A Study On The Compositions Of Chinese Dulcimer

Dulcimer, a kind of plucked instrument, has a unique nationality beyond national musical instrument and a wide range of plucked instruments worldwide. The past history of four hundred years has witnessed the substantial development of Chinese dulcimer in many aspects, such as its teaching, the instrument innovation, music composition, performance techniques, etc. Nowadays, the Chinese dulcimer art, endowed with its unique styles, has developed into one of the world's three dulcimer system, which is at the rising stage with its vigorous vitality, and representing the spirit of modern Chinese people.This thesis consists of three major parts: the introduction, the main body and the conclusion. The introduction presents the orientation and the significance of the study. The main body is divided into three parts to start discussion: First, an overview of traditional Chinese schools of dulcimer work. The major dulcimer compositions from different schools are reviewed, with a focus on the different musical styles and the representative pieces of arts. Second, the compositions creation of Chinese dulcimer is explored. From the aspects of compositions of the creative approach and performance techniques, this these analyzed the characteristics of the contemporary Chinese dulcimer arts. And then, the third part will exhibit the influence of the compositional innovation. Instrument of reform and compositions promote each other. The development of Chinese dulcimer art is seen as a contribution of the instrument innovation, the creative compositions, the emerging composers and the new techniques. It should be noted that the dulcimer compositions in other parts of the world is not in the scope of the present thesis.