2. Background Research

The first stage of this project was to conduct research on Japanese music theory. This research would dictate the direction of the composition, and therefore, significant research had to be done before even a single note was written. This author did not have any knowledge of Japanese composition techniques before starting this project, so it was essential to gain an insight into the Japanese methodologies at an early stage. The number of sources on traditional Japanese music is fairly limited. This is firstly due to the age of the music and the way that the music is verbally transmitted. Secondly, most of the original sources are written in Japanese, making them inaccessible to those who do not speak that language. Therefore, the bulk of the research in to Japanese theory comes from a handful of books by Western ethnomusicologists, especially Japanese Music & Musical Instruments by William P. Malm and The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music edited by Alison McQueen Tokita and David W. Hughes.

In addition to these books, there were a number of reliable online resources including Grove Music Online and websites from universities. All of the sources were cross- referenced against each other, which revealed many discrepancies. This largely concerned the Japanese names for scales, tetrachords and rhythms. These differences were likely caused by varying interpretations/translations of the original Japanese texts. Fortunately, most of the actual substance of the sources showed continuity, although some ‘unofficial’ websites did have some mismatched information. The findings of this research, and an explanation of how it has been used in the composition is given in sections 4 - 5.

Other online resources, such as YouTube and the Naxos Music Library, were invaluable for watching and listening to Japanese performances. As traditional Japanese scores in Western notation proved to be almost non-existent (except for the examples transcribed in the aforementioned books), listening to recordings was the best way to see the theories put in to practice. Listening to the available recording of Gagaku (court music) and Koto music were central, as these are the two Japanese genres that feature most strongly in the Fantasia for Piano & Orchestra (which will be referred to as Fantasia from this point). The musical aspects of these genres are described in detail in section 5. However, the intention of this project was not to simply recreate an authentic Japanese composition, and therefore it was not necessary to analyse any specific Japanese piece in depth. Rather, it is the general stylistic features and theories of Japanese music that are utilised in the Fantasia, along with Western influences.

As a parallel line of research, Western orchestral scores and recordings were studied. This process has been ongoing over the last few years, and a good knowledge of orchestration and instrumentation has been gained as a result. A list of the scores and recordings that were looked at during the course of this project can be seen in the bibliography. Almost all of these compositions are from the romantic era or later, and they all have a degree of richness, which is strived for in this author’s compositions. This richness is largely achieved through the use of large orchestras, lavish orchestration and sonorous harmonies. When listening to these pieces, any interesting features were noted down, and the music, consciously or unconsciously, fuels the composer’s creativity. There are no direct quotations from any of the existing compositions, however, general features of these pieces have inspired the Fantasia. For example, Ravel’s use of a repeated accompaniment pattern in Daphnis et Chloé - Suite No. 2, I. Lever du Jour, provides inspiration for the repeated pentatonic pattern first heard in bar 7 of the piece (see figure 8 in section 5.1). In addition, the sonorous and evocative piano writing style of Rachmaninov is reflected (especially at bars 141 - 161), and the majestic nature of Scriabin’s Poem of Ecstasy is emulated in some of the richly orchestrated sections, such as bars 374 - 381 of the Fantasia.

There are also a few famous Western composers that have written orchestral pieces with Japanese influences. These include: Henry Cowell, Benjamin Britten, Bengt Hambraeus, Olivier Messiaen and Lou Harrison. Their compositions provide interesting interpretations of the same Japanese theories. Many of these works stick firmly to the traditional theories of Gagaku, but using orchestral instruments (and a widened pitch range as a result). Although these pieces are very different to the Fantasia (especially from a harmonic perspective), they represent the successful integration of styles, which is a key aim of this project. The main inspiration gained from listening to these compositions was the use of Japanese sho chords, which were utilised in numerous sections of the Fantasia as a result (see section 5.3).

A final influence is that of jazz - particularly in the music of the 30s and 40s. This results from the author playing in a jazz band last year, and subsequently learning a number of jazz standards. After studying these pieces, it became clear that there were similarities in the way that chord progressions were used. This harmonic style (particularly the use of extended/additive chords) inspired the use of an advanced harmonic style in the Fantasia. The use of this type of ‘colourful’ harmony helps to enhance the richness of the piece (see section 7).

Lastly, there were a number of other skills that were useful, if not essential, to the success of the project. These included: the ability to play the piano (or another instrument), the skills of reading and writing music, and knowledge of computer software (Sibelius for the score, Logic Pro for the MIDI mock-up). These skills were already known, however extra research in to music notation was carried out, to ensure that ideas could be written down accurately and with sufficient detail. Thought was also put in to the method of producing the MIDI mock-up. From previous projects, sequencing a piece in detail had proven to be time consuming. Therefore, past experience, combined with reading forum articles/instruction manuals, allowed a more effective sequencing plan to be formulated (see section 9).