New Perspectives in Chinese Music

Author: Pu Hengqiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: This book strives to analyze, observe, and research Chinese music from a new perspective, with its new significance reflected in the following three aspects:
First, it examines Chinese music from a new perspective, adopting a classification system based on social attributes and musical styles. This allows the various categories of Chinese music to be organized in a clear hierarchy with inherent logic, supplementing or strengthening discussions on genres that were often overlooked or underdeveloped in previous works, such as religious music, court music, and literati music. It provides a comprehensive view of Chinese music.
Second, the writing style shifts from the traditional separation of history and theory, which was overly specialized, to a combined approach that integrates history and theory, with a cross-cutting perspective. This allows the essence of Chinese music to be fully explored and elaborated upon, with the writing aiming to be both profound and accessible, ensuring strong readability for both professional musicians and general readers. It is undeniable that music academia certainly has its profound and complex aspects, but it should not be confined to ivory towers. It should reach the public, be embraced by them, and serve them. In this sense, the popularization and vividness of music academic research are the vitality of academic development. Music, by its nature, has abstract and mystical elements, but fundamentally, it remains a vibrant and lively art form. Music theory should not be too far removed from this characteristic. How can readers be guided into the realm of Chinese music in a relatively effortless way within a limited space, using an engaging structure and tone? This is undoubtedly a pursuit that scholars and experts should strive for.
Third, it studies and observes Chinese music from a new academic frontier, which has two meanings: On one hand, the book strives to incorporate the latest research findings of peers in the music academic community in recent years. On the other hand, it includes a significant portion of the author's personal research insights and achievements, expanding the depth and breadth of the book's discussions. This allows readers to gain a deeper and broader understanding of the essence and artistic charm of Chinese music, guiding them to preliminarily grasp the methods of appreciating Chinese music through a combination of rational and emotional understanding. As a preliminary attempt, if this book can add some novelty to the writing of Chinese music treatises and enable more friends who love Chinese culture to successfully enter the gate of Chinese music and appreciate this marvel from the treasure trove of their homeland's culture, gaining both aesthetic enjoyment and intellectual enlightenment, the author's satisfaction would be beyond words.