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Gagaku
is a type of Japanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances. was developed as court music of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its near-current form was established in the Heian period (794–1185) around the 10th century.History of gagaku Nihon gagakukai Today, it is performed by the Board of Ceremonies in the . Gagaku consists of three primary repertoires: #Native [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biwa
The is a Japanese short-necked wooden lute traditionally used in narrative storytelling. The is a plucked string instrument that first gained popularity in China before spreading throughout East Asia, eventually reaching Japan sometime during the Nara period (710–794). Typically to in length, the instrument is constructed of a water drop–shaped body with a short neck, typically with four (though sometimes five) strings. In Japan, the is generally played with a instead of the fingers, and is often used to play . One of the 's most famous uses is for reciting The Tale of the Heike, ''The Tale of the'' , from the Kamakura period (1185–1333). In previous centuries, the predominant musicians would have been , who used the as musical accompaniment when reading scriptural texts. The 's Chinese predecessor was the (), which arrived in Japan in two forms; following its introduction to Japan, varieties of the quadrupled. Guilds supporting players, particularly the , h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Music Of Japan
In Japan, music includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern.ref> The word for "music" in Japanese is 音楽 (''ongaku''), combining the kanji 音 ''on'' (sound) with the kanji 楽 ''gaku'' (music, comfort). Japan is the world's largest market for music on physical media and the second-largest overall music market, with a retail value of US$2.7 billion in 2017. Traditional and folk music Gagaku, hougaku The oldest forms of traditional Japanese music are: * , or Buddhist chanting * , or orchestral court music both of which date to the Nara (710–794) and Heian (794–1185) periods. Gagaku classical music has been performed at the Imperial court since the Heian period. Kagura-uta (神楽歌), Azuma-asobi (東遊) and Yamato-uta (大和歌) are indigenous repertories. Tōgaku (唐楽) allegedly resembles a Chinese Tang dynasty (618–907) style; komagaku may have come from the Korean Peninsula. In addition, gagaku subdivides into kangen (管弦) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Komagaku
''Komagaku'' ( 高麗楽) is a form of ''gagaku'' (traditional Japanese court music) form arranged in the Heian period mainly based on Koguryeo music and ''sankangaku'' (the music of the Three Kingdoms of Korea The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korea, Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of History of Korea, Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statele ... and is often played as a dance accompaniment. In contrast to other forms of ''gagaku'', Komagaku uses no plucked string instruments, only winds and percussion. References Gagaku {{japan-music-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yayue
''Yayue'' () was a form of classical music and dance performed at the royal court and temples in ancient China. The basic conventions of ''yayue'' were established in the Western Zhou. Together with law and rites, it formed the formal representation of aristocratic political power. The word ''ya'' () was used during the Zhou dynasty to refer to a form of song-texts used in court and collected in '' Shijing''. The term ''yayue'' itself appeared in Confucius's ''Analects'', where ''yayue'' was considered by Confucius to be the kind of music that is good and beneficial, in contrast to the popular music originated from the state of Zheng which he judged to be decadent and corrupting. ''Yayue'' is therefore regarded in the Confucian system as the proper form of music that is refined, improving, and essential for self-cultivation, and one that can symbolize good and stable governance. It means the kind of solemn ceremonial music used in court, as well as ritual music in temples inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bugaku(Naiku) 01
is a Japanese traditional dance that has been performed to select elites, mostly in the Japanese imperial court, for over twelve hundred years. In this way, it has been known only to the nobility, although after World War II, the dance was opened to the public and has even toured around the world in 1959. The dance is marked by its slow, precise and regal movements. The dancers wear intricate traditional Buddhist costumes, which usually include equally beautiful masks. The music and dance pattern is often repeated several times. It is performed on a square platform, usually 6 yards by 6 yards. Gerald Jonas, in his 2008 book ''Dancing: The pleasure power and art of movement'' explains that "some bugaku dances depict legendary battles, others enact encounters with divine personages or mythical beasts like the phoenix; one famous set-piece shows two dragons frolicking" (p. 102). He also discusses the ancient instruction manual that describes precisely the refined movements an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pentatonic Scale
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave, in contrast to heptatonic scales, which have seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale). Pentatonic scales were developed independently by many ancient civilizations and are still used in various musical styles to this day. As Leonard Bernstein put it: "The universality of this scale is so well known that I'm sure you could give me examples of it, from all corners of the earth, as from Scotland, or from China, or from Africa, and from American Indian cultures, from East Indian cultures, from Central and South America, Australia, Finland ...now, that is a true musico-linguistic universal." There are two types of pentatonic scales: Those with semitones (hemitonic) and those without (anhemitonic). Types Hemitonic and anhemitonic Musicology commonly classifies pentatonic scales as either ''hemitonic'' or ''anhemitonic''. Hemitonic scales contain one or more semitones and anhemitonic s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Koto (instrument)
