The term“post-tonal” is often used to describe Western music composed between the years 1890-1920. Musicians working in this period believed traditional harmony and theory had grown outdated and began experimenting with new compositional techniques. Some of the musician broke away from conventional usage of tonality and modality, and some found innovation through applying modes from non-Western musical traditions. With the diminishing use of vertical harmonies and the increasing use of horizontal modes and scales, compositions from this period shared many common traits with works produced by Chinese orchestras that have been heavily influenced by Western symphonic music. This study attempts to partially alter the instrumentation of a few 20th century Western compositions and replace certain instruments with Chinese instruments to allow for an experimental sonic interpretation of these pieces.
The study focuses on Paul Hindemith’s “Sonata for Horn and Piano” and Gordon Jacob’s “Concerto for Horn and Strings.” Musical analyses of these pieces using methods of traditional harmony and counterpoint show that melodies created using 20th century compositional devices share similarities with various modes used in Eastern musical traditions. Based on this finding, the instrumentation of the pieces is adapted for Chinese instruments, allowing the unique timbre of Chinese instruments to bring out the melodies and reveal new interpretations. It is hoped that this method of adaptation, in line with the practical spirit of Gebrauchsmusik, can raise the public’s level of acceptance for 20th century compositions.
