VIOLIN ART IN CHINA IN THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL TRENDS: THE INTERACTION OF EUROPEAN PERFORMANCE TRADITIONS AND NATIONAL INTONATIONAL THINKING

Abstract

The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive musicological interpretation of the processes involved in the formation and development of Chinese national violin art, with particular emphasis on identifying the specific features of the synthesis between Western European compositional and performance principles and the traditional Chinese intonational system. The methodological framework of the research is based on a complex of interdisciplinary approaches that enable a multi-level analysis of the phenomenon under investigation. The historical-stylistic method is employed to trace the evolution of Chinese violin art within the context of global musical processes; the intonational-analytical method is used to examine the specifics of modal-harmonic and melodic organization; structural-functional analysis is applied to explore the compositional dramaturgy of musical works; the hermeneutic approach is utilized for interpreting the artistic content of the musical text; and the comparative method allows for the juxtaposition of European and Chinese performance and compositional models. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive consideration of Chinese violin art as a phenomenon of intercultural synthesis, integrating diverse intonational and performance systems into a unified artistic model. A holistic musicological analysis of the Violin Concerto by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang “Butterfly Lovers” (“Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai”) has been conducted, revealing the specific features of its modal-harmonic ambivalence, dramaturgical organization, and performance interpretation. The study expands the understanding of the role of Chinese violin repertoire in the transformation of the global musical space. Conclusions. The formation of the national violin repertoire in China occurs within the framework of an active dialogue with Western European musical traditions, resulting in the emergence of a specific type of artistic thinking based on the synthesis of diverse intonational, compositional, and performance systems. Such a synthesis is not a mechanical combination of elements but involves their profound transformation, ensuring the organic integrity of a new musical language. The analysis of institutional factors in the development of Chinese violin art has demonstrated that the system of professional music education plays a decisive role in shaping the performance school, providing not only a high level of technical training but also the gradual integration of modern pedagogical concepts oriented toward the development of creative individuality. At the same time, it has been revealed that contemporary Chinese music pedagogy exists in a state of dynamic balance between the traditional emphasis on technical perfection and innovative approaches aimed at fostering interpretative flexibility, corresponding to the demands of a globalized cultural environment. The musicological interpretation of the Violin Concerto by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang “Butterfly Lovers” (“Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai”), considered as a representative example of an intercultural musical text, demonstrates that the work combines programmatic dramaturgy characteristic of the European Romantic tradition with the intonational specificity of Chinese music, based on pentatonic structures and the principle of variant-variational development. The identified modal-harmonic ambivalence, the synthesis of symphonic thinking with national melodic idioms, and the specificity of performance expressive means indicate the formation of a new type of musical language capable of effective intercultural communication.