MUSI 042: Chinese Music Ensemble (SC)

An excellent and extensive annotated bibliography

Part of an extensive article on Chinese Music with an excellent bibliography

Includes sections on Historical Background, Liu Tianhua and the Society for Improving National Music, The BCC Chinese Folk Orchestra and Other Ensembles, The Modern Chinese Folk Orchestra after 1949, The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Avant-Garde Music, as well as descriptions of the instruments

2015 "Music is a widely enjoyed human experience. It is, therefore, natural that we have wanted to describe, document, analyse and, somehow, grasp it in language. This book surveys a representative selection of musical concepts in Chinese language, i.e. words that describe, or refer to, aspects of Chinese music. Important as these musical concepts are in the language, they have been in wide circulation since ancient times without being subjected to any serious semantic analysis. The current study is the first known attempt at analysing these Chinese musical concepts linguistically, adopting the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach to formulate semantically and cognitively rigorous explications. Readers will be able to better understand not only these musical concepts but also significant aspects of the Chinese culture which many of these musical concepts represent. This volume contributes to the fields of cognitive linguistics, semantics, music, musicology and Chinese studies, offering readers a fresh account of Chinese ways of thinking, not least Chinese ways of viewing or appreciating music. Ultimately, this study represents trailblazing research on the relationship between language, culture and cognition.

2011. "The B.C. Chinese Music Association’s publication “Yueqi – Chinese Musical Instruments in Performance” funded by the Canadian government New Horizons for Seniors Program and Vancouver 125th Project focuses on the distinctive technical characteristics and performance techniques of Chinese musical instruments, based upon the rich history of Chinese music in Vancouver. Written in English, but cross-referenced in Chinese characters throughout, this book will facilitate the transfer of knowledge and preservation of specific instrumental traditions from the older generation of musicians to the younger, and particularly non-Chinese speaking generation. Senior musicians, in conjunction with the UBC School of Music, are involved in the planning, writing and publication of this book. This book will act as an inter-generational bridge, celebrating the various roles and skills of seniors in the community and enabling the next generation to capture and document their musical stories and a unique aspect of Vancouver’s cultural heritage."

2001 "The Chinese instrumentarium is unquestionably the largest and most diverse of any civilization, ancient or modern. Inscriptions on tortoise shells and cow bones from more than 3000 years ago recorded various instruments including drums, stone chimes, and panpipes. In this volume, Alan R. Thrasher discusses the evolution of Chinese musical instruments, detailing their construction, regional variations, and role in musical accompaniment."

1998. With sections on Chinese Musical Instruments and Traditional Chinese Instrumental Music

1991 Dissertation from Brown University

2011. Instruction book for Erhu. Includes technical, historical, ethnographic discussion and guidelines for instrument selection.

2016 "The Hal Leonard Chinese Pipa Method is designed for anyone just learning to play the pipa. This comprehensive and easy-to-use beginner's guide serves as an introduction to the Chinese pipa and its techniques. The accompanying online video lessons feature demonstrations of examples and exercises throughout the book. Lessons include: About the Pipa; Tuning; Western & Chinese notation basics; Left and right hand techniques; Positions; Tremolo; Bending; Vibrato and overtones; Classical Pipa repertoire; Popular Chinese folk tunes; much more!"

2018 "This book will teach you to play the yangqin at the beginner's level and no prior knowledge is needed. The yangqin structure, the ways to choose a yangqin, the numbered music notation and several key signatures of the yangqin will be introduced, whereas a number of sheet music will also be provided for practices. After reading the whole book, you should have a basic understanding of the yangqin and can play some simple songs by yourself."

1978 from Asian Music Vol. 10, No. 1