The dizi (Chinese bamboo flute) its representative repertoires in the years from 1949 to 1985

Abstract

This dissertation is a comprehensive study by a third generation Chinese professional flautist of the dizi (the Chinese Bamboo flute) and its representative repertoires during the “New China” (the People’s Republic of China; the PRC) era. The study was made by means of a discussion of the instrument’s history, an examination of extant music manuscripts and other evidence, discussion of first hand personal professional experiences in China with first and second generation master flautists, and by performances of a sample of items. In order to understand the family of Chinese flutes, their music and performance, music’s changing role in Chinese society was explored: the influences brought to bear by political decree, by changes in cultural attitude, economics, and methods of manufacture, in the years from 1949 to 1985. By the early 1980s the effects of the Chinese government’s “Open Door Policy” were significantly noticeable. Everyday life in China was being increasingly influenced by the presence of western popular culture, particularly film and music, with a dilution of interest in things more traditionally Chinese.