Music Theory Between East and West

The University of Chicago Center in Beijing
20th floor, Culture Plaza
No. 59A Zhong Guan Cun Street
Haidian District Beijing 100872

Music theory is a relatively young academic discipline in China.  While the theory of music has a long and distinguished intellectual lineage in Chinese culture that may be traced back several millennia, it has only been in the past twenty years that music theory has developed as a topic of study in China, one that is closely tied to the rejuvenation of the music conservatories in Chinese music education.

The impetus for this conference was the imminent publication of a Chinese translation of the Cambridge History of Western Music Theory.  This is a 1000-page text with contributions from some 32 authors (most North American or English) that chronicles the history of western music theory from antiquity to the present, divided into various historical periods, musical styles, genres and conceptual topics.

The conference went beyond the topics raised by this book, to explore the relation—and tension—between Western and Eastern approaches to music theory.

Wednesday, November 16

9:00 a.m. – 9:35 a.m.

Opening Ceremony, Event Space (Main Meeting Room)

Hosted by Wang Tongba

–       Opening announcements; introduction of honored guests

–       Speech by Professor Zhao Talimu, Organizing Committee Director and President of the China Conservatory of Music

–       Speech by Professor Thomas Christensen, University of Chicago, Chief Editor of The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory (Video)

–       Speech by Professor Li Xi’an, China Conservatory of Music, Conference Advisor

–       Speech by Professor Lei Guangyao, Vice President of Xinghai Conservatory of Music

9:35 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

Tea and Coffee Break

9: 50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Plenary Session

Moderator: Hua Tianreng

–       Yang Tongba (China Conservatory of Music), “Intellectual Origins and Comparative Studies: Introduction to the Theme of the Conference”

–       Thomas Christensen (The University of Chicago), “Music Theory Between Chicago and Beijing: Some Prospects and Perspectives”

–       Robert Gjerdingen (Northwestern University), “Perspectives on the Psychology of Music”

–       Ren Damin (Xinghai Conservatory of Music), “Translating The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory”

Event Space Afternoon Schedule:

1:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Panel I Time Limit: 15 Minutes/Person

Moderator: Tian Qing

–       Zhou Qinru (Los Angeles), “Antiquity or Classic: A Critical Semantic Distinction in Western Music History”

–       Wang Bu (Hangzhou Normal University), “Theory, Practice and History: The Launch of the Chinese Edition of The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory”

–       Yao Henglu (Central Conservatory of Music), “The Misunderstanding of ‘Episode’ in Traditional Terminology of Musical Forms”

–       Su-yin Mak (Chinese University of Hong Kong), “Music Theory and Analysis as Acts of Translation”

–       Liu Jingshu (Central Conservatory of Music), “Translation of Music Theory Terminology”

3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Tea and Coffee Break

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Panel II

–       Liu Xiaojiang (China Conservatory of Music), “Chinese Misinterpretation and Reinvention of Western Music Terminology”

–       Li Xingwu (Sichuan Conservatory of Music), “Clarification of the Chinese Translation of ‘Cantatas’ and ‘Oratorio’”

–       Zhou Kaimo (Xinghai Conservatory of Music), “Reclaiming the Truth of Theory and Logic; Revitalizing the Tradition of Critical Thinking”

–       Zhang Haitao (Nanchang Music and Arts Institute), “Education and Teaching Methods in Music Therapy Programs in the US and China: A Brief Comparison”

5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Free Discussion

Lecture Hall (Meeting Room 2) Afternoon Schedule:

1:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Panel III Time Limit: 15 Minutes/Person

Moderator: Lei Guangyao

–       Zhao Xiaosheng (Shanghai Conservatory of Music), “The Poetry of Western Music: the ‘Marriage’ of Ancient Chinese Poetry and Western Music History”

–       Gan Bihua (Shanghai Conservatory of Music): “The Application of the Overtone Series to Harmonic Theory”

