Cork Institute of Technology Instituid Teicneolaiochta Corcaigh

 

An Exploration of how to Enhance the Composition of Chinese Traditional Music with Modern Musical

Technologies

By Yunhe Li

R00077965

Submitted in partial fulfilment for MA in Music and Technology, Cork School of Music.

Supervisor: Mr. Hugh McCarthy. August 2013

 

Table of Contents

An Exploration of how to Enhance the Composition of Chinese Traditional Music

with Modern Musical Technologies  ........................................................................................................    

Section 1  ........................................................................................................................................................  1  

Chapter 1 Introduction  ...............................................................................................................................  1  

Chapter  2  Domestic  and  International  Electronic  Music  Research  .....................................  2  

2.1  International  Electronic  Music  Research  [1]  .........................................................................  2  

2.2.    Research  of  China's  Domestic  Electronic  Music  Theory  .................................................  3  

Chapter  3  Electronic  Music  and  its  Definition  ..............................................................................  4  

Chapter  4  Musical  Functions  and  Aesthetic  Features  of  Sound  Technology  in  the  

Composition  of  Electroacoustic  Music  .............................................................................................  5  

4.1.    Colourful  and  Changeful  Form  Constitutes  Sound  Illusion  ...........................................  5  

4.2. Computer Synthesis and Tone  ........................................................................................................  8  

4.3  Synthesis  and  the  Diversity  of  Human  Voice  .......................................................................  10  

4.4  Recent  works  (1980s  and  1990s)  .............................................................................................  13  

Section 2  ......................................................................................................................................................  15  

Chapter  5  Features  of  Contemporary  Chinese  Electronic  Music  Composition  .............  15  

5.1 Innovative Electronic Music  .........................................................................................................  15  

5.2 The Use of Sound Material  .............................................................................................................  16  

5.2.1  The  Use  of  the  Synthesiser  in  Sound  Creation  .................................................................  16  

5.2.2  The  Oscillator  as  used  in  Synthesis  ......................................................................................  17  

5.2.3  Sampling  Synthesis  for  Sound  Creation  .............................................................................  17  

5.2.4 Real-time Sound Creation  ..........................................................................................................  17  

5.3  Analysis  of  the  Technical  Means  ................................................................................................  17  

5.3.2 Multiple Sound Space Design  ....................................................................................................  18  

5.3.3.    The  Embodiment  of  Traditional  Composition  ...............................................................  18  

Chapter  6.  Sound  Technology  Creation,  the  Aesthetic  Meaning  of  Music  

Philosophy  ..................................................................................................................................................  20  

6.1  The  Creative  Concept  of  the  “Oriental  Context”  ..................................................................  20  

6.1.1 Analysis of “Nuo Ri Lang”  .........................................................................................................  20  

6.1.2.  Symphonic  Perception  of  Electronic  Music  .....................................................................  21  

 

6.2  The  Creative  Conception  of  Sound  Expression  with  Music  Technologies  ...............  22  

6.2.1 The Structure of the Work  ...........................................................................................................  22  

6.2.1.1  Creative  Production  Platform  .............................................................................................  22  

6.2.1.2 Digital Sound Technology  .......................................................................................................  23  

6.2.1.2.1 Digital to Analog Conversion  ..............................................................................................  23  

6.2.1.2.2 Granular Synthesis  ..................................................................................................................  23  

6.2.1.2.3 Sound Delay  ..............................................................................................................................  24  

6.2.2  A  Wide  Range  of  Musical  Ideas  ...............................................................................................  24  

6.2.2.1  A  Wide  Range  of  Musical  Elements  ...................................................................................  24  

6.2.2.2  Application  of  Diverse  Musical  Elements  to  Create  Ideas  .......................................  25  

6.2.2.2.1 Chinese poetry as Creative Background  ..........................................................................  31  

6.2.2.2.3 The Context of Chinese music, Culture-based  ..............................................................  26  

6.2.3 A Wide Range of New Sounds  ..................................................................................................  27  

6.2.3.1  Traditional  Musical  Instruments,  New  Sounds  ...........................................................  27  

6.2.3.2  The  Tone  of  Granular  Synthesis  .........................................................................................  28  

6.2.3.3 Noise Tone  ....................................................................................................................................  28  

6.2.3.4 Filter Use  .......................................................................................................................................  28  

6.2.4  Diversification  of  New  Audio  Form  ......................................................................................  29  

6.2.4.1  Breaking  the  Physical  Conditions  of  the  New  Audio  Form  .....................................  29  

6.2.4.2  The  Extension  of  New  Sound  Form  ..................................................................................  29  

6.2.4.3  Subtle  New  Forms  of  Sound  Expression  .........................................................................  30  

6.2.4.4  Sound  and  Lyrics  of  New  Forms  of  Non-­‐linear  Editing  ............................................  30  

Section 3  ......................................................................................................................................................  31  

Chapter  7    Comprehensive  Analysis  of  the  Embodiment  of  Sound  Science  and  

Technology  in  the  Work  “The  Samsara  of  Seasons”  ..................................................................  31  

7.1.  Use  of  Sound  Materials  and  Structural  Layout  ...................................................................  31  

7.1.1 The Chinese Traditional Instrument ‘Guzheng-Zither’ [11]  ...........................................  32  

7.2    Sound  Elements  and  the  Audio  Technology  Approach  ..................................................  33  

7.3  Combination  of  Musical  Notes,  Technology,  Audio  and  Voice  ......................................  34  

7.4 Morphological Structure  ..................................................................................................................  34  

7.5    Reflect  the  Aesthetics  of  Chinese  Cultural  Elements  .......................................................  34  

Chapter 8.  Conclusion  .............................................................................................................................  38  

References  ....................................................................................................................................................  40  

 

Bibliograhy…………………………………………………………………………………………………...48  

Appendix  1  -­‐  The  Musical  Structure  of  "The  Samsara  of  Seasons"……………………50  

Appendix  2  -­‐  The  24  Solar  Terms…………………………………………………………………...56  

Appendix  3  -­‐  Supporting  files.  Video  contents  of  DVD.  Pictures……  ……………...….59  

                 

 

Abstract This thesis explores how the latest technologies can be applied to unique Chinese

harmonic and rhythmical elements, and their usefulness in creating electronic music

with strong Chinese characteristics. A diverse range of sound effects and processes

are explored and the effects of these parameters are recorded and explained. The

author applies all of the skills and techniques learnt during the Music & Technology

course, including computer music composition, sound synthesis, and voice sampling.

The piece created for the thesis is entitled “The Samsara of Seasons”. It embraces the

“impressionistic style” of Chinese traditional musical aesthetics; it selects several

classic and unique Chinese musical instruments to perform the cyclic flow of the

natural seasons in an electro-acoustic form. The temporal and spatial changes

contained in the music are meant to project the meaning of the cycle of the seasons.

This piece is an integration of modern music technologies and traditional Chinese

music performance.

 

Acknowledgments I would like to thank all my lecturers particularly my supervisor, Hugh McCarthy,

technician David Slevin, members of staff in the Cork School of Music and my fellow

classmates, in particular Martin Luke Burns and Brian Leach. I am grateful to all the

help and support I received over the past year, without which I would not be able to

complete the dissertation and the Master of Arts course.

I would also like to thank my wife Xiangyun Deng, and my two children for their

encouragement and support during my time in Cork, Ireland.

Li Yunhe

 

   

1  

Section 1

Chapter 1 Introduction

As the 21st century enters its 13th year we are more and more aware of the roles that

technology plays in all aspects of our life, not least within music and composition.

Like it or not, electronic music will remain ubiquitous. There are many diverse styles

of music from Chinese to European to American, and beyond. Each tradition and

aesthetic paradigm presents a unique musical heritage. The so-called

“Electroacoustic” form is a new type of music, which started in 1945. Thanks to the

progress in recording and computer technology we now have a new way of creating

and storing very complex musical ideas. Its production is a breakthrough, an

innovation of new musical aesthetics. This paper explores a particular Chinese

approach to music. The eastern context contains a rich musical vocabulary, and a

collection of contemporary electronic music works. The appearance and content of

different manifestations, whether through abstract or figurative form, is an expression

of the works penetration and diversification. China's electronic music; communicated

directly through a multiplicity of voices and sound effects, convey a creative concept

of music to the audience, gradually formed as a symbol of national consciousness.

This piece of research is an exploration of the application of electronic music as its

meets traditional oriental composition.

2  

Chapter 2 Domestic and International Electronic Music Research

2.1 International Electronic Music Research [1]

Electronic music originated in the West. Its history reaching back over 60 years to the

1948 French ‘concrete’ music. Through academic research in the field of electronic

music, western society has developed several decades of accumulation and formation

of a more rigorous academic system dedicated to this art. For example, institutions

such as The modern music of the French Pompidou Cultural Arts Center Audio

Research Institute (IRCAM) as well as a large number of foreign electronic music

research institutions, such as the French National Audiovisual Institute (INA-GRM),

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab (MIT), Laboratory of the

University of Plymouth Music Lab (UPF) and Yale University Music Technology

Research Center (CSMT) have played a great part in developing the art. In addition,

the electronic music from such places as the International Federation of Electronic

Music(ICEM), International Computer Music Association (ICMA), Electronic Music

Studies (EMS) and other international electronic music organisations show that

academic research has played an extremely important role in the arts development.

