Date of Graduation
8-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts in Music
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Music
Advisor/Mentor
Hunter, Justin
Committee Member/Reader
Bentley, Christa
Committee Member/Second Reader
Su, Danjie
Committee Member/Third Reader
Aloia, Lindsey
Abstract
“Let a hundred flowers bloom, to discard the old for the new.” Mao Zedong first said this when outlining his expectations for artists under the regime of the Communist Party in 1954, but it is also a quote that embodies what the Modern Chinese Orchestra is and has been throughout time. This paper aims to analyze this Chinese instrumental tradition and how it represents the people of China past and present, both inside China and in its diaspora. It shows music as a powerful tool for creating a collective identity. Starting with influences from ancient China, origins in the folk tradition jiangnan sizhu, the political landscape of 19th century China, to the double standard of growth and destruction of Mao Zedong, one sees how the Modern Chinese Orchestra has transformed to fit the needs of the Chinese people, and how it still continues to do so.
Keywords
music; identity; politics; Modern Chinese Orchestra; Jiangnan Sizhu; Mao Zedong
Citation
Plafcan, E. (2023). “Let a hundred flowers bloom, to discard the old for the new.” The Building of the Modern Chinese Orchestra. Music Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/muscuht/7
