The Musical Expression of “san zu liang er”: New Explorations of Interval and Sonata Form in “鼎”

Yao Henglu is one of the most distinguished contemporary Chinese composers and educators. His work for Free Bass Accordion, “鼎”, Ding, (TRIPOD, Sonata No.1 for Free Bass Accordion), is a unique solo repertoire for the instrument. Yao Henglu employs a culturally informed approach to defining musical structures and organizes musical ideas through innovative Interval concepts. This piece reflects the composer’s integration of Chinese cultural elements into the framework of Western sonata form and explores innovations in interval relationships. This article examines “鼎” from three perspectives: an overview of the composer and the work, the “san zu liang er” (三足两耳) in sonata form, and an analysis of interval innovation. Through this exploration, the connection and fusion between Western modern compositional techniques and Chinese cultural traditions were revealed, highlighting Yao Henglu’s contributions and the uniqueness of “鼎”.