Grade 8 - Music of East Asia (2nd Quarter)

Country CapitalChina (PRC) Beijing

Japan Tokyo

North Korea Pyongyang

South Korea Seoul

Taiwan (ROC) Taipei

Mongolia Ulaan Baatar

Japanese vocal music is quite

different from the Western vocal

music, and is based on the intervals

of human breathing rather than

mathematical timing, and how

Japanese musicians show their

spiritual self-mastery in mastering his

or her instrument more than simply

perfecting a technique of some

sort and how they give value to

their performance and composure.

Instrumental music of Japan

Traditional Japanese music is

basically meditative in character. Its

performance is highly ritualized, as

much in the music itself, as in the

composure of the musicians when

performing it. Japanese chamber

and solo music have a slow

meditative pace.

The performance of Japanese

music has traditionally been of a

spiritual character, similarly to

martial arts and other forms of art

such as the tea ceremony and

calligraphy. It is usually about

religious festivals, work, dance, love,

and regional songs.

Audiences are looking for this self-

mastery in musicians. This is the

reason why music has become

highly ritualized. Musicians must

show this spiritual self-mastery in

their performance and composure.

They work on an inner strength in

mastering his or her instrument,

more than simply perfecting a

technique of some sort and

providing entertainment.

Percussion Instruments

(Membranophone)

1. Odaiko - (big drum). The

physical energy and sheer

excitement of an Odaiko

performance is an integral part

of many Japanese matsuri

(festivals).

2. Tsuzumi (hourglass-

shape) – There are

two varieties; the

(smaller) kotsuzumi is

held on the right

shoulder and the

player alters the tone

by squeezing the

laces. The (bigger)

otsuzumi is placed on

the left thigh.

3. Tsuridaiko – a

large hanging

barrel drum

4. Taiko - is a Japanese drum

that comes in various sizes and is

used to play a variety of musical

genres.

String Instruments

(Chordophone)

1. Koto - is a 13-string zither, about

two meters long and made of

Paulownia wood. It is plucked using

picks on the thumb and first two

fingers of the right hand, while the

left hand can be used to modify

pitch and tone. Koto is used in an

ensemble in gagaku or as a solo

instrument.

2. Shamisen - is a plucked

stringed instrument. Its construction

follows a model similar to that of a

guitar or a banjo, employing a

neck, and strings stretched across

a resonating body. The neck of the

shamisen is fretless, and is slimmer

than that of a guitar or a banjo.

3. Biwa - is a Japanese short-

necked fretted lute, often used in

narrative storytelling. The biwa is

the chosen instrument of Benten,

the goddess of music, eloquence,

poetry, and education in Japanese

Shinto.

Wind Instruments

(Aerophone)

1. Shakuhachi - the

most famous flute

made from bamboo. It

has 4 or 5 finger holes

on the front face and a

thumbhole on the rear

face.

2. Nokan - a

parallel, bamboo

flute is the only

melodic instrument

used in noh. The

melody of the flute

has no specific

pitch relationship

with the melody of

the chanting.

3. Hichiriki - is a

double reed

Japanese flute

used as one of two

main melodic

instruments in

Japanese gagaku

music, the other

being the ryūteki.

4. Sho - is a

Japanese free

reed musical

instrument that was

introduced from

China during the

Nara period.

5. Shinobue – also

called takebue (in

the context of

Japanese

traditional arts) is a

Japanese

transverse flute or

fue that has a high-

pitched sound.

6. Ryūteki -

literally "dragon

flute" is a

Japanese

transverse fue

made of bamboo.

It is used in

gagaku.

SHINOBUE SHO PIPA

YUNLUO TSUZUMI HICHIRIKI

PENGLING YUEQIN RYUTEKI

SHAKUHACHI KOTO TSURIDAIKO

BIWA SHENG ODAIKO

ZHENG TAIKO ERHU

For several thousand years Chinese

culture was dominated by the

teachings of the philosopher

Confucius, he conceived music in

the highest sense as a means of

calming the passion of dispelling of

unrest and lust, rather than as a

form of amusement.

