Announcing a New International Serial
The Chinese Music
Monograph SeriesISSN 1071-5649
For the first time, all important topics concerning Chinese music and culture are published as individual monographs in a series written by international experts on this wide-ranging subject matter. Fully illustrated and containing complete bibliographies and references, especially from western and original Chinese sources, monographs in this prestigious series provide your readers with first-hand easy-to-read information and discussions on what makes Chinese music Chinese? who are the greatest Chinese musicians? what are the impacts of Chinese music and culture on the world? what are the greatest discoveries in Chinese music? what is the relation between Chinese music and instruments and those of the west? and much more... Download Order Form
Published by the Chinese Music Society of North America, the Chinese Music Monograph Series (CMMS) has been an eye- opener for both western and Chinese readers. Its treatment of the subject matter is refreshing and analysis authoritative.
To order contact your usual supplier or
The Chinese Music Society
Subscription Division
PO Box 5275
Woodridge IL 60517
USA
Tel: 630-910-1551
FAX: 630-910-1561
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Chinese Music and
Orchestration: A Primer
on Principles and
Practice
SIN-YAN SHEN
ISBN 1-880464-00-4
$17.95
From the Chinese Music Monograph Series. Material for this book has been developed over the years teaching at the graduate and the undergraduate levels and at the Research Institute of the Chinese Music Society of North America. Download Order Form
Pursuing our exploration of the almost limitless caverns of Chinese music and orchestration, so much of which has never yet come to the knowledge of the rest of the world, we approach the subject from both the angles of principles and practice. Functional discussions of musical interest, cultural molding of musical psychology, instrumental effects and acoustics are emphasized. The exploration centers on the principle of cultural acoustics, that is the impacts of musical acoustics is strongly modified by our ear and brain which are products of culture.
The intended audience are students of music at the university level, and music practitioners. The book is written so that it requires no prior knowledge of Chinese music or acoustics. Also, no knowledge of the Chinese language is assumed.
With the opening chapter we find ourselves at a focal point in the present study: What Makes Chinese Music Chinese? The cultural preference of harmony, and thus intervals and tones and rhythms used in music, distinguishes one music from another. Chinese music, however, is unique in its uninterrupted history of more than 8000 years and very early development of theoretical systematics, acoustical and material science, and orchestral practice.
The Chinese orchestra is not a single species, but rather several dozens of acoustically unified and musically interesting orchestras, primarily based on reeded wind and plucked strings as orchestral tone quality bases. The foundations of the Chinese orchestra is the subject of the second and the third chapters. The four principal instrumental subgroups of reeded wind, percussion, plucked string, and bowed string are then studied in detail in four chapters. The orchestral roles, acoustics, performance practice, orchestration techniques and repertoire of each group form the key areas of discussion. Numerous practical examples are used throughout to aid the discussion.
The practice of the Shanghai Traditional Orchestra, one of the very best in the world, is the subject of the final chapter, dealing with orchestral practice.
A detailed discussion of the instruments of the Chinese orchestra in the Appendix complements the text. For the first time, all important topics concerning Chinese music and culture are published as individual monographs in a series written by international experts on this wide-ranging subject matter. Fully illustrated and containing complete bibliographies and references, especially from western and original Chinese sources, monographs in this prestigious series provide your readers with first-hand easy- to-read information and discussions on what makes Chinese music Chinese? who are the greatest Chinese musicians? what are the impacts of Chinese music and culture on the world? what are the greatest discoveries in Chinese music? what is the relation between Chinese music and instruments and those of the west? and much more...
Published by the Chinese Music Society of North America, the Chinese Music Monograph Series is an eye-opener for both western and Chinese readers. Its treatment of the subject matter is refreshing and analysis authoritative.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in 1949 to Shanghainese parents, Sin-yan Shen studied music at very early age, mastering the vertical fiddle family of instruments. His dual career in music and physics culminated in the development of cultural acoustics, a discipline addressing scientifically the cultural molding of our ears and brain when it comes to music. Dr. Shen's life-long work centers on the question of "what music really is?" His teaching in North America and abroad has created a new understanding of music, its creative and social functions, and provides inspiration to a new generation of composers and music practitioners.
Dr. Sin-yan Shen pioneered the teaching of cultural acoustics at Northwestern and Harvard. He is currently Music Director of the Silk and Bamboo Ensemble and the Chinese Classical Orchestra, both touring internationally under the auspices of the Chinese Music Society of North America. He is editor of the international journal Chinese Music, music authority for the Encyclopedia Britannica, and a Fulbright Scholar. He serves as Technical Advisor to the Shanghai Musical Instruments Factory.
To order contact:
The Chinese Music Society
Subscription Division
PO Box 5275
Woodridge IL 60517 USA
Tel: 630-910-1551
For faster service order by:
FAX: 630-910-1561
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