The is a Japanese plucked half-tube zither instrument, and the national instrument of Japan. It is derived from the Chinese and , and similar to the Mongolian , the Korean and , the Vietnamese , the Sundanese and the Kazakh . Koto are roughly in length, and made from Paulownia wood ('' Paulownia tomentosa'', known as ). The most common type uses 13 strings strung over movable bridges used for tuning, different pieces possibly requiring different tuning. Seventeen-string koto are also common, and act as bass in ensembles. Koto strings are generally plucked using three fingerpicks (), worn on the first three fingers of the right hand. Names and types The character for ''koto'' is , although is often used. However, (''koto'') is the general term for all string instruments in the Japanese language,(jaKotobank koto/ref> including instruments such as the , , , , , and so on. When read as , it indicates the Chinese instrument . The term is used today in the same way. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shōmyō
is a style of Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...ese Buddhist chant, used mainly in the Tendai and Shingon sects. There are two styles: ''ryokyoku'' and ''rikkyoku'', described as difficult and easy to remember, respectively. Shōmyō, like gagaku, employs the Yo scale, a pentatonic scale with ascending intervals of two, three, two, two, and three semitones. References Bibliography * Hill, Jackson (1982). Ritual Music in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism: Shingon Shōmyō, Ethnomusicology 26 (1), 27-39 External linksWhat Appears Through Chanting Tendai Shomyo Ryokyoku *http://jtrad.columbia.jp/eng/s_tendai.html *http://www.eastvalley.or.jp/eng/kyoku.html *http://sound.jp/tengaku/Shichseikai-e/shomyo-e4.html Buddhist music Japanese styles of music Bud ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Board Of Ceremonies
The is a department of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan. The board is the chief administration charged with ceremonial matters. History The history dates back to the Asuka period of the 8th century under the Taihō Code, when the was formed. This stayed in existence until the reforms of the Meiji era in 1871, when the ministry was replaced with the , which was soon renamed in 1872. The Ministry of Divinities was abolished, with the bulk of duties moved to the and the administration of formal ceremonial functions transferred to the Bureau of the Ceremonies. The Bureau of the Ceremonies was initially under the administration of the , but was transferred to the control of the Imperial Household Ministry in September 1877. The Bureau underwent the current name change in October 1884. Organisation The board is headed by the . However, the post has historically gone under the name . The Grand Master is assisted by two . One of them has , while the other has . / (Wordings ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yo Scale
The ''yo'' scale is a pentatonic scale used in much Japanese music including gagaku and shomyo. It is similar to the Dorian, but does not contain minor notes. The ''yo'' scale is used specifically in folk songs and early popular songs and is contrasted with the ''in'' scale which does contain minor notes. The ''in'' scale is described as more 'dark' while the yo scale is described as 'bright' sounding.Chris Hiscock, Marian Metcalfe (1999). ''New Music Matters 11-14'', p.49. . It is defined by ascending intervals of two, three, two, two, and three semitones. An example ''yo'' scale, expressed in western pitch names, is: D - E - G - A - B. This is illustrated below. The Ryūkyū scale appears to be derived from the yo scale with pitches raised. More recent theory emphasizes that it is more useful in interpreting Japanese melody to view scales on the basis of "nuclear tones" located a fourth apart and containing notes between them, as in the ''min'yō'' scale used in folk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lute
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" commonly refers to an instrument from the Family (musical instruments), family of History of lute-family instruments, European lutes which were themselves influenced by India, Indian short-necked lutes in Gandhara which became the predecessor of the Islamic music, Islamic, the Sino-Japanese and the Early music, European lute families. The term also refers generally to any necked string instrument having the strings running in a plane parallel to the Sound board (music), sound table (in the Hornbostel–Sachs system). The strings are attached to pegs or posts at the end of the neck, which have some type of turning mechanism to enable the player to tighten the tension on the string or loosen the tension before playing (which respectively ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretches from Yunnan in the southwest to Xinjiang in the northwest and Heilongjiang in the northeast. Its spread is generally attributed to the greater ease of travel and communication in the North China Plain compared to the more mountainous south, combined with the relatively recent spread of Mandarin to frontier areas. Many varieties of Mandarin, such as Southwestern Mandarin, those of the Southwest (including Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese) and the Lower Yangtze Mandarin, Lower Yangtze, are not mutually intelligible with the Beijing dialect (or are only partially intelligible). Nevertheless, Mandarin as a group is often placed first in lists of languages by number of native speakers (with nearly one billion). Because Mandarin originated in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
