Three deaths

Three Deaths is composed for flute, French horn, detuned-cello, and percussion, comprised of three movements, each dedicated to a specific death in chronological order. These three tragic stories are all associated with the renowned guqin piece, Guangling San. The first movement portrays the death of Nie Zheng, an assassin seeking revenge for his father’s murder, as depicted within Guangling San itself. The second movement chronicles the death of Ji Kang, a scholar and a guqin master, who played Guangling San before he was unjustly executed after being falsely accused. The third movement expresses pity for the death of Zhu Ling, the victim of the unsolved 1995 thallium poisoning case, whose final performance of Guangling San onstage marked her courageous act amidst severe illness induced by the poison. In this composition, I integrated both the music elements and guqin techniques from Guangling San to hint at their relevance. Additionally, I referenced “Dies Irae” to evoke the theme of death. Spanning over 3,000 years, these three deaths continue to reverberate through time, prompting deep reflection on the nature of justice and the essence of humanity.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.M. (Master of Music)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Music Composition (UMKC)

Grantor

University of Missouri--Kansas City

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Zheng, Xu

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Haber, Yotam, 1976-

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10355/101627

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/101627