Liu Dehai "life Chapter," Lute Works

Dehai Liu, a renowned Pipa performer, educator and composer of China, is widely acclaimed as the pioneer and leading artist of Pipa art of the twentieth century. An epoch-making figure in the development and innovation of Pipa playing techniques, Mr. Liu in his life time created a great number of Pipa musical works. His most famous works, collectively known as Chapter of Life produced in the mid-1980s, were composed of five independent melodies --"Old Child","Swan","Spring Silkworm","Terra-Cotta Warrior"and"Childhood". Chapter of Life witnessed the culmination of Mr. Dehai Liu's music career and was regarded as one of his most mature works. The five melodies embodied not only his unique credos and superb techniques in music composition but also his endeavors in innovation and originality, exerting profound influence on the development of contemporary Pipa art.This thesis attempted to, through analysis of the five Pipa melodies in Chapter of Life, further appreciate the artistic values of his works, and sum up his remarkable artistic innovations, in a hope to draw on his excellent techniques and creeds in music composition and provide useful reference for contemporary Pipa art of China. This thesis consists of four chapters.Chapter I"Dehai Liu and Chinese modern Pipa art"introduced Dehai Liu's artistic career and his composition of Chapter of Life, against the backdrop of the development of modern Chinese Pipa art. This chapter also reviewed the course of Mr. Liu's artistic creation.Chapter II focused on analyzing the five melodies in Chapter of Life with special emphasis on the themes of the music, techniques employed and the layout of tonality.Chapter III illustrated the artistic characteristics of Chapter of Life in terms of the artist's credos in music composition, playing techniques, and music composition techniques.Chapter IV explored and summarized the artistic influence and historical significance of the five melodies in Chapter of Life.The Conclusion briefly summarized the thesis and pointed out some inspirations of Dehai Liu's Chapter of Life for the development of contemporary Pipa music.