The subject of this study is the historical development of a vehicle for a form of western art (the orchestra) in China from 1840 to the present. The writer was primarily concerned with how the orchestra developed in broad socio-economical, political-cultural, and historical contexts with an emphasis on elaborating certain conditions responsible for the specific features of this development. The following major aspects of the development of the orchestra in China are discussed:1)The uniqueness of China's culture before accepting western culture;2)Reason and procedures by which China accepted western music and its orchestra;3)The social change in the 1950s which affected the function of the orchestra in China;4)The influence of political movements and individual roles on the development of the orchestras in China;5)The emergence of the orchestra as a cultural symbol during China's modernization;6)The fact in which the orchestra become a cultural symbol during China's modernization;7)Roles and functions of the orchestra during the cultural merging of China and the West;8)The future of the orchestra in China.The purpose of this study is to confirm the cultural assimilation of the western orchestra as a world-wide trend, one in which East and West enrich one another. / School of Music

This dissertation is an analytical study of five Chinese piano pieces: Buffalo Boy's Flute by He Lu-ting, Flower Drum by Qu Wei, Xing-jiang Dance No. 1 and No. 2 by Ding Shan-de and Tunes at Sunset by Li Ying-hai. These five pieces represent a specific historical period from the 1930s to the 1950s--a primary phase in the establishment of Chinese piano music. Each piece is analyzed in terms of melody, rhythm, harmony, form and style, in order to ascertain how Chinese composers fused Western compositional techniques with the Chinese musical heritage. A second objective was to provide an historical background of the introduction and development of the piano in China. Through the investigation, this study has traced the channels through which Western music was introduced to China.The study consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 presents introductory information as well as the purpose, significance, procedures and delimitation of the study. Chapter 2, a review of related literature, provides a brief description and evaluation of important sources utilized. Chapter 3 presents a brief history of the piano in China. Chapter 4 provides an analysis of each of the five Chinese piano pieces. Also included are an evaluation of each work, brief biographies, and the historical circumstances surrounding the composition of each piece. Summary and conclusions are reported in Chapter 5.The history of Chinese piano music is relatively short--spanning approximately eighty years. Western music was not introduced to China until the beginning of the twentieth century. The founding of the National Conservatory in 1927 marked the beginning of professional musical higher education in China. Because of the musical training which Chinese musicians received, the German-Russian romantic style exerted a strong influence on the musical development of China. In the past eighty years, Chinese musicians have taken different paths trying to establish a national identity within their musical culture. The five pieces analyzed in this study reflect the accomplishments which Chinese musicians achieved in combining Western compositional techniques with Chinese musical idioms. These innovations have since become common practice among most Chinese composers. / School of Music