Sakura Sakura
"Sakura, Sakura" (さくら さくら; "Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms"), also known as "Sakura", is a traditional Japanese folk song depicting spring, the season of cherry blossoms. It is often sung in international settings as a song representative of Japan.[1]
Contrary to popular belief, the song did not originate in ancient times; it was a popular, urban melody of the Edo period.
Melody
The "Sakura Sakura" melody has been popular since the Meiji period, and the lyrics in their present form were attached then. The tune uses a pentatonic scale known as the in scale (miyako-bushi pentatonic scale) and is played in quadruple meter and has three parts (ABBAC) which stretch over 14 bars (2 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 2).[2]
Expressed as diatonic notes in the major scale, the In scale is 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 (1), 10 (3); or the notes E F A B c e[a] (nominally A minor); or in solfège Mi Fa La Si Do Mi. The melodic scale can either be represented in older Western musical theory by the Phrygian minor or the Phrygian major mode, with the 3rd and 7th notes in the scale omitted.
Because the melody spans a modest range, it is ideally suited to instruments that have a limited pitch range, such as the Native American flute (similar to the shakuhachi).[3] The melody arranged by Ongaku Torishirabe-gakari was included in Collection of Japanese Koto Music issued in 1888, for beginning koto students in the Tokyo Academy of Music.[4]
Often, It is the first piece that koto beginners learn because they can play any phrase by picking closer strings without skipping to distant strings.[2] There are several adjustment methods suitable for the in scale in Koto. Among them, hira-joshi is used for "Sakura".[2]
Lyrics
The original lyrics[5] are listed as the second verse in the table below. In 1941, the Ministry of Education published a new verse in Uta no hon (うたのほん 教師用 下) which was listed first, with the original verse listed second.[6] However, there are various theories about the original lyrics. According to one theory, it is said that "Sakura Sakura" is a parody of "Saita sakura".[7] "Saita sakura" is thought to have been made as a Japanese koto song in during the Edo period. (Lyrics: さいた桜 花見て戻る 吉野は桜 龍田は紅葉 唐崎の松 常盤常盤 深みどり)[8][9]
Symbolism of Sakura (cherry blossom) is deeply rooted in the culture of Japan. This is because it symbolizes the transience of life and impermanence. For Buddhists, the five petals of Prunus yedoensis represent the five skandas that traditionally make up a human being; they arise, are beautiful for a brief time, and fall too soon. They are a primary example of the concept of "mono no aware", the beauty of passing things. 'Falling flowers' is a metaphor to represent the warriors who died in battles and souls of the dead.[10]
| Standard | Hiragana | Romaji | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
桜 桜 桜 桜 |
さくら さくら さくら さくら |
sakura sakura sakura sakura |
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, |
Notes and references
Notes
- ^ Lower-case letters are an octave higher; see Helmholtz notation.
References
- ^ "Pikachus perform classical Japanese dance routine for Japan's most famous cherry blossom song【Vid】". SoraNews24 -Japan News-. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Kang, Sangmi; Yoo, Hyesoo; Fung, C. Victor; Matsunobu, Koji (March 2024). "Virtual Musical Instruments in Music Classrooms: Performing with East Asian Music Cultures". Music Educators Journal. 110 (3). National Association for Music Education: 28–36. doi:10.1177/00274321241237403. eISSN 1945-0087. ISSN 0027-4321. Retrieved 23 November 2024 – via SAGE Publications.
- ^ Clint Goss (2011). "Sakura Sakura". Flutopedia.com. Sheet music for the Native American Flute. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Ongaku Torishirabe-gakari (arr.) 1888 cited by Tsuge Gen'ichi 2016
- ^ Ongaku Torishirabe-gakari (arr.) 1888.
- ^ a b c 東京音楽学校編 Tōkyō ongaku gakkō hen [Tokyo Academy of Music], ed. (1941). 「うたのほん 教師用 下」 Uta no hon, kyōiku-yō, ge [Book of Songs for Educational Use]. Vol. 2. Tokyo, Japan: 文部省 Monbushō.
- ^ 藤田圭雄 Fujita tamao (1997). 「日本童謡唱歌大系1」 Nihon dōyō shōka taikei 1 [Compendium of Japanese nursery rhymes 1]. 東京書籍 Tōkyō syoseki.
- ^ 「山田流琴のかがみ」 Yamadaryū kotonokagami [Model of The Yamada school of Koto]. 博信堂出版部 Hakushindō shuppanbu. 1948.
- ^ Yumi Shimada (2002). ""Sakura, Sakura"- a study of its development and popularisation into a school song". Japanese Journal of Music Education Research. 32 (2). Japan Music Education Society: 1–14. doi:10.20614/jjomer.32.2_1.
- ^ Uren, Alison (September 2007). "Sakura Sakura for four flutes (Traditional Japanese)". Pan: The Flute Magazine. Vol. 26, no. 3. p. 61.
- ^ a b 東京音楽学校編 Tōkyō ongaku gakkō hen [Tokyo Academy of Music], ed. (1888). 「箏曲集」 Sōkyokushū [Collection of Koto Music]. Tokyo, Japan.
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Sources
- Tsuge Gen'ichi (2016). "Sakura". komuso.com. International Shakuhachi Society. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- Ongaku Torishirabe-gakari (arr.) (1888). "桜 Sakura". In 東京音楽学校編 Tōkyō ongaku gakkō hen [Tokyo Academy of Music] (ed.). 「箏曲集」 Sōkyokushū [Collection of Koto Music]. Vol. 1. Distributed by Dai Nihon Tosho Kabushiki Kaisha. Tokyo, Japan: hakkōsha Tōkyō Ongaku Gakkō.
External links
- [1] Sakura Sakura played in 1959 by three artists from Tokyo's University of Art on three different Koto's (17 string, 13 string and 9 string)
- Link to mp3 recording of Sakura, Sakura, the Japanese lyrics with another verse, an English translation and sheet music
- Sakura Sakura: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project