zen buddhism
major relgion in japan; scholars often speak similarly of emptiness, the void achieved when meditation takes one beyond sensory experience to a deeper, wordless truth. monks play the shakuhachi
ma
japanese art principle, which describes the quality of of necessary emptiness within a space
shinto
indigenous religion of Japan; tradition of prayer and ritual associated with an ancient body of music also connected with Buddhism
kagura
name for shinto music; most visible forms take place in the colorful colk festivals held for various occasions, espeically in the harvest season.
hayashi
small japanese folk ensemble that accompany the kagura; may include takebue (transverse flutes), taiko drums, o-daiko drum etc.
taiko drumming
style of drumming that includes precise coreography of the drummer’s movements; created in 1970; drum troop met on island and meditated and rehearsed drumming
shomyo
buddhist chants that were imported from china and korea
densho
giant cylindrical bell that announces the shomyo services; rung with hammer and a log that is hung on a rope
choshi
japanese modes of muisc; modeled on Chinese modes lacking semitones; distinguished by basic scale and by range, tones emphasized, and melodic contours; ryo, ritsu, yo, in…
gagaku
an ancient orchestral court music of Japan; oldest form of orchestral music in the world;
bugaku
the graceful and controlled dances that sometimes accompany gagaku
takebue
small japanese transeverse flutes used in kagura
shakuhachi
vertical bamboo flute; associated with court music; also played by buddhist monks
sho
collection of 17 single-reed pipes connected to an air chamber; both inhaling and exhaling
hichiriki
small cylindrical-bore double reed instrument; very loud
ryuteki
transverse bamboo flute used in the gagaku
nohkan
flute that accompanies noh theater
koto
zither; imported from china as part of the gagaku court orchestra; became better known when it moved down to the middle-class people; accompanies women who sing kumiuta song cylces
biwa
four-string, fretted, pear-shaped lute; held horizontally and constructed so that the relatively loose strings rattle againse the neck; used to accompany songs and played in gagaku orchestra
shamisen
fretless long-necked lute; plays important part in kabuki theater and bunraku puppet theater
taiko
small shallow drums in kagura music
o-daiko
very large barrel drum wth riveted heads used in kagura music
kakko
small double-headed cylindrical drum; conductor of the gagaku orchestra; played with two mallets; rests on stand etc.
tsuri-daiko
large vertically suspended bass drum with an elaboartely painted drum head
o-tsuzumi; ko-tsuzumi
smallest and most important drum in the noh ensemble; ropes laced through the heads are held in the player’s left hand and allow the player to control the drums pitch; player also uses small pieces of paper attached to the back of the drum to change the tone
shoko
small metal disc hung vertically from a stand; player strikes it on the concave side with two metal tipped mallets
banraku
japanese puppet theater
sankyoku
chamber ensemble made up of shamisen, koto, and shakuhachi
honkyuku
classical repertorie for the shakuhachi; very slow, non-pulsitile rhythm that arises out of long phrases
shinkyoku
new compositions for the shakuhachi that began to appera int he 20th century; introduced new scales and non-traditional techniques
kumiuta
song cycles that are accompanied by the koto; sung by women;
noh
highly refined, stylized, and reserved form of theater; props and settings, reflecting the ma principle, are represented only symbolically, if at all; slow, weightless movements of the actors
hayashi
musical ensemble that accompanies the noh theater; four instruments: nohkan, and three small drums
kabuki
type of theater that became widely popular in the 18th century; very acrobatic; form of classical theater;
debayashi
the core of kabuki music; made up of four to eight shamisen players and a chours of male singers
shitakata
ensemble in kabuki theater; uses the standard noh ensemble of nohkan flute, o-tsuzumi, ko-tsuzumi, and taiko; along with a chorus and the occasional flute