Koatsumori
小敦盛
| [Genre] | Noh |
Koatsumori appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
| Traditional Music of Japan, The - 01 | ||
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This episode from a historic story of the twelfth century was adapted from a chapter of the Heike Monogatari (Tales of the Heike, Taira Family). It is presented in a narrative style of singing, accompanied by the Biwa of the Satsuma-biwa school played by the singer. The story is concerned with a teenage warrior of the Taira family named Atsumori. The title Ko-Atsumori (young Atsumori) is taken from his name. When the Taira family was wiped out by the enemy, the Minamoto family, and driven away from the capital, Kyoto, to the West, Atsumori, who loved to play the flute, 'returned to get his favorite flute. Consequently, he missed the boat taking his family away. Kumagaya Naozane, a strong warrior of the Minamoto family captured Atsumori, in a fierce fight. When Kumagaya found that Atsumori was only a boy of sixteen he remembered his own son of the same age who had died in a battle shortly before. He wanted to save this young warrior, but being watched by his comrades, Kumagaya could not prevent Atsumori from being killed. After this he retired from the army and spent the remainder ,of his life as a Buddhist priest praying for the dead. The story is a beautifully written piece of literature which represents a lament for the sad fate of warriors and for the transitory state of life. Buddhism dominated the morals of the feudal society, and is the philosophical base for the story. This record is only the beginning of the entire piece which is divided into two parts or dan. The first 'phrase is introduced from the well known first phrase of the Tales of Heike, describing the Buddhist idea of transitory life. The following phrases relate the story up to the scene of the meeting of the two warriors. The style of performance, where the singer accompanies himself with a Satsumabiwa, is older and more authentic than others where the style is softer and more musical. The instrument plays only during the interludes between the phrases of singing. The melodies of both singing and accompaniment are based upon stereotyped melodic patterns. For example, the first phrase is based upon a pattern called Utai-dashi (beginning song); the second phrase, following the interlude after the first phrase, and which describes the young handsome warrior is sung in the pattern called Gingawari used for a softer expression. The end of the sixth phrase, which describes the attack by the warrior upon the young boy, is sung in the pattern called Kuzure, which is adequately strong for a battle scene. | ||