Japan: Semiclassical and Folk Music

The traditional music of Japan comprises a rich variety of styles developed over the course of more than a millennium. Among them are ancient imperial court music (Gagaku), the 14th-century form of musical drama patronized by feudal lords (Noh), and “semiclassical music.” Despite its name, this last category, created between the 16th and 19th centuries, consists of various genres that are closer to what we would think of as “popular.”

This 1974 recording features three traditional Japanese semiclassical and five regional folk music compositions, also from the late feudal period. The semiclassical performances feature the shamisen (lute), koto (zither), and shakuhachi (flute). Folk songs come from the mountains, the coast, Okinawa, and Tokyo. The liner notes refer to contributions from other cultures—India, China, Korea, Indonesia—that were assimilated to Japan’s highly original civilization, and also describe the performance traditions.

This album is part of the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music. More than 125 albums are being released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings to make the series publicly available again, including more than a dozen never-released albums of musical traditions from around the globe.

Track Listing

101	Naga-Uta (Shamisen Music): Kanjinchō Toshimura Goroji	07:04
102	Koto Duet: Godan-Kinuta Matsuo Keiko, Ueno Kazuko	06:02
103	Shakuhachi Duet: Shika-No-Tone Notomi Judo, Notomi Haruhiko	10:26
104	Tsugaru Yama-Uta (Mountaineer's Song) Amada Kiichi, Hoshi Tenshin	02:53
105	Bon Dance: Awa-Odori Irimura Yuki and the Aoi-ren Groun	03:26
106	Tairyo Utaikomi (Fishermen's Song) Akama Shinsui	04:57
107	Hatoma-Bushi (Okinawa Islands) Yamairi Tsuru	02:28
108	Edo Matsuri Bayashi (Festival Ensemble of Tokyo) Edobayashi Hozonkai (Society for Preservation of Edo-bayashi)	09:59