Qu Xiao-Song’s Oratorio “Cleaving the Coffi n”: Features of Vocal and Orchestral Style

Abstract

The oratorio “Cleaving the Coffi n” is a work created as part of the new wave music movement in China at the end of the 20th century. The dynamic fusion of avant-garde creative and aesthetic concepts with traditional Chinese culture marked a turning point in the development of Chinese oratory. This article presents the history of the development of Chinese oratorio prior to the appearance of this work, as well as the composer Qu XiaoSong and his creative ideas embodied in the genre of oratorio. The author of the article emphasises the important role of national percussion instruments in the work, and for the fi rst time analyses the specifi c features of the use of voice in the oratorio “Cleaving the Coffi n”, refl ecting vivid national colours and the composer’s unique musical and artistic style. This article is the fi rst mention of this oratorio in Russian musicology, and one of the few articles in Chinese musicology that analyse this work.