Noh Theatre

     The theatrical form known as Noh (能, "skill, accomplishment") resulted in music known as Nohgaku (能楽).  This genre was derived from Dengaku (rice field folk dance) and Sarugaku ("monkey music", shrine ritual comic plays), and then combined with the choral elements of Yokyoku, (chants based on classical texts of Buddhist sutras) and the acrobatic genre Sangaku.  In other words, the uniqueness of the Noh modern form comes from its ability to combine several earlier styles and theatrical forms into one performance entity (or "gesamtkunstwerk"):
  • Chanted dialogue (Shomyo/Zen Buddhist Imayo)
  • Shinto dance instrumentation/melodies (Kusemai) from Shirabyoshi female dance
  • Dance percussion (Dengaku, ie - Heian rice harvest folk dance)
  • Festival spectacle (Furyu)
  • Popular theater (Sarugaku, Kyogen comic routines and early Kouta "short" songs)
  • Choral recitation of famous traditional verses (Yokyoku)
     Perhaps most obviously, since Noh was developed in an atmosphere permeated by Zen Buddhism, restraint and thematic allusion dominate its dramatic fabric.

     There are 5 modern Noh schools (Kanze, Hosho, Komparu, Kongo, and Kita), which comprise a repertoire of around 250 plays divided into 5 types of subject matter:
  • Deities
  • Warriors/ghosts
  • Noble ladies
  • Mental states (passion, insanity...) incarnated as characters
  • Demons
Vocals and Instruments (Hayashi):
     The sung dramatic text (Yokyoku, or Utai) is performed by just a few actors and an 8-member male chorus.  The Buddhist Shomyo-derived vocal elements include Kotoba (heightened speech) and Fushi (melodic arais), but in any case the text is sung in an abstraction of ancient styles (such as how Shakespearean dialogue occurs to modern Western audiences).  Besides the chorus, the actors are supported by 3 drums and a nohkan (bamboo flute).  This ensemble is called a Hayashi-kata (囃子方), and its make-up is derived from those of Shinto Sato-kagura dance groups:
  • Nohkan: 能管, bamboo flute, in which overblowing creates a flattened octave.  The degree of flatness increasing as the main pitch rises.  Several short melodic patterns are utilized.
  • Ko-tsuzumi: 小鼓, small hourglass drum, with pitch controlled by squeezing rope netting.
  • O-tsuzumi: 大鼓, large hourglass drum.
  • Taiko: 太鼓, small barrel drum played with sticks, used only during dance sections.
     The Hayashi group is notable in that an integral part of its sound is kakegoe: short and sharp verbal outbursts from the drummers ("yo", "ho", "iya") which act as coordinating signals.  Rhythmically, the first beat is often silent in each 8-beat measure.
     In some special Noh-related performances, a single singer and and/or lone instrumentalist may perform a "reduced arrangement" of a Noh sequence.  These versions are called Itcho or Itcho-Ikkan.
Taiko, O-tsuzumi, Ko-tsuzumi, Nohkan

Structure:
     A night of Noh performance is usually made up of 5 separate plays (one of each of the 5 subject matter types listed above) and 3 kyogen comedies (often with additional interludes and play excerpts interspersed).  Kyogen ("mad words") are comic scenes with folk songs, using heightened speech and based on a parodic style of Noh yokyoku.  It uses basically the same instrumental accompaniment as regular Noh sequences.  In other words, Kyogen act as "lighter" Noh sequences.


     A typical Noh play uses the commonly-found "Jo-Ha-Kyu" structure, incorporating several subsections grouped into 5 Dan, or main sections.  An intermission occurs before the fifth and final dan (in which the main character often becomes a "supernatural" character).

(The below sequence is very "generic" and is usually re-tailored for each indidual play)
Oshirabe: Nohkan bamboo flute warm up, preceding curtain rise (Hayashi instruments and male chorus enter and take their positions).
Jo (Introduction)
1st dan: 
Shidai, or So-shidai: Supporting actor (waki)/priest entrance music
Ha (Exposition)
2nd dan:
Issei: 1st song (and entrance) of main actor (shite) on the left
Michiyuki: Transition sequence as main actor moves to main stage, featuring either a Sage-uta style song (short, low register) or an Age-uta style song (long, high register)
Sashi: Heightened speech (recitative/bridge), this element is naturally interspersed throughout the play
3rd dan: 
Mondo (or Mondai): Recitative dialogue with drums, ending with chorus commentary
Kudoki: Tender, feminine scene
4th dan: 
Kuri: Emotional song climax
Kuse: Dance climax
Rongi: Dialogue in heightened speech/song
Nakairi: Choral song interlude
Intermission:
Kyogen (unaccompanied party song) or Machiutai (hayashi instrumental "waiting" song)
Kyu (Denouement)
5th dan: 
Issei: 2nd act first song by main actor
Mondo: Dialogue sequence
Mai: Climactic dance (sometimes staged independently and called "shimai")
Waka: Poem recital
Kiri: Final choir commentary

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