Mastering Percussion Instruments of the European Academic Tradition by Chinese Musicians in the 20th‑21st Centuries

The article focuses on music for percussion instruments of the European academic tradition in the context of Chinese musical culture. It observes the dynamics of mastering this instrumentation by domestic percussionists, both within the framework of symphony orchestras being organised in the country and in traditional creative bands. The typological similarity between the formation principles of Chinese traditional instrument orchestras and the Russian one created by V. Andreev on the model and likeness of the symphonic one, with the preservation of the functions of the corresponding bands, is observed. Attention is drawn to the improvement of drum kits based on the combination of traditional and European instruments in one arrangement. The instruments gradually included in the European orchestra are designated: a woodblock (木鱼), a slit drum (梆子), Chinese cymbals (反镲), a gong (小锣), a tamtam (大锣). This enriched the timbre arsenal of modern musicians, giving them the opportunity to create original vivid sound effects and enhance the expressiveness of music. The contribution of outstanding Chinese composers and performers to the development of this art form is revealed. Attention is drawn to the introduction of a combination of Chinese and Western percussion instruments into practice. The authors associate the intensification of the described processes since the 1980s of the 20th century with the new socio-­political situation of the “era of openness”. During that time, cultural exchange between countries intensified and percussion instruments of the European academic tradition were included in the educational programs of universities with musical focus in a short period of time. The emergence of talented virtuosos inspired world-­famous composers (Guo Wenjing, Wen Deqing, Liu Gang, Tan Dun, Qi Zhang) to create works with traditional musical poetics for percussion. It is suggested that it is only the beginning of the journey, since there is still relatively little music written by Chinese composers for European percussion instruments compared to foreign ones. However, there are many optimistic prerequisites for this art form development in all its components: composition, performance creativity, and music pedagogy.