Haru no Kyoku
春の曲
| [Genre] | Sokyoku |
| [Style] | Meiji Shinkyoku |
| [School] | Ikuta Ryû - 生田 |
| [Composed] | Yoshizawa Kengyō II - Koto |
History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):
| Haru no kyoku ('Ode to Spring') is one of a set of pieces originally composed 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 the six waka poems sung in this piece are taken from the Books One and Two (Songs of Spring) of the Kokin waka shu. The long instrumental interlude tegoto, inserted between the fourth and fifth waka, was not originally composed by Yoshizawa, but added later by Matsuzaka Shun'ei (1854-1920) of Kyoto. |
Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
| If the bush warbler Did not sing From the valleys, Who would know The coming of spring? Though deep in the mountains Snow still covers the pines, In the capital People gather young shoots From the fields! If the cherry blossom were not known To our world, Perhaps our hearts would be Peaceful at spring time. On horseback We go to the old capital At Nara; See how the blossoms are scattered Whiter and deeper than snow! Will only passing strangers Glance back and see The wisteria in bloom, Billowing in waves On my cottage? Sing, warbler, sing! Never cease your song! For spring Comes only Once a year. | (maebiki) Uguisu no tani yori izuru koe nakuba haru kuru koto wo tare ka shiramashi Miyama ni wa matsu no uki dani kienaku ni miyako wa nobe no wakana tsumikeri Yononaka ni taete sakura no nakariseba haru no kokoro wa nodokekaramashi Koma nabete iza miniyukan furusato wa yuki to nomi koso hana wa chirurame (tegoto) Waga yado ni sakeru fujinami tachikaeri sugigate ni nomi kito no miruran Koe taezu nakeya uguisu hitotose ni futatabi to dani kubeki haru ka wa |
Haru no Kyoku appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
 | Fascination of the Koto 4 |
Voice : Yonekawa Toshiko Koto : Yonekawa Toshiko Voice : Satō Chikaki Koto : Satō Chikaki |
|
Composed by Yosizawa kengyo II (1801/08-1872). He composed numerous koto pieces using the tanka poems included in the Kokin waka syuu. This particular piece represents the progression from early spring to the end of spring. The composer invented the tuning specific to these pieces by adding semi-tone pregressions to an anhemitonic (without any half tone steps) tuning of the gagaku koto.
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| Fujii Kunie Sokyoku Jiuta No Sekai 5 | |
| Fukami Satomi - Sokyoku Jiuta Shu - 2 |
Koto : Yonekawa Toshiko II Voice : Fukami Satomi Koto : Fukami Satomi | |
| Japanese Music for Koto and Shakuhachi - 2 |
Koto : Hoshida Miyoshi Koto : Nakamura Sōyō |
| Koto Music of Japan, The |
Koto : Hagiwara Seigin Koto : Mineuchi Ginshō Shakuhachi : Kikusui Kofū | |
|
Music of Spring (Haru-no-kyoku) composed by Yoshizawa Kengyo is one of the important works of the pseudo-classical movement which took place in the nineteenth century. This movement aimed to overcome the modern sentimentality and the concurrent subordination of koto music to shamisen music. The music of the four seasons, including Haru-no-kyoku, are the culmination of this movement.
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| Koto no Miryoku - Disk 2 |
Koto : Yamauchi Kimiko | |
| Masterpieces of the Koto |
Koto : Sawai Tadao |
| Miyagi Michio - Best One | ||
| Nakanoshima Kin'ichi no Koto - Yamada Ryū Sōkyoku |
Koto : Nakanoshima Kin'ichi Shakuhachi : Nōtomi Haruhiko Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko Koto : Shinagawa Shōzō | |
| Sankyoku Gassō Dai Zenshū vol. 21 (三曲合奏大全集２１) |
Koto : Yuize Shin'ichi Voice : Yuize Masae Shakuhachi : Ikeda Seizan II Koto : Sakai Utayu | |
| Sō no Shiori (Ikuta Ryū) vol 9 |
Voice : Fujii Kunie Koto : Fujii Kunie Voice : Satō Chikaki Koto : Satō Chikaki | |
| Sōkyoku - Haru no Kyoku / Usu no Koe |
Koto : Nakanoshima Kin'ichi Shakuhachi : Nōtomi Judō I Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko Koto : Shinagawa Shōzō | |
| Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 38 |
Koto : Nakashima Yasuko Voice : Yuize Shin'ichi Koto : Yuize Shin'ichi | |