Resonance: Journal of Global Music Studies
Resonance: Journal of Global Music Studies is an international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the study of music across cultures, historical periods, and diverse artistic practices. It fosters interdisciplinary dialogue in musicology, ethnomusicology, performance studies, and related fields, promoting global perspectives on sound, creativity, and musical thought. Published biannually in June and December, Resonance accepts submissions in English, Chinese, German, Italian, and Russian, with English titles and abstracts required. Journal sections include Research Articles, Sound Archives, Contemporary Soundscapes, Book & Media Reviews, Interviews, Translations, and Original Scores. Resonance provides an open, inclusive platform bridging theory and practice, history and contemporary expression.
All articles published in Resonance: Journal of Global Music Studies are licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Under this license, authors retain the copyright of their work, while allowing others to: Share – copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format Adapt – remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is included, and any changes made are indicated. There are no restrictions on reuse, provided the original source is cited properly. This open license maximizes the dissemination, accessibility, and impact of published research. Summary of Rights: Authors retain full copyright. The journal holds the right of first publication. Reuse, distribution, and commercial use are permitted under CC BY 4.0. No embargo period applies. The full legal code of the license is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Beethovens heroischer Stil in der Klavierkomposition: Vom napoleonischen Geist zum romantischen Ausdruck
Deutsch Der sogenannte „heroische Stil“ Beethovens bezeichnet eine stilistische und ästhetische Wende in seinem mittleren Schaffensabschnitt, die sowohl persönliche als auch zeitgeschichtliche Dimensionen aufweist. Diese Studie untersucht die komplexe Struktur dieses Stils aus mehreren Perspektiven: die biografischen und ideologischen Ursprünge, die musikalisch-formalen Merkmale wie motivische Arbeit, Kontrastästhetik und formale Ausweitung, sowie seine Rezeption und Deutung durch bedeutende Musikwissenschaftler wie Adorno, Dahlhaus, Burnham und Solomon. Ferner werden Beethovens Einflüsse auf Liszt, Chopin und Brahms analysiert sowie seine Rolle in der Ausbildung eines musikalischen Geschichtsbewusstseins herausgearbeitet. Das heroische Paradigma erscheint dabei als dynamisches Konstrukt, das sich zwischen öffentlichem Pathos und introspektivem Ausdruck entfaltet. Abschließend wird die Relevanz dieses Stils für heutige Interpretations- und Aufführungspraxis reflektiert, sowie seine Bedeutung für ein kritisches Verständnis der westlichen Musiktradition. English Beethoven’s so-called “heroic style” marks a pivotal aesthetic and compositional shift in his middle period, shaped by personal crisis and the ideological upheavals of his time. This study offers a multidimensional examination of the heroic style: its biographical and philosophical origins, its core musical features—including motivic development, contrast aesthetics, and formal expansion—and its interpretation by key musicologists such as Adorno, Dahlhaus, Burnham, and Solomon. The paper also explores Beethoven’s influence on Romantic successors like Liszt, Chopin, and Brahms, as well as the role his music plays in shaping a modern sense of musical historicity. Rather than a fixed concept, the heroic paradigm emerges as a dynamic and evolving construct that encompasses revolutionary grandeur, psychological struggle, and contemplative lyricism. The conclusion reflects on the continued relevance of Beethoven’s heroic style for contemporary interpretive and performance practices, and its implications for a critical understanding of Western musical tradition.
