Fascination of the Koto 1 - The International Shakuhachi Society

Fascination of the Koto 1

Yonekawa Toshiko
King Record Co., Ltd - KICH 2054
1997

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Artist
1	Kokemizu	苔水	06'06	Koto: Yonekawa Megumi Koto: Yonekawa Toshiko Voice: Yamazaki Yoko
	Composed in 1939. the text is a tanka poem of Monky Ryokan (1758-1831), symbolizing the clarity of his mind with the image of water running through moss and rocks. The vocal part is sung by a singer, rather than by the koto player himself as is traditional.
2	Hana	花	08'23	Koto: Yonekawa Toshiko Koto: Yonekawa Megumi Voice: Yonekawa Toshiko
	Flowers. No. 60. Composed in 1969. The text is a tanka poem written by Yosano Hirosi (1873-1935). Th epoet uses the image of flowers to suggest the fragility of the human mind. Two koto parts and two vocal parts make an interesting ensemble piece.
3	Yuku Haru	逝く春	12'02	Koto: Yonekawa Toshiko Koto: Yonekawa Megumi Voice: Imafuji Fumiko
	Lingering Spring. No. 59. Composed in 1968. the test is a Japanese translation by Sato Haruo (1892-1964) of a Chinese poem. Its basic image is willow trees in a river bank at the end of spring. The compsoer invented her own melodic characteristics by using a running system hitherto unknown to the koto repartoire.
4	Nagare	流	05'18	Koto: Yonekawa Toshiko
	Stream. No. 18. Composed in 1946. An instrumental piece characterized by classical sounds and full of interesting movements realized mainly by the use of tempo changes and arpeggios. This piece requires an extermely precise tuning of the koto and minute control of timbre and dynamics.
5	Chidori to Asobu Tieko	千鳥と遊ぶ智恵子	16'01	Koto: Yonekawa Toshiko Shamisen: Yonekawa Toshiko II
	Tieko playing with plovers. No. 33. Composed in 1953 and given the Art Festival Prize for Encouragment. The text is a poem written by Takamura Kotaro (1883-1956), a poet-sculptor. The poem depicts ths scene in which Tieko, the poet's wife (already influenced by mental illness), sits on the sea shore, playing with plovers and hearing her name in the cries of birds "tii, tii…" This work was first performed on a koto, a low-registered 13-stringed koto (invented by Yonekawa Tosiko's father, Yonekawa Kin'o's) and by a vocalist. In this recording, the original low-registered 13-stringed koto is replaced by a zyositigen (17-stringed low-registered koto). The vocal part is not written in any specific traditional vocal style of Japan. It could be described as rather neutral. Therefore, it has been successfully performed by Western style sopranos as well by traditional Japanese singers.
6	Geisyunka	迎春花	14'13	Koto: Yonekawa Toshiko II
	A song welcoming spring. No. 16. Composed in 1946, just after World War II. A Japanese children's song "Spring has come" is quoted as if it symbolized the new liberated time. The music is full of the inventiveness and creativity typical of the composer. Contrasts between duble and trible meters, between thickness and thinness of sound as well as the use of modulations give this pice vividness. - Notes by TOKUMURA Yoshihiko