Lewis Liu wrote:

>2. What types of chinese music, what piece of chinese music have you
>listened to?

Pretty wide, I think.  Guqin music, guzheng music (classics:  Gaoshan
Liushui), the ancient "Wen" pipa pieces -- ChunJiangHuaYueYe, as well
as the "Wu" pieces like "Bawangxiejia" (The Tyrant doffs his armour)and
Shimianmaifu (The Ambush on all sides), erhu pieces (Liu Tianhua, Hua
Yanjun, Liu Xijin), Jiangnan Siju (silk and bamboo), Cantonese music,
Operatic music, music from Xian (suona pieces) and really a lot of other
things.  I play the erhu, liuqin, zhongruan and piano.

>3. I don't think western composer can write music that are similar
>to chinese ancient music. (Chinese ancient music usually were written
>for snigle or a couple of musical instruments, not for large
>orchestra.)

This is quite true, actually.  Ancient music is difficult to follow, or
to write in the style of.  But there is the attraction (the neo-ancient
styles...)

>4. To my listening experience, some chinese music written in 1940s
>to 1960s are very similar to those music written by Tchaikovsky. May
>be due to the influence of USSR to China during these years. (eg The
>Butterfly Lover Violin Concerto, Yellow River Piano Concerto compared
>with Tchaikovsky's violin concerto, for example)

Tchaikovksy alone? Surely a generalisation.  Many composers from the era
sound like Shostakovich and other composers.  The Butterfly Lover's Violin
concerto's main themes come from Yue opera.  Very obvious if you've heard
any.  (well worth the try, really)

>5. I have heard from a piano teacher that just playing the black
>keys on the piano can produce chinese-like music. (You may try.
>My experience, it is true.)

Only very very basic Chinese-*like* music can be produced that way.
Cantonese music, Xinjiang Music, Yunnan Music and lots of other forms of
music use combinations of modes and scales, and are definitely not just
"black-note" music

>6.  Bach or Handel also wrote music in style of German, French and
>Poland.  Beethoven wrote Turkish music.  Why not others?

I don't really understand you here.  Why did they not write in a Chinese
style, or why did other composers not write in a German, French or Polish
style? I think this has got to do with the cultural exchange at that time.
As I remember Jean-Baptiste Lully was responsible for a lot of the
dance-forms incorporated into the Baroque music.

>7. It is highly recommended to listen to those CDs labeled Hugo from
>Hong Kong. The performance and recording are rated as premium.

Yes, they are generally of a high standard.  Among my favourites is
a disc of modern Chinese music written by Lam Doming called "The world
of Insects".  If you thought Martinu's 6th Symphony's opening sounded
insectlike, or if you thought that "the Flight of the Bumblebee" sounded
like a bee, you'd be amazed with the work on this disc.  Also includes many
other interesting pieces, for example "Autumn Execution".

"Zhongguo Changpian" China Records also produces many good CDs.

Derek Lim
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