THE DEPTHS OF WATER SYMBOLISM IN CHU WANHUA9S COMPOSITION «THE GREAT RIVER»

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35619/ucpmk.50.955

Keywords:

Chu Wanhua «The Great River», Chinese piano musiс, philosophical and figurative symbolism, genre, style, impressionism, romanticism, European music

Abstract

A comprehensive analysis of the piano composition The Great River by Chinese composer Chu Wanhua, written in 1984, demonstrates that the composer9s musical language merges traditional thinking with modern artistic expression at the intersection of Western and Eastern cultures.
The musical and philosophical-aesthetic foundations of the composition are examined through the lens of water symbolism-a key image in traditional Chinese art. The image of water is not merely a background element; it plays a structuring and meaningful role, shaping both the development of the musical texture and the deep meaning of the work.
Attention is focused on the musical-expressive means through which the composer conveys the metaphor of the Yangtze River as an embodiment of power, historical continuity, spiritual depth, and national identity. The specific features of melody, harmony, texture, and architectonics demonstrate a synthesis of Western compositional technique with traditional Chinese aesthetics.
The analysis of The Great River allows for a deeper understanding of the stylistic features of contemporary Chinese piano music and its philosophically symbolic multidimensionality.

Author Biography

Yang JINLIN, Lviv Mykola Lysenko National Music Academy

Postgraduate student at the Department of Music Theory

References

1. Lao Tzu. The Tao Te Ching (translated from the Chinese by N. Holovan). - Kyiv: Naukova Dumka Publishing House, 2001. - 120 p.)

2. Lin Bijia, “The Heritage and Innovation of Traditional Chinese Music Culture in Piano Performance”, ournal of Sohua University, Issue 43, 2023 林碧佳,《鋼琴演奏中對中國傳統音樂文化的承傳與創新》,《綏化大學學報》,第 43 期,2023 年。

3. Lyudkevich S. Two problems of the development of sound art. Stanislav Liudkevych. Studies, articles, reviews, speeches. Vol. 1. Compilation, editing, introduction and notes by Z. Stunder. Lviv: Dyvosvit, 1999. С. 62-150.

4. Chu Wanhua, «Music and Art Collections of Chu Wanhua» Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House, 2013 edition, pp. 178-195. 朱婉華:《朱婉華音樂藝術集》,安徽文藝出版社,2013 年版,第 178-195 頁。

5. Yan Linhong. «On Guqing overtones - flagellations and their applications in music», New Sounds of Yuefu, Issue 1, 2022 顏臨紅:《論音頓--古琴中的旗語及其在音樂中的應用》,《悅府新聲》,2022 年第 1 期。

Published

2025-02-18

How to Cite

JINLIN, Y. (2025). THE DEPTHS OF WATER SYMBOLISM IN CHU WANHUA9S COMPOSITION «THE GREAT RIVER». UKRAINIAN CULTURE: THE PAST, MODERN WAYS OF DEVELOPMENT (, (50), 171–176. https://doi.org/10.35619/ucpmk.50.955

Issue

Section

THEORETICAL AND ARTISTIC ASPECTS OF THE UKRAINIAN CULTURE

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