Abstract:
The East has always held a seductive grasp on the West. Considered unusual, yet highly regarded, many artists looked to the East for inspiration, blending the exotic and their own authenticity. The famous Chinese melody, “Jasmine Flower” or “Mor Li Hua” has been used by at least three different composers as the basis for their works. It is the only authentic Chinese melody in Puccini’s opera. “Turandot” and Australian-American composer, Percy Grainger and Russian composer, Anton Arensky both have piano settings of this tune. The simple tune, based on the pentatonic scale is raised to a higher level of art by elaboration and/or harmonization. Percy Grainger’s work successfully captures the authenticity of the Chinese theme through pentatonic harmonization, but Arensky’s and Puccini’s works display the exoticism of the melody through diatonic harmonization. Grainger, who based his work on Joseph Yasser’s earlier harmonization of the tune, proves that even the most superficial use of the Chinese pentatonic scale has beauty in its simplicity. Arensky displays the more sentimental aspect of this tune, but elaborates it into a sparkling display of piano technique. Puccini associates the main character, a foreign princess, of his opera with this melody. The three different settings of “Mor-li-hua” display the three different approaches to the assimilation of orientalism into their compositions intended for Western instruments and audiences.
A complete understanding of orientalism in art and music in the Western world remains incomplete even though much research has been done. Much of the research on this topic has been slanted by Edward Said’s view that orientalism is a form of imperialism fraught with political agendas. Even though I am Asian and am aware of some instances where the East has been exploited, I approach this research project with an opposite focus that the West does not always mean to deprecate the East when it adapts Oriental idioms. Artists and composers are frequently uninterested in politics and would probably prefer to remain uninvolved. On the other hand, this does not mean they are unobservant of the times and the social issues that are at hand; sometimes they are simply caught in between art and politics. I would argue that the composers I wish to discuss today used an oriental tune in their compositions, but had no political agendas and treated this melody respectfully.
“Jasmine Flower” or “Mor-li-hua,” a famous Chinese melody, has been documented by many, transcribed by many, and creatively used by several different composers. This tune, a simple melody based on the pentatonic scale, was performed at the closing ceremony of the Olympics in Athens last year to anchor the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics––thus is the popularity and patriotism this melody symbolizes for the people of China. Opening with a Chinese instrumental ensemble, accompanied by a modern techno beat, and closing with an unaccompanied version of this song sung by a child, the melody retains its charm. It is unquestioningly one of the most famous Chinese folksongs today. There are about six known variants of this melody. The most famous variant, made well-known by Giacomo Puccini in Turandot is utilized by Anton Arensky in his Etude op. 25 no 3, by Percy Grainger in Beautiful Fresh Flower and in a more recent rendering by award-winning Chinese composer, Tan Dun, in the first movement of his Symphony 1997.
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