A comparison using "Symphony No. 94 2nd Movement" by Haydn

The full sheet music can be found here: http://www.musedata.org/haydn/sym-094/
A sound track can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cs_f3GupCo

A notable similarity between this piece and Chinese orchestral music is the instrumentation. Although Chinese and Western instruments may seem different, some instruments, particularly the strings and the flute, are very similar in the sound that is produced, and thus creating a similar timbre. This piece also uses binary form, a similar form that is used in "Wild Dance of the Golden Snake." Melodies are doubled in certain instruments, making it stand out, which is also a similarity. The song also uses a rather wide tessitura.

However, a main difference that stands out is the dynamic change. It is particularly recognizable in this piece, especially with a sudden fortissimo after a section of pianissimo.

The duration of this piece is also very standard, like most pieces composed during the classical period. With Chinese orchestral music, duration can vary by a lot, which is different than the standards that were set during the Classical period.

A summary on Similarities and Differences

Similarities:

• The timbre and techniques used are very similar, due to the fact that strings and wind instruments are present in both orchestras, and they are similar in structure and also in appearance.
• Form structure presents a strange similarity between the two.
• Melodies are emphasized in both types.
• Rhythms are also very similar, without too much syncopation in both.
• Wide tessitura is present in both

Differences:

• The use in dynamics is not always apparent in Chinese orchestral music, but it is very important in Western orchestral music.
• The duration of a piece can vary by a lot for Chinese music, but in Western music the range is not as extreme.
• The tonality used for the two types of music is different. In Chinese music, not only that several keys in the usual 12 tone Western music theory missing, cadences can end without going back to tonic.

A comparison using “Dance of the Yao People”

Since this song is originally composed for a western orchestra, this song can be used to compare the timbres of the instruments.

Western orchestra version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtch2HjmBQI

Chinese orchestra version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxHNyZs1gvI

Starting from the very beginning, both orchestras used plucking, known as pizzicato in western music terminology, in the bass string instruments while the strings with a higher pitch play the melody. The timbre of both versions sounds very similar, besides the rapid plucking from the pipa in the Chinese orchestral version. Both versions also made use of wind instruments, particularly flutes, as they are present in both Chinese and Western instrumental families.

The inherent difference in the musical instruments, however, creates a slight variance between the two versions. Chinese instruments, compared to Western instruments, have unstable pitches that tend to give a “trembling” effect. This effect is present in almost all Chinese instruments, which emphasize its importance. Comparatively, Western instruments are much more stable in melody, even with the use of vibrato, because Western music stresses the need to avoid dissonance.

This piece also presents a form that bears a resemblance to Western music – ternary form. Primary motives were presented in the beginning of the piece, and later, the slow “development” section enters. Lastly, the primary section returns with a slight altercation at the end for the ending cadence.

A comparison using "Wild Dance of the Golden Snake"

Below is the jianpu of the “Wild Dance of the Golden Snake.”

The analysis of the music will be based on the following sound track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkIVBtbjz1c

Starting from the beginning, string and wind instruments take the melody of the piece with a melody, which is quite similar to how melodies are emphasized in western orchestral music. However, this piece presents a much narrower tessitura and a limited harmony, which does not provide a contrasting timbre that Western music, especially in the Romantic period, embraced.

The soft plucked string instruments serves as pedals to the piece, which may be similar to the role of drums in a Western orchestra. Coincidentally, plucking string instruments is also a widely used technique in Western orchestra known as pizzicato, and is seldom used as a harmony and also a pedal. The use of trill is also very prominent, especially in the wind section, which is similar to Western music.

In some pieces like this one, ignoring the use of percussion and plucked string instruments as a base, all the instruments in a Chinese orchestra play the exact same notes. In a western orchestra, different types of instrument are in charge of playing a different part. For example, the trumpet section has a melodic line that is different from that of the violin section. This allows Western music to create a timbre that is much more contrasting with much more flexibility. Without the separation of parts, this type of Chinese orchestral music is almost free from dissonance, in which Western music embraced starting from the Romantic period.