Annual Conferences, professional magazines, journals, networks, and other

professional platforms have made tremendous efforts to promote the formation of an

active and healthy academic research atmosphere.

According to the publications in the United States from 1977 to 2006 of Computer

Journals, as well as Europe's largest international electronic music festival, the

Bourges International Electronic Music Festival from 1966 to 2005 includes nearly a

thousand articles. Looking through the research areas of the developed western

countries, concepts that are covered are acoustics, psychoacoustics, music perception,

learning, the use of computers in composition, computer music performance models,

computer-based music analysis, development of electronic music history, interactive

performance systems, interactive signal processing, mathematics and digital signal

processing, the language of music, sound synthesis, auditory localisation and 3D

sound, databasing, musical instruments, sound in space and time, the process and

science of volume, as well as research on network music.

3  

2.2. Research of China's Domestic Electronic Music Theory

Academic research into electronic music within China began comparatively late, but

has been rapidly developing. Since the 1980s, nearly one hundred electronic music

composers and music theorists have written about electronic music, technology,

theory, aesthetics, and other related topics. Professor Zhang Xiaofu's "on the

electronic music concept defined", Huang Chen Yu-an’s "the electronic music space

thinking","electronic music development status quo Overview", "electronic music

aesthetic impact and its development trends, explore" "electronic corresponding

aesthetic of the historical development of music and people's needs", "silver in

electronic music and music creative path"[1] are important papers on the theoretical

study of electronic music as well as being the first of their kind within China.

According to statistics, in nearly two decades, Chinese electronic music composers

and theoretical researchers have published hundreds of articles, both internationally

and domestically. As well as publishing papers, Professor Zhang Xiaofu and

Professor Han Baoqiang have written the “New Media Art Theory” and “Sound

Course” textbook. In addition, in recent years, China's electronic music has demanded

a greater deal of international attention. The Beijing International Electronic Music

Festival is a platform for international cooperation and exchange for not only China's

electronic music, but also electronic music as a whole from Asia. The first Beijing

International Music Festival was held on October 28th, 2008 and each year since has

been defined as the Asian Electronic music day. Contained within the festival are

specialised seminars to discuss developments in electronic music within Asia. Many

domestic and foreign electronic musicians use the festival as a means to understand

the musical concepts and creative ideas that are rooted in Chinese history and culture.

The festival is representative of both electronic music creation within China and also

the theoretical study of national identity, and thus has aroused great attention in the

field of international electronic music.

4  

Chapter 3 Electronic Music and its Definition

Electronic music has become an important part of modern music culture within the

twentieth century. The "professionalisation" of modern electronic music is considered

as being reachable through using specific electronic equipment. Yet it must be

remembered that electronic equipments sound principles are different from the

traditional natural resonator system of acoustic musical instruments.

In the aspect of music conception, there is a lot of conceptual differences between

electronic music and traditional music, such as musical content, form, musical

material, musical vocabulary, organising principles of music, as well as musical

logical development and the forms of music creation and musical dissemination.

 

With the application of modern, high-tech software within musical production as well

as the large number of effective tools in the music industry, sound is not only equal to

a single pitch, which contains both note and rhythmic elements. Musicians have been

pursuing several concepts of diverse sound creation tools to create accurate

representations of sounds that initially reside only in a composers’ heart and in their

mental auditory perception. This concept is in direct opposition to the traditional

concepts of the pitch, melody and rhythm. Composers, with the use of creative

technology led to techniques that allowed composers to rearrange, decompose and

fuse sounds to obtain timbres with more defined electronic characteristics. A better

exploration of the techniques used will help explore the topics contained within this

thesis.

5  

Chapter 4 Musical Functions and Aesthetic Features of Sound

Technology in the Composition of Electroacoustic Music

The invention of musical instruments involved the use of science and technology.

When a particular technology is used, its features will have some influence on the

music. In the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the harpsichord and the nineteenth

century piano represented differences in the development of string technology. Bach

and Chopin's keyboard music reflected the limitations of the musical instruments of

their day. Along with the progress of science and technology, sound processing

became easy and efficient. Technology provides musicians with a more powerful

musical ability, such as in editing and sound design, as well as powerful synthesis

techniques. Digital technologies allow unprecedented levels of precision.

Science and technology has been given a more important function in musical

aesthetics within electronic computer music creation. This essay addresses "sound

change and design focus in the process of creation". It presents a few pieces of

musical works that represent electronic and computer music such as, “Mutation” by

American composer Jean-Claude Risset, “Turenas” by John Chowning, “Pacific

Fanfare” by Canadian composer Barry Truax, and “Nuo Ri Lang” by contemporary

Chinese composer Zhang XiaoFu. While discussing these works, an analysis of the

influence of science and technology in the computer music works will be highlighted.

Also, an exploration of the musical functions and aesthetic features of sound

technology within the compositions will be made.

4.1. Colourful and Changeful Form Constitutes Sound Illusion

Jean-Claude Risset (J-C Risset, 1938-) is a composer from the United States and was

most active in the 1960s. He believed strongly in the potential of computers to

transform music design and deformation. He believed that computers could compose

sound according to a composer of specific aesthetic concerns, something that

traditional instruments could not entirely do. Risset also researched psychoacoustics* ;

and his studies are reflected in his work, such as in “Mutation” (1969).

* Psychoacoustics, a science dealing with human sound and human's perception of music, is an important basis on which composers create music and communicate with audience

6  

In “Mutation” (See Figure 4.1a & 4.1b), a piece of length of about 10 minutes, J-C

Risset used “MUSIC V”, a computer program created in the Bell Labs. In order to

produce a complex set and immense variety of sounds, he used the computer to

synthesise various overtones to create his ideal "living beings" which he felt were

close to natural sounds.

Figure 4.1 (a)

Figure 4.1 (b)

Figure 4.1: Waveform Mutation.

 

“Mutation” is an electronic music work that is full of colour and attitude. There are

two features. There is rich colour and attitude at the beginning and this is coupled

with auditory hallucinations created in the second part, to give a great sense of

attitude. In the beginning, the five short successive tones (0:00-0:02) (shown in Figure

4.2) are the application of sound technology. After certain treatment by the composer,

different tones appear later (shown in Figure 4.3)[6], for example, in 0:01-0:04,

elongated vertical chords appear at the same time. In position 0:04, the five synthetic

tones again appear together. But this time, different tones (similar to a bell sound

effect) are presented. When the five tones appear again, the composer uses additive

synthesis in a timely manner. The five tones appear in a vertical chord. When the five

tones appear the third time, the composer uses a short attack within the sounds’

envelope. This additive synthesis technique is used to produce a bell-like sound, that

is presented as being very similar to the natural sound of a bell being struck.

7  

Figure 4.2: Sound Image of “Mutation”. 0:00 to 0:02 [6]

Figure 4.3: “Mutation” at 0:00-0:09, three different tones and attitude [6]

The same five tones at the beginning of “Mutation” were handled in three distinct

ways. The composer cleverly linked the tune (in the first time), chords (in the second

time) and tone (the third time). At the end of this song, the composer used a

paradoxical sound that is shown by an endless glissando, which appeared at the time

to be very impressive indeed. It sounded like a series of sounds moving in a certain

direction. But in fact, these sounds never left their original range. The composer used

a theory, developed by Roger Shepard, a psychologist, to design sound effects that are

similar in theory to a computer program [6]. This effect appeared many times in the

later half of this song. This auditory illusion was very effective as a musical effect.

 

The ambiguous effect derived from the use of this human auditory hallucination can

be better understood through a more scientific method, known as an acoustic

sonogram (see Figure 4.4). We can clearly see that the ups and downs of the

continuous glissando, in fact, never leave their beginning range.

8  

The hearing of this illusion effect creates music that seems to be carried out in a

particular direction, namely an upwards glissando, promoting the music as a gradually

accumulated energy that finally reaches a climactic end. Through the unique approach

and implementation of computer sound technology, the composer creates a close link

to pitch and timbre in his music. The music delivers a kaleidoscope vision of form,

colour, and change through different tones, yet also a distinct vision of unity. Music

derived through computer sound technology is cleverly designed and the mental

sound principles that are applied successfully create a paradoxical nature within the

composition.

Figure 4.4: 6:33-7:39 Endless Glissando (paradoxical sound) [2]

 

4.2. Computer Synthesis and Tone

American composer John Chowning (1934-) was one of the first composers to use

computer synthesised sound within his compositions. He is known for his use of

frequency modulation synthesis, as well as his research in this area. He has

undoubtedly had a tremendous influence in the development of computer music.

 

9  

John Chowning's computer music work, "Turenas" is approximately 10 minutes long

(as shown in Figure 4.5 & 4.6) and was completed in 1972. The title of the work

"Turenas" is a transformed word, taking into account the letters from the English

word "Nature". The composer wanted the music to present the themes of nature. It

was emphasised that the natural sound in space coupled with an electronic voice was

a representation of the beautiful sounds found in nature [6].

 

Figure 4.5 "Turenas" wave figure [2]

 

Figure 4.6: "Turenas" sound figure [2]

10  

In order to emphasise the natural movement of sound in space, John Chowning used

elements of acoustic theory; that humans are most likely to locate the position of short

powerful sounds with respect to their psychological perception. At 0:00 (shown in

figure 8), and 8:47, he is using panning technology to make the sound seem to move

between the speakers naturally, at 0:45-0:53, 0:58-1:04, 1:07, Chowning used many

electronic sounds, perceived in the speakers at different speeds, thereby producing

natural perception of sound, called the "Doppler effect" (shown in Figure 3.7).

