A Research on Kuo Chih-Yuan’s Ancient Poetry and Art Song “Liangzhou Ci”

Abstract

Kuo Chih-Yuan was a famous composer in China Taiwan. He was the pioneer of modern music in China Taiwan and was highly recognized in the music industry. His had written a number of art songs, Hokkien songs, children’s songs, and folk songs adapted with vocal works, as well as instrumental works, including piano music, embodying them with strong local characteristics of orchestral suites, operas, musicals, and choral. From the perspective of “Liangzhou Ci,” a creative ancient poetry and art song, this paper expounds Kuo Chih-Yuan’s creative rules and aesthetic principles by sorting out and collecting relevant materials, analyzing the tonality of his works, and making a comparative study of the changes in intervals, rhythm, and musical structure. This paper further refines the characteristics of ancient poetry and art songs in terms of singing, as well as the humanistic characteristics and historical implications that need to be highlighted when interpreting ancient poetry and art songs, in hope to provide useful reference for vocal music teaching and performance.