Japanese Ancient Music

Japan's Ancient Music 5 ~ 9th century Japanese has already inherent in their music culture. Although the early Jomon era, the Yayoi era, Kofun era of music may not pass down, but according to the archaeological data and the 8th century, the codification of the " Ancient Matters in mind "," Japanese book discipline "Wan leaf set" and other literature records, Japan people already in the ancient songs, dances and musical instruments. Ancient and Qin Zhang 5 string 6 string and piano, ancient bamboo pipes flutes and spherical stone flute, ocarina flute. Beans US drum puff cylindrical. Bell metal, ceramic and wood.

Bell at the time, both as musical instruments, also used as an ornament. Duo, around the 1st century BC, the shape of the copper Tudor and Chung, Duo. Basic types of musical instruments in ancient Japan, is already complete. After entering the agricultural society, the first male and female together singing and dancing songs Ogaki (also known as Tiao song) and the witch of music and dance.

To be sure, Japan most certainly had a vigorous musical tradition before the advent of Chinese and Korean influence in the sixth century. This tradition persisted in part in popular songs, most on political and social issues, and in Shinto ritual and chant and possibly in the court music and dances that are handed down from the Nara and Heian. How much, however, of this music is Japanese in origin is difficult to determine.

By the time the Japanese begin to write about music, they seem to have developed a sophisticated musical theory that categorizes music largely on its provenance or geographical origin. While both Japanese and American musical historians classify early Japanese music as Buddhist, Shintoistic, popular, court music (gagaku ) , military music, and so forth, the early Japanese thought of music as regional styles. So, if you were to somehow transport yourself back to an educated, ancient Japanese experience of music, you would hear distinct cultures in your music rather than hear distinct uses of the music, which is how modern musicologists and audiences hear ancient Japanese music.

The Japanese classified music as gigaku , Togaku , To-sangaku , Koma-gaku , and Rinyu-gaku . Unfortunately, we have no musical notation from this period in Japanese history, but we have some idea of what this music sounded like based on written descriptions.

In the official music of ancient Japan, music was not a separable element from any other components. It was story, pantomime, dance, and acrobatics and all the musical styles were understood as music and some other component. Perhaps the most persistent fallacy that we, as moderns, bring to the experience of music is to somehow think that music can be separated off from other aspects of a performance in nineteenth century European musical aesthetics, this is called "music alone." Ancient Japanese court music, however, makes no sense without performance, pantomime, story, or dance.