Figure 4.7: 2:18-2:23 Doppler voice [2] To emphasise the relationship between electronic sounds and musical instruments,

John Chowning used frequency modulation to simulate real musical instruments. At

2:22 and 3:32, the electronic sound has a very similar sound to a natural musical

instrument. At 3:27-4:01 the electronic sound is very similar to the flute. At 5:05, the

electronic voice is similar to clarinet. At 7:40-9:06, the electronic sound represents a

sound very similar to a brass instrument. The sounds also add a different

reverberation effect, sounding very much like a real instrument generated in different

spaces.

The computer sound technologies implemented, such as frequency modulation

synthesis, phase effects and the "Doppler effect" not only help John Chowning build a

natural sounding timbre in the space, but also makes the electronic voice feel a closer

representation of a real musical instrument.  

4.3 Synthesis and the Diversity of Human Voice

11  

Attempting   to  synthesise a human voice produces the effect of a surreal "computer

voice chorus", like that found in Charles Dodge’s (1942) song “The Days are Ahead”

(1973).

American composer Charles Dodge (1942), was one of the few composers using

computer analysis and synthesis technology directly within his pre-recorded sound

compositions for music creation. He used a computer analysis and synthesis program

created by Bell Labs to create a series of ‘speech songs’ in 1973. This section will

explore the poem “The Days are Ahead” (as shown in Figure 4.8 & 4.9).

Figure 4.8 Waveform of Fourth Poem “The Days are Ahead” [2]

Figure 4.9 Spectral Analysis of Fourth Poem “The Days are Ahead” [2]

"The Days are Ahead" is about 2 minutes in length. Mark Strand read and recorded

the poem and the composer, Dodge, used computer synthesis technology to analyse

the poem, most notably linear anticipated encoding technology［7］.

12  

The song goes from a single sound to six parts each with a separate texture and

different density, most notable at 0:36 and 0:40. At the chorus, the composer used

tape technology in the 1950’s in his music. The tapes are combined and spliced［8］.  

 By using "Linear anticipated coding" [9] technology, sonic parameters can be

analysed. Data can be stored independently, and then the creator can synthesise and

deform the music based on the individual sonic elements. In other words, the

musician can change the sonic character of sounds according to his own ideas. He

may change or control the sound how he sees fit. At 0:12-0:26, the composer keeps

the same pitch, but replays it at different speeds. At 0:41-0:49, poem is matched with

a pitch contour curve, producing a kind of real world pitch change effect (see Figure

4.10).

Figure 4.10: 0:41-0:49, Pitch Contour Downwards [2]

Through the application of magnetic tape, the composer, Dodge, used different effects

to produce a synthesised chorus effect. This use of computer sound technology

created the effect of a surreal chorus sound that was created by computer technology.

The song in questions may be called one of the first masterpieces of music created

with the assistance of computer technology.

13  

4.4 Recent works (1980s and 1990s)

“Black is for Night” by French Canadian composer D. Lorrain, (1948-), was

composed in 1985. Lorrain used the sound technology technique called phase

vocoding. The techniques allows radical alterations to a sounds envelope and sustain

curves, without changing the pitch (see Figure 4.11). The composer used this

technology to maintain a sound wave, so that they seemed ‘stretched’, up to nearly

two minutes. This method takes sound beyond the real world, creating a form of

surreal expression.

Figure 4.11 “Black is for Night”, D.Lorrain [2]

Granular synthesis has been an important tool for Canadian composer Barry Truax

(1947-). Most of his works have implemented this technology. The composer delved

into his own research is this area, and is seen as being one of the forefathers of

granular synthesis, creating a digital signal processing system called "PODX", which

involves the extended use of particle synthesis (See Figure 4.12). The original sound

signal is processed by particle synthesis techniques and the song swings between the

virtual and authentic.

14  

Figure 4.12: Granular Synthesis Extension Soundscape: sound and landscape combined. (Yu-Chung Tseng) [2]

Through the analysis of these representative works of Western composers we see that

most composers select source material according to their own aesthetic taste. There is

no doubt that electronic music originated in the West, mainly due to the level of

sophistication in the music technology, computer equipment and the development of

creative concepts. The establishment of a sound base of theoretical knowledge in

Western electronic music has, after nearly 30 years, spread to China. Western

electronic musicians’ professional use of sound technology coupled with the creative

techniques of electronic music have had a significant impact on the development of

China's electronic music. This will now be dealt with in the following section.

15  

Section 2

Chapter 5 Features of Contemporary Chinese Electronic Music

Composition

5.1 Innovative Electronic Music

Computer technology directly effects the methods of creating music. The combination

of traditional instrumental music and electronic computer music methods have

become the darling of a new era of music creation. It has been since the 1990’s that

China's electronic music environment has started, but its still lags 40 years behind the

Western electronic music scene. In the past two decades, with more young Chinese

young composers studying in Europe and the United States, there has been a wider

dissemination of Chinese Traditional Music throughout the world. Today, many

contemporary Chinese professionals as well as many Western composers explore

traditional oriental music with distinct Chinese characteristics.

Characteristics of the Study of Electronic Music Innovation

1) Innovative electronic music creation is produced through a computer platform

mainly used for the establishment of a re-creation of sound. There is a stark difference

when compared with the traditional composition methods, based on a notes and scales

system, but it is very important to learn from and integrate the essence of traditional

composition theory within any electronic music composition.

 

2) A summary of China's electronic music creation as they have featured in the

integration into France, Germany and the United States, as well as other electronic

music genres while learning to absorb today's world-class technology and creative

ideas.

3) The fusion of classical Chinese culture - the "hybrid" characteristics in the

implementation of modern Chinese and Western musical language, dubbed the

"Eastern Context"

16  

5.2 The Use of Sound Material

Pierre Schaefer, through his radio station in Paris, started the concept of innovation in

music composition, while deepening a deconstruction of traditional music. Since

ancient times, traditional music has been the main sound source, coupled with the

human voice. Electronic music creation broke through the traditional barriers and

modes of thinking of composing. Schaefer believed that all sound (including noise)

was material for music, greatly expanding the latitude of performance in modern

music. The sound of modern electronic music synthesisers and on-site sampling

meant that the palette of available sound to the composer was dramatically increased.

Zhang Xiaofu, a contemporary Chinese composer, pursued electronic music works

with the use of sampled sound material, the human voice, musical instruments,

soundscape material from nature, and electronic sound. However, his work is full of

personal characteristics. The palette that he used was implemented in such a way so

that the composer’s inner voice was able to come through. Xiaofu is a great example

of the modern Chinese composer.

5.2.1 The Use of the Synthesiser in Sound Creation

In 1984, in the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China established its own

experimental electronic music group. The same year they held the first electronic

concert by Chinese composers. Although this concert contained only six electronic

synthesisers and two keyboards in the form of a live show, it acted as a prelude to the

formation and development of modern music in China. As one of the composers in

the field of electronic music creation, Professor Zhang Xiaofu was one of the first

proponents of electronic music in China. The birth of the electronic movement in

China saw such compositions as the score for the movie "Memories in the Rain”, in

1985. In 1987, Chen Yuanlin, another Chinese composer created the music for the

episodical TV series "Life and Death", with a combination of a 16-track analog tape

recorder, a synthesiser and other electronic equipment. Yuanlin used electronic sound

to compose film and television work, as found in the creation of "Yin" in 1988, which

combined a synthesiser and ethnic instruments to form a very personal and cultural

specific brand of electronic music.

17  

5.2.2 The Oscillator as used in Synthesis

The oscillator, whether digital or analog, generates a wave from a simple harmonic

oscillation. The sine wave is the most basic of all sound vibration waveforms from

which it is possible, through different techniques, to create a number of different

frequencies, amplitudes, and modulations. The combination of waves have the ability

to form a rich variety of complex waves. Specific synthesis technologies are additive

synthesis (AS), subtractive synthesis (SS), and frequency modulation (FM).

5.2.3 Sampling Synthesis for Sound Creation

The sampling synthesis method can create unique and rich timbres of sound. In

Chinese electronic music, composers works mostly with voice material, and they

sample this freely to create interesting sounds that have relationships with the natural

sounds of the voice. The voice is the most representative and most personality laden

"original material". Zhang Xiaofu’s, created in 1995 a piece entitled "Nuo Ri Lang"

which used "lama chanting" as the source material. In 2001, Xiaofu created "Yin", a

composition where all the sound material was derived from the traditional Chinese

flute wind instrument, with the sound then being processed by a computer audio

workstation.

5.2.4 Real-time Sound Creation

Real-time sound creation is a combination of the traditional music language and the

electronic music language. Zhang Xiaofu’s electronic music compositions are mostly

created through the real time playing of acoustic musical instruments and singing

voices, which embodies a unique musical style with the combination of traditional

form and modern music technologies.   In his work, "Heaven”, created in 1992, the

composer used the baritone voice combined with electronics. In "Mountain Ghost”, a

soprano voice was used. In 1996, the piece entitled "Spiritual Environment" used the

Chinese traditional string instrument, the Erhu (a two-stringed bowed instrument).

