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Shikyoku No 1

詩曲一番

[Genre]Modern
[Also Known As]Poem I
[Composed]Matsumura Teizo - Shakuhachi - 1969

Shikyoku No 1 appears on the following albums

Album Artist
Play ButtonArt of Bamboo, The Koto : Kuribayashi Hideaki
Shakuhachi : Sugawara Kuniyoshi
This work, Matsumura’s first for traditional Japanese instruments, was composed in 1969 for the Matsushita Exhibition Hall at the Osaka World Exposition. As a contemporary composer, most of Matsumura's works are in Western style, but he is also involved in promoting the rediscovery of classic style traditional music. This work is not based on "Western" or "Japanese" principles, but rather makes the unique characteristics of the shakuhachi and koto come alive.
Play ButtonBest Take 7 - Tazuko Miyashita Koto : Miyashita Tazuko
Shakuhachi : Yamamoto Hōzan
"First Lyric Piece (Shikyoku Ichiban}”

This work was composed for airing at the Matsushita pavilion at the 1970 Osaka Expo. It represents Matsumura's maiden work for traditional Japanese instruments. Matsumura's approach to the piece was to free himself from any associations with contemporary aesthetic concepts, to empty his heart of all self-assertion and pay homage to traditional Japanese instruments and music. This work can be said to reflect Matsumura's candid spiritual state of mind.
Play ButtonChallenging Eternity Disk 19 Shakuhachi : Sawai Sanzan
Koto : Sawai Tadao
Play ButtonDuos for Shakuhachi and Koto Koto : Sawai Tadao
Shakuhachi : Yokoyama Katsuya

Five Pieces for Shakuhachi Chikurai Shakuhachi : Mitsuhashi Kifu
Poeme I by Teizo Matsumura (1929- ), was composed for a pavilion at the 1969 World Exposition in Osaka. The special feature of this pavilion was its bamboo construction, so the audience, while appreciating the bamboo all around, heard sounds suggestive of bamboo. But this piece, originally composed to create the atmosphere of bamboo, is now a well-known piece for performance on the stage.

Starting out with seemingly gentle mood music, it suddenly jolts us with a confrontation of sounds caused by the twenty string koto and the shakuhachi playing together. While the initial boom in modern composition for traditional instruments has waned, this piece is still often played, offering its fresh dialogue of these two instruments.

It had simply been called Poeme, but since Poeme II was composed it is called Poeme I. Poeme II was composed for shakuhachi solo, and Poeme III is subtitled "For Shinobue and Biwa". Poeme I is the first piece of its series, but is independent or those that follow. They are simple pieces without any allegory. Matsumura is an important composer of Western type music but he composed these pieces, his first in Japanese style, out of interest in the special possibilities of traditional Japanese instruments.
Play ButtonKoto to Jushichigen no Sekai
Play ButtonPicture Dreams Shakuhachi : Riley Kōho Lee
Koto : Odamura Satsuki
Poeme I - is based on the traditional koto piece 'Chidori' (The Plover), sounding the opening four-note motive of the older work. The two instrumental parts represent male and female aspects, which initially contrast and then unite.

Reiko Kimura - Music for Koto Koto : Kimura Reiko
Shakuhachi : Tajima Tadashi
Play ButtonShakuhachi - Reibo Aoki (LP) Shakuhachi : Aoki Reibo II
Koto : Shirane Kinuko
Composed for koto and shakuhachi, each of the long solo parts and the comparatively freely connected ensemble sections of this piece are played alternately, and with a traditional approach. The extended koto solo in the middle of the work recalls the danmono structure of early koto pieces and the shakuhachi solo suggests influence from the classical Kinko School composition, Akita Sugagaki. At the same time, the music reflects the effortless harmony to be found in nature, both past and present. From the time of its first performance, Poem I has become representative of the best of modern Japanese music. It was first presented at the 1970 World Exposition by Reibo Aoki on shakuhachi and Keiko Nosaka on koto. This recording was made in concert of Kinuko Shirane on koto, accompanied by Mr. Aoki.

Teizo Matsumura - Selected Works Vol II Shakuhachi : Mitsuhashi Kifu
Koto : Yoshimura Nanae
Matsumura, who made his rather late debut as a composer with "Introduction et Allegro concenante" at 26 (1955), wrote "Poem I" when he was 40 (1969). It was composed as a result of his serious stand against the Japanese traditional music. A number of works had been produced out of the cooperation of players of "Japanese music" and composers of "Western music" beginning from about 1960 and in the 70s at its peak. It is nor too much to say that most of them are simple mixtures of classical "Te" (melody or melody pattern of instruments) and idioms of contemporary music. Works he composed, however, were never easily made like those. Unlike Western instruments which are consistently functional and rational, Japanese ones are therefore naked and reject sounds written irresponsibly. It is quite understandable that Matsumura was extremely cautious even approaching Japanese instruments, who has a consistent thoughts that "Music must sound to the depth of life. The beauty of music should give people who live today joy to listen to."

And finally the moment of happy encounter of Matsumura and Japanese instruments came in 1969.
When he was commissioned a work for Matsushita pavilion at "Expo '70" in 1970, he happened to hear and was deeply moved by the performances of "Rokudan" by Keiko Nosaka and "Akita Sugagaki" by Reibo Aoki and Goro Yamaguchi. Then he repeatedly listened to the tapes of these two pieces and opened his mind to the classical world he can be moved by. And he thought he would write as if he makes a pilgrimage to that world. He is said that he wrote the piece in only two days since "he frankly opened his mind to write it."

"Poem I" begins with solo of koto then shakuhachi solo responds to it followed by duo of the two instruments. These phrases look Japanese at first glance, but they are not just quotations of "Te" itself. Very natural figurations of Japanese Music can be felt. Each motifs are combined like counterpoint, very naturally without any sense of artificiality. Matsumura humbly says "The highest state of composition would be to write freely and naturally with composer's mind open. In case of Poem I, the similar phenomenon may have happened because I was very immature then."