Shamisen
Shamisen ( Jap. 三味線 also samisen and sang ) is a three-stringed, plucked Langhals loud with a long, narrow neck and a relatively small body. The shamisen is one next to the nōkan , the shakuhachi , the Tsuzumi , the biwa and the koto to the traditional musical instruments of Japan .
General
The stringed instrument is based on the Chinese three-stringed lute sanxian , which came from China via the Ryūkyū Islands to Japan at the end of the 16th century and was called Sanshin or Jabisen there. The latter term then developed into s (h) amisen in Japanese .
The body is made of wood and covered with cat or dog skin, which creates a more brilliant tone than the previously used snake skin. The shamisen enjoys next koto and shakuhachi still an extraordinary popularity that the use of the shamisen in the performing arts of Japan , especially in Kabuki and puppet theater Bunraku is due. It was also considered good form for a geisha to be able to play the shamisen . For the traveling, blind musicians ( goze ), the shamisen became the most important instrument from the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate.
The shamisen is used as a central component in the Nagauta ensemble. Together with the voice, it forms the melody and creates the timbre that is typical of this music. The instrument can be used in a wide variety of ways , with the position and construction of the shamisen varying between the different musical styles. The shamisen was played as a solo, ensemble or chamber musical instrument in all social classes.
Design
The shamisen consists of a body that is a modified rectangle. The body is made up of four thin, convex wooden boards, which give the instrument the appropriate shape. The instrument is one of the box skewers and is similar to the three-stringed Moroccan plucked gimbri and the single-stringed Ethiopian fiddle masenqo .
Special patterns ( ayasugi ) are carved on the inside of the wood . These are often beautifully decorated, but mainly serve to improve the sound. This also refines the tone. The body is covered with cat skin on both sides. In Gidayū-bushi, however, the somewhat thicker dog skin is used to make the sound harder; dog skin was also cheaper. For protection, another small piece of skin is attached to the front of the stretched skin at the point where the strings are struck by the plectrum ( bachi ). This piece is called the plectrum skin ( bachigawa ).
The shamisen has a 88 cm long neck , the width of which also changes the timbre . A distinction is made between broad, penetrating ( futezao ), medium- width ( chūzao ) and slim-necked, bright-sounding ( hozozao ) instruments. The lute has three strings in various strengths, with the vertebrae ( ITOMAKI ) at the upper end of the neck and a silk ribbon ( NEO be fixed) at the neck end to the body bottom. The shamisen has two bars . The upper bridge or saddle ( kami-gome ) is made of metal, often gold, and is located below the peg box ( itogura ) at the upper end of the neck. The lower bar ( koma ) made of wood or ivory sits on the skin on the lower part of the body.
Another special feature is that only two of the three strings are drawn across both bridges. The lowest string is led past the upper bridge ( kami-goma ) on the left . The reason for this is that there is a depression above the upper bridge, also called the valley, followed by a rise, the mountain. When the lower string is plucked , it hits the mountain gently, producing a rasping, metallic sounding tone. This sound is called sawari . It is what makes the shamis sound so typical. That is why particular attention is paid to the correct string tension and the correct mountain height during production. The strings are struck with a ginko leaf-shaped pick , which can be made of ivory , wood or plastic. In some cases only the finger is used, but then as a stylistic device. But you have to know that all components of the shamisen are not standardized, but vary between the different schools of shamisen. This means, for example, that the bridge changes in size and weight in the different musical styles in order to be able to differentiate between small but audible variations.
Style of play
Playing technique
The shamisen is held like a guitar by the player . The pick is grasped with the right hand and plucks or strikes the strings. The left hand generally only stops the vibrating string with three fingers, the thumb and little finger are not used. In addition to striking the strings, techniques such as plucking, hammering and sliding are used. Also pizzicato and tremolo used. In kouta , on special occasions and also in practice, only the index finger is used and not the pick. Another characteristic feature in the way of playing shamisen music is the simultaneous touching of the string and skin of the body. Often the gliding ability of the fingers is improved by wearing a kind of thumb sock or by powdering the left hand (e.g. in gidayū-bushi ).
