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Introduction to Japanese Music - Week 8(ii)
- 1. Introduction to Japanese Music Gidayu-bushi - Bunraku
- 2. Joruri • Mid-15th century narrative genre • Similar to Heikebiwa tradition • Princess Joruri and Yoshitsune… • Shamisen added to joruri-mono from 1562
- 3. Gidayu-bushi / Bunraku • Takemoto Gidayu (1651-1714) • Gidayu-bushi became the representative style of joruri • The proper term for what is commonly called bunraku, or puppet theatre
- 4. History • The Takemoto-za founded in 1684, in Osaka • Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1725) • Puppet plays based on joruri narrative, with vocal and shamisen accompaniment • Rivalry with the Toyotake-za in the same district
- 5. History • Bunraku-za • Founded in 1790s, and renamed in 1872 • Rivalry with the Hikoroku-za
- 6. Shamisen in the history • Originally not in the programme • Subservient to the drama and song • Matsuya Seishichi developed tablature, helping to establish shamisen playing as an important part of gidayu
- 7. Performance • Music is performed by a narrator (tayu) and a shamisen player • Tayu describes the settings and delivers dialogue • Puppets controlled by three handlers, since 1734
- 8. • Joruri; narrative music, sung with shamisen accompaniment • Gidayu-bushi; the performance of joruri narrative music with puppet theatre • Bunraku; the name given to the puppet theatre
- 9. Motegi Kiyoko, ‘Aural Learning in Gidayū-Bushi: Music of the Japanese Puppet Theatre’, Yearbook for Traditional Music,Vol. 16 (1984), pp. 97-108
- 11. Jidaimono and Sewamono • Joruri texts for gidayu come in three kinds • Jidaimono - period pieces in five dan • Sewamono - two or three acts, known as maki • Michiyuki - ‘journeying’ scenes, with dance
- 12. Musical Style • Kotoba – dialogue • Jiai – accompanied narration • Fushi – singing • Shamisen accompanies narration and singing • Tuned to honchosi, but alters tuning to quote other genres
- 13. Vocal delivery • Narrated from characters’ viewpoints • Senritsukei (recognisable melodic patterns) used throughout
- 14. Structure • Five-act jidaimono or three-act sewamono • Dan and sho-dan • Senritsukei possess narrative and structural functions
- 15. Transmission • Shamisen parts notated with text and tablature • Vocal parts use symbols to denote senritsukei
- 16. Dondoro • Keisei Awai no Naruto (1695) • Chikamatsu Monzaemon • Act 8, Scene I
- 17. Resources • http://jti.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/kabuki/ken nelly-bunraku-kabuki.html • Shamisen II: Japanese Traditional Music (Seven, 1999) • Japan Ikuta School, Japanese Shamisen (Lyrichord)
Editor's Notes
- [Play Sushiya no dan - winMedPla]
- Joruri was the name of a princess in a monogatari from the mid-15thC, probably an extension of the Heike-biwa tradition. The shamisen was introduced, and took over in Joruri, from 1562.
- Bunraku was a theatre in Osaka, which gave its name to the genre of puppet-plays. Gidayu – the music of the puppet theatre – became the representative type of joruri (narrative shamisen music). Gidayu-bushi is the proper term for bunraku, puppet theatre. A branch of joruri (a 15thC narrative music, which was accompanied by shamisen by the 16thC, then used with puppet theatre.)
- In 1684, the Takemoto-za theatre was established in Osaka, and started modern bunraku – older puppet plays were accompanied by first vocal joruri, then also shamisen. Takemoto Gidayu founded it, in Osaka in 1684. The Bunraku theatre was built in the early 19thC. Joruri was a development of heikebiwa, a narrative story with biwa accompaniment. Joruri players, however, adopted the shamisen when it appeared in the late 16thC. Puppet entertainment went back to the eleventh century, according to sources, but was combined with this joruri music in the early 17thC in many places. Originally, Kyoto joruri style was soft, Edo style was ebullient and heroic… Takemoto Gidayu absorbed other joruri and puppet styles, and founded an Osaka theatre in 1684. He wrote music for fourty plays, written by Chikamatsu, texts of which are still performed (though the music doesn’t). Sonezaki Shinju, by Gidayu and Chikamatsu, was the first contemporary play about common people, rather than historical or medieval settings and tales. The theatre was rivalled by one down the street, run by Toyotake Wakatayu, with an allegedly more flamboyant and musical style. This rivallry drove advancements into a golden age for puppet theatre.
- From the late 18thC, the two great theatres declines, few new plays were written. In the 1790s, a theatre was founded in Osaka, which in 1872 was renamed the Bunraku theatre; again, a rival theatre led to healthy competition (Hikoroku-za). From 1909, the Bunraku was the only puppet theatre until post-WWII.
