"rhapsody In Red: Western Classical Music In China" And Its Depth Of Book Reviews

The book Rhapsody in Red: How Western Classical Music Became Chinese is co-written by Sheila Melvin, an American and her husband, a Chinese-American conductor Cai Jindong.In"Rhapsody in Red," there are two focuses : western orchestra and professional development of music education in China. Basing on Matteo Ricci, Xiao youmei, Tan Shuzhen , Li Delun etc. and their great contributions to the development of Western classical music in China, and some influential events in the process, the author traces the major clues back to its very introduction into China from the late Ming, through the late Qing Dynasty, the early Nationalist China, and World War II to New China, Cultural Revolution, and reform and opening covering more than 400 years. The differences in ideology, way of thinking, positions and academic background between foreign and Chinese scholars lead to the their different narration and analysis of such major issues as the musicians and events. "Rhapsody in Red," causes some concern in the West after its publication in 2004 in New York, yet there is so far no Chinese translation version. My thesis is based on the translation and interpretation of this book in the hope of benefiting the research of the history of modern Chinese music.