Tradition and Avantgarde in Japan

Various
col legno - WWE 1CD 20057
2001

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Artist
1	Chidori no Kyoku	千鳥の曲	11'44	Koto: Tani Sumi Voice: Tani Sumi
	This composition by Yoshizawa kengyo belongs to a group of works titled kokingumi. The title refers to song suites on waka texts, that is, brief poems of thirty-one syllables from the classical poetry anthology Kokin wakashu (tenth century). In Chidori no kyoku there are two waka. The first is by an anonymous poet; the second, by Minamoto no Kanemasa, and it is the only exception, having been taken from a later waka anthology, the Kin'yoshu (twelfth century). Both poems are about the chidori, the Japanese plover, a bird that lives at the sea with a piercing cry that sounds like chi-yo, chi-yo. They evoke associations with the Japanese word chiyo ("For thousands of generations!"), which is used to wish someone well. The first waka, which appears in Kokin wakashu in the section containing the "poems of well-wishing," alludes to this. The second waka, by contrast, is a "winter song." Minamoto no Kanemasa, one of the most famous waka poets of the early twelfth century, evokes the disconsolate loneliness that the watchman at the border post in the Bay of Suma (now in Kobe). Not far away Awaji Island rises from the sea. No one can be seen here during the winter. All that can be heard is the cries of the little chidori birds, and they emphatically announce the end of the night to the watchman. The musical allusions to gakuso court music are achieved primarily through the choice of the kokinjoshi tuning, whose structure (pentatonic without half-tone steps) is based on the banshiki-cho scale of gagaku court music. In formal terms the composition is like a tegotomono: the two song sections frame a longer tegoto (instrumental interlude). Chidori no kyoku Transliteration [Maebiki] (1) Shionoyama Sashide no iso ni sumu chidori [Ai] Kimi ga miyo woba ya-chiyo tozo naku [Ai] Kimi ga miyo woba ya-chiyo tozo naku [Tegoto] (2) Awajishima kayo chidori no naku koe ni [Ai] Ikuyo nezamenu Suma no sekimori [Ai] Ikuyo nezamenu Suma no sekimori [Atobiki] Song of the Plovers Translation [Prelude] -1- (1) On Shio Mountain, on the cliffs of Sashide, which jut into the sea, the plovers nest: [Brief instrumental interlude] May the emperor's illustrious life last eight thousand generations, they cry! [Brief instrumental interlude] May the emperor's illustrious life last eight thousand generations, they cry! [Long instrumental interlude] -2- (2) On Awaji Island the plovers fly back and forth their piercing cries: [Brief instrumental interlude] How many nights have they awakened the watchman at border post of Suma! [Brief instrumental interlude] How many nights have they awakened the watchman at border post of Suma! [Postlude] -1- Imitation of the gestures of the gakuso zither used in court music creates a festive atmosphere for the song of good wishes that follows. -2- In the first half of this tegoto section, performed at a more rapid tempo, the gestures are intended to symbolize the sound of the waves; in the second half, the call of the plovers.
2	Hachidan no Shirabe	八段の調	10'46	Koto: Gotō Makiko
	This composition, which is attributed to Yatsuhashi kengyo, was probably written in the middle of the seventeenth century. However, its title was first mentioned in the "Buso gafu shu", of 1755, and the oldest surviving koto tablatures are found in two collections of music called "Kinkyoku shifu" (1772) and "Sokyoku taiisho" (1779). That is not surprising if we recall that the tradition of koto music in a guild of blind musicians was an oral one, and notation was intended only for the students who were not blind but nonetheless performed koto as amateurs. The piece is a danmono in eight sections. Today it is generally agreed that all of the danmono can be traced back to a popular piece of music titled "Sugagaki", which is recorded in its original form in the music book "Shichiku shoshinshu" (1664). In the danmono this piece of music was unfolded in various ways. One then spoke of "Rokudan-sugagki" ("Sugagaki" in six sections) or "Hachidan-sugagaki" ("Sugagaki" in eight sections, today's"Hachidan no shirabe"). In formal terms the eight "levels" (dan) or sections are all fifty-measures long. Only the first section has three additional measures as an introductory phrase (kando). The thirteen strings of the instrument are tuned to the hirajoshi scale of e-f-a-b-c-e (pentatonic with half-tone steps). It is striking that sections 4, 5, 6, and 8 begin with the notes of the fourth (c), fifth (e), sixth (f), and eighth (b) strings. This emphasizes the typical way in which the musical development is made dynamic in the danmono, expressed in a gradual increase in pitch space, an intensification of the gestures, and an increase in tempo. Only just before the end does the curve of tension relax, and the piece ends with a serene cadence. One unusual feature of the piece is an increased use of left hand playing techniques, which create subtle modifications of the plucked tones.
