Japanese Koto Music with Shamisen and Shakuhachi

Various
Lyrichord - LLST 7131

Track	Titel	Kanji	Länge	Künstler
1	Midare Rinzetsu	乱輪舌	07'46
	Yatsuhashi Kangyo, founder of a koto school who lived from 1614 to 1685, is the composer. The title, means "unorthodox." There are a number of unharmonic tones produced by plucking two strings at once, giving an unusual after-tone. It is played by two musicians.
2	Haru no Umi	春の海	06'20
	(Spring Sea) was Composed by Michio Miyagi (1894-1956), a blind genius of modern koto music. As Miyagi understood Western music as well as his own, his work blends Western and Eastern harmonies very skillfully. A piece so well known internationally that it has been adopted for many Western instruments, it is best appreciated in the koto and shakuhachi duet for which it was written, as presented here.
3	Nebiki no Matsu	根引の松	05'58
	(Pine Tree Hunting) composed by Koto Mihashi is a traditional piece for shamisen. It was once a custom for people to go out to forests to pick short pine trees to decorate their homes at the New Year. The composition is actually a musical description of a pine tree being plucked from the ground. The three strings of the instrument are plucked and a drum effect is caused by the snapping of the plectrum against both the string and the tight cat skin covering the square box of the instrument.
4	Rokudan no Shirabe	六段の調	07'35
	ROKUDAN NO SHIRABE by Yatsuhashi Kengyo, follows a traditional form. The title stands for its form-six sections of 52 beats of 1/2 counts. It dates from early koto history, is neither descriptive nor symbolic. Simple of melody and technique, it is reminiscent of Bach, takes the form of concerto grosso played by koto, shamisen and shakuhachi.
5	Chidori no Kyoku	千鳥の曲	12'33
	(Music of Plovers) Composed by Yoshizawa Kengyo in the early 19th Century. Consists of four parts, the first part gives an impression of Gagaku followed by a classical poem which reads: The plovers which live Out on the shore Will chirp "Forever, the Court" The music in the third part is gay and refreshing. Then the second folk song type poem is sung: The Watchman at Suma Keeps dreaming all night Because he hears The crying of chidori. The voice of plovers is played by sliding the nail piece on the string, twice and twice again, before the music ends. The music is played by two kotos and four shakuhachis.