Copyright (c) 2025 The Author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). First published in Resonance: Journal of Global Music Studies. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Breakthrough of Impressionist Music in Traditional Functional Harmony and Its Enlightenment for Contemporary Music — 印象主义音乐对传统功能和声的突破与当代音乐的启示
Impressionist music emerged at the turn of the twentieth century as a significant reorientation of traditional functional harmony. Rather than prioritizing tonal stability and structural teleology, Impressionist composers foregrounded harmonic color, timbre, and atmospheric resonance as primary expressive elements. Drawing on existing scholarship on Impressionist harmony, this article examines how the use of whole-tone scales, pentatonic materials, blurred cadences, and pedal techniques reshaped conventional harmonic logic and rebalanced the relationship between function and sonority. Moving beyond a purely historical account, the study further explores how this color-oriented harmonic thinking continues to inform contemporary film scoring. By emphasizing atmosphere, timbral space, and perceptual immersion, contemporary film music extends the Impressionist sonic paradigm into modern audiovisual contexts. In this sense, Impressionist harmony may be understood not merely as a historical technique, but as an enduring mode of sonic perception that bridges past and present listening practices. 印象主义音乐作为19世纪末20世纪初西方音乐史上的重要革新流派，打破了传统功能和声体系桎梏，重塑了音乐表达逻辑与审美维度。本文以印象主义音乐突破传统功能和声为核心切入，通过既有印象主义和声研究对色彩化、非功能性和声语言的探讨，进而将这一和声思维延伸至当代电影配乐中并为其提供理论参照，揭示印象主义音乐连接过去与未来的桥梁作用。
Copyright (c) 2026 孙珂(Sun Ke) (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Formal Structure and Narrative Musical Language of Ambush on All Sides (Pipa Repertoire) — 琵琶大曲《十面埋伏》的曲式结构与叙事性音乐语言
As one of the most iconic works in the Chinese pipa repertoire, Ambush on All Sides presents a vividly dramatic musical narrative based on the historical Battle of Gaixia between Chu and Han. Using formal structure as the analytical starting point, this study traces the work’s narrative trajectory—pre—war, mid—war, and post—war—through a close examination of pitch organization, rhythmic design, timbral contrast, and articulation patterns. Particular attention is given to the interaction between sectional design and performative layering, demonstrating how tempo, dynamics, instrumental technique, and timbre function not merely as expressive devices but as structural forces shaping the composition’s dramatic arc. Rather than a simple succession of contrasting episodes, the piece reveals a carefully constructed formal architecture in which performance practice plays a decisive role in articulating narrative logic. Through this structural–performative coupling, Ambush on All Sides exemplifies a core aesthetic principle of traditional Chinese instrumental music: the capacity to narrate history and convey emotional intensity through sound alone. 《十面埋伏》作为琵琶武曲的巅峰之作，以楚汉垓下之战为题材，构建了兼具戏剧性与逻辑性的音乐叙事体系。本文以曲式结构为切入点，结合音高、节奏、音色、句法结构等多维度进行分析，剖析作品“战前—战中—战后”的叙事脉络。在此基础上，探讨曲式结构与演奏层次的深度耦合关系，揭示其变化如何服务于情节推进与情绪表达，展现我国传统器乐“以音叙事、以乐传神”的艺术特质。
Chinese Traditional Music; Pipa Music; Musical Narrative; Music Structure Analysis; Performance Studies
“意识之线”回退，“意向之线”显现：鲁托斯拉夫斯基《威尼斯游戏》中的声音现象学结构
中文 现象学还原强调主体持有与客体世界保持距离的“目光”，将研究聚焦对“目光”结构本身的再认识。这启发音乐分析作业的逻辑拐点——音乐分析常侧重技术程式的理性分析而轻视对音响感性经验的探讨，后者是显现音乐意向体验的价值所在。本文采用现象学理论中的“意向性”概念开展一次音乐分析作业，讨论音响意向结构对音乐分析的创新价值。以波兰先锋派作曲家鲁托斯拉夫斯基的音乐观念及其作品《威尼斯游戏》的分析出发，研究表明，“有限偶然”技术构筑了基于创作-表演“游戏”的互动意义，最终，音响推动听者从疏离的“意识之线”转向沉浸的“意向之线”，并要求听众从听觉直观中获得对音乐结构的把握和音乐意义的生成。总体上，现象学为诠释作曲技法对音乐观念的贯彻力度，以及“意向性”对音响聆听经验的阐释空间提供方法论层面的革新。 English Phenomenological reduction emphasizes the “gaze” through which the subject maintains distance from the objective world, refocusing research on re-examining the structure of the “gaze” itself. This marks a pivotal shift in the logic of music analysis practice—where technical procedures often dominate rational analysis while neglecting the exploration of sonic sensory experiences, the latter being precisely where the value of revealing musical intentionality lies. This paper employs the concept of “Intentionality” from phenomenological theory to conduct a music analysis, exploring the innovative value of phenomenological structures of sound in musical analysis. Starting from the musical concepts of Polish avant-garde composer Witold Lutosławski and an analysis of his work Jeux Vénitiens, this study demonstrates that the “Limited Aleatorism” compositional technique constructs interactive meaning based on the “game” of composition and performance process. Ultimately, the sound-object propels listeners from the detached “Threads of Consciousness” toward the immersive “Threads of Intention”, demanding that audiences grasp the musical structure and generate musical meaning through auditory intuition. Overall, phenomenology offers methodological innovation in interpreting the extent to which compositional techniques embody musical concepts and the interpretive space that intentionality provides for the experience of listening to sounds.
