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| Scene from Kanjincho (Woodblock Print) |
The music can be divided into two main categories: Geza-ongaku (off-stage music) and Shosa-ongaku (on-stage music), with Ki and Tsuke wood board "signalling" accents complementing the ensemble. For example, the play “Momiji Gari” employs Nagauta, Tokiwazu and Gidayu (puppet opera music) as part of its onstage music, but has entirely different forms for the offstage background music.
Geza-ongaku (Music Off-Stage):
Geza (along with Chobo) is music played offstage behind a curtain (as "background music, additional sound effects"). It may also set the mood with a connotative popular tune ("Yuki", ie - "Snow"). However, it usually uses little or no vocals, and is generally more percussion-related. It can categorized in 3 ways:
- Uta: ("song"), shamisen with vocals (typically multiple singers)
- Aikata: Shamisen instrumental
- Narimono: Hayashi music (flute and percussion). Visible onstage for Noh theatre, the Hayashi ensemble hidden for Kabuki performances.
Shosa-ongaku (Music Onstage):
...or Debayashi, is music played onstage by the shamisen and Hayashi flute and percussion ensemble, visibly accompanying the acting and dancing. There may be a Nagauta group in one section, a Tokiwazu in another, and Gidayu Jorori musicians in yet another (or one of these groups may be in the Geza group). In Kabuki Shosa-ongaku, several unique styles and forms can be found:
Dance and Exposition Styles:
Takemoto: Accompanies actors as they describe scenic settings. The actors attempt to synchronize their lines with the rhythm of the music in this form.
Nagauta (Edo-nagauta): Kabuki’s most important stylistic offering, and is featured in its dances and scenic music. It uses a hosozao (thin neck) shamisen which produces high-pitched tones, and is capable of producing delicate melodies. A Nagauta piece is structured as a series of short, thematic poetic fantasies (for example “Musume Dojoji”, “Echigo Jishi” from "The Lion Dancer from Echigo" (1811) and “Fuji Musume” from "The Wisteria Maiden" (1826)). Nagauta also includes Ozatsuma-bushi songs (narrative material accompanied by fiery shamisen technique, as found in the plays “Kokaji” or “Kanjincho”, below). Recital concert arrangements of nagauta include “Aki no Irogusa” (1845) and “Matsu no Midori”.
More about Nagauta can be read in the Shamisen chapter.
Narrative Styles:
Tokiwazu: Here, reciters (tayu) and shamisen-kata (players) use chuzao (medium-neck) shamisen. The style is slow or solemn and typically found in romantic scenes (“Seki no To”, “Modori Kago”, “Masakado”).
Tomimoto: Grand and elegant with many passages of high singing, more fluid and sensuous than Tokiwazu, this style was eventually replaced by…Ki and Tsuke (Hyoshigi): These are basically auxiliary "signalling" sounds made with two square oak boards. When the two boards are struck together, they produce the ki sound, when they are struck against a hardwood board, they produce the tsuke sound. These Hyoshigi sounds also act as additional accents for fight scenes (aragoto sound effects).
Kiyomoto: Also for romantic scenes. This style is similar to Tomimoto (recitation with shamisen) but is more emotive and recited in very high-pitched tones. It is generally shorter and incorporates folk songs, Hauta (short tales), Kiyare (rustic folk chanting) and Chobokure (rhythmic patter) (examples can be found in “Yasuna” and “Michitose”).
Off-shoot styles of Kabuki music include:
- Shinnai: recital version of Bungo-bushi style, intensely sensual style and stories, uses shamisen style Shinnai nagashi.
- Kokyoku: Kabuki styles arranged as concert recital music, including Nagauta styles such as Itchu-bushi (“Sukeroku”), Kato-bushi, Ogie-bushi, Miyazono-bushi (“Toribeyama”).
KABUKI The Classic Theatre of Japan
Planned by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
Produced by Koga Production
Color 30min (1964)
KABUKI KOOL. Japanese traditional theater explained in English. Pt 1
Japanese Music & Musical Instruments, William Malm, 1959
Kabuki Wiki
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