Essay outline

Amalgamation and Refinement: Looking into the compositional ideas of Wang Jian Min through his “Erhu Rhapsody No. 1”

Introduction

The 1st Erhu Rhapsody was composed by Wang Jian Min (王建民) in 1988, which falls under the third phase (1976 – 1989) of the developmental phase in contemporary erhu music, marking the end of the Cultural Revolution. While keeping to the traditions brought forward by his predecessors, Wang Jian Min was also absorbed in introducing, exploring and creating new and unique forms of expressions, playing a pivotal role in the development of contemporary erhu music. In his compositions, he strives towards “雅俗共赏，中西并存” as his compositional philosophy (i.e. they must satisfy what he perceived should be the basis of music – “listenable” and aurally acceptable by the masses, while combining refined artistry drawn from both the Chinese and Western musical concepts in terms of structure, form and language (王建民，2003). By combining Chinese and Western musical elements, he refers to compositions exploring and combining traditional elements from China’s folk music, set against modern and contemporary compositional techniques of the Western musical concepts. Although he pioneered many new trends and is constantly experimenting with new ways of composing so as to break away from the traditional musical style, he firmly held that “创新度”是“新而不怪”(i.e. the degree of innovative ideas in music should not be too profound or avant garde that it becomes difficult for general listeners to appreciate) (王建民，2003).

“Erhu Rhapsody No. 1” is Wang Jian Min’s first major erhu composition. Using this piece as a basis for study, I would like to trace how Wang expanded upon forms and concepts from the Western musical tradition, which allowed him to break free from the traditional style of Chinese music writing, producing a work which is highly coherent yet contrasting in content, novel in style, yet not losing its sense of aesthetic beauty. By exploring the scales and harmonic colours, musical structure, thematic materials, textures and virtuosic elements, which are not usual characteristics of traditional Chinese music, we could gain an insight to how Western concepts and techniques of writing were imbued and built upon. Furthermore, I would also take a look at how folk and traditional Chinese music elements were preserved and developed in the piece, which affected the choice of scale (which essential was drawn from the West), rhythms and pulse used, as well as breakthroughs in erhu performing techniques.

Main Points

Ø Provide brief background of the 3 phases of contemporary erhu music
Phase 1 (1949 – 1966)
Phase 2 (1966 – 1976)
Phase 3 (1976 – 1989)

Ø Scale used

According to 孙凰 (2004), 陈静(2008), this piece is written using a self – constructed 9 tone scale C D Eb E F# G Ab Bb B. This scale corresponds to the third mode in Olivier Messiaen’s limited transpositional scale/ mode, where Messiaen was fascinated by scales that only had a few transpositions. It consists of three segments, each comprising of a tone followed by two semitones.

Tracing the general trend of the use of this scale throughout the piece, we could observe how he made use of this scale at different transpositions and may perhaps provide us some insights into the structure of the piece.

We could categorize the piece into six sections. The introduction uses T2, followed by a section which generally revolves around T1 before moving to T2 to lead in to the next section. The fourth section is classified by instability, employing the scale at different transpositions but T0 seemed to be the central mode here. This is followed by a section of more stability in T0. In the final section, the music leads back to T2, which is the mode in which the piece began.

Ø Motivic Idea

4-17 is a prominent idea, especially seen in how the introduction is stemmed from it, as well as in the opening phrases of motivic ideas ‘a’ and ‘d’ (as well as the variants of ‘d’). This served as a unifying feature in the piece across sections and in a sense also blurs distinction between motifs ‘a’ and ‘d’, which are found across sections. It also undergoes intervallic expansion and expanded to form a larger set as seen in Andante.
This motivic idea is inherent in the mode employed by the composer.
4-17 is implicitly a symmetrical set, however this symmetry does not seem to be utilized on the musical surface.

Even when 4-17 is not utilized in other motifs, the composer sometimes made use of other sets which bears resemblance to 4-17 in terms of IcV. (absense of maj 2nds and tritones)
IcV of 4-17: <1,0,2,2,1,0>,
E.g. piano transition (bars 59-60), the two alternate chords are based on 5-21.
IcV: <2,>
Adagio section (at bar 62), the melody was built upon 4-20.
IcV: <1,>

Ø Form/ Tonality/ Motivic ideas

One of the earliest Chinese piece that uses non-programmatic/ descriptive title, resembling Western Classical tradition.
Instead of writing in the usual ternary form with a balanced nature (flanked by an introduction and a coda that is free in tempo) characteristic of traditional Chinese pieces, ‘rhapsody’ is employed as a structural vehicle. This is something that is absorbed from the Western musical concept.

