A transnational perspective on musical modernity: the songs of Linda Phillips and Chen Tianhe

This chapter introduces two contrasting composers, one from Australia and the other from China, to expose cross-cultural similarities and differences. It illustrates the parallel nature of art song in two locales that had no direct interaction in the field of art music. Australian Linda Phillips (1899-2002) and Chinese Chen Tianhe (1911-1955) were active composers of art song from the 1920s to 1950s; both were recognized as significant composers in nascent young musical cultures. However, although both work in the same genre of art song, their songs reflect vastly different cultural and historical backgrounds and geopolitical situations. Both were sidelined from the musical mainstream in their respective societies in the 1950s, for very different reasons. Tokita explores the reasons for their respective fates and refers to factors surrounding the formation of the canon of art song in China and Australia.