Han Tien Lei (Thunder During Drought)

This week I will be comparing two videos as part of this week's theme of authenticity. Both recordings are a performance of the Chinese classical song Han Tien Lei (Thunder During Drought) composed by Yan Lao-Lie. 

The first recording is an arrangement of the song for string quartet (2 violins, viola, and cello). This recording is performed by the Shanghai Women String Quartet. 
The second recording is a performance by the Hanshin Chinese Folk and Dance Ensemble. This recording features traditional Chinese instruments such as the erhu, pipa, guzheng, dizu, and yangqin. 
If we are to consider the second recording as the more "authentic" performance, several comments on authenticity can be made in comparing the two performances. Considering Palmer's definition of authenticity as a continuum (Koops, 2010), the string quartet performance cannot be absolutely authentic because the music was not originally written for that arrangement. However, it is not far off on the spectrum for several factors. According to Koops (2010), two other definitions/models of authenticity include Kivy's twofold model of authenticity regarding historical and personal authentic factors, and Swanwick's model of authenticity as reproduction, reality, and relevance. The string quartet recording strives for authenticity and reproduction authenticity due to its attention to the intent, sound, and practice of the original. While the ensemble is of a different instrumentation, it aims for the overall aesthetic of the traditional ensemble sound. For instance, the violin can be heard using slides that mimic the erhu sound. While the sounds are not identical, the violinist purposefully manipulations the sound to the best of her ability with the intent of creating an authentic sound. Similarly, on the string quartet recording, you can hear the use of false harmonics to create a high pitched airy sound which mimics the sound of the dizu. The string quartet also performs the piece with the same amount of energy and celebration as heard on the traditional ensemble recording. The result is an intentional performance that respects and recognizes the original aesthetic of the piece. 

References:
Koops, L. H. (2010). Can't we just change the words. Music Educators Journal, 97(1), 23-28. 






Comments

  1. mbakerbrownNovember 12, 2017 at 1:18 PM

    Hi Kristine, I really enjoyed your post. I was interesting to hear the same piece sound so differently. I agree that the quartet does its best to mimic the sounds and styles of the original, and it does add a unique quality to performance that does bring authenticity to it. The was a sentence in the Abril article that said, "Some ethnomusicologists have even asserted that "authentic" music is not a valid concept, because music is continually evolving and being reshaped by culture (Abril, 2006 pg.39). I would consider both of the musics to be authentic. The original because it accurately represents the culture, and the quartet because it resembles the original in all context except instrumentation. I'll end with another Abril quote when he said, "The key to determining how much can be lost before the music is no longer a reflection of the culture purportedly being represented" (Abril, 2006 pg. 39). The quartet still reflects the original very well in style, so I would say it is also authentic in nature.

    Abril, C.R. (2006). Music That Represents Culture: Selecting Music with Integrity. Music Educators Journal, 93(1), 38-45.

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