Abstract
One has to study a lot to understand what Western music is all about. But far more time is required to learn how to understand Non-Western, particularly Japanese, music. Japanese musicians utilize musical instruments different from the European ones, which results in absolutely different sound and musical compositions in general.
Introduction: Music as Eternal Value
Music, just like art and literature, is immortal because it is able to go through the centuries without losing its value and beauty. Eternal musical pieces perpetuate an unbelievably wide range of their creators’ emotions starting with everyday joy and happiness and ending up with sufferings caused by love and death. Music can be likened to language for it is also an encoded piece of information which can be deciphered only by those who are able to interpret its secret signs. Like a language has standards for grammar, spelling, and pronunciation, music possesses its own standards for melody, meter, harmony, form, tuning, counterpoint, etc. Music cannot be written or read; it can be only created and felt. The one who does not know the real value of music, who does not want to learn how to feel it, will never be able to comprehend the secret codes of mystique sounds which transfer human feelings and emotions. Music is often divided into Western and Non-Western; Japanese music belongs to Non-Western music and it has a number of peculiarities all of which should be discussed in order to present an ethnographic report on Japanese Traditional Music Performance.
Western and Non-Western Music
In the modern world most of people listen to European, or Western music. This is predominantly connected with the fact that during the colonial era the Europeans used to take their music with them whenever they went. This resulted in European music being listened to even in such countries as Australia and the Americas where people are well-acquainted with European culture and European languages. It is difficult to define what exactly the European music is all about and what distinguishes it from other kinds of music. In short, “Western music is generally tonal, based on major or minor scales, using an equal temperament tuning, in an easy-to-recognize meter, with straightforward rhythms, fairly strict rules on harmony and counterpoint, and not much improvisation”. (Schmidt-Jones) These rules, or standards, for defining Western music have been long argued upon, but with time they started to be accepted as traditional ones, since namely these rules make Western music understandable and recognizable.
Non-Western music is any other kind of music which does not correspond to the standards of European music. It is clear even to a non-specialist that Non-Western music is completely different from the European, with the main differences being mostly in musical instruments used. Due to the different musical instruments, the Non-Western music sounds may seem a bit exotic to a listener who got used to European music. “This comes from the use of different tuning systems, different scales, different vocal styles and performance practices, and different approaches to melody and harmony. “ (Schmidt-Jones) It will take time and efforts before such music will be understood by a European listener.
Hogaku as Traditional Japanese Music
Japanese music belongs to Non-Western music. Though Japan is subjected to European influence, it does not refuse of its traditional music, “Despite the tremendous changes in all aspects of Japanese national life which include a genuine acceptance of Western music, there remains a support of their traditional musical culture.” (Blades 122) The two musical cultures, genuine Japanese music and Western music, are being supported in Japan these days. The country offers a large choice of opera companies staging such operas as WilliamTell and Hary Janos on a regular basis. However, at the same time, Japan is trying to retain hogaku, which is traditional Japanese music.
Unfortunately, this traditional music is often incomprehensible to Westerners and Western-trained Japanese because there have been few guidebooks to lead one through hogaku as a highly evolved art form, a music that has as many facets and approaches to beauty as the music of the West or other Asian musics. (Malm 29)
Hogaku, like European music, has a number of art forms. “The scope of hogaku includes orchestral music, chamber music, music drama, and a host of vocal forms. The approach may be different from that of Western music, but the aesthetic goals are essentially the same.” (Malm 30) This traditional Japanese music can also comprise little ballads, long epic songs, and ballad drama, or joruri. The word hogaku can also indicate koto and shamisen, which are also the kinds of Japanese music.
The shamisen music falling within the theater music tradition is performed with the musicians sitting on a separate platform from the stage where the play is acted out, and this is meant to show that the music and narrative come from a different world than that of the actors on stage […] (T)he koto music called ji-uta sokyoku music is originally what one could call chamber music, performed in tatami rooms. That is why it is now performed with the musicians sitting directly on the stage floor (or on a slightly raised platform). (Sugiura)
Unlike shamisen and koto the staging of which changed due to modernization, hogaku continues to be performed in a way it used to be performed originally.
Considering the diversity of Japanese music, it can be stated that after listening to one musical piece, it would be unfair to affirm that the music is senseless, because all musical compositions are different. Sometimes it may seem that hogaku lacks coherence or clearly defined-patterns, but this is only due to the fact that the music itself is different and it is performed by means of the instruments which are unusual for Western music.
Japanese Musical Instruments
Musical instruments involved in creating Japanese music have not been changed since the time of their origin. This is especially true about instruments of percussion which retained their original purpose and a unique form. Japanese musical instruments include “koto, biwa, shamisen, fue, shinobue, shakuhachi, hichiriki, sho, shimedaiko, okawa, and kotsuzumi”. (“Musical Instruments”) Each of the instruments belongs to a separate group and, like in European musical instruments, can be a wind, percussion, or stringed instrument. Thus, Japanese musical instruments may be grouped into wind instruments which are fue, shinobue, shakuhachi, hichiriki, and sho; percussion instruments which comprise shimedaiko, okawa, and kotsuzumi; and stringed instruments which include koto, biwa, and shamisen.
Koto is one of the most widespread Japanese musical instruments and it is familiar even to those who listen to European music. It is a stringed solo instrument, though a combination of several kotos is also possible. Biwa reminds of violoncello; it is mostly used in ballads and battle tales where it is irreplaceable. Shamisen is a three-stringed guitar with a prolonged fingerboard which is usually played with a plectrum. Fue, shakuhachi, hichiriki, and shinobue are flutes with the latter being made of bamboo. Sho resembles harmonica and it “provides a kind of cloud of sound.” (“Musical Instruments”) The instrument is in shape of a phoenix, the mythical bird which was able to rise from the ashes. Shimedaiko is a stick drum which is usually made of pine or Japanese bead tree. Its special feature is the ornament from red-orange cords around the body of the instrument. Okawa is a side hand drum the core of which is made of chestnut or cherry. The front and the back parts of the instrument are connected with the same red-orange cords as in shimedaiko. Finally, kotsuzumi is a shoulder hand drum. It resembles okawa since its two skins are also connected with the red-orange cords by means of which the sound can be regulated.