Therefore, unlike Western orchestral music, Chinese music can be presented in both homophony and monophony.

In this particular piece, it is very hard to tell changes in dynamics, if there were any at all. First, those dynamics are not usually notated in the sheet music, and secondly, the timbre of the Chinese instruments, compared to those of Western instruments, such as a trumpet, is rather soft.

In Western music, composer strive to convey a certain mood, or many moods, by the use of many techniques, one of which being dynamics.The dynamics do not affect Chinese music the way it do to Western music. 

The duration of a piece performed by a Chinese orchestra can be very short compared to those performed by a Western orchestra. While a piece performed by a western orchestra can last for many minutes, Chinese music can last for one, as shown in the video, or even shorter. The form, also, is not as defined. Although a form is still present, Chinese music is not restricted by a format that Western music is.

Some may say that form is almost nonexistent in Chinese music, due to the short length of the music pieces. However, there is a form that most Chinese orchestral music follows. This format of this performance is somewhat similar to that of the binary form in Western music, in which a solo melody is presented, then the orchestra plays, and the solo melody is played again, and the orchestra plays again, so on and so forth.

Based on the recording provided above, there was an introductory section that ended at 0:24. A cadence was present, and then immediately a new motive played. After that, there was a “development” section, in which the entire orchestra was focused on a “call-and-response” with the percussion instruments. This “call-and-response” section temporarily ended at 0:35. The original motive that was presented in the introduction was used again, which ended at 0:53, immediately followed by another “call-and-response” section that is identical to the once before. Finally, the last section started at 1:12. The motive presented in the introductory section was play once again, but this time, sped up and finally ended with a half cadence. 

The difference between the structures of the two is that Western orchestral music almost never ends in a half cadence, as early western composers believe that the final note should always return to tonic. In Chinese music, however, there is no such restriction.

Chinese Music Theory

Theory-wise, it is not extremely difficult to use Western terminology to explain Chinese music. Chinese music uses a pentatonic scale that is derived from the popular instrument Guqin. Some of the notes in western notation do not exist in Chinese music. However, due to the rapid growth of the genre, western music clearly has demonstrated an influence on Chinese music.

Today, Chinese music is notated through the use of Jianpu (which directly translates into “Simple notation”). It is also known as the number system. Below is a part of the Jianpu of the famous piece “Wild Dance of the Golden Snake.”

The numbers, instead of corresponding to the notes, correspond with the scale degrees or the solfege.

For example,

1     2     3     4     5

Corresponds to

do   re   mi    fa    so

Dots above the numbers raises it by an octave, and dots below the numbers lower the notes by an octave.  Lines underneath the numbers notate the rhythm in which the notes should be played, along with other notations such as slurs. This system of notation is similar to the usage of neumes in early western music.

Due to the fact that this type of music is notated following the scale degrees, the key is written beforehand. The meter is also very similar to that of western music, usually shown as a fraction. Due to the similarities between the two notation systems, it is very easy to notate western music with Jianpu.

Chinese Instruments

After a close inspection of the instruments, many of the instruments used in Chinese orchestra looks very similar to western instruments. The Pipa, for example, looks very similar to a guitar with a sound that is very similar when only a single note is plucked. The main difference between the timbres of the instruments is the method in which it is played. With the Pipa, many notes are plucked in succession, whereas with the guitar, chords were usually played with a less rapid movement.

Example Pipa music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M287zBOXcDU

Sometimes, due to western influence, string instruments such as the violin and cello may also be used as part of the plucked string section.

Introduction

Although Chinese orchestral music and Western orchestral music are seemingly different, they share similarities in many different aspects such as pitch. Some instruments used in Chinese orchestra are also strikingly similar to those in the Western orchestra, in terms of timbre. Some of the main popular pieces in Chinese music include “Wild Dance of the Golden Snake” and “Dance of the Yao People.”