3	Nasuno	那須野	17'52	Koto: Yamagishi Hideko Koto: Tani Sumi Shamisen: Kusama Michiyo Voice: Tani Sumi
	The piece was written around 1800 by Yamada kengyo, the founder of the Yamada School, and it is considered one of his masterpieces. Nasuno represents the new style of koto music that Yamada created, in which the voice is placed in the foreground. In this case it is singing in the style of the narrative shamisen music (joruri), which is popular in Bunraku puppet theater and in kabuki theater. Yamada turned theatrical works into chamber music, and he was so successful at it that his school became the dominant koto school in Tokyo throughout the nineteenth century. Nasuno is based on an ancient legend that was already dramatized in earlier no theater, as well as in Bunraku and kabuki. The immediate source of the text is probably the no play Sesshoseki (The deadly stone). Sesshoseki is the name of a famous cliff in the Nasuno Heath, a wild, volcanic region-on the border between today's prefectures of Tochigi and Fukushima (north of Tokyo). It has long been believed that this cliff has magic powers, and all life that approached it was extinguished. Even birds that flew over it are said to have fallen dead to the ground. This is explained in the folktale as a consequence of the fact that the stone was once a female fox demon called Tamamo, who was killed by an arrow in Nasuno and turned into a stone. The association woman-demon-fox is a well-known motif through eastern Asia. In the dominant, largely masculine worldviews of both Confucianism and Buddhism the woman is the other, uncanny sex. She embodies earthly sensuality and sexuality, is dominated by violent emotions like passion, greed, envy, jealousy, and so on, that bind her to this world, and represents the yin principle, i.e., the dark and passive. All of this makes woman a demonic creature in the traditional thought of eastern Asia, one that can represent a deadly threat for the living even after she herself has died. The essence of the fox has always been interpreted as demonic and sensual/erotic. It is the fox who, in the form of a beautiful girl, offers itself to men and drains them of their life force so that the fox itself can live a long life of thousands of years. In Yamada's composition Nasuno the focus is on the memories and emotions of the main character-the beautiful, clever, and erotic court lady and "fox woman" Tamamo. A description of the uncanny atmosphere of the wild Nasuno Heath with its "foxfires"-that is, bluish phosphorescent lights that were once thought to be caused by fire-breathing foxes (2)-is followed by Tamamo's memories of a happy past spent living in India and China and finally as the lover of Emperor Toba in Japan (4). She bitterly complains of being driven from the imperial court when one dark night an unnatural beam of light, the Yin light of the moon, came out of her body and revealed her true essence as a "fox woman" (5). Banished from the human world she is forced to spend a miserable life in the wasteland of the Nasuno Heath. Killed by the imperial hunters, before whom she appeared as a fox (6) her spirit turns to stone, which thereafter struggles vengefully to exterminate all other life-a fate that causes Tamamo herself to suffer most of all (7). The song attempts to express the emotions depicted in a musically differentiated way, following the style of the narrative joruri style. This is achieved less through tonal modulations than through changes in tempo and the use of various vocal styles, ranging from narrative declamation to extremely cantabile intonations. The tonal framework is set throughout by the kumoijohi (a-b-d-e-f-a) and sansagari (e-a-d) tunings for both the koto and the shamisen. These tunings can create a festive and elegant mood or, as they do here, a gruesome atmosphere. The shamisen lute player also cries loudly syllables like iy6 and ha, which are meant to increase the drama of the music. It is striking that instrumental interludes are dispensed with almost entirely, which concentrates all of the attention on the story being told. Nasuno Transliteration (1) [Maebiki] (2) Rangiku no hana ni kakururu yako no fushidokoro mushi no koe sae wakachi naku ogi fukiokuru yoarashi ni ita monosugoki keshiki kana (3) [Ai] (4) Nobe no kitsunebi omoi ni moyuru moyuru omoi ni kogarete ideshi Tamamo no mae hagi no shita tsuyu itoinaku tsuki ni somukete uramigoto sugishi kumoi ni arishi toki kimi ga nasake ni ikutose mo hiyoku no toko ni en'ou no fusuma kasanete chigirishi koto mo mune ni shibashi mo wasure wa yara de hitori namida ni kakochigusa nurete shioruru sode no ame (5) Somo ware koso wa Tenjiku nite Hanzoku taishi no tsuka no kami Morokoshi nitewa Hoji to yobare Hinomoto nitewa Toba no mikado ni miyazukae Tamamo no mae to naritaru nari Seiryoden no gyoyu no toki tsuki mada idenu yoi no sora isago fukikoshi kaze mo tsure tomoshibi kieshi sono toki ni waga mi yori hikari o hanachite terasu ni zo kimi wa gono to nari tamo (6) Kiri no hitoha ni aki tachite kino ni kawaru Asukagawa ima wa ukiyo o kakuregasa miyako o ato ni minashi tsutsu seki no Shirakawa yoso ni nashi Nasuno no hara ni suminarete tsuini yasaki ni hakanaku mo kakaru kono mi zo tsurakariki (7) Sesshoseki to yo no hito ni utomaruru koto to narihateshi namida no arare hagi-susuki furimidashitaru arisama ni kiete hakanaku nari ni keri On Nasuno Heath Translation (1) [Prelude] (2) In wild chrysanthemums, hidden under blossoms, the fox's lair. Insects chirp