Wright 1

Zachariah Wright
Dr. Haas
Intro to World Music and Culture
11 September 2015
Reflective Writing #1
Different performances and styles of music have surprisingly different forms and social
functions. However, even similar styles of music have the same issues. This paper will discuss
the case study of jiangnan sizhu music discussed in this class. To this end, this paper will
compare and contrast the musical form and social function of the music of the tea house and the
concert hall.
The form of the jiangnan sizhu music of the tea house example is not pre-organized like
the Western concert repertoire. During a performance of jiangnan sizhu, performers often
improvise their own parts to create a new version of the song. This is similar to how American
jazz musicians communicate during performance. This improvisation allows the performers and
audience to obtain a new feel of a piece, despite performances still being similar. The form of the
piece changes as new artists lead and guide others through the form, adding their own nuances to
the performances. However, the music of the Chinese concert hall is pre-organized and
rehearsed, like Western music. This leads to the music feeling more familiar to Western
audiences at the expense of the expression of the artists. The contrast between the form of the tea
house music and the music of the concert hall is the flexibility; the concert halls music is stuck
in one position while the tea house music can adapt and change with the performers.
The social function of the two performances also varies greatly. The social function of the
tea house music is to entertain and express the emotions of the performers. Meanwhile, the social
function of the concert music is to seem more Western in nature. The Chinese government
wishes to purport the idea that the music of China is closer to the Western idea of music, instead
of the music of Chinese heritage like the music of the tea house performers. To combat this,
performers of the tea house music attempt to convey the more traditional form of Chinese music.

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To conclude, the music of jiangnan sizhu features different social functions and musical
form based on performance venue and style.

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Bibliography
Lau, Frederick. Music in China: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. New York: Oxford
UP, 2008. Print.