Piano Arrangements as a Universal Principle of Adaptation of European Artistic Values to the Peculiarities of Chinese Musical Culture

Abstract

Abstract. The article examines the role of arrangements for piano in the development of the Chinese piano school. The dynamic development of the latter is shown in the context of the influence of Western art and the ability of Chinese music to refract this influence through its own cultural lenses. The authors trace the development of piano arrangements in connection with the evolution of compositional thinking and adaptation to European standards and emphasise the role of the Russian musical culture in the process of interaction between the representatives of the binary opposition of “East vs. West.” The article examines methods of manifestation of Chinese national coloration by means of textural, registral, and technical capabilities intrinsic to the piano instrumentation for revealing the parallels with the principles of working with original sources in the context of Western European musical art. Particular attention is paid to the significance of the timbres (timbral forms) of Chinese traditional folk instruments, allusions to which have often appeared in the works of contemporary Chinese composers. In this connection, the authors draw analogies to the arrangements of folk melodies in the works of Western European (Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven) and Russian (Mily Balakirev, Anatoly Lyadov) composers. The main vectors of national traditions and their refraction in the mainstream of 20th century composition techniques are outlined in the article, and parallels are revealed connecting the aesthetics of musical impressionism with the conditions under which it acquires a unique sound on the basis of Chinese culture.

Keywords: Chinese piano school, arrangements, interaction of cultures, national colour, reflection of national traditions, Chinese impressionism