Music of East Asia: Japan

Japan – pop. 125 million +; modern nation in which arts of many eras coexist.

Western music is dominant; traditional music still studied by many.

Religion: mix of Shinto (indigenous) and Buddhism (imported).

Philosophical concepts of music derived from China:

Music is a way of achieving harmony between gods, nature and man.

Music is a way of personal and social refinement.

Musical ideas derived from China:

Sacred (and secular) court music for the Emperor.

Programmatic representations of nature in music.

General characteristics of traditional Japanese music:

Scales: 7 tone scales (w/ 5-tone core) derived from Chinese system

“tonal centers” – main pitches a fourth apart

Melody: heterophony (instruments and voices follow same basic melody)

Timbre (tone quality): indistinct pitches and sounds (representation of nature)

Rhythm: flexibility of pulse - “elastic” rhythm and free meter

Ma (lit. “space” or “interval”) - concept of silence in music

Musical form: jo-ha-kyu (slow-medium-fast)

Ancient Asian civilization (701-1184): era of aristocratic power

Mainland Asian culture imported (religion, language, government, fine arts)

Court music and dance imported from China and Korea.

Gagaku (lit. “elegant music”) – maintained by Emperor since 8th century.

Music used by the aristocracy to display power and sophistication.

CD Example 35. Gagaku - Etenraku

Buddhism and Buddhist chant imported from Asian continent

CD Example 36. Buddhist "Shichi no bongo" chant

Japan’s Middle Ages (1185-1600): era of warfare and instability

Aristocratic class lost power to warrior class (samurai).

Warrior class developed music and art to display power and sophistication.

Noh drama: "ghost plays" based on Buddhist concepts (impermanence)

CD Example 37. Music from Noh drama - dance music

CD Example 38. Music from Noh drama - Shishimai (lion dance)