5.3 Analysis of the Technical Means

The original electronic music production techniques were all tape and analog effect

techniques. Composers were able to change the tape speed, splice up pieces of the

tape or even reverse the tape direction. The use of tape clips, tape loops and tape

duplication processing meant that the composers could use these techniques along

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with analog filters, modulators, echoes and other electronic equipment such as voltage

control analog editing techniques, oscillators and FM synthesisers to create highly

interesting compositions. Nowadays, the advent of digital workstations brings

powerful processing technology, providing almost unlimited potential for

development.

 

5.3.1. A Multiple Production Technology By the end of the 20th century, the electronic music studio consisted of both digital

and analog tools, to form a dual-platform mode of production. Analog technology,

coupled with computer audio softwares and digital platforms induce different ways of

both sound processing and synthesis. In addition, the use of classic sound distortion,

time-stretching, and reverse music production technologies personalise composer’s

musical thinking and imbue a sense of personal character. Within Zhang Xiaofu’s,

“Nuo Ri Lang”, there was extensive use of looping techniques, as the sound material

of repeated Lama chanting was short sampled in small cycles. The continuous

expansion of these loops created a grand cycle that expressed a music thinking

imbued with a high degree of unity between cultural ideas and technology.

5.3.2 Multiple Sound Space Design

Spatial effects are an important feature of electronic music. A performance through a

multi-channel speaker layout may often mean 4-channels, 5.1, or 8-channels of

discrete audio. Zhang Xiaofu’s "Snow Day Long", created in 1999 for the Beijing

Electronic Music Festival used such a multi-channel speaker configuration. The sound

field on the first floor of the auditorium had two sets of speakers. The second floor of

the auditorium had another two sets of speakers. A sound field was created that

constituted a three-dimensional sound space. The composer controlled the phase of

each channel, volume, reverb, and other parameters to form a "dynamic space". Zhang

Xiaofu believes that space is one of the biggest features within electronic music.

5.3.3. The Embodiment of Traditional Composition

Traditionally, the composer’s philosophy of electronic music production technology

is combined with traditional vocal writing and the instrumental writing experience. In

Zhang Xiaofu’s electronic music, there are many elements of traditional music.

Language features heavily, such as in "Yin", where the use of single material is

19  

constantly expanded through the voice of change and organisational form of the work.

In another example, the works entitled "North Sea Chant” presents, on behalf of the

composer, the audio materials of traditional Chinese culture.

 

 

20  

Section 3

Chapter 6. Sound Technology Creation, the Aesthetic Meaning of

Music Philosophy

Electronic music creation in China is hugely influenced by the Chinese nation's 5,000

years of historical and cultural history, its classical literature, and ancient philosophy.

In this section, the works of two Chinese composers Xiaofu Zhang and Yu-Chung

Tsang are discussed.

6.1 The Creative Concept of the “Oriental Context”

6.1.1 Analysis of “Nuo Ri Lang”

XiaoFu Zhang composed the piece of computer music “Nuo Ri Lang” in 1996. He

created the piece especially for an electronic music festival in Paris. Before the

festival he had two weeks of field recording work in Tibet. He was strongly attracted

to the Tibetan culture because, in his view, it was always shrouded in an atmosphere

of mystery. The field recordings gave Zhang both the musical elements for his piece,

as well as inspiration. In order to express the Tibetan culture, he tried to understand its

deeper level, beyond the surface level of life. This deeper level is the aesthetic realm.  

He wanted to establish a connection between his music with what he saw within

Tibetan life. Zhang realised that Tibetan culture is embodied in the "circle". In a broad

sense, this means the cycle of birth and death. Zhang had spent years thinking about

how to represent Tibetan culture through his Art, but it was not until years later, after

he had studied electronic music in Paris, he knew there was a basic technology, the

loop method, which was able to reflect accurately the Tibetan concept of the "circle".

He thought that the loop could be used to express what he thought of the Tibetan

culture of the "circle". Zhang had found a form, and made a connection between the

culture, and the Art (See Figure 6.1)

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Figure 6.1：Waveform: Nuo Ri Lang

6.1.2. Symphonic Perception of Electronic Music

The orchestra symphony is a musical form that contains a multi-layered language. In

"Nuo Ri Lang", the symphonic concept is reflected through the concept of a loop.

Zhang used only two seconds of a Lama's chanting. At the same time, he used a few

small parts with which he processed pitch and frequency. In the middle of the piece

there is a vocal section by a Tibetan singer. The song is given certain treatments that

has the effect of seemingly concealing the original sound, like a fairy's voice, woven

together with a man's voice. This gives a very mysterious feeling to the audience.

Musical technology is very subtly and effectively creative in this form. This technique

expresses the essence of the Tibetan culture. The music brings people a perceived

Tibetan cultural space. It is not that one is specifically in Lhasa, in a particular temple,

or with a particular Lama, but they get the strong impression that they could be.

Using the loop technique, Zhang’s works is infused strongly with the concept of the

"circle". By using loop technique, he was able to realise the innovative ideas of

science and technology. The Loop technique gradually reduces the main body of the

music’s function, evolving it into the secondary function of background status. The

composer used looping techniques to bring the piece alive, interleaved   and  

interspersed  with  music material from many sources throughout the whole.

Figure 6.2: The "Lama chanting" motivation materials In the first part, the "Lama chanting" is short (only 2 seconds in duration) (Figure 6.2).

After the application of the looping technique, changes in the pitch, duration,

22  

amplitude, intensity, and so on, the figurative   and sound of the "chanting" moves

from a concrete to a very abstract meaning.

6.2 The Creative Conception of Sound Expression with Music Technologies

Taiwanese composer Yu-Chung Tseng had an electronic music piece in 1998, entitled

"Drinking Alone by Moonlight". My analysis of his work is based on sound spectrum

analysis.

6.2.1 The Structure of the Work

In Tseng’s piece there is a close relation between the paragraphs of musical material

and musical patterns. Although the main paragraphs of the material can be clearly

defined, some paragraphs are difficult to distinguish. In my view the division of

paragraphs is based on the emergence of the clarinet to identify the beginning of each

new paragraph.

6.2.1.1 Creative Production Platform

The creation of electronic music is based on technological sciences and realised

through technology-based tools that rest on a scientific platform. Due to the

advancement of science and technology, digital technology has seized a dominant

position in the electronic music studio. Analog technology is still widely used, but

electronic music has been gradually moving towards a new era of "digital",

"computer" music. "Drinking Alone by Moonlight" is the work of this period. The

composer took into account mixed analog and digital techniques so that the

performance of a dual-platform simulation (man-machine dialogue) could maximise

the musical characteristics. The advantages of having the two different platforms is

that they complement each other because of their diversity.

This electroacoustic music work was the composers first use of a digital multi-track

recorder (Tascam DAT). He used the TASCAM digital multi-track machine and a

microphone to record the clarinet. The composer directly recorded onto tape, editing

according to his needs. The composer used both mac and pc platforms with software

tools such as as Metasynthe, SoundHack, Sound Edit, Soundforge, and GRM Tools.

Audiomulch was also used for sound editing and deformation (lengthen, shorten, cut,

reversed, sound synthesis, sound shift and so on). A saxophonist was recorded in

23  

addition to the clarinet. The composer used the clarinet sound material with Digital

Signal Processing (DSP) technology for the formation of a synthetic sound engine.

This DSP tool can control the harmony, tone and sound position.

6.2.1.2 Digital Sound Technology

Sound synthesis technology gives music great diversity. I have analysed some of the

techniques used by the composer as follows:

6.2.1.2.1 Digital to Analog Conversion

Computers can be used in many different ways in the digital platform to generate and

process sound. Computers must process sound in a digital format. An analog-to-

digital converter, referred to as the A/D converter, is used to get the recording of the

clarinet into the computer. Then digital synthesis, deformation and other means are

implemented using the computer, to process the sound of the clarinet. When the

desired sound is achieved, a digital-to-analog converter, referred to as a D/A

converter is used to output the audio, so it can be heard.

6.2.1.2.2 Granular Synthesis

The author of ‘The Theory of Sound Deformation and Technologies with Acousmatic

Music Composition’ said: “granular synthesis uses technology to change very short

sounds, such as particles of sound, into complex, larger sounds”.[] It was both a

conceptual and technical achievement. Complex and rich textures can be achieved

using the Audiomulch software and sound particle effects. The long sound of the

clarinet is cut into dynamic, point-like, grains of sound. This is superimposed onto a

solo clarinet, so giving a new impact to the sound. This technique is used in the

second movement at 6’12 as shown in Figure 6.3 and 6.4:

Figure 6.3 “Drinking Alone by Moonlight” waveform at 6’12” before granular

synthesis. [2]

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Figure 6.4 Waveform diagram 6’12” of the sound granular effects after treatment [2]

6.2.1.2.3 Sound Delay

Audio delay can be also be called "Waveset Stretching”, a term first offered by the

British composer Trevor Wishart (1921) as a method of processing a sound. In this

piece, “Drinking Alone by Moonlight”, the composer has used the delay or echo

effect quite extensively. An infinite collection of sound is extended to create a very

long echo, such as the works first movement (at 3’53) where the use of such

technology is shown in Figure 6.5 and 6.6 below.