–       Qian Renping (Shanghai Conservatory of Music), “The Quarter-Tone Composition with Compounding Methodology: A Case Study of Le Visagenupial of Pierre Boulez”

–       Chien-Chang Yang (National Taiwan University), “The Absent Hero: On Bunya Koh’s Unfinished Musical Journey and His Incomplete Project of Modernity”

–       Wang Wen (Capital Normal University College of Music), “The Collision of Sense and Sensibility: An Application of Mathematical Logic to Harmony Study in China”

3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Tea and Coffee Break

3:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Panel IV

–       Zhu Jingxiu (Henan Conservatory of Music), “The Differentiation of Conformity and Randomness: A Glimpse into the Structural Differences between Eastern and Western Music”

–       Wu Weixi (Shanghai Conservatory of Music), “The Structure of Late Medieval Polyphony in Guillaume De Machaut’s La Messe De Nostre Dame”

–       Jin Yini (Shanghai Conservatory of Music), “Evolving Definitions of ‘Tone’ with Regard to Acoustics and Music Theory”

–       Liu Jiang (Wuhan Conservatory of Music), “Fugal Tempo as a Structural Parameter”

5:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Free Discussion

Thursday, November 17

9:00a.m. – 11:00a.m.

Plenary Session II, Event Space

Moderator: Bai Luping

–       Nicholas Cook (Cambridge University), “Between Art and Science: Analyzing Music as Performance”

–       Justin London (Carleton College), “The Study of Musical Rhythm in the 21st Century”

–       Henry Klumpenhouwer (University of Alberta), “Reflections on Riemannian and Transformational Theory”

11:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.

Panel V, Lecture Hall

Moderator: Thomas Christensen; Translator: Chien-Chang Yang

–       Jiang Jiang (China Conservatory of Music), “Problems in Teaching and Learning in Basic Music Theory Courses”

–       Daniel Chua (University of Hong Kong), “Thinking Music Theory: Labels and Meaning”

–       Wendy Wan-Ki Lee (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), “Diversifying Repertoire in Music Theory Pedagogy: A Composer-Pianist’s Perspective”

–       Zou Yan (Shanghai Conservatory of Music), “Some Thoughts on my Classical Literature Review of Chinese Music: A Volume on the Analysis of Musical Works”

11:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.

Panel VI, Event Space

Moderator: Wang Bu

–       Zheng Rongda (Wuhan Conservatory of Music), “The Evolvement in the Xuan Gong Genre in the Tang and Song Dynasties”

–       Nancy Yunhwa Rao (Rutgers University), “Xuan Gong, Si Ji, and Pentatonic Structural Space in Contemporary Chinese Music”

–       Wai Ling Cheong (Chinese University of Hong Kong), “A Hearing of Cage’s I Ching, ‘Bian-fan’ in the MS Cycle, and Pentatonicized Twelve-tone Space in the Music of Luo Zhongrong and Schoenberg”

–       Yan Fei (Henan University Art College), “The Study of Western Music History in China: A Perspective on Thesis Topic Selection and Categorization”

1:30p.m. – 2:15p.m.

Panel VI, Event Space

Moderator: Bai Luping

–       Huang Xiaohe (Central Conservatory of Music), “Russian Musicology and the Creative Exploration of Music Theory”

–       Yao Yaping (Central Conservatory of Music), “Trends in Music Theory: An Initial Reading of the Cambridge History of Western Music Theory”

–       Han Baoqiang (China Conservatory of Music), “On The National Character of Music Theory”

–       He Xian (Sichuan Conservatory of Music), “On ‘Music Criticism’ and ‘Musicological Analysis’”

–       Wang Shenshen (Wuhan Conservatory of Music), “On Aesthetic Aspects of Early Western Music Theory”

2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Free Discussion, Lecture Hall

Moderator: Zhang Liwei

Organizers: Thomas Christensen, University of Chicago (Department of Music), Ren Damin, Xinghai Conservatory of Music, and Yang Tongba, China Conservatory of Music.