Japanese Traditional Music Performance
Taking into consideration Japanese music styles and musical instruments discussed above, it is possible to present an ethnographic report on the Japanese Traditional Music Performance which took place in August 2008. The musicians who took part in the performance were “Mrs Kozue Memita (group leader), Mrs Toshiko Hida, Mrs Satoko Hitotsubahi, Miss Fumie Hino, Mr Sensan Takase, Mr Senrei Hida.” (“Japanese Traditional Music Performance- 20 August 2008”) These performers can hardly be known for the connoisseurs of European music, but there are quite popular in their native country.
Three kinds of music instruments have been used in the course of the music performance. Six 13-string and 17-string kotos have been used together with two shakuhachis and one shamisen. The combination of these three musical instruments reveals the whole essence of Japanese people and Japanese music. Koto is believed to be a symbol of music is Japan; it is also “one of the attributes of a scholar in the Chinese Confucian tradition.” (“Musical Instruments”) The numerical predominance of kotos in the whole group of musical instruments used for performance can be characterized as the respect for wisdom and traditions which, as everybody knows, are highly honored by Japanese people. The musician playing a koto is expected to be in a kneeling position, though initially the players were sitting with their legs crossed. The head of the instrument should be to the player’s right; “(t)he player plucks the strings with plectrums applied to the thumb, forefinger and middle finger of the right hand.” (“Musical Instruments”) The form of a plectrum usually depends on the school of music. If the school is Ikuta, the plectrum is rectangle (which is the case with the performance in question); if the musician belongs to Yamada school, the plectrum he or she uses is rounded.
Shakuhachi also has Chinese origin. This wind instrument is usually used to accompany folk songs which, however, could not be observed in the performance. The matter is that the instrument was used in combination with kotos and shamisen rather than separately, which allowed it to be used in genres other than folk song. Together with shamisen, shakuhachi is supposed to be played at the pitch of singing; for this “there are several different lengths of shakuhachi ranging from 75.8 cm. to 36.8 cm.” (“Musical Instruments”) The sound produced by shakuhachi is smooth, which is contrasted to shamisen’s buzzing sound. Together, these sounds merge into as unbelievably impressive melody which reminds of a sharp but not loud sound disturbing the silence. Shamisen is also played with a plectrum, but in case with this instrument, the only allowed shape of it is square for the strings should be touched exceptionally with the thin edges of the plectrum. “Also, in general, the relatively intimate Kouta style usually does not use a plectrum. The player plucks the strings with the fingernails of the right hand, a style that is called “tsume biki (playing with the fingernails).” (“Musical Instruments”) Since the musician in the Traditional Chinese Performance utilized a plectrum, it can be affirmed that he did not play the shamisen in Kouta style.
The performance took place at University of Queensland, Parnell Building (to be more specific, building no. 7) in the room 234 on St. Lucia campus. Traditional Japanese Music Performance was a part of Japan Week 2008. The performers who played the music were directly from Japan (Matsuyama City). On the whole, the music performance consisted of around six pieces, all of different genres and each of them producing unforgettable impression. Both contemporary and classical pieces were performed by the musicians; among the contemporary pieces there was “Like a Bird”, a solo performed by Kozue Mamita who played koto. The expressive sounds of this musical instrument make the listener imagine a bird in flight; this musical piece gives a feeling of freedom and makes the audience forget about their troubles and concerns.
What was the most interesting about the Traditional Japanese Music Performance was that after it the audience was allowed to go down the stage in order to see the traditional Japanese musical instruments the musicians were playing during the performance and even to try and play those instruments themselves.
Conclusion
Japanese music which belongs to Non-Western kind of music is sometimes difficult to understand for the listeners who got used to European music. It demands far more than mere listening; to understand Japanese music, one needs to know something from the history of its development and to be able to differentiate between different musical instruments. Hogaku is traditional Japanese music and it can be played with wind, stringed, and percussion musical instruments such as koto, shamisen, shakuhachi, shimedaiko, okawa, fue, shinobue, etc. Namely these musical instruments make Japanese music so special. Japanese music cannot be in any way compared with Western music; it is much deeper and more enigmatic. The one who gets a chance to listen to Japanese music, feels like he/she has been entrusted with a special secret; the one who is able to understand this kind of music and get into the essence of it, discovers a new world where the sounds acquire meaning and where the musical instruments play a role of philosophers who impart this meaning with others. Japanese Traditional Music Performance which took place on August 20, 2008 could impress even the most exigent listener; the fact that only three kinds of musical instruments constituted the whole orchestra evokes respect for Japanese people and their traditional music they are aiming to preserve so assiduously.
Works Cited
“Japanese Traditional Music Performance”. 2008. The University of Queensland. Web.
“Musical Instruments”. 2002. Japanese TraditionalMusic. Web.
Blades, James. Percussion Instruments and Their History. Bold Strummer, 1992.
Malm, William P. Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments: Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments. Kodansha International, 2000.
Schmidt-Jones, Catherine. “What Kind of Music is That?” 2007. Connexions. Web.
Sugiura, So. “AnOverview: Basic Knowledge about Pure Hogaku,TraditionalJapanese Music”. 2005. Performing Arts Network Japan. Web.