1. Building World Music Collections: Japan
Joe C. Clark
Kent State University
February 27, 2014
MLA Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA

2. Shamisen
Three string fretless plucked lute. Traditionally it accompanies the voice, with instrumental interludes.
Popular since the mid- 17th century. Used in main genres, from folk and theatrical forms to classical and contemporary music.
Image from Japan Information Centre; retrieved from New Grove Online.

3. Koto & Shakuhachi Koto is a long zither instrument with movable bridge
Used in both court and non-court music
Shakuhachi is an end-blown notched flute with four finger holes and a thumb-hole

4. Biwa Many forms of the instrument
Usually four or five strings with a fretted neck
Soundbox is usually cut from the same piece of wood as the neck
Traditionally provides accompaniment for dramatic story telling
Image from

5. Gagaku The ancient traditional court music of Japan
Means “elegant music”
Dates from 701 CE
Repertory is broken into concert music (kangen) and music for dance (bugaku)
Concert music usually comprised of string, wind, and percussion instruments; dance music omits strings

6. Nō
Highly structured stage art that combines music, poetry, dance, and drama
Primarily for elite class
Professional groups usually consist of men, but amateur groups include both men and women
Originated in the 14th century
Seeks maximum effect from a minimum of means, although costumes can be over the top
Restrained
Image from:

7. Bunraku: Puppet Theatre
The term refers to all traditional Japanese puppet theatre
Features narrative music, usually with a singer and a shamisen accompanist
Image from

8. Kabuki Began as theatre for the commoners around 1600
Became “classical” theatre in the late 19th century
Much more flamboyant than Nō, with more actors, bigger stage, and more musicians
Image from

9. Good Starting Point New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
Good news:
discographies are listed for most sections
Bad news:
it has not been updated since its publication in 2001 (even online).

10. Not So Good Resources
Garland Encyclopedia for World Music, Volume 7: East Asia: China, Japan, and Korea. Routedge, 2002.
265 pages dedicated to Japan.
Of the 43 sections on Japan, only one offers a filmography and two provide short discographies.
JVC Music & Dance video series.

11. Japan Traditional Cultures Foundation: http://www.japo-net.or.jp
The Japan Traditional Cultures Foundation has a number of CDs and DVDs, and you can view titles by genre.

12. Popular Musics
Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Volume V: Asia and Oceania.
2005.
25 pages of history, commentary, bibliographies, discographies, and filmographies. Regional musics.

13. Rough Guides
17 pages of commentary and context. Traditional musics are mentioned, but the focus is clearly on popular and regional music. 5 page discography. 1999

14. Revised Rough Guide
The revised edition of the last title, this one offers 18 pages on primarily popular music, and a six-page discography.

15. Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music
Sixteen chapters on recent Japanese music scholarship
Covers a number of genres
Provides four solid pages of recommended video and audio

16. Music in Japan By Bonnie C. Wade, 2005.
Part of the Global Music Series from Oxford University Press.
Offers several pages of resources.

17. Smithsonian Folkways http://www.folkways.si.edu
About 15 CDs focusing solely on Japanese music
Also available through the Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries (Alexander Street Press)
Recordings are primarily from the 1960s & 70s

18. Great selection of Japanese traditional music
Include Lyrichord label recordings
Go to Genre  World Music  J for Japan

19. More Important Labels King Records Camerata Denon Lyrichord Ocora
Nonesuch
Fontec
Celestial Harmonies

20. Video Resources continued
Films for the Humanities (
Bunraku: Masters of Japanese Puppet Theatre
Koto: The Music of Tadao
Portrait of an Onnagata
Shozan Tanabe: The Sound of Silence
Tsugaru Shamisen: The World of Michihiro Sato
Marty Gross Film Productions, Inc.:

21. Video Resources continued
Shimonaka Memorial Foundation’s DVD set on Gagaku
Sixteen-volume DVD set of Kabuki plays first broadcast by NHK (Japan’s public broadcast company). A series of 33 Kabuki Theatre DVDs

22. Another Great Video Resource
The Japanese Music Series, from the University of Oklahoma’s Early Music Television
Jazz in Japan
Gagaku: Court Music of Japan
Music of Bunraku
Shinto Festival Music
Nagauta: Heart of Kabuki
Music of Noh Drama

23. Addition Considerations
DVDs - Region 2 and region-free
Be ready for sticker shock
Buy when things are available, as titles frequently go out of print
Google translate is your friend
Let the programs you support and the faculty that you work with help determine what you purchase.

24. What Was Left Out? Numerous genres of folk music
Western Classical Art Music of Japan
J-pop
Niche music, including multiple genres
Regional traditions
Lots more…

25. Resources/References
World Music: The Rough Guide, Vol. 2. Edited by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, and Richard Trillo. London: Rough Guides, 1999.
The Rough Guide to World Music, Vol. 2 (3rd ed). Compiled and edited by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham and Jon Lusk. New York: Rough Guides, 2009.
The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music. Alison McQueen Tokita and David W. Hughes, eds. Burlington, VT: Ashgage, 2008.
Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Volume V: Asia and Oceania. Edited by John Shepherd, et al. New York: Continuum, 2005.
Music in Japan. Bonnie C. Wade. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

26. Thank you!
Questions/Discussion?