Historical Interdependency of Music: A Case Study of the Chinese Seven-String Zither

Abstract

In any continually evolving musical tradition employing some form of written notation, old music inevitably influences the new. Less obvious is that the new also affects the old. Temporal influence flows not only forward through time, but also backward. This is "historical interdependency." Through the process of da pu, the creative reinterpretation of older works, the musical tradition of the Chinese seven-string zither offers an example of this phenomenon.