Due to the highly integrated structure in terms of fluidity in motivic ideas (distinct yet similar) and scales used, lack of clear cadential point, as well as ambiguity in tonal center makes clear distinction of form difficult, especially in the traditional sense. The sense of tonality or key centers are largely established by ostinato pedal pattern, or motivic gestures emphasizing a particular note more often than the others.

However, we could possibly say that this piece resembles a ternary form to a certain extent, although it does not adhere strictly to the usual prescriptive characteristics of ternary form.

Introduction

Introduced the idea of 4-17 (prominently utilized throughout the piece)
Tonally rather stable, in the key of D major
Main transposition of scale: T2

Section A (bars 2-73)

Motif ‘a’ (bars 3 – 7) and ‘a1’ (bar 26 – 27). Based on 4-17.
Tonal center: A (maj/min)

Motif ‘b’ (bars 62 – 63). Triad as prominent feature (vertically and horizontally) – contrast with ‘a’.
Impression of tonal center: (C maj à) D major

Main transposition of scale: T1

Transition? (bars 84-99)

Motif ‘c’.
Tonal center: F major à Bb major
Main transposition of scale: T2 (same as intro)

Section B (bars 100-237)

Motif ‘d’ and subsequent variations. Based on 4-17 again (coherence - mirrors that in section A?).
Motif ‘e’

Contrast from previous sections:
Tonal instability: G (maj/min) --> Ab major --> D minor --> D major --> G major
Pass through many transpositional scales (see scales point above).
Higher energy level compared to section A

Section A’? (bars 238-266)

Similarities to Section A: themes somewhat ‘broughtback’
e.g. Motif reminiscent to motif a (in octave equivalence)
Erhu Cadenza – reminiscent of motif a1 and b1

Ways in which it differs:
T0 instead of T1
C major instead of home key of D, although the erhu cadenza ended off in D
Mood

Coda (bars 267 - )

Motivic ideas ‘a’ and ‘d’ from sections A and B are brought back. Emphasis of 4-17, which is explored further.
Tonal center: Return to D major
Transposition of scale: return to T2

Ø Virtuosic elements (breakthrough in performance techniques)

Ø Influences from the Chinese Folk elements

Juxtaposition of major and minor 3rd in 4-17 – characteristic in 苗族飞歌
Pulse and the frequent change in time signature – characteristic in 彝族阿细跳月
Using wooden part of bow to hit soundboard – imitate bamboo dancing of 苗族
Hit against the snake skin with the right hand and the pluck the strings with the left hand – imitate hitting of drums

Conclusion

(still under construction...)

motivic ideas

Influences from the Chinese Folk elements

According to 孙凰, the piece draws upon materials from Yunnan folk tunes, such as those from 苗族飞歌，彝族阿细跳月 and 傣族孔雀舞曲’s tonal inflection and rhythmic characteristics.

For instance, this juxtaposition of major and minor 3rd which portrayed the ambiguity of a major or minor tonality as inherent in the choice of set class 4-17 is actually a prominent characteristic in music of the 苗族飞歌, where there is extensive use of such inflections to create contrast.

After watching a few 彝族阿细跳月clips, I notice that pulse and the frequent change in time signature are important elements, such as the succession of alternating 3 beats, 2 beats or 5 beats, 4 beats, creating a sense of regularity within irregularity. This frequent change in pulse (e.g. bars 26 – 53 [alternating 3/8 and 4/8, 3/8 and 2/8]) and the use of 5/4 (as seen in bars 216 – 219) are characteristics of music from this tribe. The unexpectancy in terms of pulse due to frequent changes and wide variety of time signature aids in creating periods of tension and relief, and inject more rhythmic excitement. For instance, from bars 216 – 237, the change in time signature from 5/4 --> 4/4 --> 6/8 --> 5/8 --> 4/8 --> 3/8 --> 2/8, coupled with syncopations, further upsets the regularity of pulse, aiding in the culmination of a small climax.

(refer to http://you.video.sina.com.cn/b/9768653-1339817027.html for an example of 彝族阿细跳月dance)

The composer also draws upon Yunnan 苗族’s bamboo dancing and vividly depict the hitting of bamboos during such dance, by employing the technique of striking soundboard using the wooden part of the bow with the rhythm

(refer to http://v.ku6.com/show/3dfMtuz6GYSEvxFH.html for a clip of bamboo dance).

