The Factors that Affect the Attitude of Chinese Young People Towards Classical Music - Literature review Example

What are the factors that affect the attitude of Chinese young people towards ical music? What are the factors that affect the attitude of Chinese young people towards classical music? Literature review Classical music, which had been previously considered as the largest achievement of epoch, was gradually replaced by pop, rock, folk music in the modern society. At present return to classical music is very important, because it will promote revival of traditional cultural values and help contemporaries to understand culture and world outlook of the past generations. This topic is differently appreciated by artists and musicologists. Sheila Melvin and Jindong Cai in “Phapsody in Red” discover development of Western classical music in China of twentieth century. This historical period was difficult for national culture, as there were many coup detat, rebellions, national liberation movements and communist revolution. The authors demonstrate positive impact of Western classical music within instable socio-political context. Shanghai National Orchestra became the first large center of classical music, as Shanghai was an administrative center of British Empire in China. This example proves that western instruments and musical preferences can easily merge with Chinese classical music and theatre. Success of pianist Mario Pad and Chinese musician Tan Shuzen showed that the above music had a large target audience in 1910 – 1930th in China. Thus, it became an integral part of Chinese culture, education and music, as China was under continuous influence of Europe countries. In the book “Flying Dragons, Flowing Streams” Ronald Riddle draws a parallel with integration of Western music in life of Chinese Americans. Chinatown became the place of mixture of two different cultures and a gradual assimilation started. Western popular and classical music had been coexisting with Chinese classics in 1930th – 1950th. “In the late 1970s both Western classical music and arrangements of Chinese melodies were rehearsed and performed by the Chinese American Youth Orchestra, conducted by Timothy Chan and sponsored by the Chinese Cultural Foundation.” (Riddle 1983, p. 208). The orchestra consisted of young Chinese Americans and successfully performed throughout the USA. Thus, Chinese Americans incline to Western pop and classical music, but try to remain their national culture in the new motherland. Melvin and Cai regard the period of the Hundred Flowers Movement (1957) and the Cultural Revolution as decadence of Western classical music in China. Impact of foreign music was pernicious for Chinese youth, that’s why all educational institutions, orchestras and schools related to Western classical music were destroyed and forbidden. Harrison (1963) states that plenty of classical pieces of music are related to Christianity, church service and religious rites. “The ritual of Christian worship and the architecture that housed it provided both a framework for the arts and an aural and visual representation of Christian history and belief.” (Harrison & Hood 1963, p. 10) Thus, there was a strong reason for Mao Tse-tung’s regime to forbid it. Interest of the youth towards the best music was artificially suppressed. On the contrary from previous authors, Juslin and Sloboda (2001) discover perception of music on emotional and intuitive level. Western classical music attracts the Chinese due to a stable system of values. Integration of the above music into Chinese conservative culture reminds an exchange of values. It brings novelty in Chinese life style and promotes broadening cultural outlook. To find out if the classical music can positively impact the Chinese youngsters? During the twentieth century Western classical music integrated into Chinese culture and to some extent affected music tastes of modern society. The Chinese have always been having a gust of national classical music, that’s why foreign musical style also attracted their attention. Chinese Empire had been restricted from European countries for centuries; thus, its cultural and musical traditions were out of their impact. Due to the beginning of British colonization long-term settlements of English-speaking people were established in seaports such as Shanghai. As the result, a mixed socio-cultural context was created. Present-day Chinese youth’s perception of the music is shaped by different factors such as conservative national music, consequences of the Cultural Revolution, spreading of foreign and national pop/folk/rock music. “Sales for a top-selling classical recording in the West now number merely in the thousands instead of in the tens of thousands, as they did 25 years ago.” (Kahn & Wakin 2007) Comparing to pop music, classical music is not commercially attractive, because it requires a musically trained and aesthetic audience. Listeners should get both emotional and aesthetic delight during the listening. Target audience of pop songs usually does not perceive popular culture products seriously. “The paradox of music in a commercial context is that, for all the appearance of difference, musics that derive from quite different lose their distinctiveness because they are assumed to serve the same functions as others.” (Johnson 2002). Interest of European and American young people in classical music also decreases owing to large-scale influence of pop culture and mass media. Simplicity of words and sense, unobtrusive motives, musical sub-cultures and pop idols are typical features of modern Western culture. Thompson and