would not be judgmental. I would just enjoy the sounds of music and I definitely did it. Thank you!

[Marina Forbes]

I was so impressed with the popping up new concervatories, art centers, philarmonic halls and concert halls all over China! They make powerful statements showing off the most sophisticated architectural design, acoustic systems and  functionality. I would love to go there and attend in person!

[Jiaxing Weng-Zhang]

Marina,

I totally agree. Sometimes we are so caught up in life that we forget that our utmost priority is actually to be healthy and do things that are good for our health.  After the seminar, I started looking around for a Zither, a classical Chinese instrument that I learned to play when I was in middle school.  My favorite piece to play was Yu Zhou Chang Wan, it depicts the happy mood of the fishermen coming back with a day's catch in a magnificent sunset.  

As a Chinese language teacher, I always use songs/rhymes to help my students learn.  Music is a universal language.  We saw the Chinese lady singing Mariachi songs in Chinese, learning Spanish and is even tasked with reviving this Mexican music tradition. I know how to sing many Russian songs in Chinese since those were the songs from my parents’ generation when China and Soviet Union had a good relationship.  Here is one example of the song “the night at Moskow’s suburb” .  My students love songs from C-pop singers, this one is Luhan’s interpretation of a very famous old song from Teresa Deng, a beloved singer in southeast Asia, Tian mi mi, with an interlude from a love song every Chinese person knows  “the moon represents my heart”.  Young people in China are also exploring other musical traditions such as hip hop.  It reminded me of how Rock and Roll, pop songs first became popular in China in the early 80s.  It all started with lots of skepticism from the older generation, but slowly more and more people accepted it and it became mainstream.  As professor Cai said, good music will always survive since it is able to adapt and to incorporate elements from other cultures.  My new swag is a song that incorporates Chinese opera into hiphop.  

Good luck with keeping up with your piano playing.  When Covid is over, I wish to go on your Russian tour and learn more about Russian arts!  I also lead a Chinese tour in case you are interested.  Here is my website http://www.minglechinese.com/

 

[Brigid Schmidt]

Professor Dube shared the article about Hamilton (reaction to the musical release on Disney+) and it was an interesting read. As a musical theater major, I was really interested in seeing it. My husband loves history, so we went to the live performance 2 years ago. It was interesting to see my family and friends this summer joining the Hamilton craze after watching it many times on Disney+. The article talks about how Disney+ is not available in China, but it still got many people thinking about who tells their story. Lin Manuel purposely cast actors of all different races to show that America is a country of immigrants. The actors who play the Founding Fathers do not resemble them, but these choices played a major role in the popularity of the show. It also shows that history can be fun and comical and not always serious. Indeed issues of race are at the forefront of our current society here in the US, but what I didn't realize were the issues of race in China. The article states that Chinese regulators reactions to Hamilton probably would not be positive because of the changes in the founding father's skin colors. They relate it to "The Founding of a Republic" because it was praised and criticized for its nuanced takes on figures typically in black and white. However, it has not been since 2003 possibly because that and of its not so heroic depiction of revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen. So it doesn't seem a Chinese version of Hamilton is likely to happen any soon. I am interested in learning a bit more about racial issues in China and more about theater there. 

[Marina Forbes]

In 1909 Sergei Diaghilev introduced Ballets Russes to Paris making Art to Dance with Music, pushing the limits of arts, dance and music and bringing together the most creative artists of his day: Natalia Goncharova, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Igor Stravinsky, Vaslav Nijinsky. I always teach my art classes offering some elements of traditional music and dance.

Contemporary music is closely connected with contemporary art, slicing the piece of today’s reality. I would like to share with you a special edition of the online magazine  Photo London, made in collaboration with "Photography of China".

Founded in 2011 by Marine Cabos-Brullé, Photography of China's goal is to offer a multifaceted vision of China and its history through the eyes of people who love photography.

Following an archival approach to contemporary photography, this issue features eight contemporary artists who have been reworking historical and vernacular photographs from China.

Magazine issue 15: Photography of China
#PLmagazine #PhotoLondonAcademy

[Marina Forbes]

For all those Art-Appreciators, just for your info, it is not too late to bid on beautiful Chinese Art. Yale-China's  5 day online auction of art from the exhibition Bridging Cultures: The Art of Stephen Lowes runs until 11:59 pm on Sunday, August 16.

Artist Stephen Lowe (劉允衡 ) was a Lingnan School painter who emigrated from Hong Kong to Canada early in his career. Lowe made it his life’s mission to create understanding and appreciation of Chinese art in North America. The artist described his paintings as a fusion of Chinese ink and watercolor technique and North American inspirations.

