The Yangqin Duet And The Study Of Its Art

The yangqin was initially introduced into China for the accompaniment of quyi performances and Chinese opera. For most of its history the yangqin was a folk instrument. It was a smaller instrument than the present-day concert yangqin and the playing style was simpler. For many years after its introduction to China it continued to be used mainly for quyi and as accompaniment for traditional Chinese theater. In the late Qing dynasty, music for the yangqin as an independent instrument gradually emerged. At the same time some of the traditional styles of yangqin playing began to develop, for example the style of the greater Shanghai region called Jiang Nan Si Zhu, or the style of Guangdong. After1949, the yangqin tradition underwent rapid change. The major music conservatories around China opened programs for the professional study of the instrument. Teaching of the instrument flourished. With this, the yangqin developed from an instrument for accompaniment into a full solo and ensemble instrument. The yangqin has henceforth been studied and played ever more widely.Throughout its history the yangqin has undergone continual transformation, and the performing styles have become richer and richer. The late1960s saw the creation of ensemble music for the yangqin together with other traditional Chinese instruments, with compositions such as Hu Deng Tiao’s "Tian Tou Lian Wu." In the late1990s, compositions became more diverse with a greater variety of performance forms including yangqin duets, yangqin with one or two other traditional Chinese instruments, and full ensembles with the yangqin as the central instrument. In this way, around the contemporary Chinese yangqin an independent tradition of composition has developed. As for the form of the yangqin duet, it is still today in its early stages of development. Indeed, one could say that until now the yangqin duet has been a relatively underdeveloped musical form. Following my teacher, Professor Chen Hai Hua, I have been exploring the yangqin as an instrument for stage performance. As I pursued these studies, I came to understand the importance of the yangqin duet for Chinese traditional music and for the development of the yangqin instrument and its music. Both in China and abroad, the literature on music for two or more yangqin is scarce, and there is almost no scholarly literature on the yangqin duet. In recent years, a growing number of scholars have expressed concern about prospects for innovation and artistry in the yangqin tradition, and some yangqin artists and teachers have encouraged performances with multiple yangqin. Through the study of yangqin duet playing and yangqin duet compositions, this article seeks to explore the yangqin heritage and its capacity for innovation and diversity, to broaden the limitations of the artistic vision of the yangqin as an expressive instrument, and to break down limitations on musical performance. I hope also to provide some reference points and inspiration for yangqin educators, to further develop yangqin playing and teaching, and to promote the development of the yangqin and its repertoire.This paper may be summarized as follows:The introduction discusses the yangqin and its development, including the development of yangqin works and styles, with a special focus on the duet form. We find that the rise of yangqin music for two or more instruments was inevitable during the development of the yangqin tradition. The reason for the appearance of the yangqin duet is also shown. The first chapter discusses the yangqin duet and its relationship with Tai Chi. In Tai Chi we see the impact of Chinese traditional culture on the yangqin duet form-elements of unity and opposition, subtlety and openness, stasis and dynamism, and order and disorder as they appear in the duets. The second chapter examines the individual lines of the yangqin duet and their relations to each other. It discusses the yangqin duet lines played a) in unison, b) as one part accompanying the other, c) as in dialogue with each other, and d) in a mode of call and imitative response. This discussion is intended to assist yangqin players to learn how better to adapt yangqin techniques to the duet repertoire. The third chapter, through analysis of particular duet compositions, shows the workings of these types of line interactions and interrelations. Representative compositions of the yangqin duet repertoire--"The Charm of Bamboo,""Seeking," and "A Moment"--are used to discuss the interactive and cooperative techniques and playing styles necessary in the study of this innovative form of yangqin music. The fourth chapter describes the impact of the yangqin duet on the teaching of the instrument. The fifth chapter discusses what remains to be studied to support the further development of the yangqin duet as a form of musical art.