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Gagaku

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the album, seeGagaku(album).
For the Asuka-period genre of masked dance-drama, seeGigaku.For the style ofgagakuadopted from Tang-dynasty China, seeTōgaku.

Gagaku(Nhã lặc,lit. "elegant music" )[1]is a type ofJapanese classical musicthat was historically used for imperial court music and dances.Gagakuwas developed as court music of theKyoto Imperial Palace,and its near-current form was established in theHeian period(794–1185) around the 10th century.[2][3]Today, it is performed by theBoard of Ceremoniesin theTokyo Imperial Palace.

Gagaku consists of three primary repertoires:[2]

  1. NativeShinto religious musicand imperial songs and dance, calledKuniburi no utamai(Quốc phong ca vũ)
  2. Vocal music based on nativefolkpoetry, calledUtaimono(Dao vật)
  3. Songs and dance based on foreign-style music
    1. AChinese,VietnameseandIndianform (specificallyTang dynasty), calledTōgaku(Đường lặc)
    2. AKoreanandManchurianform, calledkomagaku(Cao lệ lặc)

Gagaku,likeshōmyō,employs theyo scale,apentatonic scalewith ascending intervals of two, three, two, two, and three semitones between the five scale tones.[4]Artistically it differs from the music of the corresponding Chinese formyayue(Nhã lặc) which is a term reserved for ceremonial music.[5]

History[edit]

Jingu-Bugaku atKotaijingu(Naiku),Ise city,Mie Prefecture

The prototype ofgagakuwas introduced into Japan with Buddhism fromChina.In 589, Japanese official diplomatic delegations were sent to China (during theSui dynasty) to learn Chinese culture, including Chinese court music. By the 7th century, thekoto(the 13-stringedzither) and thebiwa(a short-neckedlute) had been introduced into Japan from China. Various instruments, including these two, were the earliest used to playgagaku.

Even though the Japanese use the same term,Nhã lặc(yǎyuèinMandarin Chinese,ngahngohkinCantonese), the form of music imported from China was primarily banquet music (engaku) rather than the ceremonial music of the Chineseyǎyuè.The importation of music peaked during the Tang dynasty, and these pieces are calledTōgaku(Tang music).Gagakupieces that originated at a time earlier than the Tang dynasty are calledkogaku(ancient music), while those originating after the Tang dynasty are calledshingaku(new music). The termgagakuitself was first recorded in 701, when the first imperial academy of musicGagakuryōwas established.[5]

Music from the Korean kingdom ofGoguryeohad been recorded as early as 453 AD, andkomagakuwas eventually used as a term that covered all Korean pieces, the Goguryeo kingdom being referred to as Koma in Japanese.KomagakuandTōgakubecame established in southern Japan during theNara period(710–794). In 736, music from India and Vietnam were also introduced, known asTenjikugaku(Thiên trúc lặc)andRinyūgaku(Lâm ấp lặc)respectively.

During the Nara period in the 8th century,gagakuwas performed at national events, such as the erection of the Great Buddha ofTodai-jiTemple, by organizinggagakuperformance groups at large temples.

From the 9th century to the 10th century, during theHeian period,traditionalgagakuwas developed further, becoming distinctly Japanese in style through its fusion with musical styles indigenous to Japan, changing it greatly. The form ofgagakuwas almost completed by the fusion ofTōgaku,Komagaku,TenjikugakuandRinyūgakuwhich were introduced from Asian countries, withKuniburi no utamai,traditional Japanese music, andutaimono,songs born in the Heian period.[2][3]During this period, many pieces ofgagakumusic were created and foreign-stylegagakumusic was rearranged and renewed.Gagakuwas also reorganized, and foreign-stylegagakumusic was classified into categories calledSahō(Tả phương,left side)andUhō(Hữu phương,right side).Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian style was classified asSahō,and Korean and Manchurian style was classified asUhō.TenjikugakuandRinyūgakuwere also included in the category ofTōgaku.[2][3][6]

The popularity ofgagakureached its peak between the 9th and 10th centuries, when court aristocracy began to hold private concerts, but declined in theKamakura period(1185–1333) when the power of the court aristocracy became diminished while that of the samurai rose.[6]Gagakuwas played by musicians who belonged to hereditary guilds. During theKamakura period,military rule was imposed andgagakuwas rarely performed at court. At this time, there were three guilds, based inOsaka,NaraandKyoto.

