Artistic Features of Xian Xinghai’s Vocal Cycle “Ten Ancient Poems”

This article analyses the artistic features of Xian Xinghai’s vocal cycle “Ten Ancient Poems” («古诗十首» 冼星海). The aim is to identify the composer’s artistic approach to creating art songs. The author of the article fi rst examines two methods of harmonic synthesis employed in the cycle: the direct combination of pentatonic melody with functional European harmony (“collage”) and a more complex interpenetration where harmony is enriched with intervals characteristic of Chinese music. Furthermore, three fundamental principles of Xian’s melodic construction are analysed: the “expression of feeling and fusion of emotion with scenery” (qing-jing 情景), the “concise conveyance of an idea” (xieyi 写意), and the “embodiment of a character’s inner state” (chuanshen 传 神). These principles are elucidated through examples from specifi c songs within the cycle. The article demonstrates how the identifi ed technical devices serve the overarching artistic goal: the creation of modern Chinese chamber music deeply connected to national poetry and aesthetics. The cycle “Ten Ancient Poems” serves as a clear example of Xian Xinghai’s unique compositional method, which organically combines innovation and tradition.