Analysis of Textual Choices and Musical Settings in Four Vocal Chamber Works of Bright Sheng

This treatise discusses Bright Sheng’s four vocal chamber works: Three Chinese Poems, Two Poems from the Sung Dynasty, Three Chinese Love Songs, and may i feel said he. It will provide an interpretation of the texts and traditional Chinese literary concepts embodied in them, followed by stylistic analyses of Sheng’s musical settings. Sheng’s interest in using music to bridge cultural gaps and connect audiences with diverse backgrounds will be highlights in this document. Bright Sheng’s vocal chamber works demonstrate his embrace of cultural elements from both Eastern and Western traditions. His distinctive musical language mixes the Chinese culture with which he grew up and the American culture he has known since moving to the United States. As Sheng explains, “Why shouldn’t my music reflect that [mixture]? People acknowledge ‘artistic license’; I embrace ‘cultural license’—the right to reflect my appreciation and understanding of both cultures in my work.” The first chapter is an introduction to Bright Sheng and his compositional approach. The subsequent chapters present analyses of the selected works, interpreting the texts as well as how Sheng’s musical settings reflect significant cultural elements and text meanings.