Selected Pieces by Six Taiwanese and Chinese Composers of the Twentieth Century: Ty-Zen Hsiao, Shui- Long Ma, Fan-Ling Su, Kwang-I Yin, Chen Yi and Tan Dun

Abstract

Music of the twentieth century and music by Taiwanese and Chinese composers are two areas underrepresented in classical repertoire. With the goal of increasing exposure for Taiwanese and Chinese composers and for contemporary music, this dissertation presents a collection of selected pieces by six composers of the 20th century, including Taiwanese composers Ty-Zen Hsiao (b. 1938), Shui-Long Ma (b. 1939), Fan-Ling Su (b. 1955) and Kwang-I Yin (b. 1960), as well as Chinese composers Chen Yi (b. 1953) and Tan Dun (b. 1957). These six composers were born between 1930 and 1960. Their compositional styles display many of the compositional techniques that characterize this diverse period, ranging from post-romanticism and neo-classicism to serialism and minimalism. This dissertation not only presents detailed biographical information on the six composers, but also enhances students’ understanding of the historical time period in each of these composers’ various home countries. In addition, features of selected pieces by the six composers are discussed through the use of extensive musical examples. This dissertation itself develops a breadth of musical and technical ability as well as exploring pedagogical applications.