Gagaku: Traditional Japanese Music

Traditional Japanese Music
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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
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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
Traditional Japanese music, called
hogaku, 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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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
Gagaku: Imperial Court Music
•
Gagaku refers to the instruments and
music imported from China during
the 6th -7th c.
 Influenced by Korea, SE Asian West
Asian contacts via Tang Dynasty
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Longest continuous musical tradition
in Japan (1500 years)
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Carries high prestige
Connected to continuous Imperial trad.
Music passed on with great care
Preserved by clans of court and
Buddhist temple musicians
Has undergone change: sounds
different 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
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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
Sho mouth organ
Hichiriki, double reed
 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.
Ryuteki, side-blown flute
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Chordophones combine melodic and
rhythmic roles in gagaku music
Chordophones
 Biwa is a 4-stringed, pear-shaped lute
with a very short neck (see photo). It
is plucked with a wooden plectrum.
The biwa has its origins in the Middle
East via China
 Koto is a large (6ft long) zither with
13 strings. It it tuned using moveable
bridges under the strings (see photo)
and played by plucking a string with
the right hand while pressing down
with the left
Biwa, 4-stringed lute
 Both biwa and koto have soft tones
due to silk strings
 Melodic parts played by biwa and koto
are sparse and underline main melody
Koto, 13-stringed plucked zither
Membranophones and idiophones
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These instruments combine limited
strokes to play coordinated
percussion patterns
 Taiko: frame-drum hit with leather
mallets; hangs from a wooden
stand. Its timbre is strong, dark,
and resonant. 2 strokes: zun and do
Kakko
Shoko, bronze gong
 Shoko: small bronze gong, hangs
from a frame, hit with wooden
mallets. Shok has a bright, high
sound. It plays one stroke: chin.
 Kakko: small barrel-shaped
wooden drum. It has 3 strokes, sei
(single stroke); katarai (slow
accelerating roll, left hand);
mororai (slow roll with both
hands)
Taiko, frame drum
Rhythmic organization in gagaku
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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:
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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 called haya (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
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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
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B.
Regular pattern (hyoshi) played
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C.
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 shoko
together; sho and hichiriki enter
Hyoshi repeated
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D.
Begins with ryuteki alone for one measure
Kakko enters in measure 2
Shoko, kakko and taiko mark beat 1 of measure 3
Same coordinated percussion pattern
Sho, ryuteki, and hichiriki play heterophony
Measure 4: biwa and koto enter and play sparse
melodic patterns
Hyoshi repeated again
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Same coordinated percussion pattern
Now the whole ensemble is playing, providing a
fuller texture
“Etenraku” (CD 1, tr.22)
The melody is in the
pentatonic 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.