Gagaku

is a type of Japanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances. was developed as court music of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its near-current form was established in the Heian period (794–1185) around the 10th century. Artistically it differs from the music of the corresponding Chinese form () which is a term reserved for ceremonial music.

Etymology

The term originated in Japan in the year 701 when the Gagaku-ryō, a government bureau which oversaw music education and performance in the Japanese Imperial Court, was established. The word comes from the Chinese word yayue, originally meaning Confucian ritual music. is the Japanese reading for yayue, but by the time the word was introduced in Japan, its meaning had changed to be Chinese popular music and foreign music. Because was built on elements from foreign music, the Japanese application of the term to this repertoire aligned with how the word was being used in China at the time.

History

thumb|right|290px|Jingu-Bugaku at [[Kotaijingu (Naiku), Ise city, Mie Prefecture]]

The prototype of was introduced into Japan with Buddhism from China. In 589, Japanese official diplomatic delegations were sent to China (during the Sui dynasty) to learn Chinese culture, including Chinese court music. By the 7th century, the (the 13-stringed zither) and the (a short-necked lute) had been introduced into Japan from China. Various instruments, including these two, were the earliest used to play .

Even though the Japanese use the same term, ( in Mandarin Chinese), the form of music imported from China was primarily banquet music () rather than the ceremonial music of the Chinese . The importation of music peaked during the Tang dynasty, and these pieces are called (Tang music). pieces that originated at a time earlier than the Tang dynasty are called (ancient music), while those originating after the Tang dynasty are called (new music). The term itself was first recorded in 701, when the first imperial academy of music was established. During this period, many pieces of music were created and foreign-style music was rearranged and renewed. was also reorganized, and foreign-style music was classified into categories called and . Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian style was classified as , and Korean and Manchurian style was classified as . and were also included in the category of .

The popularity of reached its peak between the 9th and 10th centuries, when court aristocracy began to hold private concerts, but declined in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) when the power of the court aristocracy became diminished while that of the samurai rose.

In 1955, the Japanese government recognized and as important National Treasures.

Today, is performed in three ways:

as , concert music for winds, strings and percussion,
as , or dance music, for which the stringed instruments are omitted.
as kayō, singing and chanting poetry to the accompaniment of a musical instrument, classified into 10 categories.

survives only as .

Contemporary ensembles, such as , perform contemporary compositions for instruments. This subgenre of contemporary works for instruments, which began in the 1960s, is called . 20th-century composers such as Tōru Takemitsu have composed works for ensembles, as well as individual instruments. In January 2015 the Reigakusha Ensemble and Ensemble Modern performed together Music with silent aitake's by Belgian composer Frederic D'Haene, making and Western music co-exist.

Forms of performance

Two of the main ways that is performed are kangen (concert music) and bugaku (dance music). Kangen is performed using wind, string and percussion instruments while bugaku usually does not include strings.

The roles of each instrument within this form are as follows: but especially Trio for Strings, 1958), Alan Hovhaness (numerous works), Olivier Messiaen (Sept haïkaï, 1962), Lou Harrison (Pacifika Rondo, 1963), Benjamin Britten (Curlew River, 1964), Bengt Hambraeus (Shogaku, from Tre Pezzi per Organo, 1967), Ákos Nagy (Veiled wince flute quartet 2010), Jarosław Kapuściński (numerous works), Sarah Peebles (numerous works), Michiko Toyama (Waka, 1960), and Tim Hecker (Konoyo and Anoyo, 2018 and 2019 respectively).

One of the most important musicians of the 20th century, Masatarō Tōgi (東儀和太郎, 1910-1993), who served for many years as chief court musician, instructed American composers such as Alan Hovhaness and Richard Teitelbaum, as well as the ethnomusicologist Robert Garfias, in the playing of instruments.

Other cultural influence

The American poet Steve Richmond developed a unique style based on the rhythms of . Richmond heard music on records at U.C.L.A.'s Department of Ethnomusicology in the early 1960s. In a 2009 interview with writer Ben Pleasants, Richmond claimed he had written an estimated 8,000–9,000 poems.

Etymology

History

Forms of performance

Other cultural influence

See also

References