Figure 6.5 at 3'53 the original sound wave [2]

   

Figure 6.6: Delay Effect processed at 3'53 the sound wave [2]

6.2.2 A Wide Range of Musical Ideas

6.2.2.1 A Wide Range of Musical Elements

Society, Culture, Art, Life, etc are all emphasised in today's society. The international

"pluralistic" nature of cultures mean clashes have been subject to the attention of

various countries and regions. Various countries have a massive variety of cultural

content. In the East, more and more artists try to integrate into Western culture.

 

The famous Chinese composer Zhang Xiaofu plays an active part in the creation of

both Eastern and Western cultures with the fusion of Chinese and Western culture in

25  

his Art. Zhang Xiaofu creates electronic music. His music creates a philosophical

mood, with the pursuit of high quality and fine audio production, as well as a superb

instrument playing skills.

The analysis of Yu-Chung Tseng’s electronic music "Drinking Alone by Moonlight"

shows a diversity of styles. The composer uses oriental music elements with Western

compositional techniques to reflect a wide range of geographical musical elements.

6.2.2.2 Application of Diverse Musical Elements to Create Ideas

6.2.2.2.1 Chinese poetry as Creative Background

"Drinking Alone by Moonlight" is based on a poem by Li Bai, a Tang dynasty poet.

The composer follows the poems lyrical expression to outline the dominant mood of

the work. The traditional acoustic instrument, Clarinet, symbolically represents the

drinking poet. The music is a symbol of the dance when the shadow of moonlit

flowers under an atmosphere of creation. The clarinets tone is from the woodwind

family of musical instruments. It can be lonely and melancholy. The clarinet sound set

against the electronic music carries a representation of the loneliness of the poet.

6.2.2.2.2 Technology-based Sound Characteristics

In many parts of the piece, the composer uses technical means to imitate oriental

musical instruments. For example, in the first movement (at 1'08), the composer uses

the clarinet breath sound to imitate the Japanese instrument “shakuhachi”, as shown in

Figure 6.7 in the score for the

piece

Figure 6.7 The first movement clarinet [17]

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The "Shakuhachi" originated in China in the Southern Song Dynasty. It has

widespread use throughout Japan as an musical instrument.

Another example is in the second movement. The Western musical instrument, the

clarinet, plays out a different vibrato and there is a sudden change of intensity. The

composers use the clarinet in rapid vibrato mode (at 4'45) as shown in Figure 6.8.

The clarinets intensity undergoes a mutation (at 5'38) is shown in Figure 6.9, both of

which mimic the special sound of Chinese Guqin :

Figure 6.8, the second movement of Clarinet fast vibrato to imitate the Chinese Guqin [17]

Figure 6.9. The second movement clarinet suddenly changes so as to imitate the Chinese traditional instrument, the Guqin [17]

6.2.2.2.3 The Context of Chinese music, Culture-based

The composer uses musical syntax to make the work obtain an oriental flavour. He

uses the Western musical instrument, clarinet (at 3'29) as a oriental "mono

decorative" or referred to as an "embroidery sound” as shown in Figure 6.10.

27  

Figure 6.10, The first movement clarinet playing the embroidery sound [17]

-------------------------------------------------- --- [6] Yu Zhong intended for decorative tone figurations. Another example is in the second movement (approx. 5'48) shown in Figure 6.11, the

monophonic decorative clarinet quavers represent the decorative sound:

Figure 6.11, Second movement Clarinet plays the embroidery sound. [17]

The piece cited the essence of a regional music culture. The music is not only

representative of the appearance of Western music, but also the mood of oriental

music.

6.2.3 A Wide Range of New Sounds

Within this piece, the composer constantly looks for new methods and techniques to

present sound that traditional instruments cannot give. The combination of sound

colour and space creates unique sound characteristics. The following shows a few

examples.

6.2.3.1 Traditional Musical Instruments, New Sounds

The blowing noise (at 4'45) shown in Figure 6.12, is where the composer uses his

mouth to cover the mouthpiece and blow hard. He played like that to make the

clarinet beat out a crisp "da da" button noise.

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Figure 6.12: Blowing Noise [17]

6.2.3.2 The Tone of Granular Synthesis

The composer played the clarinet into the ‘Audiomulch’ interface to change the tone

of the original vibrato into a granular sound. It is at 6'13 that the granular sound

processing begins, as shown in Figure 6.13.

Figure 6.13: The Granular Section [17]

6.2.3.3 Noise Tone

At the beginning of the piece, the composer broke the traditional clarinet tone and

played the sound of the breath at its original frequency. The tone of the original

clarinet is changed into the abstract background, representing the sound of the wind.

6.2.3.4 Filter Use

At 3'46 and 3'53, as shown in Figure 6.14, the composer used a high-pass filter on the

clarinet tone to produce a new sound, which shows a clarinet can play out a special

tone when used in conjunction with electronic music techniques. The new sounds

have shown how a diverse sound can give the work itself more vitality and freshness.

29  

Figure 6.14. Use of High Pass Filter [17]

6.2.4 Diversification of New Audio Form

Through the development of the original sound, a single sound material is developed

into a variety of diverse new sound patterns, modulated by different effects. This can

be named “sound diversification".

6.2.4.1 Breaking the Physical Conditions of the New Audio Form

In the first movement of the work, at 3'46 and 3'53 shown in Figure 6.15, the

composer used clarinet overtones to produce a climax. Through the physical nature of

binding, the composer made high pitch overtone sounds to create surreal new sonic

patterns.

Fig 6.15 Clarinet Overtones [17]

6.2.4.2 The Extension of New Sound Form

When the work needs a breakthrough to resolve this long tone, technology infused

media is necessary. The composers used the “Sound Hack” phase encoding software

(Phase Vocoder). The composer, took the original audio material, extending its length.

For example, in the first movement from 2'55 to 3'07 as shown in Figure 6.15, the

composer used this functionality to change the original form of sound into a

monosyllabic stretched sound.

30  

6.2.4.3 Subtle New Forms of Sound Expression

At the end of the second movement (approx. at 5'37) shown in Figure 6.16, the voice

expression varies. The composer uses software technologies to create subtle changes

of expression, not only within the subtle intensity of ultra-frequent changes, but also

the inner transformation of the sound.

Figure 6.16 Transformation of the Sound [17]

6.2.4.4 Sound and Lyrics of New Forms of Non-linear Editing

Non-linear editing techniques are widely used in various fields. In the second

movement at 6'42 (Figure 6.17), non-linear editing techniques change the original

interpretation and respiratory rhythm of the original audio. These new forms change

the sound from concrete sounds and words into abstract meaning.

Fig. 6.17 Non-Linear Processing Effects [17]

Through the above analysis of the work, it is seen that technology development and

application provided the possibility of a breakthrough in compositional meanings. It

has also provided an example of Chinese composers expressing a wide range of

creative ideas with Chinese characteristics.

31  

Section 3

Chapter 7 Comprehensive Analysis of the Embodiment of Sound Science and Technology in the Work “The Samsara of Seasons”

 This research makes use of creative electronic music technologies to compose a piece

of electronic music that is steeped in Chinese characteristics. It will investigate how

the latest technologies can be applied to unique Chinese harmonic and rhythmical

elements. This will hopefully enhance both my knowledge of composition, quality of

composition, and live performance skills within a style of music which has remained

virtually unchanged for thousands of years. A diversity of sound effects and

processing will be explored and the effect of these parameters on the listening

audience will also be recorded and explained. The author will exploit particular skills

and techniques learnt in this Music & Technology course, including computer music

composition, sound synthesis, logic pro 9, composition and voice sampling. The suite

of pieces created for this research is called “The Samsara of Seasons”. It embraces the

“impressionistic-style” of Chinese traditional musical aesthetics by selecting several

classic and unique Chinese musical instruments. The goal will be to perform the

cyclical flow of the natural seasons, in the form of electronic music. The temporal and

spatial changes contained in the music are meant to project the meaning of the cycle

of life. This piece is going to be a challenging integration of modern music

technologies and traditional Chinese music performance.

 

7.1. Use of Sound Materials and Structural Layout

The use of sound materials, as well as the structural layout within the first and third

sections were selected as being ideal for voicing one of the oldest Chinese traditional

musical instruments, the Guzhen-Zither as well as the Xiao as a solo instrument. Both

of these instruments are used as the main sound sources within the composition.

32  

7.1.1 The Chinese Traditional Instrument ‘Guzheng-Zither’ [10]

The  Guzhen is one of the most representative and ancient Chinese stringed instrument.

The Guzhen-Zither derives from China’s “Qin Dynasty”. With more than 2,000 years

of history, the wooden instrument is constructed to use 23 strings, its timbre of sound

is elegant and graceful; pure and bright in the high range. The player of the instrument

is able to play on each string with multiple overtones, producing a rich musical

expression. In order to optimise the unique music qualities of each acoustic

instrument, the structure and layout of the piece is arranged with respect to two

important factors:

(1) The composer must first consider the requirements of the sound in the musical

structure, and create a number of new sounds through a granular reverb effect (See the

Video 01). For example: at the beginning of the music track, the use of overtones as a

basic sound element, included the following: D4-E4-A4-A5. The musical tone of

pitch is: re, mi, la, la, one active higher. Most of the sounds and melodies of the

Guzheng performances are recordings that were done directly into the Logic Pro

audio production platform. The combination of all the different sound recordings

played a key expressive function, as well as being relevant to the performing methods

and playing skills that were implemented. A variety of playing techniques were used,

with examples being: tone, dual-tone, chords, tone of melody, block tones, plucked,

arpeggio, glissando, etc.  

