Date of Award
Spring 2026
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
School of Music
First Advisor
Nicholas Susi
Abstract
This dissertation investigates the development of the Chinese piano concerto from 1930 to 1990 within the context of modern Chinese cultural transformation. Combining historical research with musical analysis, it examines how the Western concerto genre was adapted to express national identity under changing political conditions. Beginning with early works by Jiang Wenye and Zhang Xiaohu, the study traces the negotiation between Western symphonic form and Chinese musical materials. It then explores the impact of Soviet influence and socialist cultural policy, focusing on The Youth Piano Concerto and the Yellow River Piano Concerto. The final section analyzes Du Mingxin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 as a structural turning point in the genre’s maturation. The study argues that while political forces shaped the social meaning of the concerto, structural integration ultimately determined its artistic development.
Rights
© 2026, Ruxi Wang
Recommended Citation
Wang, R.(2026). Negotiating Tradition and Modernity: The Development of the Chinese Piano Concerto in Twentieth-Century Cultural Transformation. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8777