Fusion of Chinese and Western Musical Styles in Chen Yi’s from the Path of Beauty

Chen Yi (b.1953), one of the leading Chinese-born American composers today, has earned a reputation in the world as a female composer of contemporary music. Both Chinese and Western musical styles have influenced Chen’s compositional style. As one of the new-wave movement composers, Chen has blended Chinese musical ideas into contemporary Western compositions, to develop a fusion of Chinese and Western musical styles. This paper will discuss how Chen’s personal life experiences have impacted her compositional philosophy by drawing from her personal interviews. An overview of Chen’s compositions shows how her perspectives on her Chinese identity and her inspirations from Chinese culture influenced her personal compositional style. My analysis of From the Path of Beauty will investigate how she applies her compositional philosophy, and how she incorporates her own interpretation of Chinese culture in this work.