In the opening of the Allegro assai section (bar 267), the erhu player has to hit against the snake skin with the right hand and the pluck the strings with the left hand. The aim actually, is to imitate the hitting of drums and these ‘drumming’ patterns, together with the accompaniment gradually became more dense rhythmically and texturally as the registral space widened so as to lead in to the climatic Presto section. However in actual performance, many erhu players omit these 24 bars because they felt the effect was not significant enough, and once the accompaniment enters 4 bars later, it would be drowned, as such sound effects could not penetrate far.

Structure/ form

In traditional Chinese music repertory, meaning takes precedence over form and structure – an inverse of Western music. In the pre 1950s, we could hardly find any Chinese traditional music that is absolute in nature and a large majority of them bears descriptive titles. Interestingly, this piece is entitled “1st Erhu Rhapsody” which mirrors titles we often finds in Western music (e.g. 1st Violin Concerto etc.), and this is also one of the earliest Chinese piece to be entitled in this manner.

Traditional music[1] are said to be especially difficult to compose. Concepts like the yin and yang are evident in music, with an introduction and concluding section, both of which are usually free in tempo, whereas the middle body is a highly mathematical structure based on lunar, moon, elements of earth etc., all in perfect balance. In other words, the form is usually rather balanced and symmetrical in a sense. However here, we see that it follows the rhapsodic form – something that is absorbed from the Western musical concept. Especially the employment of a presto section which steer the piece to a greater climax at the end is uncommon in traditional pieces.
Rhapsody allows more freedom in terms of structure, greater emotional intensity, and thus lending more room for expressivity.

This piece is written in the style of free rhapsodic form, rather than in conventional formal structure that is clearly demarcated by traditional harmonic and melodic gestures. Thus it is really difficult for listeners do discern the structure of the piece, as changes in sections are blurred out due to fluidity in terms of materials and scales used, connections that one can make in terms of motivic idea, although re-ordered and explored in a contrasting manner. In addition, ambiguity in terms of tonal center, as inherent in the limited transpositional scale employed furthered made distinctions difficult as listeners get a sense of the integrated and free flowing structure that features a range of highly contrasted moods, colour and tonality.

Tentatively, I think we could view the piece as consisting of 5 sections (but I'm not sure if this way of labelling is appropriate because motivically and harmonically, I'm having trouble deciding where to delineate a change in section or even if that particular motif should be seen as a variant or a new motif).

In the introduction, 4-17, which provides the seeds for which motifs and harmonic ideas of the whole piece are stemmed is introduced. This whole section corresponds to T2 (of the transpositional scale) and is rather stable tonally in D, although it is ambiguous whether it is in D major or minor, as inherent in the choice of set class.

Section A correspond music from bars 2 – 83, with tonal center around A (major/ minor). Based on 4-17, motif ‘a’ (bars 3 – 7) is created, which is subsequently re-presented with more movement and varied rhythmically and motivically, which I labeled ‘a1’ (bar 26 – 27).
Motif ‘b’ corresponds to bar 62 – 63. The use of triad is a prominent feature, both in the vertical (triadic harmony) as well as horizontal dimension (melodic movement that outline the triadic harmony). This contrasts with motif ‘a’, which is built upon 4-17. Here, there is an impression that the tonal center is in ‘D’, due to the consistent pedal, and more firmly rooted in D major with the introduction of F# and C# at bar 74, but the melodic contour still follows that of ‘b’. Thus this is labeled ‘b1’.

Bars 84 – 99 seemed to represent the transition, as there is a return to T2, with the juxtaposition of T0 in the left hand at bar 92.

Bars 100 – 265 seems to represent section B, with tonal center around G (major/ minor). The motivic ideas in this section also draw upon 4-17, which in a sense mirrors that in section A. However, in terms of soundscape, T1 is mainly used section A, while section B employed more of T0, T2, and T3, where T1 is employed to create harmonic contrast.
Motif ‘d’ is introduced from bars 100 – 103. Subsequently, variants of ‘d’ can be observed at bars 123 – 127 (d1), 151 – 158 (d2), and 191 – 192 (d3 in Ab major). This is followed by motif ‘e’ at bars 203 – 204, with tonal centricity around D minor and a short reminiscent of 'd2' (bar 211). It then moved through to D major at bar 223 and G major at bar 234.

In the Largo section, the motif is reminiscent of 'd2' and 'a' (if we think in octave equivalence). Thus, perhaps as 孙凰 suggested, it could represent section A’, although it is in the key of C rather than the home key of D.

The erhu cadenza at bar 266 represents a transition to the Allegro section, with ideas reminiscent of ‘a1’.