At the beginning of a song (0'1-1'00 minutes) (See the Video 01) the main focus for

the sound is 4 monophonic notes D,E,A,A to symbolise the formation of the 4 seasons,

spring, summer, autumn and winter. The seasons are of great significance in

traditional Chinese culture. These four notes indicate the fundamental sound element

of the whole piece, and they are continually processed through a series of sound

effects such as filters，pitch shifters，denoiser’s, etc See also. The effected sound of

the Guzheng will represent a number of natural elements such as a “tornado’, through

the quickening of the speed (audio beginning at 10:50) (See the Figure 7.1). There are

also a number of other transformations of the sound of the Guzheng and flute, most

33  

notably through Granular Synthesis, Micro-phasing Techniques and a Vocal

Transformer.

Figure 7.1: Guzheng frequence of speed changed, audio beginning at 10:50

7.2 Sound Elements and the Audio Technology Approach

Within the piece the Guzheng’s unique sound is used to imitate a bird’s pitch, with a

delay effect used to create subtle echo variations that sound similar to a chorus of

birds. This sound setting is meant to outline the sonic scenery of spring. After this

section, the same sound elements are used, but with a reverse audio processing

technique, coupled with some Granular Synthesis techniques to form a phrase of

diversified voices of differing lengths. On one hand, this section is supposed to

imitate the existing sounds of nature. On the other hand, it is to deliver imaginary

sounds that may be found in nature. Within the first section (00:20-02:07) (See the

Video 01) there is depicted in the sonic scenery, insects nibbling and the movement of

flowers and grass. This is to demonstrate a lively and dynamic landscape.

After this section, there is the depiction of the steady growth of plants (02:07- ) (See

the Video 03). To obtain this a spatial illusory effect is created by processing the

Guzheng’s tone with a delay effect. The Guzheng’s sound material is processed

through delay effects to imitate alternately rendered illusory subtle spatial effects (See

Video 04). New sounds are formed after processing the Guzheng (3:56-4:04),

deforming into rapid flows of sounds to symbolise plants growing out of the soil. At

5:29 the music is seen to represent the air, birds and other life forms as well as the

flow of liquid, so as to describe the change of nature and the beauty of Spring. Within

34  

the next section (5: 29 - 6:14) new sounds elements were created with the basic

Guzheng audio material and post processing techniques. The tornado (accelerating the

change of frequency) is then brought into play in the sonic landscape (audio

beginning at 10:50).

7.3 Combination of Musical Notes, Technology, Audio and Voice

The notes of the acoustic music instrument are the basic musical element in the piece.

These notes, combined with a variety of other conventional sound effects processing

allowed me to improve and enhance the auditory experience. Music creators can use

particle tone synthesis, create noise effects, filter effects, etc. These techniques allow

a single sound element to be differentiated and restructured, resulting in music with a

more modern feel. An example of this can be found in the second part of the music,

when the Zither plays for an extended time, shifting and overlapping with the Cello

pizzicato section.  

7.4 Morphological Structure

Through the use of a variety of different voices and sound sources a multi-layered

sound can be formed. There are several ways,

1) Use midi performance control technology to enter the original synthesiser preset

sounds and select traditional musical instruments like string instruments. For example,

(audio beginning at 10:50)((See Video 03).

2) Supplement the original performance recording with a variety of mixing techniques;

collage and splice; tied and overlap. Its main function in the work is to build the

background of the main sound. To create a sound form with multi-layered and

different voices is the goal of any electronic music artist. Seeking to create a

multidimensional sonic space effect is a goal of electronic music composers.

7.5 Reflect the Aesthetics of Chinese Cultural Elements

7.5.1 Create music composition with Chinese characteristics Within the development of music nowadays, the combination of Chinese elements

and music technology can create both a sonic and artistic conception which traditional

35  

music alone cannot express. It can convey directly to the listener a musical concept

containing a diversified set of sounds and creativity. Through the analysis of works of

both famous Chinese and foreign electronic musicians it’s not hard to see the

importance of music technology, regardless of the type or genre of the music, whether

it be specific folk songs or traditional tone poems, drama, story or even spoken word

pieces.

 

The creation of the "The Samsara of Seasons"[11] was influenced in various degrees

by traditional Chinese culture, namely Confucianism [12]. In traditional Chinese

philosophy, the pursuit of unity, and the interdependence of people with nature [13],

as well as the harmony of the “four season cycle" are extremely important concepts.

According to Chinese text the 24 solar terms change with the seasons in the year in

rotation. [14] (See Appendix 2)

 

(1) The first solar term, "Spring", is after the Chinese Lunar New Year. This is in

February each year, a very important day. From that day, snow and ice begin to melt,

warm east wind replaces the cold northerly winds. The flowers and trees begin to

bloom. The whole earth gradually regains consciousness, beginning to wake from its

winter slumber and turns vigorous with vitality.

(2) The tenth solar term, the "Summer Solstice" which is in May each year, all living

things radiate: vegetation and plants are more lush, flowers bloom, the fruits are ripe,

wheat is plentiful. The frogs do not call, and we can only hear the cicadas sound

everywhere. The sun is directly on the Tropic of Cancer for that period, the days will

be the long and the night will be short.

 

(3) The 16th solar term is called the “Autumnal Equinox", on this day, the sun is

directly above the equator. At this point, the sunlight gradually weakens, the rivers

begin to turn dry, vegetation turns brown, birds start building nests, and things start

wilting.

(4) The 19th solar term is the "Beginning of Winter’’, October is the head of this solar

term. Winter has the meaning of the end; to terminate all activities. All living things

36  

start to go into “hiding’’. At this point, along the Chinese Yellow River; the

vegetation dies, the river freezes over, and the animals hibernate.

……………………………………………….. [11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saṃsāra_(Buddhism) [12] http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_23084.htm [13] http://www.chinaculture.org/created/2005-10/18/content_74584.htm [14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_term#List_of_solar_terms

In traditional Chinese culture, there’s a close relation between Chinese martial arts

and the solar terms. Since ancient times, the martial arts are also known as “Chinese

Kung Fu’’, it is seen as a way of healthy maintenance.

“Taichi” [15], also known as “QiGong” [16] is a form of Chinese martial art that is

most important among all. People need to grasp the laws of change in the four seasons

in order to adapt to the changes in nature. Every life in nature is influenced and

effected by the humidity of spring, heat in summer, the cool of autumn, and the

coldness of winter. Humans are an integral part of nature; people reach mutual

coordination of both body and mind with nature, through practicing “Tai Chi’’ or “Qi

Gong’’.

In the piece of music, the sound material from the “Guzheng”; audio frequency;

cutoff; sound effects throughout the production platform; control and adjusting the

audio’s speed, velocity and loudness; the arrangement of sound shapes and rhythm are

used to depict the sight and performance of “Tai Chi’’ (audio beginning at 15:16 to

end in part 4)(See  Figure  7.2)

Figure  7.2: “Tai Chi’’ audio beginning at 15:16 to end in part 4  

37  

7.5.2 Characteristics of the Music

To present an “impressionistic-style”[4] concept; a style often found in traditional

Chinese painting which is characterised by a vivid, expressive bold outline. The

composer selects several classic and unique Chinese musical instruments to performs

the cyclic flow of the natural seasons in the form of electronic music. The temporal

and spatial changes contained in the music are meant to project the meaning of the

cycle of life. This piece is a challenging integration of modern music technologies and

traditional Chinese music performance.

The “Samsara of Seasons” is just an abstract philosophical concept. Nature is seen as

veining, the presence of life in all things, and the continuity of the process gives it a

poetic meaning. The autumnal equinox and the start of winter are closely related and

the structure of the music represents this by using the same musical instruments and a

similar melody for these sections. The background sound posture and the

representation however have undergone changes to describe different scenarios in

autumn and winter. This highlights the creativity of applying electronic sounds to the

work.

 

38  

Chapter 8.  Conclusion

This research includes three parts that explain how my electronic music project was

carried out.

Section One (chapters 1 to 4) mainly introduce the context of this research, covering

areas such as the analysis of early electronic music, the relationship between music

technology and composition, aesthetic conceptions and general influences posed by

electronic music in modern times.

Section Two (chapters 5 to 6) presents a detailed analysis of two representative pieces

of music made by Chinese musicians, including how they edit the audio, leverage the

aesthetic value and how the technologies are absorbed into their work.

 

Section Three (chapter 7) is a discussion of the 20 minute electronic music made with

Chinese traditional instruments, making use of various technologies to enhance the

performance of these original instruments. The use of technologies enriches the

contents and context of this piece of music and forms a unique electroacoustic

soundscape. This experiment will become a very useful reference for Chinese style

electronic music creation in the future.

The purpose of this research is to explore the possibility of enhancing performances

of Chinese traditional instruments such as the Guzheng (Chinese Zither) and Xiao

(Chinese Flute）by using modern music technologies. The piece, entitled “The

Samsara of Seasons” is representative of such a project. This thesis presents a

detailed discussion of how all the elements of this experiment are brought together,

covering areas such as choosing acoustic instruments, recording, effect utilisation,

composition techniques, sound processing, construction of soundscape and the

aesthetic conception of electronic music.

