Japanese Gagaku Music

7/30/2019 Japanese Gagaku Music

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/japanese-gagaku-music 1/8

Traditional Japanese Music• From the 6th -10th c., Japan sent envoys

to the Tang Court in China to study

poetry, politics, architecture, Buddhism,and music

At the Tang Court, Japanese musicians

encountered music from India, Korea, SE

Asia, and West Asia

• During the Edo Period (1600-1867),

Japan closed to foreign contact

Instruments like koto were popularized

beyond the courts

Popular theater forms like kabuki and

bunraku developed

• During the Meiji Period (1868-1911),Japanese leaders pursued Western

models of government, education, and

economics

Western music education adopted

Western instruments (piano) and genres

(jazz, classical) popular

Traditional Japanese music, calledhogaku, includes instruments and

musical principles imported from

China and Korea during the 6th -

7th centuries. Music imported from

the West is called ongaku.



Gagaku: Imperial Court Music• Gagaku refers to the instruments and

music imported from China duringthe 6th -7th c.

Influenced by Korea, SE Asian WestAsian contacts via Tang Dynasty

• Longest continuous musical traditionin Japan (1500 years)

Carries high prestige

Connected to continuous Imperial trad.

Music passed on with great care

Preserved by clans of court andBuddhist temple musicians

• Has undergone change: soundsdifferent than it did 1500 years ago

Less instruments

Slower tempo, sparse texture

Gagaku ensemble performing. Left to right,

back row: ryuteki, hichiriki, sho; front row:

koto, taiko, biwa

Gagaku uses aerophones, chordophones,

membranophones, and an idiophone.Heard together, the contrasting timbres

of these instruments create a

heterogeneous sound ideal.

Netori (prelude)



Aerophones • Aerophones play melodic roles in

gagaku music

Sho is a bamboo mouth organ. A

metal reed is fitted in each pipe,

and vibrates when air is blown

over it. The sho plays sustained

clusters of pitches and has an

organ-like timbre

Hichiriki is a double-reed

aerophone with loud volume and

a clear timbre. It plays a

heterophonic version of the

melody.

Ryuteki is a side-blown bamboo

flute with a high, somewhat

breathy timbre. It also plays a

version of the melody.

Sho mouth organ Hichiriki , double reed

Ryuteki , side-blown flute



Chordophones• Chordophones combine melodic andrhythmic roles in gagaku music

Biwa is a 4-stringed, pear-shaped lutewith a very short neck (see photo). Itis plucked with a wooden plectrum.The biwa has its origins in the MiddleEast via China

Koto is a large (6ft long) zither with13 strings. It it tuned using moveablebridges under the strings (see photo)and played by plucking a string withthe right hand while pressing downwith the left

Both biwa and koto have soft tonesdue to silk strings

Melodic parts played by biwa and kotoare sparse and underline main melody

Biwa, 4-stringed lute

Koto, 13-stringed plucked zither



Membranophones and idiophones

• These instruments combine limited

strokes to play coordinatedpercussion patterns

Taiko: frame-drum hit with leathermallets; hangs from a woodenstand. Its timbre is strong, dark,and resonant. 2 strokes: zun and do

Shoko: small bronze gong, hangsfrom a frame, hit with woodenmallets. Shok has a bright, highsound. It plays one stroke: chin.

Kakko: small barrel-shapedwooden drum. It has 3 strokes, sei(single stroke); katarai (slowaccelerating roll, left hand);mororai (slow roll with bothhands)

Kakko Shoko, bronze gong

Taiko, frame drum



Rhythmic organization in gagaku

• Japanese metric structures are called hyoshi

Hyoshi are articulated with a series of coordinated percussion patterns played by kakko,taiko, and shoko

One composition passes through a series of patterns:

• Opening pattern (uchihajime) is played once

• Regular pattern (hyoshi) is repeated several times, accelerating gradually

• Once the tempo has accelerated, it is called kuwahero

• A final percussion sequence (uchidome) slows down to end the composition

• “Etenraku” (CD 1, tr.22) is in the metric structure calledhaya (4 beats) yo (4

measures) hyoshi

A complete cycle of this hyoshi consists of 4 units (measures) each containing 4 beats

As performed, the beats are spaced apart and somewhat flexible (so difficult to hear)

The percussion instruments articulate the hyoshi in predictable ways:

• Kakko plays a rolling pattern that keeps the rhythm accelerating

• Shoko plays on the first beat of each unit (measure)

• Taiko plays low notes in the third and fourth units (measures)



General characteristics of hogaku

• The form and sound of “Etenraku” follows some general aesthetic

characteristics found in other forms of traditional Japanese music (hogaku)• Melody

Pentatonic scale, along with subtle slides and tonal shifts

Melody is treated in a heterophonic way

Combination of a broad range of bold, distinct timbres in one ensemble

• Rhythm

System allows for a flexibility of pulse

Metric structure is articulated by a series of coordinated percussion patterns

Patterns make use of distinct timbral qualities of each instrument

• Aesthetic shape/form

Sparse beginning followed by regular beats, gradual acceleration gathering to a

climactic density, then slowing of tempo and thinner texture

Jo - Ha - Kyu is the term for this aesthetic shape, which is found in Japanese music,

theater and dance



“Etenraku,” gagaku composition

A. Beginning sequence (uchihajime) is 3 measures

long and played once Begins with ryuteki alone for one measure

Kakko enters in measure 2

Shoko, kakko and taiko mark beat 1 of measure 3

B. Regular pattern (hyoshi) played

ryuteki continues melody alone

Measure 1 is a kakko roll stroke

Beat 1, measure 2: kakko and shoko

Measure 3: kakko roll stroke, taiko

Measure 4, beat 1, kakko, taiko, and shokotogether; sho and hichiriki enter

C. Hyoshi repeated

Same coordinated percussion pattern

Sho, ryuteki, and hichiriki play heterophony Measure 4: biwa and koto enter and play sparse

melodic patterns

D. Hyoshi repeated again

Same coordinated percussion pattern

Now the whole ensemble is playing, providing afuller texture

“Etenraku” (CD 1, tr.22)

The melody is in thepentatonic mode called

hyojo

The metric structure is

called haya yo hyoshi

Listen to the order in which

the instruments enter. In

named compositions this

sequence is always the

same.

Japanese Gagaku Music

Documents

Transcript of Japanese Gagaku Music