Traditionally the Chinese have

believed that sound influences the

harmony of the universe. Significantly,

one of the most important duties of

the first emperor of each new dynasty

was to search out and establish that

dynasty’s through standard of pitch. A

result of this philosophical orientation

was that the Chinese theoretically

opposed music performed solely for

entertainment.

1. Yueqin - Moon-

shaped lute with

shorter neck and

four strings, played

with a spectrum,

used for

accompanying

local operas.

2. Pipa - Four-stringed

lute with 30 frets and

a pear-shaped body.

This instrument has an

extremely wide

dynamic range and

remarkable

expressive power.

3. Erhu - Two-stringed

fiddle and one of the

most popular Chinese

instruments. It is used as

a solo instrument as well

as in small ensembles

or large orchestra, and

by various ethnic

groups.

4. Yunluo - Literally

"cloud gongs" or

"cloud of gongs", the

yunluo is a set of ten

small tuned gongs

mounted in a

wooden frame.

5. Sheng – (Chinese

mouth organ) looks

like a set of panpipes,

with 12 to 36 bamboo

pipes. Each pipe is of

different length with a

brass reed at the

bottom and a hole

that must be blocked

in order for the note to

sound.

6. Dizi - is the traditional

Chinese flute. It can have a

membrane over an extra hole

to give the characteristic

rattle effect.

7. Zheng - An

ancient Chinese

instrument that

has an arched

surface and an

elongated-

trapezoid with 13

to 21 strings

stretched over

individual bridges.

8. Pengling - these

are two small bells

made of high-tin

bronze, without

internal clappers,

and hemispheric or

bottomless gourd-

like in shape.

Listening Activity

Find a partner and prepare a

pen and a paper for this activity.

Listen to recordings of different

instruments of Korea. Classify the

instrument heard into string,

percussion, or wind.

Analysis

What kind of feeling or mood

does it express?

How do these sounds show

aspects of Korean culture?

What similarities with other East

Asian countries can you identify

in these sounds?

Korea's folk music tradition, with its

generous use of bright rhythms and

melodies, offers a more energetic

and capricious contrast to the

nation's collection of classical music

works.

Chong-ak means literally

"right (or correct) music", Chong-

ak also refers to ensemble music

for men of high social status

outside of the court.

Sog-ak or minsogak is a

category of Korean music

traditionally associated with the

lower classes or for the general

public and are vibrant and

energetic. It includes genres

such as pansori and minyo.

Pansori is a kind of

music presented to audiences

by skilled vocal singers and

drummers. But even the unskilled

could sing these songs.

Instrumental Music of Korea

Korean music especially in South

Korea has a rich vocal tradition,

and diverse instruments and

music forms. Folk songs, religious

works, court music, and shaman

rituals all express the soul of a

nation whose history is filled with

colorful and fascinating tales.

String Instruments

1. Kayagum (gayageum) - is a

traditional Korean zither-like

string instrument, with 12

strings, although more recently

variants have been

constructed with 21 or more

numbers of strings. It is

probably the best-known

traditional Korean musical

instrument.

2. Geomungo – (six-string plucked

zither), is a traditional Korean

stringed musical instrument of the

zither family of instruments with both

bridges and frets.

3. Haegum (two-string vertical

fiddle) – It has a rodlike neck, a

hollow wooden soundbox, two

silk strings, and

Is held vertically

on the knee of

the performer

and played with

a bow.

Wind Instruments

Piri - it is made of bamboo. Its large

reed and cylindrical bore gives it a

sound mellower than

that of many other types of oboe.

Percussion Instrument

Changgo - is the most widely used drum

used in the traditional music of Korea. It

is available in most kinds, and consists

of an hourglass-shaped body with two

heads made from

animal skin.

Sakura – (Cherry Blossoms) is a

traditional Japanese folk song

depicting spring, the season of

cherry blossoms.

Mo Li Hua - is a traditional Chinese

song with a beautifully gentle and

lyrical melody. The lyrics is about

“the jasmine flower” also turn it into

a love song.