The last section (bars 267 - end) could be viewed as a coda because there is a recapitulation of motivic ideas in both section A and B, as well as the use of 4-17. For instance, bar 279 is reminiscent of d3, bar 211 reminds us of d2’, but there are now more extensive variation in this section, culminating in the Presto, which is the essence of a ‘rhapsody’ - that of spontaneous inspiration and a sense of improvisation. There is also a return to the original key of D and T2 of the transpositional scale employed.

[1] Chinese repertory into 3 categories. 1) Traditional music refers to pieces which we cannot ascertain who the composers are. 2) Modern music would be communist literature music (1949-1979). 3) Contemporary music

limited compositional mode

According to 孙凰, the composer formulates this scale based on Olivier Messiaen’s limited compositional scale/ mode. Messiaen was fascinated by scales that only had a few transpositions. For example: the whole tone scale which has 2 transpositions.
Messiaen’s second mode, also called the “octatonic scale”, rises by alternating semitone, tone, semitone, tone etc. Messiaen used this scale a great deal, not just in his tunes but in the chords that he used (i.e. melodically and harmonically).
The third mode rises by a pattern of tone, semitone, semitone. It has four transpositions that gives a different combination of notes.
As seen, Wang Jian Ming’s scale corresponds to the third mode.

The attraction of modes of limited transposition is in the tonal ambiguity which results from their symmetry, as Messiaen points out, a tonality can be emphasized or left unsettled. From this point of view, the greater the symmetry the greater the possibilities. Thus, for modes which are transposable six times held much less interest than those transposable two, three or four times for Messiaen.
The use of such modes allowed Wang Jian Ming to be unconstrained by traditional (pentatonic) scales, injecting harmonic colour different from those of traditional chinese pieces and make the process of modulation more fluid.
Tonal centers are generally achieved through the use of pedal points and emphasis of certain notes more frequently and prominently, such as at structural points.

(extracted from梅西安的“有限移位调式”研究 by 康建东)

T0 (C D Eb E F# G Ab Bb B C)
T1 (Db Eb E F G Ab A B C Db)
T2 (D E F F# G# A A# C C# D)
T3 (Eb F F# G A A# B C# D Eb)

Intro --> T2

Looking at the piece from the perspective of the third mode, the Andante section corresponds to T1 of the 3rd mode in set theoretic terms (or 第二移位, refer to diagram above), however tonal center shifted from A to E and back to A centricity at bar 34 through the use of descending bassline.
It then shifted to T2 from bars 35 – 42 before it goes back to T1 at bar 42 beat 4, with temporarily change to T2 to reharmonise the A pedal at bar 55 and back to T1, leading in to the Adagio section. Again, there is a temporal change in colour with the introduction of D at the 2nd half of phrase 2 (bar 68) and back to T1 at bar 70.

I roughly followed the score to see how Wang utilize this mode for the piece.

Bar 74 --> T3
Bar 84 (Moderato Rubato) --> T2
Bar 92 (Allegretto) --> RH T2, LH T0

Bar 100 (Rubato) --> T0

Bar 119 (Allegro con brio) --> T3
Bar 151 --> T0
Bar 167 --> T1
Bar 174 --> T0
Bar 175 (reharmonise) --> T1
Bar 176 --> T0
Bar 203 --> T2
Bar 211 --> T3
Bar 213 -->T2
Bar 234 --> T0

Bar 238 (Largo) --> T0

Bar 267 (Allegro Assai) --> T0
Bar 291 --> T1
Bar 305 (Presto) --> T2

self-constructed scale stemming from [0, 3, 4, 7]

I just realised that the self-constructed scale C D Eb E F# G Ab Bb B actually comprise of 3 sets of [0, 3, 4, 7]! Alternatively, according to 陈静 and 陈建华, this nonachord is made up of a tetrachord with the juxtaposition of 1 major 2nd and 2 minor 2nd intervals (i.e. [0, 2, 3, 4] in set notation). From this, we can see 3 sets of [0, 2, 3, 4] in the scale ----> E-F#-G-Ab, Ab-Bb-B-C, C-D-Eb-E But maybe from this perspective, it is more difficult to see how thematic materials are drawn and utilized from the scale.

Intro - Andante scores

一狂 Set Analysis - Andante section

Recap ...

Materials found in the introduction:

In the succeeding Andante section, I found some recurrences of these materials at different transpositional intervals and at times, slightly altered by expansion and diminution.

As seen in the scores above, [0, 3, 4, 7] is used frequently, both melodically and harmonically, with subset – superset relation, inversional, transpositional relation.

The largest set {0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9} containing the subsets [0, 3, 4, 7] and [0, 1, 4, 5, 9] is found at the end of the melodic phrase (bars 16-20) and this is further enlarged in bars 21-22 into {0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9}, when the melodic role is passed to the accompaniment.