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“Quan” (“Springs”) is a solo work composed for zheng with a heptatonic tuning system by Jing-Mu Kuo in 2019, as a piece of his “Nien” (“Longing”) series. The composer based this work on Chinese zheng performance and incorporated Japanese zheng playing skills. Exploiting his creative advantages as a zheng soloist, Kuo adeptly applied his playing skills and creativity in musical performance to construct an unfettered, idiosyncratic style of composition with a distinctive framework of sounds and tones.
This thesis delved into the creative ideas of the composer through individual interviews. By objectively examining the work and analyzing the tuning system, form, playing skills, and composition techniques adopted in this piece, the thesis outlined the artistic features of the work and highlighted the characteristics of a fusion with Japanese zheng music elements. Moreover, it explored the acoustic effects of the work from the perspective of playing techniques, and further discussed the differentiation of musical styles while interpreting the acoustic aesthetics of the piece.
This study found that Kuo paid close attention to the order and combination of musical notes in composing this piece, using unique and logical phrases to represent the ever-flowing, forward-moving momentum of music. The symbolic image of ever-flowing spring water also embodies the composer’s core concept for this work—namely, a practice of tenacity and perseverance. In terms of form, structure, technique, and musical style, the solo zheng work “Quan” is not only a fresh contribution to Taiwan’s zheng repertoire, but also a rare experiment that opens up new possibilities for the development of Taiwan zheng music.
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