Risuonanze Interculturali di Faust di Charles Gounod: Un'Opera Francese nella Ricezione Est-Asiatica
Italiano Quest’articolo propone una riflessione sulla ricezione interculturale dell’opera Faust di Charles Gounod, con particolare attenzione al contesto giapponese e cinese. Pur essendo un capolavoro del Grand Opéra francese dell’Ottocento, Faust ha conosciuto riletture significative in Asia orientale, dove i temi universali del desiderio, del peccato e della redenzione sono stati reinterpretati alla luce di sensibilità culturali locali. Analizzando i personaggi principali, le arie emblematiche e le trasformazioni sceniche contemporanee, si evidenzia come l’opera, pur nata in un contesto europeo, continui a risuonare in modi diversi e dinamici attraverso il tempo e lo spazio. English This article reflects on the intercultural reception of Charles Gounod’s opera Faust, with a particular focus on Japan and China. Although a masterpiece of 19th-century French Grand Opera, Faust has undergone significant reinterpretations in East Asia, where its universal themes of desire, sin, and redemption have been reframed through local cultural sensibilities. By analyzing the main characters, emblematic arias, and contemporary staging approaches, the article demonstrates how this European work continues to resonate in diverse and evolving ways across cultures and eras.
Timeless Resonance: East–West Music Review
中文 模糊性是音乐本体分析中常见的现象，它通常表现为对音乐本体的认识存在着多重诠释的可能。然而，关于模糊性这一概念在音乐分析的语境中如何界定，以及这个概念是否适用于音乐分析领域，学界尚未有明确的共识。本文尝试从抽象层面与具体语境的角度，界定音乐作品中确实存在的模糊性现象；并从聆听过程的角度，解释模糊性这一概念如何为音乐作品的理解与诠释增添一定的美学意趣。于演奏而言，以聆赏过程的视角看见模糊性的存在， 也能一定程度上帮助演奏者寻找与听众感知交互的切入点。 English Ambiguity is a common phenomenon in musical ontological analysis, typically manifesting as the possibility of multiple interpretations in understanding musical events in actual music works. However, there is no clear consensus in academia regarding how to define the concept of ambiguity within the context of Music Analysis, or whether this concept is applicable to the field of Music Analysis. This paper attempts to define the ambiguity phenomena that genuinely exist in musical works from both abstract and specific contextual perspectives and explains from the perspective of the listening process how the concept of ambiguity adds certain aesthetic interest to the understanding and interpretation of musical works.
The crosscheck of the necessity of music learning
Music education is a growing market in China and many developing countries. Many citizens in these countries are spending more on recreation, cultural services and equipment (including musical instruments). Some people, especially children, are encouraged to learn music, because learners can satisfy their curiosity and interest, improve their quality, and achieve aesthetic concepts throughout a long period of music learning. Besides that, learning music is practical in life, it not only expresses learner’s emotions, but also helps them find part-time jobs and get admitted to the high-ranked universities easily, accordingly music is worthwhile to be explored and learned. Second is that most people find a career by learning music. Last but not least, I have personal reasons to recommend learning music and verify the necessity of violin learning by myself.