- The shamisen players were originally not on the programme – indicating that the parts were simply, and the position not one of importance. This changed into the 18thC, with the likes of Matsuya Seishichi, who developed a tablature notation for shamisen parts, using ‘kana’ syllables, that is still largely similar to today’s usage. The shamisen used is large, with a thick neck, and a strong sawari.
- Accompanied by one singer and one shamisen player. Originally, puppets were held by one puppeteer; 1734 is the first record of three men per puppet. By the late 18thC, the modern method was in place. One puppeteer holds the head and right arm; the left arm and feet are done by separate others. They traditionally wear black kimono and black hoods. [Show video – from 5.34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4G68civvo8] In 1734, the now standard three operators per puppet was begun. The tayu – narrator – narrates from a scroll before them, describing both the settings and delivering dialogue from different characters.
- Who read the article from last week? 1 What effect does such aural learning and repetition have on the musical style? 2 what effect does it have on the transmission of the genre and works? 3 Does it sound like a good or bad thing? If the scores that DO get notated have individualistic interpretations… would this be better or worse? What do you make of the changes introduced, and how they worked?
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz-pg8kq_Dk Act two opens at the Fushimi Inari Shrine, where Benkei catches up to Yoshitsune, Shizuka, and the four retainers. The group has fled the capital, seeking to escape retribution for Benkei's careless attack. The monk apologizes, and is forgiven by his lord, at the suggestion of Shizuka. However, Benkei then offers that since their journey will be long and dangerous, a lady such as her should not be subjected to such things and should be escorted back to the capital. She refuses, and in order to prevent her following them, or killing herself in grief, they tie her to a tree, along with the drum Hatsune, and leave her. c.12min – end of scene
- Joruri are narrated texts, in three kinds: jidaimono, or period pieces (often samurai) –sewamono, or contemporary pieces (often townsfolk) – michiyuki, or journies. Jidaimono make up around half of the 150 existing plays. They often couched topical references in samurai tales. Jidaimono are performed in five dan, with the 3rd and 4th as the major points of drama. Thrid focuses on pathos, with realistic dramatic expression and humble settings, while the fourth is richly lyrical, focuses on female characters in grand settings. Each dan is formed of smaller scenes – often three, the kuchi, naka and kiri – the kiri being the climax and most important. The first scene of the first dan is a ‘daijo’, a solemn opening section, with tis own special music, form and text. Sewamono have only three, or sometimes two, acts known as maki. They are aimed at realism and pacier narrative. A maki has only one scene, and finishes with the musical pattern sanju – the last maki finishes the play with dangirino senritsu. Michiyuki are lyrical dance scenes, often coming between the 3rd and 4th acts of a jidaimono, in which two or three characters perform and song and dance while en route to a destination. In sewamono, they may be performed in the third maki, as a couple journey to commit suicide. Michiyuki often use multiple shamisens and singers, portraying seevral characters, and with more complex music.
- The vocalist provides dialogue (unaccompanied), narration (accompanied but in a non-singing style), and singing. These are known respectively as kotoba, jiai and fushi. Vocalist and shamisen player require very skilled co-operation. Shamisen players accompany the narration, and also use meriyasu – repeatable melodic patterns – to fill out the texture. It is tuned to honchosi (b-e-b’), but tunes to other tunings when quoting from other musical genres. Tuning is not absolute, but matched realtive to the tayu’s voice. The daijo is at the highest pitch (for inexperienced narrators, too) – haba must be higher than kiri, and the third act finale will always be in the lowest register.
- Narrator speaks from chaarcters’ points of view, and therefore offers dramatic, realistic delivery of speech. Spoken dialogue is termed kotoba – iro lacks definite pitch, but has more rise and fall than kotoba. Ji is anything with a more musical delivery, whilst fushi is a sung melody. This is a graded scale, with other steps in between! Senritsukei, or recognisable melodic patterns, are used throughout – the remainder of the style is subjected to a new formalisation by Yamada Chieko in the Ashgate – whether or not this works, or is accepted, may be up to ye to find out…
- Usually either five-act jidaimono, related to samurai, or three-act sewamono. Bunraku plays are broken into dan and sho-dan. Sho-dan are always marked musically by descending patterns from the shamisen. Senritsukei in bunraku may possess narrative or structural functions; some are used to open a dan (e.g. okuri, sanjo); similar senritsukei are used as cadential patterns (including dangiri no senritsu, for the very end). Others end sho-dan; these may also express grief, alarm, or other narrative ideas. Narrative patterns (e.g. harufushi, honfushi). Finally, melodies from other genres – noh, heikyoku, joruri, sonkyoku-jiuta – may be borrowed for use, often to create a particualr atmosphere.
- Shamisen parts are notated, with text, in a form of tablature. Vocal parts are transmitted orally, with symbols on the text used to indicate senritsukei, structure and vocal delivery (including pitch), though these are open to broad interpretation. This is an under-researched genre, as a narrative (rather than musical) form.
- [Show video]
- http://jti.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/kabuki/kennelly-bunraku-kabuki.html