University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Cross-Cultural Communication: World Music

242-329

1. Early spirit-worshipping religion still observed with austere temple rituals
2. Chant melodies usually of narrow range in free "recitation" style
   • Characterized by slow trills and "microtonal" vocal ornaments (comparable to Vedic chant)
   • Dominant song/dance is Kagura
     • re-enactment of the myth of the Sun Goddess Anaterasu who, ravished by the sound of a zither made by a God, came forth from her cave to restore light to the world, bringing dance and music to mankind
       • often accompanied by Hichiriki (oboe-like instrument) and Wagon, a 6-string zither

1. Both shomyo and Gagaku employ the Yo scale
   • Pentatonic scale ("Soft" or "black key" type), e.g., D - E - G - A - B
2. Music for koto and shamisen (developing later) usually use the In scale (or "Miyako- bushi"), also pentatonic but with half-steps between 1st and 2nd and 5th and 6th notes, e.g., D - E-flat - G - A - B-flat (sometimes "auxiliary notes" are used, transforming the 5-note scales into 7-note scales)
   The "Minyo" scale, sometimes heard in folk songs, is a variant of the Yo scale which resembles the "hard" pentatonic)

1. Proper chant recitation is to remain within a narrow melodic range and is to be "serious"
2. Chant must never "luxuriate in wanton melody"-- should avoid large melodic leaps considered "world and passionate"

1. New musical style is divided into "Old music" (Kogaku) and "New music" (Shingaku)
   • "Old Music" = before T'ang Dynasty (618-906) or compositions of Indian or Chinese origin
   • "New Music" = after T'ang Dynasty or compositions of Korean or Manchurian origin
2. Gagaku music further divided into "Music of the Right" and "Music of the Left"
   • "Music of the Right" (Komagaku)
     • Typical instruments:
     • Hichiriki: oboe-like double reed
     • Komabue: flute with 6 finger holes
     • Taiko or Gaku-daiko: large suspended barrel drum
     • San no tsuzumi: large hourglass shaped drums
     • Shoko: muted brass gong
   • "Music of the Left" (Togaku) (often referred to a Kangengaku when played for a concert and Bugaku when played as accompaniment for dance)
     • Typical instruments:
     • Hichiriki
     • Ryuteki (or "Fue"): flute, slightly larger than komabue
     • Sho: mouth organ with 15-17 pipes with free reeds)
     • Taiko
     • Kakko (small barrel drum)
     • Shoko
     • Biwa: 4-stg. lute played with plectrum
     • So-no-Koto: long zither with 13 stgs. (string instruments used only for Kangengaku, not to accompany dance)

1. Ryoo: Music of the Left
   • "Dragon Dance, "based on legend of "the prince of Lan-ling" (called Ch'ang-Kung)
   • Unusual scale type, probably based on Indian model (as does style of dance) (but most Gagaku music based on scales based on Chinese models)
   • Form:
     • Begins with short "netori," slow beginning section that sets mood
     • Introduction: "canon-like" form with dense textures and sharp dissonances
     • Short percussion interludes included
     • Repeated phrase "Netori" (hichiriki and sho) established character of piece
     • Ryuteki enters with complete "orchestra" with its own characteristic motive
     • instruments relate to each other in "heterophonic" manner
     • emphasis on subtle contrasts in timbre
     • other instruments: taiko, shoko, san-no-tsuzumi
     • overall form based on changes in tempo (Jo-ha-kyu) typical of many Japanese pieces:
       • "Jo" = slow beginning section
       • "ha" = tempo starts to increase
       • "kyu" = tempo increases to peak speed (usually slowing down again at the conclusion)
2. Nasori ("Music of the Right"-- Bugaku)
   • Also a "Dragon Dance"
   • Instruments: Komabue, Hichiriki, Taiko, San-no-tsuzumi, shoko

1. War narration accompanied by biwa (lute)
2. Poetry chanted to standard melody patterns with some instrumental interludes

1. 14th century amalgamation of earlier theatrical traditions, incl. Shinto, Buddhist and folk festivals
2. Halfway between sacred and secular: restrained, idealized presentations (actors sometimes masked)
   • Over 200 plays in current repertoire
3. Music of Noh plays called Yokyaku
   • consisting mostly of solo songs (arias) by actors, unison "choral" songs
     • songs alternate between speech-like "recitative" sections and more melodic "aria" sections based on traditional melodic patterns
     • rhythmic elements of song most important for establishing "character"
   • instrumental accompaniment and interludes supplied by an ensemble with cross-flute ("yokobue") and 3 drums: Kotsuzumi (Small hand beaten shoulder drum), otsuzumi (large hand-beaten side drum) and taiko
     • drum patterns crucial in defining the nature of a song and its dramatic significance
       • standardize drum patterns are used but some choices are spontaneous, called out by the lead drummer

1. Emerges with increased urbanization of Edo Period (1615-1868)
2. Narration with shamisen accompaniment
   • derived from earlier traditions combining narration with biwa accompaniment but more "flamboyant" style of performance for middle class audience
   • melodic phrases begin to take on "connotative" meanings, i.e., predetermined emotional significance

