'Chineseness' as Master-signifier: Du Mingxin's first Piano Concerto and the Music of the Future

Arturo Irisarri Izquierdo*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to conferenceConference paper

Abstract

This paper re-evaluates the music of Du Mingxin, one of China's leading composers since the 1950s, challenging the prevailing scholarly view of him as a conservative artist.

The question of 'Chineseness' is of paramount importance in Du's works. Du himself describes his oeuvre as a musical quest for 'Chineseness,' and researchers have explored how the notion has influenced his works at multiple levels, from their themes and titles to their musical language. Existing scholarship has attempted to establish the 'Chineseness' of Du's works by tracing the composer's use of elements traditionally associated with Chinese culture in his music. This approach, however, has produced a clichéd portrayal of Du as a composer anchored to the Socialist era (1949- 1976), minimising his contribution to China's post-Mao musical scene.

Against this interpretation, I argue that Du's purported conservatism is largely a (misguided) scholarly construct, resulting from an unwarranted reliance on an oversimplified, essentialist understanding of 'Chineseness.' I propose that 'Chineseness' be considered a Lacanian master-signifier, a perspectival shift allowing us to reveal the emancipatory political project implicit in Du's music, with significant implications for a contemporary re-theorisation of 'Chineseness.'

To illustrate this, I develop a novel analysis of Du's Piano Concerto "The Elegance of Spring" (1988), a work historically considered as emblematic of Du's traditionalism. Contrary to this mainstream assumption, focusing on the concerto's formal and organisational dimensions, my analysis dispels the semblance of conservatism, repositioning Du's music as a significant, influential contribution to the renewal of Chinese music in the post-Mao era.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 11 Sept 2024
EventRoyal Musical Association 60th Annual Conference - Senate House and the British Library, London, United Kingdom
Duration: 11 Sept 202413 Sept 2024
https://www.rma.ac.uk/events/rma-annual-conference/

Conference

ConferenceRoyal Musical Association 60th Annual Conference
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityLondon
Period11/09/2413/09/24
Internet address

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Music

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