Arirang - is a Korean folk song,

sometimes considered the unofficial

national anthem of Korea. It is used as

a symbol of Korea and Korean

culture. Arirang is in essence a song

of farewell. The origin of the word

'Arirang' is ‘the hill’. An emotion of

deep regret is imbued in the rhythm of

Arirang. The song evokes the feeling

of the tears shed by Koreans and the

remembrance of their sad stories.

Express Yourself

On an oslo paper, draw a

creative illustration on the

relationship of man and

nature as reflected in three

folk songs you have learned.

Present and describe your

illustration to the class.

SYNTHESIS

JAPAN

• Japanese music was influenced by the

court music of China

• It is based on the five tone scale or the

pentatonic scale

• Before the historical period, the Japanese

traditional music (Hogaku) develop an

accompaniment of ritual dances called

Kagura.

• In religion, Confucianism propagated the

themes on loyalty and filial piety while

Shintoism inculcated the idea that music is

a gift from God.

• Before the historical period, the

Japanese traditional music (Hogaku)

develop an accompaniment of ritual

dances called Kagura.

• In religion, Confucianism propagated

the themes on loyalty and filial piety

while Shintoism inculcated the idea

that music is a gift from God.

• Japanese music is monophony in

nature. It observes minute tones, free

rhythm and delicate timbre. It is

usually written in duple meter.

• Japanese music has two basic types of

scales, both pentatonic in nature, that are

often used in playing the koto and

shamisen.

• These are the male scale called Yo – sen

and the female scale known as In – sen.

• The most important note in the pentatonic

scale is the corner stone or the third note.

• Japanese Vocal music is quite different

from the Western vocal Music, and is

based on the intervals of human breathing

rather than mathematical timing.

• Japanese musicians show their spiritual

self-mastery in mastering his or her

instrument more than simply perfecting a

technique of some sort and how they give

value to their performance and

composure.

• Traditional Japanese music is basically

meditative in character.

• Its music and performance are highly

ritualized, as is the composure of the

musicians when performing it.

• Japanese chamber music and solo music

have a slow meditative pace and use

concrete elements

• Japanese music has three general

types of instruments - percussion

instruments (odaiko, tsuzumi, shoko,

tsuridaiko, taiko), string instruments

(koto, shamisen, biwa), and wind

instruments -mostly flutes (shakuhachi,

nokan, sho, hichiriki).

• Compared to our music, Japanese

music is very simple. They sing melodies

in unison and they never repeat the

same melody in a song.

There are two ancient foundations for

Japanese traditional music.

SHOMYO:

• Is also called Buddhist chanting.

• The chants are based on sacred text and

hymns.

• They have flexible rhythm, where the

singers simply stops when there is no more

breath

• They are sung acapella and are

monophonic texture

• At present, the SHOMYO has lost its real

religious nature

GAGAKU:• Literally means “elegant and refined

music”.

ga – refined gaku – music• It is the only surviving music in Japan.

• This court music has been greatly

influenced by China.

• Bugaku- Japanese court dance

MUSICAL STYLESa. Togaku – highest musical style or

court music.

b. Komagaku – Korean origin and of

native composition associated with

rituals of the Shinto religion.

c. Saibara – Is a small number of

regional Japanese folk songs.

CHINA• Chinese vocal music has traditionally

been sung in a thin, non-resonant

voice, or in falsetto

• Chinese vocal music is usually solo

rather than choral.

• All traditional Chinese music is

melodic rather than harmonic.

• Chinese music uses the pentatonic

scale as can be heard in the song

“Mo Li Hua”.

• Xiaodiao, or short tunes, are popular

music in Chinese urban areas.

• Chinese musical instruments are

classified according to the materials

by which they are made: animal

skins, gourd, bamboo, wood, silk,

earth/clay, metal, and stone.

KOREA• Korean music has a slow tempo, giving it a

very peaceful and pensive character.

• Yayue - an elegant music which includes

ritual and ceremonial court music

• Suyue - popular music

• Huyue - foreign music

• A-ak - elegant vocal and instrumental

music

• Pansori is a kind of music presented to

audiences by skilled vocal singers and

drummers.