For the Asuka-period genre of masked dance-drama, see Gigaku. For the style of gagaku adopted from Tang-dynasty China, see Tōgaku.
Gagaku (雅楽, lit. "elegant music")[1] is a type of Japanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances. Gagaku was developed as court music of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its near-current form was established in the Heian period (794–1185) around the 10th century.[2][3] Today, it is performed by the Board of Ceremonies in the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
Gagaku consists of three primary repertoires:[2]
Native Shinto religious music and imperial songs and dance, called Kuniburi no utamai (国風歌舞)
Vocal music based on native folk poetry, called Utaimono (謡物)
Songs and dance based on foreign-style music
A Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian form (specifically Tang dynasty), called Tōgaku (唐楽)
A Korean and Manchurian form, called komagaku (高麗楽)
Gagaku, like shōmyō, employ the yo scale, a pentatonic scale with ascending intervals of two, three, two, two, and three semitones between the five scale tones.[4] Artistically it differs from the music of the corresponding Chinese form yayue (雅楽) which is a term reserved for ceremonial music.[5]
^Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, Kenkyusha Limited, Tokyo 1991, ISBN 4-7674-2015-6
^ abHistory of gagaku Nihon gagakukai
^Cite error: The named reference council was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Japanese Music, Cross-Cultural Communication: World Music, University of Wisconsin – Green Bay
^Benito Ortolani (1995). The Japanese Theatre: From Shamanistic Ritual to Contemporary Pluralism. Princeton University Press. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-0691043333.
Gagaku (雅楽, lit. "elegant music") is a type of Japanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances. Gagaku was developed...
generally played with a bachi instead of the fingers, and is often used to play gagaku. One of the biwa's most famous uses is for reciting The Tale of the Heike...
music') as a category separate from other traditional forms of music, such as gagaku (court music) or shōmyō (Buddhist chanting), but most ethnomusicologists...
bell tree with three tiers of pellet bells Kakko (羯鼓) – small drum used in gagaku Kane (鉦) – small flat gong Kokiriko (筑子、 こきりこ) – a pair of sticks which...
(2001) Spiritual Sight II for gagaku, reigaku, shomyo and cello (2001) Encounter for cello, ancient instruments, gagaku and shomyo (2002) Space Line for...
and saibara (催馬楽), which are forms of gagaku, More simply, mikagura can be considered dances accompanied by gagaku music. The kagura-uta is the sacred vocal...
music Byzantine music Indonesian art music—Gamelan Japanese court music—Gagaku Korean court music Lao classical music Mandé art music Ottoman music Persian...
types, many different styles were created. Some of them include Kabuki, Gagaku, and Soukyoku. Kabuki is a style of Japanese theatre. It is a mixture of...
music Byzantine music Indonesian art music—Gamelan Japanese court music—Gagaku Korean court music Lao classical music Mandé art music Ottoman music Persian...
Central Asian traditions, while the Tang dynasty's music, the Japanese gagaku and Korean court music each influenced each other. Historically, religions...
manual that describes precisely the refined movements and postures that gagaku and bugaku performers must attain. Its descriptions often use natural metaphors...
Buddhist chanting gagaku (雅楽), or orchestral court music both of which date to the Nara (710–794) and Heian (794–1185) periods. Gagaku classical music has...
bamboo flute known as the kodai shakuhachi (古代尺八, ancient shakuhachi) or gagaku shakuhachi (雅楽尺八) was derived from the Chinese xiao in the Nara period and...
music Byzantine music Indonesian art music—Gamelan Japanese court music—Gagaku Korean court music Lao classical music Mandé art music Ottoman music Persian...
Minamoto no Hiromasa (源 博雅, 918 – September 28, 980) was a nobleman and gagaku musician in the Heian period. He was the eldest son of Prince Katsuakira...
music Byzantine music Indonesian art music—Gamelan Japanese court music—Gagaku Korean court music Lao classical music Mandé art music Ottoman music Persian...
Occupation of Japan. It is currently based in Takaishi, Osaka. It utilizes gagaku in its service. Forbes, Roy Tetsuo (2005). Schism, orthodoxy and heresy...
Japanese music. Gagaku scale: Introduced from China during the Nara Period, but then later modified during the Heian Period, the Gagaku scale is a heptatonic...
music Byzantine music Indonesian art music—Gamelan Japanese court music—Gagaku Korean court music Lao classical music Mandé art music Ottoman music Persian...
music Byzantine music Indonesian art music—Gamelan Japanese court music—Gagaku Korean court music Lao classical music Mandé art music Ottoman music Persian...
Global Information