Rich Modern Music Thoughts On Half Of The 20th Century Research

This thesis is the review and study about the musical trends of thought in China in the first half of the 20th century.Chinese music culture changed greatly during the first half of the 20th century. And this change began with the introduction of the western music and the emergence of the new musical trends of thought. At the beginning of the 20th century, the tendency of learning from western music came into being due to the rise of the school songs and the coming of the western music. Simultaneously the social trends of thought of the enlightenment and national salvation impelled the formation of the trend of thought of inspiring the public through music. These two sorts of new trends of music thought in the beginning of the 20th century influenced the development of Chinese music culture of the first half of the 20th century greatly. From the twenties to forties some trends of thought such as the thought of aesthetic education through music, the thought of the quintessence of Chinese traditional music, the thought of ameliorating the Chinese traditional music and the thought of national salvation with music appeared on the stage of Chinese music in succession. The trend of thought of learning from the western music expanded in a comprehensive way after the May 4th Movement of 1919 and it was also the most influential music thought during the first half of the 20th century.The trend of thought of aesthetic education through music germinated from the forepart of the school songs and grew rapidly after the May 4th Movement. This trend accelerated the education of music in the early time in China, the enrichment of musical life in society and the development of the new music. The thought of the quintessence of Chinese traditional music started from the middle and later period of the school songs and formed at the time the May 4th New Culture Movement. It grew up rapidly with the thorough development of the thought of learning from the western music and reflected the incompatible concepts of the devotion of the traditional music culture and the thought of quintessence of Chinese traditional music which refused the influence of the western music. The rise of the thought of national salvation with music in the early 30s made the thought of aesthetic education through music wane. After the War of Resistance Against Japan broke out, the thought of quintessence of Chinese traditional music declined rapidly too. Like the thought of learning from thewestern music, the thought of ameliorating the Chinese traditional music claimed to learn the musical theories and skills of composing from the west and use them for reference in order to change the ancient Chinese music and create new Chinese music and introject the western music with the Chinese traditional music. What is the difference between the two is that the thought of learning from the western music insisted in composing the Chinese new music based upon the form and skills of western music, while the thought of ameliorating the Chinese traditional music held that the material of Chinese traditional music should be the basis of the composition of new Chinese music. These two thoughts are different concepts about the introjecting of the western music and Chinese music and both of them played an important role in the construction of Chinese new music. The thought of national salvation with music sprang up after the September 18th Incident. It is the most inspiring trend of music thought during the first half of 20th century. It is the reflection in music of Chinese people's resistance against the aggression of the Japanese imperialism and the strong will of fighting for the liberation of the whole nation. The New Music Movement which grew up under the influence of this thought, the concepts and composition of new music during this period occupied the main part of the thought of national salvation with music. It also had become the puissant voice which occupied the mainstream and authority by the end of 1940s. On one hand, it is significant in the history of Chinese music. On the other hand, it brought some negative influence to the development of the new music after the foundation of the People's Republic of China.All the trends of thought in the first half of the 20th century in China associated closely with the development of the new music. At the same time, they were the concentrated demonstration of some contrary relations of music, e.g. the relation between Chinese and the western music, the relation between ancient and modern music, the relation between art and folk music, and the relation between two opposite views, one of which considers that the music should be only for the sake of music, while the other reckons that the music should serve different purposes. These relations also penetrated the procedure of the development of Chinese music during the latter half of the 20th century to some extent. Thus making a survey and analysis of the development and the features of the musical trends of thought in China during the first half of the 20th century can help us not only to understand the main characteristics and traits of the Chinese music during this period more comprehensively, but also to scan...