流行音乐在中日韩留学生语言学习与跨文化适应（cross-cultural adaptation）中的作用研究
中文 近十年来，中日韩三国之间的教育交流与学生流动日益频繁，中国赴日韩高校就读的人数保持稳步上升趋势。语言障碍、文化差异与心理压力成为留学生群体普遍面临的问题。近年来，流行音乐被广泛应用于语言学习与跨文化教育实践中，但其教育功能尚缺乏系统性研究。基于57份问卷与多位中日韩留学生访谈，本研究探讨流行音乐在语言学习与跨文化适应（cross-cultural adaptation）中的教育价值。结果表明，多数留学生通过歌词记忆、跟唱模仿等方式提高了词汇量与语音语调；同时，音乐在缓解孤独、调节情绪、促进文化认同方面发挥积极作用。日韩文化差异导致音乐在教育功能上的表现不同：韩国语境中，流行音乐更有助于语言迁移与社交互动；日本语境下，音乐更多体现为情绪安抚与文化理解。研究认为，流行音乐在高校留学生教育中具有整合潜力，可在语言教学、心理支持与跨文化活动中形成综合教育机制。 English With the acceleration of globalization, the number of Chinese students studying in Japan and Korea has been steadily increasing. However, these students continue to face challenges in language learning and cross-cultural adaptation, such as linguistic barriers, cultural differences, and psychological pressure. Drawing on a mixed-method design, this study analyzes 57 questionnaire responses and two in-depth interviews with Chinese international students in Japan and Korea to explore the educational and psychological roles of popular music in language learning and adaptation. The findings indicate that popular music facilitates vocabulary memorization and pronunciation improvement through lyrical repetition and emotional engagement. It also alleviates loneliness and anxiety, enhancing learners’ sense of cultural understanding and social connection. Yet, discrepancies between lyrical and everyday language limit its direct communicative effectiveness. Overall, the study highlights the potential of popular music as a pedagogical and emotional tool for supporting international students’ linguistic development and cross-cultural adaptation. Future research may further examine its long-term impact across different cultural and educational contexts.
Abstracts of the Resonance Annual Conference 2026: The Next Decade of Music
This abstract collection records the conference abstracts and extended abstracts presented at the Resonance Annual Conference 2026, convened online under the theme “The Next Decade of Music.” The conference brought together researchers, educators, and independent scholars to examine how musical practices, analytical frameworks, and educational approaches are evolving in response to technological change and broader social and cultural transformations. The collection reflects a diverse set of research concerns, including the use of artificial intelligence in audiovisual music creation, algorithmic aesthetics and global cultural circulation, contemporary popular music and identity formation, micro-sociological approaches to opera and performance, media-mediated listening and urban music consumption, and the changing social functions of higher music education. It also highlights questions of equity and access, including discussions of digitally enabled models for rural music education. Published as part of a special issue of Resonance: Journal of Global Music Studies, the texts included here are conference abstracts or extended abstracts derived from oral presentations. They are intended to support scholarly exchange and to document current conversations and emerging directions in global music studies. The materials in this collection have not undergone full peer review and should not be interpreted as full-length research articles. Rather, they provide an accessible record of the conference programme and encourage the subsequent development of presentations into formal journal submissions.
global music studies; conference abstracts; music and technology; interdisciplinary music research; music education; cultural analysis
Music Studies; Ethnomusicology; Cultural Studies; Interdisciplinary Humanities
Copyright (c) 2026 The Author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). First published in Resonance: Journal of Global Music Studies. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Второй фортепианный концерт С. В. Рахманинова: от отчаяния к триумфу
Русский Второй концерт для фортепиано с оркестром до минор, соч. 18, Сергея Васильевича Рахманинова является одним из наиболее значимых произведений в истории академической музыки. Созданный на рубеже XIX и XX веков, этот шедевр представляет собой не только выдающийся образец позднеромантической литературы для фортепиано, но и глубокое отражение личной и творческой драмы самого композитора. Концерт, ознаменовавший триумфальное возвращение Рахманинова к композиторской деятельности после трёхлетнего периода депрессии и кризиса творчества, органично связан с его биографией. Эмоциональная насыщенность, богатство гармонического языка и запоминающаяся мелодичность произведения не только утвердили за Рахманиновым статус выдающегося композитора, но и превратили концерт в символ преодоления отчаяния и торжества надежды. В музыкальном языке концерта мастерски сочетаются традиционные романтические приёмы с элементами новаторского поиска, что создаёт уникальное художественное целое. Благодаря этому произведение сохраняет неизменное воздействие на слушателей во всём мире, а его тематический материал прочно вошёл в культурный канон и массовое искусство. English Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 is one of the most significant works in the history of academic music. Composed at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this masterpiece represents not only an outstanding example of late-Romantic piano literature, but also a profound reflection of the composer’s personal and creative struggles. The concerto, which marked Rachmaninoff’s triumphant return to composition after a three-year period of depression and creative crisis, is closely intertwined with his biography. Its emotional intensity, richness of harmonic language, and memorable melodic lines not only established Rachmaninoff’s reputation as a major composer, but also transformed the concerto into a symbol of overcoming despair and affirming hope. In its musical language, the concerto masterfully combines traditional Romantic techniques with innovative elements, creating a unique artistic whole. For this reason, the work continues to exert a lasting impact on audiences worldwide, and its thematic material has become firmly embedded in both the cultural canon and popular art.
