I am working on my second book. This time, I will write about American "non-experimental" classical music. I discussed with my publisher, Stylenote, about possible composers I would deal with. Currently, I choose the following: Leroy Anderson, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Ferde Grofe, Charles Ives, Gian Carlo Menotti, and William Schuman. I may add a few more composers.
The most difficult composer to write about should be Grofe, as academic research has not yet been progressed much so far for this composer (I do own a copy of MA thesis on Grofe), and because of the complexity of genre problem surrounding this composer, namely: (1) How can I define jazz, dance music, semiclassical music, and serious music? (2) How I can place Grofe in this context?
My publisher told me that my first book, A Comprehensive Survey of Disney Film Music, have been sold 1,100 copies. This actually is the first Japanese publication on the Disney film music.
If you are interested in this book--sorry it is written in Japanese--you can buy your copy at Amazon.co.jp. Take a look at the link below. Thanks!!
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Anime "Zipang" OST
A soundtrack for Japanese anime "Zipang" by Toshihiko Sahashi. The anime is a military drama based on the manga of Kaiji Kawaguchi, known for his Silent Service.
The style of most cues is symphonic, occasionally incorporating drums and synthesizer in the style of Mancina/Zimmer. Long cues are especially exciting and well-constructed. However, I do not like his uses of koto sound and pentatonic scale for the Imperial Japanese Army cues, because it sounds too stereotypically oriental.
Nevertheless, if you like this TV anime series, you may enjoy this CD too.
The style of most cues is symphonic, occasionally incorporating drums and synthesizer in the style of Mancina/Zimmer. Long cues are especially exciting and well-constructed. However, I do not like his uses of koto sound and pentatonic scale for the Imperial Japanese Army cues, because it sounds too stereotypically oriental.
Nevertheless, if you like this TV anime series, you may enjoy this CD too.
Monday, November 14, 2005
JASPM 2005 in Hirosaki
It is increasingly colder each day here in Toyama, but the weather in Hirosaki (Aomori Prefecture) was freezing. I was in Hirosaki for a conference on popular-music studies, hosted by the Japanese Association for the Study of Popular Music. There were a variety of topics discussed there and scholarly presentations were conducted by researchers from various fields, not limiting to musicologist but including sociologists, economists, as well as promoters of popular music and a film-music record collector.
Perhaps due to the Japanese higher-education system, many presenters view the popular music sociologically, or they analyze it based on pre-conceived schemes created by American/European sociologists. I am not about to complain this idea but am more interested in musical discussions from historical musicologists, ethnomusicologists, or musical-theory specialists, as well.
One of the afternoon sessions was a "workshop" focused on "otaku" culture and music (actually it was closer to a symposium or three paper presentations and a brief question session). Interestingly, one of the panelists was otaku herself, and her discussion went on and on about what she was interested in for a decade or so. Her presentation occupied too much time of the session, but for me, observing the true "otaku" was interesting in its own.
Her presentation, from my understanding, dealt with the music production derived from "otaku" communities. These comminuties comprised from various otaku or a group of people who are avid fans of a particular cartoon or its character. They create a variety of cartoon-comic books, based on their favorite TV-anime or cartoon comics. New musical pieces have also been created based on these imagined, unofficial, original cartoon-comic books. Often the creators of the original TV show or manga writers have nothing to do with these versions of cartoon-comic, but a solid number of otaku supports are able to host even a staged show featuring their original songs.
The world of these otaku groups, I guess, originated in the TV anime shows such as Gundam or Macros, which I saw when I was kid, say, in 1979 to 1982. The fans of the Gundam program were one of the first group of people, who demanded the detailed description of the characters that appeared in the cartoon show. When the actual creators of the anime were unable to provide the details, the fans created them from their imagination.
The significance of the Macros show lies in the Chinese-looking character (I forgot her name, but she has a Chinese-sounding name also, Lin Min-Mei?), which was a singer and sung her original songs throughout the anime. Even though the story of the anime was not particularly musical but more like a robot-Sci Fi, always popular in Japan since the Astro Boy, the anime character's songs impacted me a great deal as well as many anime viewers at that time.
