The Mimicking of Instruments in Arrangements and Transcriptions for Piano of Chinese Traditional Music

This research paper is an explanatory document for the lecture recital presented by the author. The lecture recital focused on the mimicking of instruments in arrangements and transcriptions for piano of Chinese traditional music. There are five Chinese music instruments discussed in the paper, namely guqin, zheng, erhu, suona, and pipa. This document provides an introduction to the five instruments, including their origin, historical background, and physical characteristics. Then it discusses the selected traditional pieces for these instruments and compares them to their corresponding piano arrangements. The traditional pieces are Three Stanzas of Plum Blossoms (arranged by Jianzhong Wang), Liu Yang River (arranged by Jianzhong Wang), Moon Reflected on the Er-quan Spring (arranged by Wanghua Chu), A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix (arranged by Jianzhong Wang), and Flute and Drum at Sunset (arranged by Yinghai Li). The comparison and the discussion of the technical issues in certain passages will help the pianist to create a fitting sound when performing the works.