indistinguishably from one another and the night storm rages through the reeds - what a terrible scene! (3) [Brief instrumental interlude] (4) The foxfire on the wild heath – they flame up passionately. Into the flaming thoughts steps Lady Tamamo - ignoring the dew on the clover and turning her back to the moon, she laments bitterly. Once long ago at the Court of Clouds -3- I enjoyed the emperor's love. In the marriage chamber always faithful together like mandarin ducks -4- under the covers, one on top of the other, an eternal bond was sealed. In her breast she never forgets one moment. Alone now in the tears of deep sorrow the sleeves soaked, like after a rainstorm. (5) Now, it is I, who in India was once the wife of Prince Hanzoku, the queen of the graves; -5- who was called Baosi in China; -6- and in the land of the sun [Japan] served the Emperor Toba -7- and here became Lady Tamamo. When the emperor entertained himself with music at the Seiryo Palace, the moon had not yet risen in the night sky. And as a gust of wind kicked up the sand and extinguished the lamp, a beam of light emerged from my body, and the emperor fell ill. (6) A withered leaf of the paulownia, and it was fall. From yesterday to today the Asuka River has transformed. Now hidden from the gaze of the world under a hat. I had to leave the capital [Kyoto] behind me. I passed the border station of Shirakawa and since then I have lived in the heath of Nasuno. Finally an arrow pierced my ephemeral form. Such is my life: filled with bitterness! (7) Into a "deadly stone," avoided by people, I have been transformed. Tears like hailstones on the reeds and suzuki grass. In disarray and confused her outward appearance. She has now disappeared, become nothing. -3- Metaphor for the emperor's court, which is removed from the world of ordinary people. -4- In eastern Asian literature mandarin ducks are a popular metaphor for marital fidelity. -5- The Indian prince Hanzoku is said to have been responsible for the murder of a thousand kings, whose heads he offered in a grave mound to the local divinity. It is said that his wife was ultimately responsible for this act. -6- Baosi (jap. Hoji) is the name of the concubine of the Chinese king You of the Chou Dynasty. When his empire was attacked and destroyed and he himself was killed, Baosi was blamed. -7- The Japanese emperor Toba reigned from 1107-23. Heinz-Dieter Reese (From the program of the Biennale Neue Musik Hannover 1999) Translation: Steven Lindberg
4	Nocturne		12'36	Koto: Gotō Makiko
	Nocturne, my first composition for a traditional Japanese instrument, was written for the jushichigen, a seventeen-string koto, which is the bass instrument of the zithers as the cello is of the strings. In comparison to the more common thirteen-string koto, the jushichigen has a fuller sound and greater dynamics. My explanation for the composition's title Nocturne is based on my conception of a music that seems to hover in the silence between the individual notes, that is, in the dark. Even in this early work I was searching for a music that sends the world in the deepest region of the human heart into violent vibrations. And this tendency in my music has continued to the present day in my compositions.
5	Banka		09'26	Koto: Gotō Makiko Voice: Tani Sumi
	"Banka" means something like "elegy," that is, a sung poetry in which a person's death is lamented. The banka I used for this composition is taken from the poetry anthology "Manyoshu" (ca. 760), Japan's oldest collection of native poetry, written by Prince Otsu no Miko. Momozutau Iware no ike ni naku kamo wo kyou nomi mite ya Kumogakurenamu Whether the wild duck that I call on Iware Pond can only be seen today? Whether my life will end? Language in ancient Japan was called kotodama (soul, wondrous power of words), which expressed the belief that every single word has a soul. And it was thought that vocal intonation could enhance even more the magical power inherent in words.
6	Koto-uta		10'23	Koto: Gotō Makiko Voice: Tani Sumi
	For several years now I have had an intense interest in the koto music of the seventeenth century, the end of the Edo era. The so-called koto-kumiuta (song suite with koto accompaniment), in which the performer both sings the vocal part and plays the instrumental accompaniment, stand out in particular for their great grace and dignity. The Koto-uta (songs with koto accompaniment) by koto musicians like Yatsuhashi kengyo, Kitajima kengyo, and Yamada kengyo are performed in such a way that the vocal and instrumental parts are shifted in relation to each other both tonally and rhythmically, and this gives them a musical character of great subtlety and delicateness. In composing my Koto-uta I also listened carefully to the subtle "landscapes" of the tones produced by the voice and koto. The voice and koto are for the most part performed unisono, though whether tonal and rhythmic shifts between the two parts. The text I used for this song is, like Banka, taken from the poetry anthology "Manyoshu", and specifically from section titled Somonka, a group of love poems exchanged between men and women of the nobility. The author is Sanu no Chigami no Otome, who dedicated this love poem to her lover. Ajimano ni yadoreru kimi ga kaerikomu toki no mukae wo itsu toka matamu In Ajimano my lover is staying. Will he return? How long must I wait until then! Toshio Hosokawa (Abridged from the program for the Biennale Neue Musik Hannover 1999) Translation: Steven Lindberg