My monograph focuses on the Instants d’un Opera de Pekin by the contemporary Chinese composer Qigang Chen in particular how he incorporates Chinese musical elements with Western compositional techniques. The main focus of this study is an analysis with emphasis on performance issues. A brief introduction to Chinese music elements is provided to establish a context. This document provides brief information about Chinese scale modes and instruments.

Chinese contemporary composer Qigang Chen describes himself as "a Chinese tree replanted in France." His piano solo work Instants d'un Opéra de Pékin presents both Eastern and Western elements equally. While the main motives and melodic ideas are based on Chinese modes and scales, Chen incorporates many Western compositional techniques, particularly those of Olivier Messiaen, such as fragmentation and elimination, rhythmic augmentation and diminution, octave displacement among others. In this dissertation, I review the historical development of Peking Opera. Through the musical examples, I also illustrate the incorporation of two fundamentally different musical backgrounds and compositional styles that interact, express, and present themselves as equally relevant in both Eastern and Western musical language.