...from a thatched hut: Exploring transcultural composition

dc.contributor.authorWhittington, S.C.
dc.contributor.editorSong, X.
dc.contributor.editorSun, Y.
dc.date.issued2017
dc.description.abstractThe author’s composition for string quartet, …from a thatched hut (2010) was written in response to an exhibition of furniture designed by Khai Liew, and was premiered in the exhibition space. The designer’s Chinese heritage and the nature of his work, which fuses modern Western design principles with techniques and aesthetics of Ming dynasty furniture, influenced the form and content of the music. The author’s own long engagement with Chinese culture led to the composition of a seven-movement work that fused techniques of contemporary Western music and Chinese traditional music. The work also drew inspiration from Chinese philosophy and poetry, in particular the work of Li Bai and Du Fu. There are many Chinese composers who have assimilated Western techniques—it is standard practice in China, where students are taught Western composition. However, examples of Western composers drawing on Chinese musical elements are rare in comparison, while other Asian musical traditions—from Indonesia, Japan and India—have exerted widespread influence in the West. In this paper the author examines the challenges of a transcultural approach to composition, and considers questions of influence and authenticity.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityStephen Whittington
dc.identifier.citationTranscultural Encounters in Knowledge Production and Consumption, 2017 / Song, X., Sun, Y. (ed./s), Ch.7, pp.109-122
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/978-981-10-4920-0_7
dc.identifier.isbn9811049203
dc.identifier.isbn9789811049200
dc.identifier.orcidWhittington, S.C. [0000-0002-4897-7203]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/125956
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer
dc.publisher.placeSingapore
dc.rights© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. and Higher Education Press 2018
dc.source.urihttps://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-10-4920-0
dc.subjectTranscultural studies; Music; Composition
dc.title...from a thatched hut: Exploring transcultural composition
dc.typeBook chapter
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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