Shellenberg (2006, pp. 72 - 74) consider that music perception is outside socio-cultural field. According to the results of their research neuroimaging techniques, inborn response to musical stimuli of various age groups and aesthetic judgements also form national perception of music. Special attention is paid to stimuli for musically trained and untrained target audience. Chinese nation perceives Western classical music differently, as their emotional perception is deeper than for European young generation. Level of musical education among American students is traditionally much lower than among the Chinese. Playing a national musical instrument still remains an integral part of Chinese educational system. Besides, the Communist Party stepped aside from its previous propaganda and strives to support development of national and Western classical music within the same cultural context. For instance, in 2004 conductor Xiaoying Zheng and opera singer Xiao Xiangyu as a part of World HR Laboratory started promoting of Westren classical music. “Zheng initiated and formed a Women Philharmonic Orchestra to perform in schools and factories in order to popularize classical music.” (Song 2006) Chinese classical theatre, national opera, poetry and songs are full of symbols, dual sense and hidden context. Thus, the classical music is estimated through the prism of national cultural system. There are many musical schools and conservatories. The observers noted an increased interest of common citizens to Western classical music, watching out visitors of musical shops, children and adults with musical instruments such as violin, flute or accordion. The literature dedicated to classical musicians and their printed music also are buying up. Comparing to pop music, classical music has a wholesome effect on intellectual and spiritual development of Chinese young people. On the assumption of Juslin and Sloboda’s theory (2001) musically trained youth has a delicate taste, creativity and aspiration to innovations, non-standard decisions. Such interest proves that the Chinese do not attempt to isolate from the Western world and culture. The Chinese have always been connoisseurs of art; thus, the above interest is a large step towards general socio-cultural compromise. Therefore official government supports inclination for Western classical music along with Chinese classical one. Local administrations promote charitable concerts of classical music. There are numerous competitions of pianists, violinists, and broadcasts of concerts, operas or pieces of music followed by Western classics. Internet also favors spreading of the classical music on YouTube, musical charts, music-clubs, virtual shops and cafes. “Chinese with the means and the space will sometimes buy a piano and arrange for lessons for their children. Many Chinese children now study the violin and other Western orchestral instruments as well.” (Riddle 1983, p. 212) Within the last years interest of Chinese youth towards Western classical music grows due to melodies embedded in phones memory. Chinese audience perceives and values this music for cultural novelty, seriousness and high degree of perfection. An unbelievable success of violinist Vanes May proves such music can easily gain an international audience of many millions. Her music and playing manner went through all cultural and language barriers and were understandable for Chinese, American, German or Spanish listeners. Classical music contains the most precious achievements of every nation and is tightly connected with national history. For example, Mozart or Wagner often dedicated their musical works to particular historical, heroic events or personalities. Western classical music also depicts tendencies of definite epoch. For example, melodies of Brahms do not yield to pop or rock music as to tempo and context. Consequently, in spite of general tendencies, interest of Chinese young people to Western classical music recovers. The people look for new cultural values and attempt to broaden their musical tastes outside national context. This is the first step towards understanding of the European culture and musical traditions. Due to technical and scientific progress modern music develops through borrowing foreign cultural tendencies. Bibliography 1. Colwell, R. (2006) MENC Handbook of Musical Cognition and Development. New York: Oxford University Press. 2. Harrison, F. and Hood, M. (1963). Musicology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. 3. Juslin, P and Sloboda, J. (2001) Music and emotion: theory and research. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 4. Johnson, J. (2002) Who needs Classical Music? Culture Choice and Musical Value. Oxford: University Press. 5. Kahn, J. and Wakin, D. J. (2007) ‘Western classical music, made and loved in China’, Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/02/world/asia/02iht-china.html 6. Melvin, S. and Cai, J. (2004) Rhapsody in red : how Western classical music became Chinese. New York: Algora Pub. 7. Riddle, R. (1983) Flying Dragons, Flowing Streams: Music in the Life of San Franciscos Chinese. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. 8. Song, L. (2006) ‘Chinese Women Promoting Equality between Men and Women in the Field of Culture and Art’, Women & Environments International Magazine, vol. 72, no.2, pp. 29 - 33. 9. Thompson, W.F. and Schellenberg, G. (2006) Listening to Music. In R. Colwell. MENC handbook of Music Cognition & Development. Oxford University Press. 10. Tarocco, F. (1997) ‘Lutes and Loudspeakers’, China in Focus Magazine, Available at http://www.sacu.org/modernmusic.html Read More