Chinese Music from the Tang Dynasty and the Works of Gustav Mahler

The Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 C.E.)

• A golden age of culture in Chinese history

• Unified over a vast territory• At the end of it’s reign, ruled over

around 80,000,000 people• Received influences in the arts

through trade from areas like India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Persia

• Buddhism and Confucianism, major influences in Tang culture

Music of the Tang• Known to typically use

pentatonic scales • -• Developed over the course of

the entirety of Chinese history, until the 600s of Tang rule

• Musical performances of song and dance were reserved for the upper class and wealthy

• Court music

Instruments

• Lutes (Pipa, Liuqin)

• Guzhengs• Harps (Konghou)

• Wood winds (Flutes - Dizi)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcQ6D1L4etY

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw3skQ438DE

Li Bai• A Chinese poet who lived in

the 8th century• Regarded as one of the

greatest poets of the Tang dynasty, and arguably in Chinese literary history

• Some of his works put a peculiar focus on wine

• His poetry was adapted to be sung in German for Gustav’s Mahler’s Song for the Earth.

Gustav Mahler (1860 – 1911)• Bohemian born• Was Jewish, and was often ridiculed by the Vienna

media for it. External pressure pushed him to convert to Roman Catholicism

• Began studying music at the age of 15 at the Vienna Conservatory in Austria

• Became the director of the Vienna Opera at age 37• Composed 9 symphonies and 4 song cycles• Composing style is considered to be of the late

Romantic Era• Known for his dualities in life, and music. (e.g. west v.

east, triumph v. heartbreak, optimism v. hopelessness.) • Was not very highly regarded as a composer during his

time• Died of a blood infection in 1911

Das Lied von der Erde • Integrated four of Li Bai's works into his symphonic song cycle Das

Lied von der Erde. (Li Bai regarded as one of the greatest Chinese poets, lived in the Tang Dynasty)

• An orchestral piece in 6 parts– 1. The Drinking Song of Earth’s misery– 2. The Lonely One in Autumn– 3. Of Youth– 4. Of Beauty– 5. The Drunken Man in Spring– 6. The Farewell

• Although it was his ninth symphony, was not numbered his ninth• Incorporates western ideas with eastern, Chinese influences• Contained flute passages that imitated Tang musical style • http://youtu.be/CJeRlfibzcs?t=23m12s (23:12 – 26:26)

The comparisonSimilarities

• Similar flute passages

• Both pay homage to traditional

Chinese art style• Melodic lines from

the woodwinds sound similar at

time

Lady Meng Jiang

• Written to imitate

the style of

Classical Chinese

Chamber music

• Soloist piece

• Short piece

Das Lied von der

Erde

• Large, orchestral

• Lengthy six part

song cycle

• Incorporated the

used of voices

• Almost like an

opera, in nature

Works Cited• http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/twen/mahler.html• http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/classicalcomposers/p

/mahlerprofile.htm• http://www.leonardbernstein.com/ypc_script_who_is_gus

tav_mahler.htm• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Lied_von_der_Erde• http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/mahler.php• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Bai• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Dynasty_art#Music• http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Tang/tang.html• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Dynasty• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterophony• http://www.philmultic.com/home/instruments