The Hindu : New Delhi News : A melodious slice of early Japan

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Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008
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New Delhi

A melodious slice of early Japan

Kunal Diwan

Tracing roots: An evening of ‘Hogaku’, traditional Japanese music, will be held at Delhi’s Shri Ram Centre next Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: As part of India-Japan Friendship Year festivities, the Japan Foundation along with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations is organising an evening of “hogaku”, traditional Japanese music, at Shankar Lal Muralidhar Auditorium of Shri Ram Centre here on January 29.

Tracing its roots to the earliest stage of Japan’s history, hogaku refers to indigenous music of Japan that is usually produced with a “shamisen” and “shinobue” but does not include ancient court music or folk songs.

The “shamisen” is a string instrument similar to the guitar. Different types of “shamisens” are used to play different strains of music. The “shinobue” is a wind instrument resembling a flute and is said to have been played by the common people in Japan a thousand years ago.

The body of hogaku music can be divided into narrated stories including ballads (“joruri”), sung or chanted pieces and long epic songs. Since hogaku is deeply rooted in tradition, it is mostly performed and appreciated by specialists and enthusiasts. However, some young musical bands in the country are striving to create a new kind of music by combining Japanese and Western instruments.

Key players

The evening of music will bring together several such exponents of this musical form including “shamisen” players Fukui Tenbi and Fukui Kazuhiro and “shinobue” player Yasukazu Kano. Pianist Hiroko Suzuki will also lend her skills to the performance.

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