What I saw in otaku came from (1) their interests in details on anime characters and (2) singing by anime characters. When they cannot have these features in anime shows, they just make them up, based on their imagination and fantasy.
Also, they are really acts fast, as they create a network of people, some of whom can have access to music company or composing skills, others would have a economical foundation to create a dojinshi, or an original book-publication in the otaku market.
Perhaps due to the Japanese higher-education system, many presenters view the popular music sociologically, or they analyze it based on pre-conceived schemes created by American/European sociologists. I am not about to complain this idea but am more interested in musical discussions from historical musicologists, ethnomusicologists, or musical-theory specialists, as well.
One of the afternoon sessions was a "workshop" focused on "otaku" culture and music (actually it was closer to a symposium or three paper presentations and a brief question session). Interestingly, one of the panelists was otaku herself, and her discussion went on and on about what she was interested in for a decade or so. Her presentation occupied too much time of the session, but for me, observing the true "otaku" was interesting in its own.
Her presentation, from my understanding, dealt with the music production derived from "otaku" communities. These comminuties comprised from various otaku or a group of people who are avid fans of a particular cartoon or its character. They create a variety of cartoon-comic books, based on their favorite TV-anime or cartoon comics. New musical pieces have also been created based on these imagined, unofficial, original cartoon-comic books. Often the creators of the original TV show or manga writers have nothing to do with these versions of cartoon-comic, but a solid number of otaku supports are able to host even a staged show featuring their original songs.
The world of these otaku groups, I guess, originated in the TV anime shows such as Gundam or Macros, which I saw when I was kid, say, in 1979 to 1982. The fans of the Gundam program were one of the first group of people, who demanded the detailed description of the characters that appeared in the cartoon show. When the actual creators of the anime were unable to provide the details, the fans created them from their imagination.
The significance of the Macros show lies in the Chinese-looking character (I forgot her name, but she has a Chinese-sounding name also, Lin Min-Mei?), which was a singer and sung her original songs throughout the anime. Even though the story of the anime was not particularly musical but more like a robot-Sci Fi, always popular in Japan since the Astro Boy, the anime character's songs impacted me a great deal as well as many anime viewers at that time.
What I saw in otaku came from (1) their interests in details on anime characters and (2) singing by anime characters. When they cannot have these features in anime shows, they just make them up, based on their imagination and fantasy.
Also, they are really acts fast, as they create a network of people, some of whom can have access to music company or composing skills, others would have a economical foundation to create a dojinshi, or an original book-publication in the otaku market.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Japanese Ancient Music
Iwanami Koza: Nihon-no-ongaku, Ajia-no-ongaku (Iwanami Lecture Series: Japanese Music [and] Asian Music). CD accompanied to the Appendix 1 Volume of the series.
This seven-volume collection of academic articles (all in Japanese) on Japanese and Asian musics, published by the Iwanami company, has two supplement volumes that come with compact discs. These volumes are designed as research guidance and resources for researches on Asian musics. The first volume is invaluable here as it includes recordings of Japanese ancient instruments heard nowhere but on this CD.
Especially important is the first track, demonstrating three types of the iwa-bue (stone-whistle), dating from the Jomon and Yayoi periods. The instruments are so simple that they usually produce only a few pitches. The tone color is also limited. The type of music actually played on these period is unknown to us, due to the lack of information. The performance on this disc, therefore, have to rely on the shape, construction, and sound of the flutes, which would give us basic information regarding the Japanese ancient music practices. It is believed that such flutes were used by ancient Japanese people to communicate with their native gods.
The second track includes a performance of the dotaku (bronze bell). This is also an important document.
