Natsu no Kyoku
夏の曲
| [Genre] | Sokyoku |
| [Style] | Meiji Shinkyoku |
| [School] | Ikuta Ryû - 生田 |
| [Composed] | Yoshizawa Kengyō II - Koto |
History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):
| Natsu no kyoku ('Ode to Summer') is one of a set of pieces for voice and koto called Kokin no kumi which consists of five pieces: four odes to the seasons, and Chidori no kyoku ('Song of Plovers'). All of the waka poems sung in this piece are from Book Three (Songs of Summer) of the Kokin waka shu, a tenth century anthology of poems compiled by imperial command. The maebiki, or prelude, of the present piece is thought to have been taken from the Min-shingaku repertoire of late nineteenth century Japanese adaptations of Chinese Ming and Ch'ing dynasty's popular music. The tegoto, or interlude, like that of the other three seasonal pieces in this set, was composed and inserted by Matsuzaka Shun'ei (1854-1920) of Kyoto, and not by the original composer. |
Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
| In the ancient palace At Isonokami, Only the hototogisu's (1) call Remains unchanged From of old. Has your sweetheart Hidden away In the summer hills? O hototogisu, calling At the top of your voice. O lotus leaf So pure of heart Even in the muddied waters, Why trick me into taking A dewdrop for a pearl? On the sky paths Where summer and fall Pass each other by Cool winds now blow along One side of the road. (1) Hototogisu is a kind of Japanese cuckoo which is associated with the coming of summer. | (maebiki) Isonokami furuki miyako no hototogisu koe bakari koso mukashi narikere Natsuyama ni koishiki hito ya iri ni ken koe furitatete naku hototogisu (tegoto) Hachisuba no nigori ni shimanu kokoro mote nanikawa tsuyu wo tama to azumuku Natsu to aki to yukikoo sora no kayoiji wa katae suzushiki kaze ya fukuran |
Natsu no Kyoku appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
 | Fascination of the Koto 2 |
Voice : Yonekawa Toshiko Koto : Yonekawa Toshiko Voice : Yonekawa Toshiko II Koto : Yonekawa Toshiko II |
|
Natsu no kyoku (On summer) Composed by Yoshizawa kengyo II (1801/08-1872). He composed numerous koto pieces using the tanka poems included in the Kokin waka syu. This particular piece represents progression from early summer to the end of a lingering summer. | ||
| Fukami Satomi - Sokyoku Jiuta Shu - 2 |
Voice : Fukami Satomi Koto : Fukami Satomi Koto : Ishigaki Kiyomi | |
| Melody of Japan - Brightness of Summer |
Koto : Hanabusa Harue Koto : Miyakoshi Keiko Koto : Yui Ensemble | |
| Musical Cosmos of Yonekawa Toshiko 1 |
Voice : Yonekawa Toshiko Koto : Yonekawa Toshiko Voice : Yonekawa Toshiko II Koto : Yonekawa Toshiko II |
|
On summer This is one of kokin gumi pieces composed by the second generation YOSHIZAWA kengyo (1801/8-72) of Nagoya. YOSHIZAWA kengyo is a representative koto composer of the end of the Edo period and was also conversant with, for example, gagaku, national learning, waka and the study of the Chinese classics. Apart from the 5 pieces of the kokin gumi and the 4 of the kokin sin gumi which represent a new trend in kumiuta, YOSHIZAWA kengyo also composed several hauta mono. Although both the kokin gumi and the kokin sin gumi are kumiuta, they do not preserve the format of classic koto kumiuta. The kokin zyosi used in the kokin gumi is adapted from the string tuning for the gakuso (gagaku koto) in banshiki tyo and is a mix of both the in and yo modes but has only one semitone interval. As with the gakuso, when the two strings, the 2nd and 7th strings tuned to the same pitch, are plucked simultaneously (awase zume), they give a deep impression of one sound. In addition, the special melody arising from the ordered progression from the 1st string provides a freshness full of unexpectedness not heard in previous koto music. As a result, these series of compositions illustrate a period of flourishment in which the flavor of the classic kumiuta were freely developed and which led to the new pieces of the Meiji era. The song text, following the order of songs taken from the summer section in the Kokin waka syu, moves from early summer, which has the cuckoo as its theme, to full summer. Eventually, a hint of autumn in the progression towards the end of a lingering summer end is reflected in the flow of the music. The order of the poets are SUZYO hosi, Ki no Akimine, sozyo Henzyo and OSIKOTI no Mitune. The fairly long maebiki at the beginning of the first performance calls to mind the gagaku piece Zyusuiraku. Some time before the year 1889, after MATSUZAKA Syun'ei (1854-1920) added the supplementary tegoto and kaete, "Natsu no kyoku" became famous as a tegoto mono for koto. The tegoto section is made up of two dan, the makuro (in this case, also known as gaku no te) and the tegoto. As well as adding a new kaete to the maebiki, YONEKAWA Toshiko devised a special kaete in the makura and toward the end of the tegoto which is different to other schools. Consequently, this version is more resonant than the original piece. The tuning of the strings is in kokin tyosi and in the makura, the 6th and 10th strings are raised a semitone so that all semitone intervals are removed. The original tuning is restored in the 2nd dan (which is also called tirasi in the traditions other than YONEKAWA's). | ||
| Sō no Shiori (Ikuta Ryū) vol 7 |
Voice : Yonekawa Toshiko Koto : Yonekawa Toshiko Voice : Tomizaki Fumiyo Koto : Tomizaki Fumiyo | |
| Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 39 |
Koto : Miyagi Kiyoko Koto : Kobashi Mikiko Voice : Miyagi Kazue | |