Musical creativity in twentieth-century China : Abing, his music and its changing meanings

This work examines the multiple and conflicting interpretations created around the life and music of the blind folk musician Abing (1893-1950).

Abing is a household name in China, but despite the central place he holds in Chinese music, he is little known, and his music rarely heard, abroad.

This detailed study of Abing, and the accompanying CD compilation of his most well-known works, reveal much both about this unjustly neglected composer, and about the recreation of traditional music in contemporary China.

Particular attention is given to the problematic category of the musical 'work' in a tradition which relies heavily on improvisation and creative reworking of material; Abing's music has also taken strikingly different shapes since his death, notably in arrangements, some involving Western instruments, which have adapted his music to changing tastes and ideological trends, both in mainland China, and in Taiwan and overseas.

Dr. Jonathan P.J. Stock is Lecturer in Music at the University of Durham.