Hatsune no Kyoku
初音の曲
| [Genre] | Sokyoku |
| [Style] | Kumiuta |
| [School] | Yamada Ryū - 山田 |
| [Composed] | Yamada Kengyō - Koto |
History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):
| ‘Hatsune no kyuko’ (‘First Song of the Year’) is a unique and distinguished work in many respects. It was composed after Yasumuram the kengyo-general of the guild of blind men, had allegedly discouraged the composing of kumiuta without authorized permission. While it is the only work that Yamada, the founder of a new School of sokyoku, composed in the kumiuta form, it demonstrates a departure from conventional form. This kumiuta is performed only by Yamada School musicians. All six songs in this cycle are based on events from the ‘The First Warbler’ (Hatsume) chapter of ‘The Tale of Genji.’ The kumiuta begins with a special opening pattern called shirabe on the koto, composed of three beats, typical of the Yamada School style. |
Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
| Plum blossom fragrance Steeps the bamboo screen; The scent of the screen? Alive with spring The courtyard trees And flowers Beyond words! Beyond words! In Omi In Omi The mountain of renown Is none other than Mirror Mountain Reflected in the lake waters Of spring Its image is Unchanging. Today Is Nenohi (1) Of the New Year and, That there be A thousand springs, People gather pine seedlings- Their hearts At peace. Wonderful! The warbler nesting Amidst high, Flowering plum trees Flies back to the pine- And the nest she left- To visit her old home In the valley. In the gentle Perfume-coaxing Breezes Of the evening, The plum too At long last is blossoming. Such a delight to play Kono tono. (2) At dawn we dance The otoko-doka. (3) Today’s wine Is not ordinary! And passing The cotton headdress We sing The Song of Ten Thousand Years. (1) Day of the Rat, according to the Sino-Japanese zodiac (2) Kono tono is the name of a saibara piece (vocal music of folk origin practiced in the ancient court with chamber ensemble). (3) Otoko-doka is a boys’ stamping dance for the New Year festivities. | Ume ga ka mo misu no nioi ni fukimagai haru no otodo ni haru tateru omae no sama iu kotonoha mo oyobaji Oomino ya oomino ya nadakaki yama mo yoso maranu haru no kagami ni mukai ite kawaranu kage wo utsusan Kyoo wa nenohi narikeri chitose no haru wo iwoo tote sonoo no komatsu hiki asobu hito no kokoro zo nodokeki Nezurashi ya kage tokaki hana wo negura no uguisu sadachishi matsu no ne ni tatete tani no furusu wo kototoo wa Hana no ka sasoo yuukaze nodoyaka ni fukitaru ni ume mo yooyoo himotokite kono tono asobu zo omoshiroki Otoko-dooka no akegata mizuumaya nimo araijina wata wo kazuki watashite banzeiraku wo utaeri |
Hatsune no Kyoku appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
| Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 06 |
Voice : Koshino Eishō I Koto : Koshino Eishō I |