Specifically this research stresses ways of sampling sources of Chinese traditional

music instruments and how to use them as basic materials to process and construct a

diverse and creative electroacoustic soundscape. It is hoped that the piece immerses

39  

the audience in a post-modern surrounding of tonal and atonal noises, with both real

elements and those of the imagination; the impressionistic and surreal.

                             

 

40  

References 1.1 In Chinese [1] Zhang Xiaofu "1948-2008, 60 years of electronic music history" 2008 published Beijing, Publishing, Central Conservatory Music. 张小夫，《现代电子音乐概论》2007 年出版 [2] Zhang Xiaofu, Introduction of modern electronic music, book / 2007 Publishing, Central Conservatory Music Bejing. 张小夫，《1948-2008，电子音乐 60年史纲》2008 年出版 [3] Hang baoqiang, Sound course - Introduction to Modern Music Acoustics, 2003 published Chinese music. 韩宝强《音的历程－现代音乐声学导论》2003 年出版 [4] Yu-Chung Tseng, A Research on the Musical Function and Esthetical Role of Sound Technology in the Composition. 曾毓忠，“聲音科技的音樂功能與美學角色初探” http://yc-tseng.blogspot.ie [5] Zhang Xiaofu, New Media Art Theory，2008 published, Beijing Central Conservatory Music 张小夫，新媒体艺术论 1.2 In English [6] C.Dodge & T. A. Jerse Computer Music: synthese, composition and performance. New York: Schimer books, 1985, pp. 97-98. [7] M.Matheews and J.Perce. Current Directions in Computer music, Cambridge:

MIT Press,1991, pages 399-400.

[8] Since the 1970s, computer music tape technology was still limited and

inconvenience.

[9] M. H. Hayes, Statistical Digital Signal Processing and Modeling. J. Wiley & Sons,

Inc., New York, 1996.  

[10] Guzheng-Zither, Chinese Harp, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guzheng [11] Samsara, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saṃsāra_(Buddhism) [12] Confucianism http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_aboutchina/2003-09/24/content_23084.htm [13] Harmony of Man with Nature, http://www.chinaculture.org/created/2005-10/18/content_74584.htm

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[14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_term#List_of_solar_terms [15] TaiChi, http://www.chinaculture.org/2012-08/10/content_448293.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%27ai_chi_ch%27uan [16] Qigong, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigong [17] Yu-Chung Tseng, score for “Drinking Alone By Moonlight”, sent to me by the composer via email.

42  

Bibliography

2.1 In Chinese

Yu-Chung Tseng, From Figurative Music to Figurative Computer Music, ROC Computer Music Society journal, Bulletin No. 1, 2004 曾毓忠，從具象音樂到具象電腦音樂，中華民國電腦音樂學會會刊，季刊 1號，2004

Dong Rui，Diversification electronic music多元化电子音乐 Department of music school of chuzhou chuzhou 239000

Wu Dian, Some thoughts in Music - Music Creation by Computer, Journal of Computer Music, Republic China, 2002, pp13-21 Miller Puckette. The Music and Technology of Electronic Music, Chinese translation in 2011, Post & Telecom Press Beijing, China. Hang baoqiang, Sound course - Introduction to Modern Music Acoustics, 2003 published Chinese music. Lei Liang, Edward Green: “China and the West-the Birth of a New Music”, Contemporary Music Review. The journal was published in2007, Chinese translation in 2009, issued by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Press. 2.2 In English Katz, Shira Lee and Howard Gardner. “Musical materials or metaphorical models? A psychological investigation of what inspires composers.” In Musical Imaginations: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Creativity, Performance, and Perception. David Hargreaves, Dorothy Miell, Raymond MacDoanld, eds. Oxford University Press, 2011. 119 S.Emmerson, The Language of Electroacoustic Music, New York: Hardword Academic Publisher, 1986. E. R. Miranda, Computer Sound Design ,Bodmin:MPB Books Ltd.,2002. P.Manning, Electronic and Computer Music, Clarendon Press, 1989. M.Mathews and J. Pierce, Current Directions in Computer Music, Combridge, MIT Press, 1991. S. Pellman, The Introduction to The Creation of Electroacoustic Music, Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1994.

43  

O. Powers, Interactions Between Composers and Technology in the first Decades of Electronic Music, 1997. C.Roads,The Computer Music Tutorial, The MIT Press, 1996. Bijan Zelli, Musique Acousmatique and Imaginary Spaces, June 2011 http://cec.sonus.ca/econtact/13_3/zelli_acousmatique.html “Some Vital Experiences and an Artistic Statement.” Beijing: Renmin Yinyue [People’s Music], vol.585 (2012 no.1): 10-11. Read the Chinese article here; for English translation, click here. “Colliding Resonances: ‘The Music of Xiaoyong Chen’. Edward Green, ed. Lei Liang, co-editor. China and the West: the Birth of a New Music. Contemporary Music Review, vol. 26, nos. 5 & 6, 2007: 529-545. http://www.lei-liang.com/page17/assets/LiangMusicOfChenXiaoyong.pdf [accessed on 4th August 2012]. T. Holmes. Electronic and Experimental Music: Pioneers in Technology and Composition (5th ed. London: Routledge, 2002), 138-139. [13] C.Dodge & T. A. Jerse Computer Music: synthese, composition and performance. New York: Schimer books,1985,pp.97-98.

44  

Appendix 1

1

An exploration in composition of Chinese characteristic

electronic music using contemporary music technologies.

��� ����'�� �"��'����(&��� ��'%(�'(%��#�+������!&�%��

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*��("������

�

�������

�

�

�(�!�''����"�$�%'�� ��( �� !�"'��#%���&'�%&�#���%'&�

�"��(&����"������"# #�*��

�#%�����## �#���(&����

�

�($�%)�&#%���%���(�������%'�*��

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45  

2

��������������������������������������������������� ���

A B C D E F G A

Structure and Function

Time(s) Tempo Instrument Sound and its Deformation

Effects And Approach

The atmosphere of and Expression The description

Special notes and Musical material

The shape of Sound and The form of a part

Introduction 00:01- Adagio �

Rubato Guzheng zither

Motivation Sound Reversion

The performance of nature of Tranquil Moods

The Motivation pitch retrograde material after inversion

Prototype mono and the overlap of deformation�

00:20-02:07 Guzheng zither

Depicting of various life activities

The Motivational material prototyp �

G,A,D,D��

Overlapping

02:07- 02:10-

Changed guzheng granular sound to a linear form

Depicting the scene in the plant world and the plants steadily with grown moment attitude

Important sound clips for sound changing and derivative of new sound material elements

Single tone with the combination of multi-layered sound

02:16 adding new sound clip gradually

Consists of points, surfaces, lines and space multi-layered sound mentality

03:43-3:55

Part1 Beginning of spring

3:56� 4:04�

Guzheng zither

delayed, Produced the multiple

Guzheng imitated birdsong

46  

3

Presented paragraph

sounds alternately to imitate rendered illusory subtle spatial effects.

and derived processed new sound effects

4:39-5:28 Guzheng material deformated to the rapid flow of the figurations and the symbolic plant with rows of out of the soil,

5:29- 6:14-

Guzheng�I�

Diffusion of the gas of plants, birds and other life forms that humans cannot see. Depicting of a variety of liquid flow, nature sound changes portrayal and the depicting of beautiful spring and the paean of life,

The intertwined multiple voices, shifted changes of duplication

47  

4

6:50-7:18 Guzheng deformation

7:19- Guzheng [II] Sub-themes

Granular synth, The accelerated sound rate with the decomposition voice is the form of granular

Transition connection

8:07-8:17

8:17-8:20

Part 2 Summer Solstice Expansion Paragraph

8:20-8:40 Granular synthesis , noise gate, filter

The potential crisis in nature

The synthesized electronic sound through the audio processing and sampling

A different tone District tone composed of multi-level audio �

8:40-9:01

9:01-9:40 Herald the advent of the potential crisis

9:40- 10:17

The potential crisis in nature and the inherent conflict of sound

Transition Buffering 10:17� 10:50

48  

5

10:50- 11:20

The symbol of human cries with various substances and decomposed changes to depict the destroyed lives cruelty in nature

11:20- 11:23

Part3 Autumnal Equinox

Introduction to the theme

11:23- 13:08

The cry to the earth, the atmosphere of sadness, helplessness of mankind,

Musical instruments have tone temperament and combined with atonal differential law emphasized humane sound

Multiple part symphonisation

13:08- 13:50

Cello classical instruments

13:50- 14:20

String orchestra

14:20- 14:31-

14�

Part4 Winter Solstice

15:20- Panning, reverb sound, speed control and change the speed of sound audio rate velocity, loudness

Religious customs of etiquette, such as pray for rains and life-saving .The rate of

The Unique rhythm of the sound elements in Taiji

Homogenous sound of different lengths which is from a different orientati

49  

6

“The samara of season” is just an abstract philosophical concept. The nature has been seen as mentioning a pass context, the presence of life of all things is the continuity of the process, there is a poetic function let us imagine inside may be so. Therefore, in my piece is not deliberate on this is divided into four, the performance of four the different integrity cycle, specifically the "autumnal equinox" and "winter solstice" as a whole, "Winter Solstice" is a continuation of the autumnal equinox, although using the same instrument, the melody is similar, but the background sound stereo posture, the presentation have undergone a change, depicted naturally different scenarios are applied to creative works to highlight the electronic sound, the only special instructions.

posture in Tai Chi, the coordination between the performance of the human body physiology and the nature

on change, outlined oblong, square, and other sound graphics.

