The Music System of China - Essay Example

?Sur Lecturer Music in China There have been various advancements in the music scene in China. The ranges of the kinds of music played, recorded or listened to across the country shows a deep sense of reflection from the country’s historical past and the present. The genres of music also put into consideration the geographical differences of the places where different genres originate. The diversity is reflected on the different historical backgrounds that have managed to present the different genres to the show business. The towns in China have had the chance to embrace modernity and with the same form of energy from the western counterparts that have embraced the upcoming genres of music. In the small villages and towns there are often loud speakers releasing chunks of sound that carry music especially the latest pop songs. Besides the pop genre, the Pavarotti and Muzak are some of the genres that still carry instances of traditional systems of sound. (Shen 41-44) The music system of China has been basically influenced by the Western music over the past few decades. So much of the western ideas have been embraced mostly by the university students that take up lessons and composition classes that basically contain a model influenced generally by the western genres of music with only a few opting to take up the lessons on the composition of Chinese traditional music. On the other hand, the shops that are basically supposed to be selling music productions have also gone the western way with most of the compositions ranging from the romantic kinds as well as the Italian operas. Furthermore, in the streets whereby there is a booming sale of pirated CDs with low prices as well as the tapes are mostly expected to show higher orders from the young who have it upon themselves to request for the hits from the US and from Europe. There have been instances whereby the authorities have tried to put a stop to this kind of illegal trade but it has still managed to thrive underground. (Shen 45-51) In the 90s, there were frequent births of various rock bands of Chinese origins that have grown to become so popular and worth mentioning when we are talking about music in general and how much it has come of age especially in contemporary China. An example of such a band is the Cobra band that was an all women band that has gained a formal level of notoriety for their professionalism in doing their best for this genre of music. During this period, there was little understanding as the Chinese artists were trying to come up with the kinds of materials to reach the level of what was being heard in the west. The most controversial and one of the most famous artists during this time was Cui Jian who was credited as the pioneer that brought rock music to the limelight. He has a similar style in the kind of music he put out though some critics saw his ideas to have a basic antagonistic approach to the Chinese traditions and that some of the songs were basically politically oriented in their compositions. He was basically trained as player of the trumpet and he held some form of orchestra leadership position after which he was dismissed in the 80s (Rees 28-36). The traditional music on the other hand has its own form of history and has completely followed a different journey. There were various genres of folk songs that have a close relation to the imperial traditions such as that of temple and courtly music merely survived the great fall of the imperial dynasty and hence some of the traditional forms of music especially the strong folks that were basically revived since the durations of the Cultural Revolution in the villages. Some of the traditional forms of music that are basically available in many public places in china and which are mostly available on CD as well as in cassettes in the United Kingdom include the ritual music. (Rees 37-40) The ritual music comprises of the songs that were performed initially mostly in the Daoist and Buddhist temples. The rituals involved the monks and nuns who basically performed the songs and played various instruments. To date, some of the temples still play the traditional music while most temples have dropped the habit. Some of the temples have even been reconstituted to serve this purpose as some of the Chinese population still enjoys these kinds of songs and hence they seek the places where they can access this form of music that so many people have dropped from their playlists. The folk form of music that was associated mostly by the Buddhism and Daoism cultures can be found exclusively in such provinces as Hebei and Shanxi. Other similarly famous forms of the traditional music are such as the chamber music, silk and bamboo that are basically associated with few provinces in china that still play the rare kinds of songs that were initially some of the most famous but have now been overtaken by the western cultures that are embraced mostly by the youths. (Lee 47-49) The Chinese opera is the other genre that has its place in the society. The genre has been majorly popular in China especially the one and only Beijing opera. This genre often has high pitched vocals that are mostly accompanied by various instruments such as suona. Some of the most famous western genres of music in the Chinese nation include pop music which basically could be subdivided into c-pop, mandopop and cantopop. This genre has experienced a rise in popularity especially in the 20th century and beyond. Hip hop and rap has deep root in the Chinese contemporary music field especially in forms of Chinese rap or even the Taiwanese hip hop and is majorly diverse in the provinces and cities with higher youth population. Rock and heavy metal is also found as a genre that has a following in the Chinese nation. It is therefore safe to say that most of the current genres that are rather popular in China are mostly influenced by the western genres that are common in the United States and Europe but then again the traditional forms of music also have the kind of original respect as they get airplay all the same and are mostly listened to by the conservative and older generations. (Lee 50-52) Works cited Lee, Joanna. Cantopop and Protest Singers: Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. 2000. Rees, Helen Sounds of the Frontiers: Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. 2000 Shen, Sinyan. Chinese Music in the 20th Century. Chinese Music Society of North America Press. 2001 Read More