This seven-volume collection of academic articles (all in Japanese) on Japanese and Asian musics, published by the Iwanami company, has two supplement volumes that come with compact discs. These volumes are designed as research guidance and resources for researches on Asian musics. The first volume is invaluable here as it includes recordings of Japanese ancient instruments heard nowhere but on this CD.Especially important is the first track, demonstrating three types of the iwa-bue (stone-whistle), dating from the Jomon and Yayoi periods. The instruments are so simple that they usually produce only a few pitches. The tone color is also limited. The type of music actually played on these period is unknown to us, due to the lack of information. The performance on this disc, therefore, have to rely on the shape, construction, and sound of the flutes, which would give us basic information regarding the Japanese ancient music practices. It is believed that such flutes were used by ancient Japanese people to communicate with their native gods.
The second track includes a performance of the dotaku (bronze bell). This is also an important document.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Owara-bushi (folksong) CD
Riyou Owara-bushi (Owara-bushi: a folk song). Yoimachi-Senmaikaigi No Number (compact disc).
The "Owara-bushi" is one of the most popular minyo (folksongs) in the Yatsuo region in Toyama Prefecture. This folktune is the main feature of the Owara kaze-no-bon, a Buddhist festival in early September, celebrating the coming fall-season.
On the day of the festival, all communities in Yatsuo prepare their own kimono costumes (two kindes for each community; one for male dancers and another for female dancers). Dancers with these kimonos appears on the stage to show their elegant choreography to the tourists. The dancers are accompanied by the hayashi, or instrumental ensemble for minyo, consisted of the shamisen, kokyu, and the small taiko drum. After their staged show is over at midnight, the dancers and musicians moves to the street of Yatuo and begin parading with their quiet, slow-moving dance and sounds from the folk instruments, leaving the spectators the impression of the summer's end.
For those who are looking for live recordings of this minyo festival, you should look for different CDs or a DVD. This CD does not include a live recording of today's minyo performance; it is a compilation of old recordings originally released on the 78s. Nonetheless, it is interesting to compare the performances and to hear different tempi and singing styles of the same folktune. Actually, in some versions, the piece itself is quite heavily altered or arranged, and improvisational passages may be added here and there.
Generally speaking, earlier performances are faster than the later ones. As the performance becomes slower and slower, the sound of the kokyu becomes more emiment in the ensemble. Now the kokyu is the most characteristic sound in this folktune. I do not know other minyo using the kokyu in the hayashi ensemble.
The transfer and editing process of each version on this CD varies, too. One version includes a brief pause between Sides A and B of the original 78 rpm disc. In a different version, two sides of the disc are neatly connected. Some versions are direct transfers from the disc; in other versions, discs are played on the old grammophone first, and the sound coming from the loud speaker is picked up by the microphone.
The CD, as a whole, is a nice piece of history.
The "Owara-bushi" is one of the most popular minyo (folksongs) in the Yatsuo region in Toyama Prefecture. This folktune is the main feature of the Owara kaze-no-bon, a Buddhist festival in early September, celebrating the coming fall-season.
On the day of the festival, all communities in Yatsuo prepare their own kimono costumes (two kindes for each community; one for male dancers and another for female dancers). Dancers with these kimonos appears on the stage to show their elegant choreography to the tourists. The dancers are accompanied by the hayashi, or instrumental ensemble for minyo, consisted of the shamisen, kokyu, and the small taiko drum. After their staged show is over at midnight, the dancers and musicians moves to the street of Yatuo and begin parading with their quiet, slow-moving dance and sounds from the folk instruments, leaving the spectators the impression of the summer's end.
For those who are looking for live recordings of this minyo festival, you should look for different CDs or a DVD. This CD does not include a live recording of today's minyo performance; it is a compilation of old recordings originally released on the 78s. Nonetheless, it is interesting to compare the performances and to hear different tempi and singing styles of the same folktune. Actually, in some versions, the piece itself is quite heavily altered or arranged, and improvisational passages may be added here and there.