Topic reproduction

16:33

17:19 Hope of the peaceful days

Live recording material

End End 18:18- 19:27

Life is too short. It is like a burst of wind "reincarnation" fate " things will go to waste things

The face of the material which has been through the whole song, showing with the changes in the different process, demonstrating its music features

50  

Appendix 2 14/08/2013 19:47Solar term - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Page 1 of 4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_term#List_of_solar_terms

(Twenty-four) solar termsChinese name

Traditional Chinese �������

Simplified Chinese ��#'���

Transcriptions

Mandarin

- Hanyu Pinyin (èrshísì) jiéqì

- Wade–Giles (erh-shih-hsi) chieh-chi

Min

- Hokkien POJ (jī-sip̍-sù) cheh-khùi

Cantonese (Yue)

- Jyutping (ji6 sap6 sei3) zit3 hei3

Vietnamese name

Vietnamese tiết khí

Korean name

Hangul �������Hanja �&%$�'#

Transcriptions

- RevisedRomanization

(isipsa) jeolgi

- McCune-Reischauer

(isipsa) jǒlki

Japanese name

Kanji (二十四)節気Hiragana (にじゅうし)せっき

Transcriptions

- Revised Hepburn (nijūshi) sekki

- Kunrei-shiki (nizyûsi) sekki

Contents1 List of solar terms2 Regional note3 See also4 External links

Solar termFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A solar term is any of 24 points in traditional East Asianlunisolar calendars that matches a particular astronomicalevent or signifies some natural phenomenon. The pointsare spaced 15° apart along the ecliptic and are used bylunisolar calendars to stay synchronized with the seasons,which is crucial for agrarian societies. The solar terms arealso used to calculate intercalary months in East Asiancalendars; which month is repeated depends on theposition of the sun at the time.

Solar terms originated in China, then spread to Korea,Vietnam, and Japan. This is exhibited by the fact thattraditional Chinese, Hanja, and Kanji characters for mostof the solar terms are identical.

Because the Sun's speed along the ecliptic variesdepending on the Earth-Sun distance, the number of daysthat it takes the Sun to travel between each pair of solarterms varies slightly throughout the year. Each solar termis divided into three pentads (候 hou), so there are 72pentads in a year. Each pentad consists of five, rarely six,days, and are mostly named after biological or botanicalphenomena corresponding to the pentad.

List of solar terms

Longi-tude

Usualtranslation

Chinesename ¹

Japanesename

Koreanname ²

Vietnamesename Date ³ Remark

51  

14/08/2013 19:47Solar term - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Page 2 of 4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_term#List_of_solar_terms

315°start ofspring

立春lìchūn

立春risshun

�� (立春)ipchun Lập xuân Feb 4

330° rain water 雨水yǔshuǐ

雨水usui

�� (雨水)usu

Vũ thủy Feb 19 more rain than snow

345° awakeningof insects

驚蟄 (�2)jīngzhé

啓蟄keichitsu

� (驚蟄)gyeongchip

Kinh trập Mar 6

lit. awakening ofhibernating insects.See the note atChinesecalendar#Solar term.

0° vernalequinox

春分chūnfēn

春分shunbun

�� (春分)chunbun

Xuân phân Mar 21 lit. spring division (orcenter)

15° clear andbright

清明qīngmíng

清明seimei

�� (清明)cheongmyeong

Thanh minh Apr 5 time for tending graves

30° grain rain穀雨 (谷雨)gǔyǔ

穀雨kokuu

�� (穀雨)gogu

Cốc vũ Apr 20 lit. grain rain: rainhelps grain grow

45° start ofsummer

立夏lìxià

立夏rikka

�! (立夏)ipha

Lập hạ May 6

60° grain full小滿 (小�)xiǎomǎn

小満shōman

� (小滿)soman

Tiểu mãn May 21 grains are plump

75° grain in ear芒種 (芒种)mángzhòng

芒種bōshu

�� (芒種)mangjong

Mangchủng Jun 6 lit. awns (beard of

grain) grow

90° summersolstice

夏至xiàzhì

夏至geshi

!� (夏至)haji

Hạ chí Jun 21 lit. summer extreme(of sun's height)

105° minor heat 小暑xiǎoshǔ

小暑shōsho

�� (小暑)soseo

Tiểu thử Jul 7

120° major heat 大暑dàshǔ

大暑taisho

�� (大暑)daeseo

Đại thử Jul 23

135° start ofautumn

立秋lìqiū

立秋risshū

�� (立秋)ipchu

Lập thu Aug 8

150° limit ofheat

處暑 (�暑)chǔshǔ

処暑shosho

�� (處暑)cheoseo

Xử thử Aug 23 lit. dwell in heat

165° white dew 白露báilù

白露hakuro

(白露)baekro

Bạch lộ Sep 8 condensed moisturemakes dew white

autumnal 秋分 秋分 �� (秋分) lit. autumn division (or

52  

14/08/2013 19:47Solar term - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Page 3 of 4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_term#List_of_solar_terms

180° equinox qiūfēn shūbun chubun Thu phân Sep 23 center)

195° cold dew 寒露hánlù

寒露kanro

" (寒露)hanlo

Hàn lộ Oct 8

210° frostdescent

霜降shuāngjiàng

霜降sōkō

�� (霜降)sanggang

Sươnggiáng Oct 23

appearance of frostand descent oftemperature

225° start ofwinter

立冬lìdōng

立冬rittō

�� (立冬)ipdong

Lập đông Nov 7

240° minor snow 小雪xiǎoxuě

小雪shōsetsu

�� (小雪)soseol

Tiểu tuyết Nov 22

255° major snow 大雪dàxuě

大雪taisetsu

�� (大雪)daeseol

Đại tuyết Dec 7

270° wintersolstice

冬至dōngzhì

冬至tōji

�� (冬至)dongji

Đông chí Dec 22 lit. winter extreme (ofsun's height)

285° minor cold 小寒xiǎohán

小寒shōkan

�" (小寒)sohan

Tiểu hàn Jan 6

300° major cold 大寒dàhán

大寒daikan

�" (大寒)daehan

Đại hàn Jan 20

1. Simplified Chinese characters are shown in parentheses if they differ from the Traditional Chinesecharacters.

2. Hanja is indicated in parentheses.3. Date can vary within a ±1 day range.

The "Song of Solar Terms" (Chinese: ���; pinyin: jiéqìgē) is used to ease the memorization of jiéqì:

Chinese

�07���)+��+%,6 (� �&��..�- ��1��3�4�,/�)"�����5/*��$��5!

Pinyin

chūn yǔ jīng chūn qīng gǔ tiān,xià mǎn máng xià shǔ xiāng lián,qiū chù lù qiū hán shuāng jiàng,dōng xuě xuě dōng xiǎo dà hán.měi yuè liǎng jié bù biàn gēng,zùi duō xiāng chā yī liǎng tiānshàng bàn nián lái liù, niàn yīxià bàn nián shì bā, niàn sān

Regional noteIn Japan, the term Setsubun (節分) originally referred to the eves of Risshun (立春, 315°, the beginning of

53  

Appendix 3 Supporting files Videos: See accompanying DVD 01 Modulation & Oscillator for Guzheng-Zither at the Beginning to 1'15 02 Denoiser for Guzheng-Zither at 1：05 03 Video of Whole of Work 04 Spectral Gate Effector 05 AUPitch at 1'03 06 Delay Desiger for Guzheng Solo at 1'02 07 Denoiser for Guzhen 01 08 guzhen with Denoiser 09 guzhen with Denoiser longer part 10 Vocal Tranformer for Dizi-Xiao Chinese Flute

54  

Pictures:

Figure  A1.  Music  track  

Figure  A2.  Delay  Designer  for  Guzheng  Solo  01  

55  

Figure  A3.  Delay  Designer  for  Guzheng  Solo  02.    

 Figure  A4.  Denoiser  for  Guzheng-­‐Zither  at  9'00    

56  

 Figure  A5.  Denoiser  for  Guzheng-­‐Zither  at  9'40    

 Figure  A6.  Echo  for  Guzheng-­‐Zither      

57  

 Figure  A7.  Guzheng  sound  changed  by  Pd  01  at  10'50.    

 Figure  A8.  Guzheng  sound  changed  by  Pd  02  at  11'02    

58  

 Figure  A9  Guzheng  sound  changed  by  Pd  03    

 Figure  A10.  Guzheng-­‐Zither  at  10'50    

 Figure  A11.  Tai  Chi  Dance  Track  at  15'15      

59  

 Figure  A12.  TaiChi  Dance  Track  at  15'15    

 Figure  A13.  TrackOscillator  for  Guzheng-­‐Zither    

60  

 Figure  14.  Vocal  Transformer  for  Dizi-­‐Xiao  at  12'20    

 Figure  A  15.  Vocal  Transformer  for  Guzheng-­‐Zither.    

61  

 

 Figure  A  16.  Master  output  effectors    

   Figure  A  17:  Master  output  through  Match  EQ        

62  

 

 Figure  A18:  Master  outtput  through  Surround    Compressor  

63  

   Figure  A19:  Master  output  through  MultiMeter