Echos from Ancient Japan ~A tribute concert to a Courtly Poet of the 8th century 額田王 Princess Nukata~

In the middle of the 8th century, a collection of 10,000 songs was compiled in Japan. Manyoshu (Ten Thousand Leaves) is unique because of the diverse background of the over 4500 poets, ranging from noblemen to commoners. The most notable among them is Princess Nukata, who was loved by two princes influential in founding ancient Japan known as Yamato. Through her gift for song writing, she successfully lived through these turbulent times. This concert is a tribute to this remarkable female poet. It is also the US premiere of the music composed by Tomoki Jiromaru who will be present at the concert.

Program

• Introduction to Manyoshu
• Umashi-Kuni (Beautiful Country) for solo piano
• Two songs by Prince Shiki for clarinet and piano
• Haru-no-Sono (Spring Garden) for solo clarinet
• Song cycle “Inishie ni Kouramu Tori (The Bird Longs for the Past)” by Princess Nukata for mezzo Soprano and piano

Performers

Mika Shigematsu (Mezzo Soprano)
Tomoki Jiromaru (Composer, Piano)
Maiko Sasaki (Clarinet)
James Scanlon-Canegata (Lecturer)

うまし国万葉奏楽
古に恋ふらむ鳥～額田王～

イベント概要

8世紀半ば頃、貴族から庶民によるものまで4500以上の歌が編纂された、世界でも類を見ない多様性を持つ歌集・万葉集。そのなかでひときわ輝く伝説の女流歌人、額田王。大和の国作りに深く関わる二人の皇子兄弟に愛され、運命に翻弄されながら、己の歌の力で立ち向かった一人の誇り高き女性の生涯を、次郎丸 智希氏のオリジナル曲で辿るコンサート。

プログラム

• 万葉集について
• うまし国
  次郎丸智希 作曲
  ピアノ・次郎丸智希
• 志貴皇子の二つの歌
  次郎丸智希 作曲
  一『石走（いわばし）る』、二『むささび』
  クラリネット・佐々木麻衣子
  ピアノ・次郎丸智希
• 春の苑
  次郎丸智希 作曲
  クラリネット・佐々木麻衣子
• 古（いにしへ）に恋ふらむ鳥 〜 額田王 〜
  脚本と作曲・次郎丸 智希
  歌・重松みか ピアノと語り・次郎丸 智希

出演

重松みか（メゾソプラノ）
次郎丸 智希 （作曲、ピアノ、朗読）
佐々木麻衣子（クラリネット）
James Scanlon-Canegata (講演：万葉集について)

Man’yōshū Presentation

by James Scanlon-Canegata

The Poetry and Music of the Man’yōshū: An Introduction to the World of Ancient Japanese Song

The Man’yōshū is one of the most celebrated poetry collections in Japan, recording the compositions of thousands of poets across many generations spanning the Asuka and Nara periods. This esteemed collection is forever a part of the canon of Japanese and world literature, but at the time when these poems were being composed, they were in fact “songs” (uta 歌). These songs were composed and written as well as sung and performed to music, hand percussion, and chorus. The early Japanese poetic tradition was a living and dynamic art form hat stretched the bounds of literature and music.

In this short lecture, I will give an introduction to Man’yōshū the poetry anthology and to the cultural world of the Man’yōshū collection. I will discuss how these songs were performed and what poetry/song may have meant to the people who practiced them, particularly through the life and work of Princess Nukata.