Gagaku (雅楽, lit. "elegant music")[1] is a type ofJapanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances.Gagaku was developed as court music of theKyoto Imperial Palace, and its near-current form was established in theHeian period (794–1185) around the 10th century.[2][3] Today, it is performed by theBoard of Ceremonies in theTokyo Imperial Palace.
Gagaku consists of three primary repertoires:[2]
Gagaku, likeshōmyō, employs theyo scale, apentatonic 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 formyayue (雅楽) which is a term reserved for ceremonial music.[5]
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The prototype ofgagaku was introduced into Japan with Buddhism fromChina. In 589, Japanese official diplomatic delegations were sent to China (during theSui dynasty) to learn Chinese culture, including Chinese court music. By the 7th century, thekoto (the 13-stringedzither) and thebiwa (a short-neckedlute) had been introduced into Japan from China. Various instruments, including these two, were the earliest used to playgagaku.
Even though the Japanese use the same term,雅楽 (yǎyuè inMandarin Chinese), the form of music imported from China was primarily banquet music (engaku) rather than the ceremonial music of the Chineseyǎyuè. The importation of music peaked during theTang dynasty, and these pieces are calledTōgaku (Tang music).Gagaku pieces that originated at a time earlier than the Tang dynasty are calledkogaku (ancient music), while those originating after the Tang dynasty are calledshingaku (new music). The termgagaku itself was first recorded in 701, when the first imperial academy of musicGagakuryō was established.[5]
Music from the Korean kingdom ofGoguryeo had been recorded as early as 453 AD, andkomagaku was eventually used as a term that covered all Korean pieces, the Goguryeo kingdom being referred to as Koma in Japanese.Komagaku andTōgaku became established in southern Japan during theNara period (710–794). In 736, music from India and Vietnam were also introduced, known asTenjikugaku (天竺楽) andRinyūgaku (林邑楽) respectively.
During the Nara period in the 8th century,gagaku was performed at national events, such as the erection of the Great Buddha ofTodai-ji Temple, by organizinggagaku performance groups at large temples.
From the 9th century to the 10th century, during theHeian period, traditionalgagaku was developed further, becoming distinctly Japanese in style through its fusion with musical styles indigenous to Japan, changing it greatly. The form ofgagaku was almost completed by the fusion ofTōgaku,Komagaku,Tenjikugaku andRinyūgaku which were introduced from Asian countries, withKuniburi no utamai, traditional Japanese music, andutaimono, songs born in the Heian period.[2][3] During this period, many pieces ofgagaku music were created and foreign-stylegagaku music was rearranged and renewed.Gagaku was also reorganized, and foreign-stylegagaku music was classified into categories calledSahō (左方, left side) andUhō (右方, right side). Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian style was classified asSahō, and Korean and Manchurian style was classified asUhō.Tenjikugaku andRinyūgaku were also included in the category ofTōgaku.[2][3][6]
The popularity ofgagaku reached its peak between the 9th and 10th centuries, when court aristocracy began to hold private concerts, but declined in theKamakura period (1185–1333) when the power of the court aristocracy became diminished while that of the samurai rose.[6]Gagaku was played by musicians who belonged to hereditary guilds. During theKamakura period, military rule was imposed andgagaku was rarely performed at court. At this time, there were three guilds, based inOsaka,Nara andKyoto.
Due to theŌnin War, a civil war from 1467 to 1477 during theMuromachi period,gagaku ensembles ceased to perform in Kyoto for about 100 years. In theEdo period, theTokugawa shogunate revived and reorganized the court-style ensembles, the direct ancestors of the presentgagaku ensembles.
After theMeiji Restoration of 1868, musicians from all three guilds came to the capital and their descendants make up most of the currentTokyo Imperial Palace Music Department. By that time, the present ensemble composition had been established, consisting of three wind instruments –hichiriki,ryūteki, andshō (bamboo mouth organ used to provide harmony) – and three percussion instruments –kakko (small drum),shōko (metal percussion), andtaiko (drum) ordadaiko (large drum), supplemented by two string instruments –gakubiwa andgakusō.
Gagaku also accompanies classical dance performances calledbugaku (舞楽). It may be used in religious ceremonies in some Buddhist temples.[7]
In 1955, the Japanese government recognizedgagaku andbugaku as importantNational Treasures.
Today,gagaku is performed in three ways:[8]
Komagaku survives only asbugaku.[9]
Contemporarygagaku ensembles, such asReigakusha (伶楽舎), perform contemporary compositions forgagaku instruments. This subgenre of contemporary works forgagaku instruments, which began in the 1960s, is calledreigaku (伶楽). 20th-century composers such asTōru Takemitsu have composed works forgagaku ensembles, as well as individualgagaku instruments. In January 2015 theReigakushagagaku Ensemble andEnsemble Modern performed togetherMusic with silent aitake's by Belgian composerFrederic D'Haene, makinggagaku and Western music co-exist.[10]
Wind, string and percussion instruments are essential elements of gagaku music. Some instruments, such as Haishō, Gogen biwa, Kugo had been removed from the ensemble during Heian period and reconstructed based on the old documents and some remains of the instruments in theShōsō-in during Showa Era.
Beginning in the 20th century, several western classical composers became interested in gagaku, and composed works based on gagaku. Most notable among these areHenry Cowell (Ongaku, 1957),La Monte Young (numerous works ofdrone music,[11] but especiallyTrio for Strings, 1958),Alan Hovhaness (numerous works),Olivier Messiaen (Sept haïkaï, 1962),Lou Harrison (Pacifika Rondo, 1963),Benjamin Britten (Curlew River, 1964),Bengt Hambraeus (Shogaku, fromTre Pezzi per Organo, 1967),Ákos Nagy (Veiled wince flute quartet 2010),Jarosław Kapuściński (numerous works),Sarah Peebles (numerous works),Michiko Toyama (Waka, 1960), andTim Hecker (Konoyo, 2018).
One of the most important gagaku musicians of the 20th century, Masataro Togi (who served for many years as chief court musician), instructed American composers such asAlan Hovhaness andRichard Teitelbaum in the playing of gagaku instruments.
The American poetSteve Richmond developed a unique style based on the rhythms of gagaku. Richmond heard gagaku music on records atU.C.L.A.'s Department of Ethnomusicology in the early 1960s. In a 2009 interview with writerBen Pleasants, Richmond claimed he had written an estimated 8,000–9,000 gagaku poems.[12]
