Traditional Chinese Music in Contemporary Singapore is a collection of essays written by 12 esteemed contributors who are greatly involved in building up and contributing to traditional Chinese music in Singapore. Ranging from musicians to lecturers and conductors, these essays present various perspectives and incisive insights into this particular sphere of music, and are both a useful entry point for the curious reader, as well as valuable companions to experienced enthusiasts. Featuring essays from: Lum Yan Sing; Quek Ling Kiong; Tan Chin Huat; Michelle Loh; Samuel Wong; Teresa Fu; Natalie Alexandra Tse; Chia Qilong Andy;
This book explores questions of identity, cultural change and creativity from the perspective of contemporary musicians currently engaged in redefining Asian musical traditions and notions of heritage in Singapore. Drawing on the fields of anthropology, cultural studies, and ethnomusicology, Semionauts of Tradition focuses on emerging millennial musicians and explores the complex and interwoven cultural, national, musical, and personal identifications in their discourse and music practice. It shows how they create fluid, hybrid and counter-hegemonic forms of expression, representation and identity through their navigation of diverse cultural worlds, their incorporation of a myriad of elements into their own identities and music, and their contestations of preconceived notions of difference and tradition. The book exposes paradoxes within current thinking about ‘multiracialism’, ‘racial harmony’, the ‘East/West divide’ and ‘tradition versus modernity,’ and proposes new ways of understanding identity, cultural change and creativity in a highly globalised, and diverse nation. This highly-original polyvocal account of a burgeoning music scene includes photos, musical scores and reaction pieces by musicians. It is a timely contribution to global discussions about ‘multiculturalism from below,’ as well as musical, cultural and national identities in a postcolonial Southeast Asian setting, from the viewpoint of artists engaged in creative meaning-making. "This captivating book explores - with tremendous intellectual vitality - the dialectic relationships between the cultural, ethnic and national identities of Singapore’s creative youth, and their creative practice. A compelling read!" Dr Liora Bresler, Professor, University of Illinois "A well-researched and thoughtfully well-written book about the diverse forms of music in Singapore and the musicians who created it." - Jeremy Monteiro, jazz pianist, singer, composer, and music educator "This wonderfully lucid and compelling book analyzes the musical and cultural creativity of young Singaporean musicians growing up in a multicultural and ethnically plural society, bringing Asian and Western musical cultures into creative dialogue." - Dr Deborah Pacini Hernandez, Professor Emeritus, Tufts University "A thought provoking dialogue on contemporary Singaporean music!" -Eric Watson, composer, conductor, music technologist and pedagogue
This book provides valuable insights into some of the key issues in Chinese music research, spanning both historical and contemporary contexts. It employs analytical methodologies to explore the forms, sources, and historical materials of traditional Chinese music. By merging contemporary ethnomusicological methods with historical Chinese music theories centered on mathematical concepts, it offers a comprehensive approach. Detailed analyses of music sources and literature reviews of current research make this work indispensable for anyone interested in the scope, methodologies, and current scholarship of traditional Chinese music, firmly rooted in historical inquiry.
What do cultural leaders really think about the problems they, and the arts and cultural sector, face? This book brings global leaders in the cultural field into dialogue with academics and experts to offer profound insight and perspectives on the complex issues the cultural sector faces in a rapidly accelerating and destabilising twenty-first century context. The book engages directly with leaders in the arts and cultural sector, bridging the gap between academia, policy and practice. Each chapter sheds new light on national cultural policy contexts, offering different perspectives on arts subsidy, audiences, the cultural workforce, heritage, artform development and how cultural leadership functions in a fast-changing local, national and international context. Interviews are conducted by academics and experts with significant knowledge and understanding of the arts management and cultural policy field, who ask critical and probing questions. Featuring interviews with an impressively international range of senior figures from the cultural sector, from the Royal Opera House, BMW, Bloomberg and Onassis Foundation and covering countries including the UK, Germany, Chile, Singapore, Greece, USA, Serbia and Ireland, the book gives a truly global overview of cultural leadership from leaders who are open to question, critique and challenge. Each chapter offers a unique and fascinating insight into the mind of a leader in their field, with their experience ranging from huge participatory events featuring tens of thousands of people to the visual arts, opera, the Turner Prize and the #blacklivesmatter movement. This book will be essential reading for reflective cultural leaders around the world, as well as a useful resource for students and scholars involved with arts and cultural management and policy.
"Playing Erhu: Bridging the Gap" was written for English readers who are interested in learning how to play the erhu, but could not find any erhu instruction books in English. The book covers: Assembly of the erhu; Reading staff and jianpu notation; Fingering charts for all common keys; Music symbols, terms, ornamentation; Exercises in staff and jianpu notation for each key; Annotated regional folksongs in staff and jianpu notation for each key; Internet access to recordings of all music found in this book as performed by the author.
Gender in Chinese Music draws together contributions from ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, and literary scholars to explore how music is implicated in changing notions of masculinity, femininity, and genders "in between" in Chinese culture.
A wide range of performing arts and practices of the Asian diasporas across the world are examined by scholars of Asian studies, theatre studies, anthropology, cultural studies, dance ethnology and ethnomusicology.
Exploring Cultural Value presents ground breaking new research on the use of the cultural value lens to explain and investigate those areas of society where art and culture can have an impact or add value, beyond economic measures.
The Routledge Companion to Audiences and the Performing Arts represents a truly multi-dimensional exploration of the inter-relationships between audiences and performance. This study considers audiences contextually and historically, through both qualitative and quantitative empirical research, and places them within appropriate philosophical and socio-cultural discourses. Ultimately, the collection marks the point where audiences have become central and essential not just to the act of performance itself but also to theatre, dance, opera, music and performance studies as academic disciplines. This Companion will be of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduates, as well as to theatre, dance, opera and music practitioners and performing arts organisations and stakeholders involved in educational activities.
