The influence of Shaanxi province folklore on Zhao Jiping’s “ethnic songs”

The aim of the research is to identify the specifics of the embodiment of musical folklore elements from Shaanxi province (China) in the “ethnic songs” of the Chinese composer Zhao Jiping. The article examines Zhao Jiping’s ethnic songs as a crucial part of his creative legacy. The work analyzes the elements of the musical language of Shaanxi province. Two sources are highlighted as the most significant: folk Shan’ge songs and the Qinqiang opera style. Through examples of Zhao Jipingg’s “ethnic songs”, it is shown how the features of the musical language of Shaanxi – the modal and intonational structure, rhythm, principles of thematic development, and the use of the characteristic sounds of folk instruments – are reflected in the composer’s creativity. These stylistic traits of Maestro Zhao allowed him to create original works that are closely aligned in sound with folk sources, but without the use of direct quotation. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that this segment of Zhao Jiping’s creativity has hardly been examined by Russian musicologists until now. Samples of vocal music that have never been an object of musicological analysis have been introduced into scientific circulation. Using examples of “ethnic songs”, it is shown how music conveys the spirit and mental properties of the people, becoming a bearer of the national culture code. To identify the uniqueness of Zhao Jiping’s style, a comparison is made with the works of Tan Dun, who also worked with folkloric sources, arriving at a completely different aesthetic result.