綜觀整個中國新音樂的發展史，絕大多數的中國作曲家以及廣義上的華人作曲家，莫不是在努力探索結合西方音樂與本國傳統的各種可能性；如何藉由西方音樂技術，創造出一種嶄新的民族音樂風格，或是說如何藉由民族音樂的特色，創造出中國的新音樂，一直是華人作曲家最大的課題。而作曲家們的困境也在於，如何在創作中融合這兩種截然不同的中西音樂傳統。
江文也的第四號鋼琴奏鳴曲《狂歡日》一方面以標題結合中國民間音樂，另一方面則嚴肅地探索了西方奏鳴曲形式的特殊之處。本文意欲藉著詳盡的音樂分析探討江文也如何將民間要素與具高度發展性的奏鳴曲式結合。在追求現代的民族風格時，傳統和創新之間如何調和，傳統的價值如何被展現，傳統的地位又在多大的程度上被重新再造，皆是本論文意欲探究的問題。中國作曲家汪立三和江文也以同樣的一首民歌為本，創作了一首鋼琴小品《蘭花花》。比較兩人的作品將會是一個有趣的課題，也或許更能凸顯出江文也和其他作曲家的不同之處。

A general survey of the history of the development of Chinese new music would show that most Chinese composers made great efforts to explore the various possibilities of combining Western music with Chinese traditions. How to create a Chinese national music style with Western musical techniques, or how to create modern music with Chinese characteristics, has always been the greatest issue among modern Chinese composers. The Chinese composers' predicament has stemmed from creatively blending the Chinese and Western musical traditions, which are entirely different.
The fourth sonata “Festa” of Jiang Wenye (1910-1983) combines Chinese folk music on the one hand while seriously exploring the characteristics of the Western sonata form on the other hand. This paper analyzes Jiang Wenye's sonata in detail to investigate how the folk elements are combined with the highly developed sonata form. The questions explored in this paper include: how tradition is balanced with innovation; how traditional values are displayed; to which extent is tradition reconstructed. Wang Lisan (1933*), a contemporary of Jiang, composed a piano piece, “Lan Huahua,” based on the same folk song as Jiang's work. A comparison between these two composers' works may also highlight the differences between Jiang Wenye's work and those of other composers.