Hozan Yamamoto

WORKS FOR SHAKUHACHI - VOL. 1

Titles include:

1. BAMBOO DUET (1962). Part 1: Deep in the moso bamboo forest. Part 2: Young bamboo in the Japanese garden after rain. Part 3: Hoteichiku. Comical feeling of Buddha's Belly bamboo.
2. BAMBOO DUET-No. 2 (1963). Part 1: Calm and silence. Part 2: Sound and movement in the bamboo grove. Part 3: Staccato.
3. BAMBOO QUARTET (1962) explores harmony with four shakuhachi. Written for 1.6', 1.8', 2.1' and 2.3' length instruments.
4. BAMBOO TRIO (1965). Subtitled Oogi or "fan". Inspired by Gagaku, the ancient Imperial court music of Japan and scenes of the Japanese landscape.
5. MINUET FOR SHAKUHACHI (1956) is inspired by Strauss and the time in his life when Yamamoto Hozan played the Western silver flute.
6. MEIKA (1970) is the divine protection which culminates in the transition through death. Part 1: Delusion. Part 2: Inner Turmoil. Part 3: Joy.
7. SHO CHI (1967) means the home ground where all life originates. This piece explores the dynamic mystic nature of the life force.

Published in Japan. 63 pages. HS-2

Makoto Moroi

FIVE DIALOGUES
FOR
TWO SHAKUHACHI

Written for the 1.8' and 2.4' shakuhachi, these piece explore the themes of confrontation, sin, struggle, fatality, schizophrenia and tragedy. They are a reflection of Moroi's own life which was guided by the composer's deep love for shakuhachi. This depth of feeling is expressed in a style that is both intense and primitive. The second Dialogue is inspired by the Koten honkyoku "Koku" which, for Moroi, is the ancestral voice.

Published in Japan. 8 pages. BS-1

Minoru Miki

KOKYO FOR SOLO SHAKUHACHI
&
SONNET FOR THREE SHAKUHACHI

"Kokyo" is the uneasy heart of a musician and his cry of prayer. This piece was first performed by Katsuya Yokoyama in 1970.It was originally written for the 2.4' shakuhachi. "Sonnet" is a lyric composition combining fragments of simple melodies. This fast-paced early work for Miinoru was composed prior to his study of honkyoku. It was originally performed by Minouru Muraoka, Katsuya Yokoyama and Kohachiro Miyata in 1962.

Published in Japan. 14 pages. DS-1

Yasuji Kiyose

SHAKUHACHI TRIO

This piece was composed for the Tokyo Sanjusodan (Tokyo Trio) featuring Katsuya Yokoyama, Kohachiro Miyata and Minoru Muraoka. Its debut performance was in 1964. Kiyose was classically trained as a Western composer and this was his first composition for traditional Japanese instruments. When asked to write a piece for three shakuhachi, he was initially hesitant to take on such a challenge. Hearing the bass shakuhachi, however, resonated deeply within Kiyose, creating a feeling of nostalgia for home. This piece uses the 5-tone pentatonic scale in conjunction with phrasing typically associated with Western music. It is comprised of three movements. The first and last are written for two 1.8' and a 2.4' shakuhachi. The second movement incorporates a shorter 1.6'.

Published in Japan. 14 pages. FS-1

Ryohei Hirose / Isao Moriyasu

AKI FOR 2 RECORDER PLAYERS

Arranged from
Hirose's AKI FOR 2 SHAKUHACHI

"AKI" means "autumn" and the composition captures the innerscape of this season in Japan. Pantheistic animism of plans and birds, mystic dialogues, meditative introspection and tender love of nature. Originally performed by Hozan Yamamoto and Katsuya Yokoyama in 1969.

Published in Japan. 10 pages. GS-1