[Brigid Schmidt]

Reading the article written by Sheila Melvin and Jindong Cai, The Sound of New Music Is Often Chinese...brought about a new perspective for me on Chinese orchestras and symphonies, as well as their traditions. They talked about the Central Conservatory having been barren for 10 years due to a Cultural Revolution, only to finally open its doors again in 1977. At the time, 18,000 applicants from musicians all over China poured in. However, they only ended up being able to take 200! As a singer and actor I understand competition, but that is intense! It was interesting to hear that though there are well known composers from this class, they were better known in the US and Europe, and rarely heard in China. Chinese composers music was not often played in China and this continued for years. In the early 2000's, more young Chinese composers were choosing to stay in China and become recognized. Contemporary music in China was changing in that in did not only look outside China (to Western and Soviet influences) for guidance and started looking to Chinese roots and traditions for inspiration. This opened up more opportunities in China. The article is written in 2001, so I'd be curious to hear more about the changes even since the article.

[Brigid Schmidt]

For the past few weeks (ever since this lecture) I have been searching Youtube for some Chinese style classical music. I did not realize how much I would like it. Like Cheryl, I now find it soothing to relax or decompress to. I found myself listening to the beautiful orchestras while writing my lesson plans and grading student work. It even inspired me to write poetry about it. I played two of them for my students during our mindfulness reflection time last week and they seemed to really reflect while listening. Thanks to Sheila and Jindong for opening my ears to such beautiful compostions.

[Jiaxing Weng-Zhang]

Music has evolved greatly since my childhood in the 70s.  Popular songs/Rock and Roll started to come into China and became super popular since the 80s.  I remembered listening to Michael Jackson's songs, and learning English with songs from the Carpenters.  I was also a fan of singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan.  And shared the love of many talented singers in China with my cousins.  So all the songs I remembered well are songs from the 90s before I came to the U.S..

I came across this documentary that shares the story of an Acapella children’s choir group, a group called “Soul Shake”  made of musicians from the West and interview of Chinese legendary rock musician Ding Wu from a popular rock band from the 80s called Tang Dynasty.  Perhaps that can give you a glimpse of the music scene in China now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IYTXs19rfs

And since I was always a chorus member growing up, I am especially interested in seeing choir music. This is one of the great groups I have been following.

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC3EcrXH6Wu1-iu8dqDwhgw

 

To increase their influence around the word, many pop singers created interesting MTVs, and have English subtitle for their songs. Here is an example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BEFukvLZfI&list=PL3oW2tjiIxvSKa-uFKnIlmKgPGT64G1-p

 

[Maria Cardenas]

I enjoyed listening to the music from the videos it was nice to hear the classica music. I am a history teacher and I have never really dived into Asian history because for 4 years I have taught American history. So reading that western classical music was brought to China was interesting. Although it didn't surprise me that Europeans were trying to convert the Chinese and find a way to come to an agreement that would benefit the Europeans. I am also curious whether western musicians traveled to other countries to attempt to share their music. Europeans regardless of were they went always tried to convert the populations to Christianity. Think about the Natives in the Americas the Spaniards would try to convert the Natives into Catholicism. 

 

[Jonathan Tam]

Thanks for sharing! This fascinated me too because as an art piece of the early 20th century, I have always been a fan of Turandot and yet have always struggled to fully appreciate it. When I heard the song used in the opera for the first time, I was definitely critical of its use and appropriation. But, I feel differently about it now, considering how much Italian and Chinese music have mixed together and taught each other. I particularly enjoyed hearing about Mario Paci's trip to Shanghai and how his efforts eventually led to the integration of Chinese audiences, the Tan Shuzhen and the Shanghai Conservatory.

[Cindy Nguyen]

I agree with you, Megan. Many Asian cultures view classical music as an essential part of a well-rounded education. "Look at the time of Confucius: if you wanted a government post you had to write poetry… It comes from parents, they believe if you have classical music training you will have the discipline that’s needed to perform." I feel this concept has been so ingrained into the minds of the Chinese people that it has now become apart of their identity. I believe this concept has seeped into the surrounding Asian countries through trade and interaction.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254098840_Why_Chinese_people_play_Western_classical_music_Transcultural_roots_of_music_philosophy

[Cindy Nguyen]

Playing the soundtrack to Hero or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon would be an impactful way to introduce a unit on China. After playing some clips of the music, we would dive deeper into who is Tan Dun and his contribution to the world of classical music. I would then show the Opening of the 2008 Olympics in China to show that classical music is not old and dead but alive and present in modern-day society. We would use this as a discussion point to tie into classical thought and traditional music. 

[Juana Evink]

The article by Sheila Melvin and Jindong  Cai, on "The Sound of Music is often Chinese: The Offspring of a Grim Revoluiton," discuss the changes in Chinese music. I was pleasantly surprised how much interest Chinese people had in classical music after the conservatory when it reopen after the Cultural Revolution. I grew up listening to music in Spanish and English whenever I wanted, it's hard for me to imagine what it's like for people not to be able to do it as well. Sometimes, we forget that places like China have some restrictions that affect people artistic and musical interest. Since the  conservatory reopen in the 80's, Chinese musicians have gained renown fame and people get to enjoy their amazing music all over the world.

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