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This short-short course will introduce many of the genres of traditional Japanese music that have been transmitted to the present and are still actively performed. The course will also discuss the varied ways of experiencing musical modernity in the context of the overwhelming dominance of western music in Japan. It will provide an accessible overview of Japanese music culture for non-Japanese participants, including performers, composers and musicologists. It is also intended for Japanese participants who are interested in an international perspective on Japanese music, and students planning to study abroad who want to know something about their ‘own’ music as well as western music.

The major genres include gagaku, shōmyō, and shakuhachi and koto music. The narrative genres of heike and jōruri and their place in the nō, bunraku and kabuki theatres will be introduced. Practical encounter with some genres during learning sessions, and an evening concert will be included.

＊この講座は英語で行います。
The course will be conducted in English with some Japanese as needed.
Japanese information is here.
日本語版の詳細ページ

Assessment requirements (if taken for credit)

The course will be conducted in English with some Japanese as needed. Location: Kyoto City University of Arts, Shin-kenkyū building, 7th Floor

Cost

5,000 yen (payable in cash at the commencement of the course)

Recommended reading

Bonnie C. Wade, Music in Japan: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. Oxford University Press, 2004. (Paperback) To be purchased in advance on Amazon.

References

This can only be accessed by password.
Go to the following link.

Schedule

There will be two sessions per day over three days. Morning session 10:00-13:00 Afternoon session 14:00-17:00 (The following schedule may be adapted depending on the interests of participants.)

Revised(2015/07/30)

HOW TO APPLY

Registrations must be received by Friday July 31 by email. Payment will be made on the first day of the course, August 18, between 9:00 and 10:00. Registration form can be found on the website.