This in-depth study explores the multifaceted world of Giuseppe Verdi's operas, analyzing their artistic, cultural, and historical significance. By dissecting Verdi's creative evolution, musical innovations, dramatic structures, and socio - political implications, the paper illuminates how his works became a cornerstone of the operatic genre. Verdi's operas not only represent a pinnacle of musical craftsmanship but also mirror the complex social and political landscape of 19th - century Italy, serving as a vehicle for national identity and cultural expression. Through a comprehensive examination of key operas, musical techniques, and historical contexts, this research reveals that Verdi's operas continue to influence modern music and theater, captivating audiences with their timeless emotional resonance and artistic excellence.
Giuseppe Verdi; Opera; Italian National Identity; Musical Innovation; 19th-Century Culture
Bach’s Goldberg Variations and the Sound of Paradox: Reflections on Order and Freedom
This essay explores Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations as a profound meditation on the paradox between order and freedom. Through close listening, structural analysis, and reflection on performance practices—including Glenn Gould’s seminal recordings—the paper examines how Bach’s use of canonic form, harmonic architecture, and expressive variety invites a dynamic interplay between fixed design and interpretive openness. Rather than treating the variations as mere technical exercises or aesthetic artifacts, the study approaches them as a living dialogue between composer, performer, and listener—a musical space where structure becomes spiritual and freedom becomes formal. Drawing on historical sources, theological aesthetics, and contemporary performance theory, the essay situates the Goldberg Variations as a timeless work that continues to resonate with modern sensibilities, not in spite of its formality, but because of the grace embedded in its design.
《樂恨歌》：一首仿〈長恨歌〉體的音樂敘事詩
中文 本詩仿作白居易《長恨歌》的敘事風格，虛構並重構了中國古代宮廷音樂的發展軌跡。詩中援引如《霓裳羽衣》《清商》等歷史樂曲，並描繪琴、琵琶等樂器的演奏意象，試圖以詩意方式再現失落的音樂場景。透過唐詩音韻、節奏與修辭結構的運用，詩作模糊了文學創作與音樂史敘述之間的界線，並引導讀者反思聲音遺產的脆弱性，以及傳統音樂在時間流轉中被記憶、遺忘與再現的方式。 English This poem, composed in the narrative style of Bai Juyi’s “Chang Hen Ge,” engages with the imagined trajectory of court music in imperial China. Through evocations of instruments such as the qin and pipa, references to historic repertoires like “Nishang Yuyi” and “Qingshang,” and a lyrical reconstruction of lost performances, the work reflects on how music mediates power, emotion, and memory. By adopting the tonal, rhythmic, and rhetorical devices of Tang poetry, the piece blurs the boundaries between literary creation and music historiography. The poem invites reflection on the fragility of sonic heritage and the ways in which traditional music is remembered, forgotten, and reanimated across time.
中文 这首长诗的写作旨在探索音乐、历史与个人情感之间的余音。起句化用了清代王士祯《高邮雨泊》“寂寞人间五百年”的意境，凸显历史兴衰与山河恒久的对比；同时融入李清照词中的婉约意象，如花影、灯火、纱窗、雁声与酒痕，使诗篇兼具沉郁与细腻。全诗分十节，以古琴、笛声、风雨与自然之声为线索，追溯音乐在时空中的流转：它既是王朝的回声，也是个体的心曲；既跨越古今，也连接文化。诗歌意在提醒读者，音乐与诗一样，超越人世无常，成为人与山河共享的永恒余音。 English This long poem seeks to explore the lingering echoes between music, history, and personal emotion. Its opening adapts Wang Shizhen’s line “Five hundred years of desolation in the human world” from Gao You Yu Bo, highlighting the contrast between dynastic decline and the enduring presence of rivers and mountains. At the same time, it incorporates the delicate imagery characteristic of Li Qingzhao’s lyrics—shadows of flowers, flickering lamps, gauze windows, the cries of wild geese, and traces of wine—blending historical gravitas with lyrical subtlety. Structured in ten sections, the poem traces the circulation of music through the qin, flute, wind, rain, and natural sound: as the echo of dynasties, the voice of the self, the bridge across times, and the bond between cultures. It suggests that music, like poetry, transcends the impermanence of human life and remains an eternal lingering sound shared with the enduring rivers and mountains.