On Tan Dun’s "Eight Memories In Watercolor"

Since the reform and opening up,piano music in China has developed rapidly.As a representative of the new generation of composers,Mr.Tan Dun has made great contributions to the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese folk music."Memories of Eight Watercolor Paintings" is a suite created by Mr.Tan Dun in the early stages of reform and opening up in 1978,combining Chinese and Western musical characteristics.The entire suite contains eight pieces of music,expressing Mr.Tan Dun’s yearning for his childhood hometown in Hunan from various aspects.Each piece of music contains rich cultural characteristics of Western Hunan music,and also draws on the composition techniques of Western classical music.It is one of the most representative works that use a combination of Chinese and Western methods to express the elements of Western Hunan folk songs.This article starts with Mr.Tan Dun’s personal background and introduces in detail his personal experience,as well as his experience in creating the entire suite.At the same time,it also analyzes this work in detail from the perspective of musical structure,and conducts an in-depth study of its musical style.Finally,it systematically expounds the performance skills contained in this suite from the perspectives of polyphony,antiparpeggio,rhythmic pedals,touch keys,and the mastery of RUBATO,with a view to providing some experience for others while improving their personal performance level.