Compositional Tradiations and Innovations in Violin Literature: The Twentieth Century and beyond
Compositional Tradiations and Innovations in Violin Literature: The Twentieth Century and beyond
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Date
2005
Authors
Hsu, Chien-Tai
Advisor
Salness, David
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Abstract
The twentieth century is an age that saw striking innovations in music
composition while cultural and societal changes, including the dramatic evolution of
recording and broadcast techniques, revolutionized the economic and social relationships
inherent in music. A global and permeable audience may now hear a most diverse range
of musical styles through live performance or by means of high quality recorded or
broadcast media.
During this time, and also in the twenty-first century, many composers for violin
have continued to write in a way that is clearly traditional in both form and content.
Other composers have made significant advances in style and technique while still
employing a melodic, harmonic, structural, and textural language grounded in the
nineteenth century and quite accessible to most listeners. Still others have made
contributions that incorporate new conventions of harmony, rhythm and tonality such as
free dissonance, bitonality, atonality, and complicated rhythmical constructs.
Meanwhile, musical opportunities and tastes have broadened throughout the
world to assimilate and appreciate works incorporating musical languages that were once
unfamiliar. Western musicians have become increasingly interested in music from other
cultures. Non-Western ideas have enriched Western styles and have been accepted
enthusiastically. A new "world music" is starting to emerge. These works may freely mix
elements fiom multiple cultures, independent of the composer's own origins.
For this dissertation project I have performed and recorded-at the University of
Maryland School of Music in College Park-three recitals of works for violin selected
from three time periods: early in first part of the twentieth century (1900-1950); the
middle of the second part of the twentieth century (1950-2000); and the very beginning
of the twenty-first century (beyond 2000). These time frames have allowed me to choose
contrasting works demonstrating diverse cultural and compositional elements. A benefit
of this project was the opportunity to work with two living composers in a collaborative
process. Of special interest are two Chinese compositions selected for comparison, one
composed with and one without Western influences. Finally, given the importance of the
genre in modern popular culture, I have selected one piece from a film score.