Materiality of Sonic Imagery: On Analysis of Contemporary Chinese Compositions

This essay explores concepts related to the materiality of sound and considers the aesthetics of contemporary Chinese music (and of other Asian heritages) through this lens. In compositions such as Guo Wenjing’s chamber work She Huo, musical expression is prominently shaped by sonic ideas rooted in socio-historical and cultural contexts, and associated with materials of substance and matter. Analysis of such works requires reconceptualizing the modes of analysis and listening practice. Through a focus on materiality, I argue, we gain insight about the music in ways unattainable from established, ingrained modes of musical analysis. Examples explored include the significance of onomatopoeic words for the notation of percussion music in Peking opera; the concept of sawari in Japanese instrumental music, as discussed by Tōru Takemitsu; and Isang Yun’s notion of Hauptton. Music’s materiality comprises many dimensions, the consideration of which is of great importance as we seek to broaden the canon.