Due to theŌnin War,a civil war from 1467 to 1477 during theMuromachi period,gagakuensembles ceased to perform in Kyoto for about 100 years. In theEdo period,theTokugawa shogunaterevived and reorganized the court-style ensembles, the direct ancestors of the presentgagakuensembles.

After theMeiji Restorationof 1868, musicians from all three guilds came to the capital and their descendants make up most of the currentTokyo Imperial PalaceMusic Department. By that time, the present ensemble composition had been established, consisting of three wind instruments –hichiriki,ryūteki,andshō(bamboo mouth organ used to provide harmony) – and three percussion instruments –kakko(small drum),shōko(metal percussion), andtaiko(drum) ordadaiko(large drum), supplemented by two string instruments –gakubiwaandgakusō.

Gagakualso accompanies classical dance performances calledbugaku(Vũ lặc).It may be used in religious ceremonies in some Buddhist temples.[7]

In 1955, the Japanese government recognizedgagakuandbugakuas importantNational Treasures.

Today,gagakuis performed in three ways:[8]

  • askangen,concert music for winds, strings and percussion,
  • asbugaku,or dance music, for which the stringed instruments are omitted.
  • asutaimono,singing to the accompaniment of a musical instrument, classified into 10 categories.

Komagakusurvives only asbugaku.[9]

Contemporarygagakuensembles, such asReigakusha(Linh lặc xá),perform contemporary compositions forgagakuinstruments. This subgenre of contemporary works forgagakuinstruments, which began in the 1960s, is calledreigaku(Linh lặc).20th-century composers such asTōru Takemitsuhave composed works forgagakuensembles, as well as individualgagakuinstruments. In January 2015 theReigakushagagakuEnsemble andEnsemble Modernperformed togetherMusic with silent aitake'sby Belgian composerFrederic D'Haene,makinggagakuand Western music co-exist.[10]

Instruments used[edit]

Wind, string and percussion instruments are essential elements of gagaku music. Some instruments, such as Haishō, Gogen biwa, Kugo had been removed from the ensemble during Heian period and reconstructed based on the old documents and some remains of the instruments in theShōsō-induring Showa Era.

Wind[edit]

  • Hichiriki(Tất lật),oboe
  • O-hichiriki(Đại tất lật)
  • Ryūteki(Long địch),transverse flute used in tōgaku
  • Shō(Sanh),mouth organ
  • U(Vu),large mouth organ
  • Komabue(Cao lệ địch),transverse flute smaller than ryūteki, used in komagaku
  • Azuma-asobi-bue(Đông du địch),also calledchukan
  • Kagurabue(Thần lặc địch),transverse flute larger than ryūteki, used in kuniburi no utamai
  • (Ancient)Shakuhachi(Xích bát)
  • Haishō(Bài tiêu),panpipes

String[edit]

  • GakuBiwa(Lặc tỳ bà),4-stringed lute
  • Gogen biwa(Ngũ huyền tỳ bà),5-stringed lute
  • Gakusō(Lặc tranh),13-string zither of Chinese origin
  • Kugo(Không hầu),angled harp used in ancient times and recently revived
  • Genkan(Nguyễn hàm)
  • Yamatogoto(Đại hòa cầm,also calledwa-gon),zither of Japanese origin, with 6 or 7 strings

Percussion[edit]

