Peter Tang And The Eastriver Ensemble: Traditional Chinese Music

Jesse Goldstein

Dr. Weightman

Honors World Music

10 November 2014

Traditional Chinese Music Peter Tang and the EastRiver Ensemble deliver an impressive sound through their fusion of Chinese traditional and folk music. While traditional Chinese music is becoming less relevant in Chinese society at the hand of more modern sound, the group keeps the tradition alive through their instruments. The instruments deliver delicate sounds that require years of training to attain, but appreciation for such sound is on the decline in China. China has a village culture, as reflected in the Ensemble’s music, that is disappearing along with much of the music the villages produced. Therefore, performers such as this group are more important than ever for

The performance was both intriguing and a learning experience that was outside the realm of modern and more popular music. Rock Hall suited the group well; with the lighting and audience in place, the music became the focal point. I think to appreciate the sound of their music, it is best to understand the unique instruments on stage, which included the following: the two-string fiddle, the hammer-dulcimer, the flute, and the fish drums. The first thing I noticed was the delicacy of the sound and manner in which the instruments were played and that the songs were mostly homophonic, which is typical of Chinese music. Particularly the hammer-dulcimer I thought would be played rapidly and deliver lower notes, but the performer’s strokes were soft and delivered high notes. The percussionist, Julie Tay, maintained the rhythm and beat on the fish drums, which

Until recent times, China was dominated by a village culture that was responsible for development of the arts and music that the remaining villages have kept afloat in the modern era. Music was so important to each village that villages within close proximity could develop distinctly different sounds, while still under the same genre of music. Unfortunately, village culture is disappearing bringing with it the decline of the popularity of traditional Chinese music (Johnson). Much like in the west, Chinese youth are more inclined to listen and learn more modern styles of music. It is likely a lack of understanding the significance of the music that the youth are not drawn towards learning the classical styles. The leader of the Lei family, an extant group of village musicians, states, “When we play our music, I think of my grandfather. When we play, he lives” (Johnson). The music has a personal connection with the people of China because it is an art form that has been passed down through many generations. This is similar to the African musical culture in which music is the oratorical way of telling stories of the ancestors, but in China the music is a reflection of a culture that thrives off tradition. Since one’s father learned to play traditional Chinese music, he or she will learn to play as well. I heard this concept in the performance, as