1. By 17th century, Noh Drama becomes a "refined" art appealing essentially to aristocrats
2. Women's dance-oriented Kabuki theatre formed in early 16th cent. as a more "popular" form of entertainment
   • banned for "immorality," it was replaced by a young men's "Kabuki," and gradually increased in social acceptance
3. Kabuki actors are primarily dancers with a repertoire of dramatic gestures, many taken from Noh Drama and Bunraku
4. Plays have more dramatic action, tend to be faster moving than Noh Drama
5. Instrumental accompaniment provided by on-stage and off-stage groups
   • on-stage group ("debayashi"): 3 drums and flute ("Takebue"), often shamisen
     • drummer's rhythms sometimes match shamisen, sometimes derived from Noh Drama
     • melodic structure reflects nuances and expression of "libretto"
   • Off-stage group ("Geza"): various singers and instrumentalists including shamisen
     • used to set the general mood of a particular scene; provides "musical clues" to dramatic situations

• frequently used by wandering Samurai warrior/priests
• Uses "Yo Scale" ("hard" pentatonic scale)
• known for subtle effects of timbre, texture (including purposely "breathy" effects) and tonguing as well as subtle use of microtonal ornaments
• instruction in shakuhachi and other instruments provided through an elaborate "guild" (Iemoto) system

• eventually overshadows "biwa" for providing accompaniment to solo song and plays major role in music of Kabuki theatre
• frequently uses "In" scale
• distinctive tone quality caused by skin (or plastic) covering of sounding board and built-in "buzzing" sound on the fret board
• instrument known for its "emotional" nature
• duets with voice in freely heterophonic relationship (as in "Kouta," or Geisha song, more "recent" (e.g., since 19th century) genre

• 13 strings, played with ivory plectrum attached to thumb, index and middle fingers
• rises to prominence in 17th cent. due to fame of blind musician Yatsuyhashi
• may be used as solo instrument, in small ensembles or accompanying voice
  • voice-koto duets usually in unison or heterophonic (occas. "harmony" in 4ths)
• often uses "In" scale, although others possible since bridges may be adjusted to allow for different tunings
  • "missing" notes for a given scale may be filled in by applying pressure on the strings
• style of playing is generally restrained-- emphasis put on subtleties of color, articulation & ornamentation (3 types of microtonal ornamentation employed)
• Koto solos often in variation form:
  • theme is introduced, followed by a series of variations (most exactly 52 "measures" long)

• folk music continues to be thought of as regional: specific songs associated with specific, usually rural areas

1. Vocal production: high-pitched, tight-throated and melismatic (often with complex microtonal ornamentation)
2. Songs/dances not as long or complex as "classical" music counterparts
3. Dances generally in regular rhythm; songs tend to follow speech rhythm (i.e., uneven phrases and not consistent in rhythm)
4. Typical instruments: shamisen, flutes and various drums

1. Teaching and sponsorship of folk singing contests and festivals often dominated by regional "guilds"

• highlight of local festival is a parade of the shrine (mikoshi) throughout the streets, accompanied by music featuring:
  • Odaiko (deep barrel drum)
  • Shimedaiko (shallow double headed-drum)
  • Transverse bamboo flute (shinobue)
  • Yosuke (hand-held gong)
• Individual instrumental parts are expected to show rhythmic flexibility (esp. flute and Odaiko) and yet the ensemble as a whole must appear to be well coordinated
• instrumental techniques and repertoire generally learned from a master as in "classical" music tradition

• "Military" brass bands based on British models begin occurring in the early decades
• Even originally "political" genres such as the Enka songs from the 1920s become western-influenced in form and vocal quality
• Western folk songs and choral music increasingly taught in schools (as well as versions of Japanese traditional folk songs adapted to fit western harmony and meter)
• Traditional Japanese music (classical and folk) begin to fade in significance for the average Japanese
  • only in the late 1950s is there a concerted effort made in the schools to encourage support for traditional music
• Western-style symphony orchestras begin to emerge in the 1930s
• Japanese composers experiment with combining characteristics of traditional Japanese music (especially instruments) with aspects of traditional western music (esp. harmony) and some contemporary or "New Music"

• more recent Enka come in a variety of style but are designed for adaptation to the Karaoke model
  • singer's type of vocal ornamentation continues to suggest some link with traditional Japanese musical style

1. Gunka
2. Folk Song (usually socially-oriented)
3. New Music
4. Pops
   D. Since the 1960s, influence of western popular music has been especially strong
   • Japanese versions of western pop/rock genres and recordings by foreign artists are widely disseminated through the mass media
   E. Japanese music and World Music
   • some composers have developed New Age/World music styles drawing on the more "atmospheric" elements of shomyo, Gagaku and shakuhachi music
   • The Koto Drummers have developed a highly theatrical style based in part on the music of the "Matsuri-Bayashi" Shinto festivals and regional festival styles
   Last Update 4/14/98
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