Stylistics of Cantonese opera yueju in Chen Peixun’s piano works: features of performance
Authors: Le Sun 
Published: January 2025

Statement of the problem. The relevance of the proposed research is due to the growing interest in Chinese music in the world, its goal is to help the future listener and performer of this music in mastering the piano works of the outstanding Chinese composer Chen Peixun. The article is devoted to the connections between Chen Peixun’s piano work and the national traditions of musical and theatrical art of the cultural center of the Chinese province of Guangdong – the Canton city. Their features are reflected in a number of the master’s piano pieces: “Selling Groceries”, “Passionate Spring Desire” (op. 5), “A Thunderclap During a Drought” (op. 6), Variations “Flight of Two Butterflies” (op. 7), “Autumn Moon over a Calm Lake” (op. 17), “Flowing Water” (op. 19). Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the article is to identify the connections of Chen Peixun’s piano works with national traditions of musical and theatrical art and to determine the features of their performance embodiment. The following methods and approaches are used: systemic – ensures the interaction of functional and structural characteristics of phenomena in the studied area; historical-typological – allows to trace historical connections and continuity in the field of theatrical and piano art; philosophical-aesthetic – helps to comprehend the worldview of the composer; structural-functional – is needed to carry out a compositional and dramaturgical analysis of selected works, to comprehend their musical form and figurative and semantic plan; interpretative –to reproduce the sound ideal in the process of performing the composer’s text. The issue of the connection between the Chen Peixun’s piano work and national musical and dramatic art has not been considered in scientific works. Research results and conclusion. The stylistics of Cantonese folk music is characterized by sophistication, detailing of the figurative structure, attention to psychological subtext, and a variety of timbre characteristics. These features are reflected in the composer’s piano music, primarily in melodic turns and modal features. The musical language is based on cantilena and sound imaging. The principles of the composer’s work with national material, which has received bright features in the piano texture and timbre characteristics of his works, are revealed. A set of performance tasks aimed at overcoming pianistic problems of both in miniatures and in extended concert works is considered. In Chen Peixun’s piano works, the embodiment of the stylistic elements of the Cantonese opera yueju is especially clearly felt: typical melodies, various pentatonic modes with the addition of additional degrees, ornaments of maotou at the beginning of phrases, imitation of the timbres of the Cantonese instrumental ensemble, etc. The main tasks that arises before the performer of the composer’s piano works are the need of high professionalism and adequate reproduction of the composer’s concept. Chen Peixun’s piano works are a unique phenomenon of Chinese musical culture, a bright page of the world piano art of the 20th century. Their genre and style novelty contributes to the propaganda and introduction of the composer’s works in the concert practice.