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Five Dialogs - 1 A Masochistic Dialogue with the Cursed Counterpart

対話五題 Ⅰ 呪われた分身との自虐的対話

[Genre]Modern
[Composed]Moroi Makoto - Shakuhachi - 1965

Five Dialogs - 1 A Masochistic Dialogue with the Cursed Counterpart appears on the following albums

Album Artist

Five Pieces for Shakuhachi Chikurai - Makato Moroi Shakuhachi : Sakai Shōdō
Shakuhachi : Sakai Chikuho I
Shakuhachi : Sakai Chikuho II
FIVE DIALOGUES FOR TWO SHAKUHACHIS by Makoto Moroi

While I was composing "CHIKURAI", basic ideas of a work for two Shakuhachis were being laid out, by use of 21 and half inch and 28 and half inch Shakuhachis. The actual work began in Tokyo, in spring, 1965.

And, technically speaking, this work is more of nature of my electronic compositions. Different from "CHIKURAI", what I was concerned most for this composition were, how to amalgamate the traditional techniques with progressive musical syntax of contemporary music, add new meanings of expression, and to pursue newer tone quality through performing techniques unseen in the traditional method.

As a result, the notation, although following the traditional five-line western notation, has become quite of its own.

With this sort of score, more freedom is given to the performer for length of tone, dynamic, vibrato and wavering of tone particular to Shakuhachi, change of tone quality, the unique usage of noises at attack (unique of Shakuhachi), posings, etc., all those techniques and ways of expression, and, thus, more expressive impact will be achieved.

As observed from the very first performance of this work, spirit and power of performers, as if in the duel of two competent swordsmen, are brought about, completely apart from the musical score itself and far beyond it.

This work is a kind of suite, compiled of five small pieces, and titled "Five Dialogues". However, in some instances, the performance will be more like "oppositions", or "battles". They are oppositions and battles of inners of the composer himself, and the performers. It might be also said that this work is a record of tragic, devilish, and fatal collapse of inners of human being, as in the story of "Dr. Jeykyl and Mr. Hyde".

Through my sincere love of Shakuhachi, a primitive and, hence, free instrument, possible of truly dynamic and passionate expressions, I feel I have achieved a truly penetrating venture into the inners of a creative worker as I am, which has been, at least for myself, impossible with any other musical instruments.

Although each piece bears a sub-title as in the case of Debussy's preludes, each one of them is more closely interrelated in terms of structure, not being separately independent.

Especially in the Second Movement, while smaller Shakuhachi plays weird "Voice of Ancestors", a quotation from the "Hon Kyoku" ("Ko Kuh"), the larger Shakuhachi opposes to it by a grotesque improvisation of breath noises by "Threshing Breath", etc.
Play ButtonHibiki - Contemporary Music for Japanese Traditional Instruments - 3 Shakuhachi : Yokoyama Katsuya
Shakuhachi : Yamamoto Hōzan