  • Shōko(Chinh cổ),small gong, struck with two horn beaters
  • Kakko(Hạt cổ / yết cổ),small hourglass-shaped drum struck with two wooden sticks
  • Tsuri-daiko(Điếu thái cổ),drum on a stand with ornately painted head, played with two padded sticks
  • Da-daiko(Đà thái cổ),large drums used at festivals
  • Ikko(Nhất cổ),small, ornately decorated hourglass-shaped drum
  • San-no-tsuzumi(Tam の cổ),hourglass-shaped drum
  • Shakubyoshi(Hốt phách tử,also calledshaku),clapper made from a pair of flat wooden sticks
  • Hōkyō(Phương hưởng)
  • Suzu(Linh),a bell tree clapper, specific toMikomaidance performed as Mi-kagura
  • Tsuzumi(Cổ),hourglass drum, specific toShirabyōshidance performed as Mi-kagura

Influence on Western music[edit]

Beginning in the 20th century, several western classical composers became interested in gagaku, and composed works based on gagaku. Most notable among these areHenry Cowell(Ongaku,1957),La Monte Young(numerous works ofdrone music,[11]but especiallyTrio for Strings,1958),Alan Hovhaness(numerous works),Olivier Messiaen(Sept haïkaï,1962),Lou Harrison(Pacifika Rondo,1963),Benjamin Britten(Curlew River,1964),Bengt Hambraeus(Shogaku,fromTre Pezzi per Organo,1967),Ákos Nagy(Veiled wince flute quartet 2010),Jarosław Kapuściński(numerous works),Sarah Peebles(numerous works),Michiko Toyama(Waka,1960), andTim Hecker(Konoyo,2018).

One of the most important gagaku musicians of the 20th century, Masataro Togi (who served for many years as chief court musician), instructed American composers such asAlan HovhanessandRichard Teitelbaumin the playing of gagaku instruments.

Other cultural influence[edit]

The American poetSteve Richmonddeveloped a unique style based on the rhythms of gagaku. Richmond heard gagaku music on records atU.C.L.A.'s Department of Ethnomusicology in the early 1960s. In a 2009 interview with writerBen Pleasants,Richmond claimed he had written an estimated 8,000–9,000 gagaku poems.[12]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary,Kenkyusha Limited, Tokyo 1991,ISBN4-7674-2015-6
  2. ^abcdHistory of gagakuNihon gagakukai
  3. ^abcThe Indigenization and Accomplishment of GagakuJapan Arts Council
  4. ^Japanese Music,Cross-Cultural Communication: World Music,University of Wisconsin – Green Bay
  5. ^abBenito Ortolani (1995).The Japanese Theatre: From Shamanistic Ritual to Contemporary Pluralism.Princeton University Press. pp. 40–41.ISBN978-0691043333.
  6. ^abBenito Ortolani (1995).The Japanese Theatre: From Shamanistic Ritual to Contemporary Pluralism.Princeton University Press. pp. 42–43.ISBN978-0691043333.
  7. ^"Chính hành tự の báo ân giảng と nhã lặc".Kyushu National Museums.Archived fromthe originalon 24 November 2007.
  8. ^"Enjoy gagaku. What kind of music is Gagaku?"Doyusha Video
  9. ^"...overview, University of California site".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-08-19.Retrieved2007-10-05.
  10. ^[1]Ravello Records released the CD in 2018.
  11. ^Zuckerman, Gabrielle (ed.),"An Interview with La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela"(Archive.orgcopy of 2006), American Public Media, July 2002, musicmavericks.publicradio.org: "So, this contribution of Indian Classical music is one of the biggest influences on me, but there are other influences on me too. [...] We have the effect of Japanese gagaku, which has sustained tones in it in the instruments such as the Sho."
  12. ^Pleasants, Ben."American Rimbaud: An interview with Steve Richmond".
  • Alves, William.Music of the Peoples of the World.Thomson Schirmer, 2006.
  • Garfias, Robert. "Gradual Modifications of the Gagaku Tradition."Ethnomusicology,Vol. 4, No. 1. (Jan., 1960), pp. 16–19.
  • Matsumiya, Suiho. "Traditional Music in Japan To-Day: Its Stability and Evolution."Journal of the International Folk Music Council,Vol. 11 (1959), pp. 65–66.
  • Malm, William P.Japanese Music and Musical Instruments.Charles E. Japan: TuttleCo., Inc., 1959.

External links[edit]

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