Timbre specificity as a reflection of Chinese cultural identity in Bright Sheng’s opera Dream in the Red Chamber

Abstract

Chinese composer Bright Sheng. In his work, he skillfully combines elements of Chinese traditional musical culture with European composing techniques. Sheng seeks to unite the eastern and western elements without violating their original integrity. To achieve this goal, the composer tries to add elements of complexity to the original natural simplicity and diatonicity of Chinese music through the use of counterpoint and extended key. While in Sheng’s music, its European features are usually emphasized by the use of Western instruments and genres, the emphasis is on melody developed through ornamentation rather than traditional motivational development. Timbre aspects as colorful elements of Sheng’s opera are no less important for the composer than harmonic ones. Traditional Peking Opera, accompanied by a special orchestra of Chinese traditional instruments, also influenced Dream in the Red Chamber. The conclusion from the study is that using various folk motifs and themes that Sheng collected while living in China and traveling to its various provinces, he turns to a single melodic line, re-colored through the wide use of the diversity of the European harmony of the twentieth century. The use of irregular meters and rhythms, as well as the system of rhythmic patterns analyzed and identified in this study, also brings additional elements of Chinese traditional music to American modern opera.