| utai |
noh-chant, the vocal part of noh
drama; it includes the melodic parts as well as the
spoken lines; utai has been loved as an independent performing art
since the Muromachi Period (1392-1573) |
| uta |
song |
| ji-uta |
- local (folk) song of the Kamigata area (Osaka, Kyoto
and Kobe)
- music originally composed for shamisen |
| kamigata-uta |
folk song of the Kamigata area (Osaka, Kyoto and
Kobe), derived from the popular music of blind
itinerant musicians (SAWAZUMI KENGYO, YANAGAWA KENGYO -1680, YATSUHASI
KENGYO 1614-1685). |
| Kengyo |
kengyo is an honorary title
(highest rank) given to blind musician masters |
| sugata |
form, shape |
| mai |
dance |
| mai-sugata |
dance figure, dance form |
| shamisen |
three string instrument (lute) |
| koto |
thirteen stringed table zither |
| kokyû |
a bowed version of the shamisen |
| yamato-gaku |
the most sustained effort to develop music from within
the traditional world (itchu bushi as the basis for its singing
style, combined with some of the strong points of kato kushi
and miyazono bushi) |
| ogie-bushi |
created by OGIE ROYOU - a style of singing that split
off from nagauta in the late 18th century as a pure concert
form, almost a form of chamber music with it's quiet, intimate and
delicate sound. |
| gidayu-bushi |
largest narrative genre; TAKEMOTO
GIDAYU (1651-1714) created strongly narrative music for puppet theater
(later called bunraku) of such a distinctive technique, that he
gave his name to this style of music. As time went on and especially
with the music for the shamisen, musical aspects became
more and more elaborate. Compared to other schools of joruri
(ballad drama), the strong narrative aspect of gidayu is marked
particularly by its characters' clear expression of feelings, and the
accompanying shamisen uses strong tone coloration in the low
notes |
| naga-uta |
'long song' - lyrical style of shamisen music; the
single most important style and oldest form of pure kabuki
music. It was founded in Edo period (around 1740). |
| ko-uta |
'short song' - one of the most popular varieties of
popular music |
| joruri |
chanted narration with shamisen accompaniment;
it originated in the narratives of the Muromachi period
(1392-1573), taking as its material the romance of the young samurai
Ushiwakamaru and princess Joruri; later it became a generic term for
the many types of narrative shamisen music; genres were typically named
after founding musician of the school; new genres developed each time a
pupil deviated from his teacher; each genre distinguished by vocal
style, type of shamisen (and bridge, plectrum, etc.). |
itchu-bushi
Icchyu-bushi |
the style in which MIYAKOJI BUNGO-NO-JO (1660-1740) was
trained and which influenced his bungo-bushi style |
| kato-bushi |
one of the oldest
Edo narrative styles, emphasis on domestic tragedies |
| bungo-bushi |
stories
of love affairs ending in double suicides; bungo-bushi was introduced
into Edo by MIYAKOJI BUNGO-NO-JO
(1660-1740) and later banned by the Edo city magistrate as a threat to
public order. |
| miyazono-bushi |
founded by MIYAKOJI SONOHACHI, a
student of BUNGO-NO-JO |
| Edo |
the old
name for Tokyo |
| Geisha |
gei=art,
sha=person - a woman trained and skilled in the traditional arts of
Japan such as dance, music, singing, flower arrangement, tea
ceremony |
| Maiko |
mai=dance,
ko=child - an apprentice Geisha who must undergo a period of training
in the traditional arts of Japan that takes around 5 years before she
becomes a Geisha. |
