Over the past century, the widespread popularity of Western art music, in particular that of the standard operatic repertoire, has gradually expanded the development of opera in China. In order to bolster a broad range of classical music genres and help promote the development of Chinese opera, opera houses and opera companies have been built in several major Chinese cities. Moreover, a series of first-rate international vocal competitions have been established to promote original Chinese operas and art songs. Nonetheless, performing this modern repertoire can represent a novel and demanding experience for both Chinese and non-Chinese speaking singers. This dissertation examines eight representative works of Chinese music: four arias and four art songs for soprano. These pieces challenge the singer both in terms of their musical style and their singing techniques. The purpose of this study is therefore to provide a detailed performance guide for sopranos that can assist them to successfully perform these works. In addition, this research will supply relevant background information on the selected compositions, an overview of their historical significance, the origin of the source poem or drama, and acquaint the reader with the key features of the main characters. Furthermore, to better understand the original Chinese Pin Yin characters, the International Phonetic Alphabet is provided, as well as the corresponding English translation and transliteration in the musical scores. The dissertation also incorporates stylistic analyses, as well as an assessment of the vocal demands and singing techniques that appear in all eight pieces. This information has the purpose of helping the performer attain a more accurate rendition of these works. In turn, this study may be used as a research model for future studies of Chinese vocal art music.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1944304 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Wang, Yi |
| Contributors | Lane, Jennifer, Dubberly, Stephen, Snider, Jeffrey |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | Text |
| Rights | Public, Wang, Yi, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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