A Study On The Harmony Technique Of Xilin Wang’s Music

Wang, Xilin is one of the most prominent contemporary composers in Chinese avant-grad music and his works have received worldwide appreciations in recent years. The present study was based on Mr. Wang’s representative compositions under different stages of his career, focusing on the methodologies employed in his music pitch architectures, elucidating the characteristics of harmonies and pitch constructions, demonstrating the evolution of his compositions from post-romanticism to avant-grad stage.The study is composed of five parts: introduction, three main chapters and conclusion. In the introduction, an overview of Mr. Wang’s biography, academic career and composition stage categorization was performed. In chapter one, taking two of his works in the 1960 s as examples, the application of traditional pitch construction technique was illustrated from the mode structures, the alternate chord and the linear harmony perspectives. In chapter two, to appreciate the characteristics of his middle-stage academic life, four of his works in the 1980 s were chosen and analyzed by investigating their multi-mode structures, chord constructions and sequence of musical techniques. In chapter three, based on the analysis of two of his works after the 1990 s, the application, development and evolution of new sound effects in the later stage of his career was discussed. Finally, the appreciation of Mr. Wang’s work from aesthetics perspective was explored.