Building World Music Collections
China and Taiwan
Alec [email protected]
MLA 2014Atlanta, GAFebruary 27, 2014
Some general observations on Chinese music
1. Tradition of philosophical and theoretical thought regarding music, going back to the 6th century BCE
2. Musical culture marked by great diversity, yet also by remarkable homogeneity
3. Instrumental traditions grounded in ancient classifications of material from which instruments are made
4. Regional opera styles are a persistent factor in cultural identities
5. Ready adaptation to Western musical traditions, particularly European classical music
Tuning systems
Guqin
Guzheng
Musical culture is marked by great diversity, yet also by remarkable homogeneity
• Mainland: 55 officially recognized ethnic minority groups
• Taiwan: aboriginal groups; large Hokkien- and Hakka-speaking population from Fujian Province on the mainland
• Yet Han people are a majority in all but 2 provinces
• Very strong national identity
Erhu
Pipa
Dizi
Instrumental traditions grounded in ancient classifications of material from which
instruments are made
• 8 elements: metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourd, earth (pottery), hide, and wood
• Ensembles still named after these elements
Silk and bamboo ensemble
Abing
Regional opera styles are a persistent factor in cultural identities
Peking Opera
“Model operas”
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
Ready adaptation to Western musical traditions, particularly European classical music
Cui Jian
A-Mei
Some labels and vendors:• JVC• King Records• Lyrichord
• Farside Music http://www.farsidemusic.com/
• Multicultural Media’s World Music Store http://www.worldmusicstore.com/
• yesasia.com http://www.yesasia.com/global/en/home.html
• malmusic.comhttp://malmusic.com/music.asp?lang=E
谢谢， 大家！
(xie xie da jia =Thank you all)
