THE ARTISTIC PERFORMANCE AND CULTURAL INTERPRETATION OF THE CELLO IN CHINESE NATIONAL ORCHESTRAS

บทคัดย่อ

This study aims to: 1) present the cognitive content and cognitive differences of different subjects regarding the cello in Chinese national orchestras; 2) analyze the underlying reasons for these cognitive differences; 3) refine the practical knowledge system of integrating the cello into national orchestras; and 4) reflect on the cultural issues involved in the modernization process of Chinese national orchestras. A qualitative research design was adopted. Data were collected from 24 informants, including performers, composers, theorists, audiences, and cultural administrators, through literature analysis and semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using thematic and interpretive analysis.

The findings show that: 1) different subjects construct distinct understandings of the cello’s function, cultural positioning, and artistic value, despite its general acceptance as a bass-support instrument, with continuing differences in timbre identity and its relationship with traditional Chinese bowed instruments; 2) these cognitive differences are shaped by professional roles, institutional positions, and cultural expectations, with performers emphasizing technical adaptation, theorists focusing on sonic structure, administrators highlighting policy legitimacy, and audiences stressing emotional perception; 3) the cello has formed a functional knowledge system centered on ensemble coordination and performance adaptation, though tensions remain between functional efficiency and artistic subjectivity; 4) its integration reflects broader cultural negotiations in orchestral modernization, particularly in relation to cultural identity, hybridity, and institutional governance. The study concludes that the cello should be understood not merely as an imported instrument, but as a culturally reconstructed musical role continuously shaped through performance practice, institutional discourse, and audience reception. It functions as both a sonic bridge and a symbolic medium in the ongoing reconfiguration of Chinese national orchestral culture.