Generally speaking, earlier performances are faster than the later ones. As the performance becomes slower and slower, the sound of the kokyu becomes more emiment in the ensemble. Now the kokyu is the most characteristic sound in this folktune. I do not know other minyo using the kokyu in the hayashi ensemble.
The transfer and editing process of each version on this CD varies, too. One version includes a brief pause between Sides A and B of the original 78 rpm disc. In a different version, two sides of the disc are neatly connected. Some versions are direct transfers from the disc; in other versions, discs are played on the old grammophone first, and the sound coming from the loud speaker is picked up by the microphone.
The CD, as a whole, is a nice piece of history.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
The Flute of the Yayoi Period
Yayoi no Fue (The Flute of the Yayoi Period). Pieces composed and performed by Hiroshi Tamura. Toshiba-EMI TW-60020 (vinyl).
This ocallina-like flute on the record jacket is called the Ken. This instrument was found in an archeological research, which has confirmed that such a flute would have existed in the Yayoi Period. Probably, the Ken was originally invented iin China, where a similar instruments still exists today.
The details of the music actually played on the Ken has been lost, unfortunately, but a Japanese composer Hiroshi Tamura in Yamaguchi created rather mild,"New Age"-ish compositions based on his imagination toward this ancient era. Although never mentioned in liner notes or record labels, performances on this LP record include other instruments than the ken: rattles, belles, and small drums. (Written on 1 January 2004)
This ocallina-like flute on the record jacket is called the Ken. This instrument was found in an archeological research, which has confirmed that such a flute would have existed in the Yayoi Period. Probably, the Ken was originally invented iin China, where a similar instruments still exists today.
The details of the music actually played on the Ken has been lost, unfortunately, but a Japanese composer Hiroshi Tamura in Yamaguchi created rather mild,"New Age"-ish compositions based on his imagination toward this ancient era. Although never mentioned in liner notes or record labels, performances on this LP record include other instruments than the ken: rattles, belles, and small drums. (Written on 1 January 2004)
My Researches
I am currently working on two projects for the journal called "Ongaku Bunka no Sozo," or "The Creation of Musical Culture," published quarterly for those who are interested in life-long music education (extension schools etc.) or musical administration in non-cosmopolitan areas.
The first project is a survey of music festivals in various places in Japan. I am especially interested in small music festivals than so-called "international festivals." There used to be many of these international ones, when the financial situation in Japan was better, bringing world-famous musicians to rural areas. Now in the midst of the long-time depression, publich offices, which started many "international music festivals," have to change the nature of their local music festivals. As most of them no longer can afford royalties to world-renown artists, some music festivals turns into their local talents, most of them amateurs.
The second project is a survey on various musical competitions that can be used as a tool for life-long education. Usually, competitions are designed for youths who are looking for professional careers. Therefore, the applicants are limited to the young musicians (and most of them are students of music schools). However, there are some competitions open for older people. For example, San-in Guiter Festival has a "Senior" entry, elligible for 40 years old or older. There is also competitions, open for all ages.
Anyway, I began sending faxes and calling various state offices and administrators of music festifvals and competitions. It's going to be fun.
The first project is a survey of music festivals in various places in Japan. I am especially interested in small music festivals than so-called "international festivals." There used to be many of these international ones, when the financial situation in Japan was better, bringing world-famous musicians to rural areas. Now in the midst of the long-time depression, publich offices, which started many "international music festivals," have to change the nature of their local music festivals. As most of them no longer can afford royalties to world-renown artists, some music festivals turns into their local talents, most of them amateurs.
The second project is a survey on various musical competitions that can be used as a tool for life-long education. Usually, competitions are designed for youths who are looking for professional careers. Therefore, the applicants are limited to the young musicians (and most of them are students of music schools). However, there are some competitions open for older people. For example, San-in Guiter Festival has a "Senior" entry, elligible for 40 years old or older. There is also competitions, open for all ages.
Anyway, I began sending faxes and calling various state offices and administrators of music festifvals and competitions. It's going to be fun.
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