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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.
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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“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.
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