Chen Qian (b. 1962, Guiyang, China) is a Chinese composer.
Chen began violin lessons with his father at the age of three and started playing piano at the age of four. At 17, he worked as a pianist for the City Song and Dance Ensemble of Guiyang. In 1981, he was recruited by the composition department of Sichuan Conservatory of Music and became a student of Professor Huwei Huang.
Currently, he is resident composer for the Military Band of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. His range of works cover symphonic music, chamber music, music for television and film. He is recognized for the advancement of wind instrument composition, developing new techniques to make wind instruments more expressive. Among his works are Symphonies No.1, No.2, No.3, and No.4 for the wind band; and a large number of other pieces for the jazz big band. His works have been performed in the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong.
In 1997, Chen was honored with a concert of all wind music at the Beijing Concert Hall, which was the first of its kind in China, He believes that new concepts and new techniques will lead to the creating of a style that will bring together modern music and the ancient civilization.
陳謙（1962年生於中國貴陽）是中國作曲家。
陳謙三歲開始跟著父親學習小提琴，四歲開始學習鋼琴。十七歲時，他擔任貴陽市歌舞團的鋼琴師。 1981年，他考上四川音樂學院作曲系，師承黃虎偉教授。
目前，他是中國人民解放軍軍樂隊的駐團作曲家。他的作品涵蓋交響樂、室內樂、影視配樂等領域。他因在管樂作曲方面的貢獻而聞名，致力於開發新的技巧，使管樂更具表現力。他的作品包括為管樂團創作的第一、第二、第三和第四號交響曲，以及大量爵士大樂隊作品。他的作品曾在美國、荷蘭、比利時、德國、瑞士、日本、韓國和香港等地演出。
1997年，陳氏在北京音樂廳舉辦了一場全管樂音樂會，這是中國首場此類音樂會。他認為，新的概念和新的技巧將引領現代音樂與古代文明融合，創造出一種新的音樂風格。
Ambush! Return with Honour is based on an historical story (traditional Chinese opera) picturing the battlefield of ancient war in China. The decisive battle of Gaixia was a well-known battle in Chinese history. As soon as the regime the Qin Dynasty (221 – 206 BC) was overthrown, fierce battle for the crown began between the armies of Chu under Xiang Yu and Han under Liu Bang. The 300,000 Han soldiers besieged Xiang Yu’s 100,000-strong army from Chu. Xiang Yu managed to break through the encirclement with 800 cavalrymen, but 5,000 Han horsemen were hot on his heels. The final decisive battle took place beside the Wujiang River. The Han army had laid an ambush on all sides. Xiang Yu, lord of Chu, knew that he had been utterly defeated and had to commit suicide.
The composer wanted to elaborate on the picture as shown through this composition played by wind band. The music is constructed continuously like the Chinese painting (painting is done by using a brush on paper or silk, often with black ink alone. It is a monochromatic work of art, perhaps, derived from calligraphy. A Chinese painting is a distinctive object based on centuries-old traditions common to many things in China.) with following story-line: 1. Worship of primitive simplicity 2. World of fancy and wonder 3. The reflection from one’s inner reality 4. Harmony with nature 5. Knowledge of no-knowledge This music was composed like the painting style and technique: priority of colors (different level of gray from dark to paper white), blank space (silence), the use of Mo, freehand brushwork, etc.
This work was commissioned by and dedicated to Dr. Matthew George and the University of St. Thomas Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
– Program Note by composer
《伏擊！榮耀歸來》改編自歷史故事（中國傳統戲曲）。蓋下之戰是中國歷史上著名的戰役。秦朝（西元前221-206年）覆滅後，楚國項羽和漢國劉邦之間爆發了激烈的王位爭奪戰。漢軍30萬大軍圍困項羽率領的楚軍10萬。項羽率領800騎兵突破包圍圈，但漢軍5000騎兵緊追不捨。最終決戰在烏江之畔展開。漢軍四面埋伏，楚國君主項羽深知戰敗已定，被迫自盡。
作曲家希望透過這首由管樂團演奏的樂曲，生動地展現這場戰爭的悲慘景象。這部音樂如同中國畫一般，以連續不斷的結構構建而成（中國畫是用毛筆在紙或絹上作畫，通常只用墨。它是一種單色藝術作品，或許源於書法。中國畫是一種獨特的藝術形式，基於中國數百年來的共同傳統。），其故事線如下：1. 對原始世界質樸的崇拜；2.3 的反思與世界質樸；對無知的認知。這部音樂的創作風格和技巧都藉鑒了中國畫：色彩的優先性（從深灰到白灰的不同層次）、留白（靜默）、墨蹟的運用、自由筆觸等等。
這部作品由馬修喬治博士和聖托馬斯大學交響樂團委託創作，並獻給他們。
——作曲家撰寫的節目單