Mood, rhythm and sound characteristics
The shamisen primarily accompanies the singing . As a rule, the melody the musician plays is almost identical to the vocals, but is offset by half a beat . Both singing and shamisen can be heard individually, but still remain in harmony. Moving the text also makes the lyrics easier to hear and understand. In addition, the shamisen makes the rhythm clearer by striking the plectrum hard on the body.
The shamisen has three basic tunings , honchōshi (with the tones B, e and b), niagari (corresponding to the tones B, f sharp and b) and sansagari (with B, e and a). Honchōshi can be described as a standard tuning . Niagari is often used to create a bright, happy mood and sansagari is more of a dark, melancholy mood. In a piece, the mood can change several times to convey the appropriate feelings. The change from honchōshi to niagari , a modulation from the tonic to the dominant, is particularly effective .
The sawari ( 障 り ), which is actually most characteristic of shamisen music , is not only created by tearing the lowest string directly, but also by playing the two higher strings, with which the lower string always resonates. The sawari is most clearly formed when playing octaves , fifths and fourths . In other words, when you build pure, consonant intervals .
History and genres
The shamisen , although represented in all classes throughout its history, was most commonly used in the socially underdeveloped classes. This only began to change after the Second World War, and it now enjoys a high standing. But the instrument was already considered one of the most important. It belonged for a geisha of class - then as now - to be able to handle the lute well and to entertain her customers with it. Especially in the Edo period , the geishas gained a reputation for playing shamis. Among other things, geishas were often depicted with their instruments on woodcut prints . Shamisen music owes its good reputation mainly to the promotion of the influential classes of traders and merchants as well as other high-ranking patrons.
The Japanese shamisen is a further development of the sanxian ('three strings') that originated in China in the 13th century . You can still see the influences of the sitar or komuz with her . The sanxian was still covered with snakeskin, had an oval body and was played in a similar way to a banjo . The Chinese instrument was first introduced in the Ryūkyū Islands , southwest of Japan. There the sound was called Sanshin ( 三 線 'three wires' ) or Jabisen ( 蛇皮 線 'snakeskin strings / wires' ) and later s (h) anise ('three tasteful wires / strings'). From there the instrument came to Japan.
The shamisen was first mentioned in Japan by the Portuguese João Rodriguez Tçuzzu , who worked as a translator for Prince Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598) and later by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616). The first shamis players were converted storytellers from the Biwa School in the Osaka and Kyoto area . They initially used the instrument to support narratives. They sang danmono , ballads of various kinds, lyrical and erotic kudokai , and the melodramatic naniwa-bushi . A distinction is made when playing the shamisen narrative ( katarimono ) and song-like or lyrical ( utaimono ) music.
History of the Katarimono
There are records of folk songs in which the shamisen appears as an accompanying instrument, but the most important and most frequently used role in the history of the instrument has been the role of the narrative form, also known as joruri .
The word jōruri is derived from the title of a story called Jōruri-hime Monogatari , which translates as "The story of Princess Lapis Lazuli". It is a legend in which a 12th century military leader, General Ushiwakamaru, falls in love with the lady-in-waiting Jōruri. However, the actual story of the lovers did not emerge until the 16th century. There are many versions of this love drama, which were accompanied musically, mostly by the biwa . These versions were extremely popular in Japan. Later a whole new version of the saga was created, which was played with the help of the shamisen . This new composition called "Jōruri-hime monogatari" became so popular that other pieces of a similar nature were created. Jōruri music began to spread more and more. The term Jōruri includes several different types of musical narrative form of the shamisen . This type of music is generally also called katarimono , although katarimono was only introduced later by scholars to distinguish narrative music from sung music ( utaimono ). Jōruri, on the other hand, simply represents the historical term.
Naniwa-bushi
One of the earliest forms of musical narrative style is the naniwa-bushi , which is considered the main narrative form for love epics. The music is quite impulsive and a shamisen with a relatively thick neck and a blunt pick is used. Suddenly a sharp tone is produced, which is interspersed with very bright sounding passages on the upper string. Together with the very simple singing voice, an extremely rough sound is created. In this form of music, it is common for the player to suddenly cry out to express certain emotions. These screams pervade all of the music in Naniwa-bushi.
Kato-bushi, Bungo-bushi and Shinnai-bushi
The number of musical forms within the katarimono are enormous. The styles are named after the founders, for example, kato-bushi was founded by Kato Masumi (1684–1725) and bungo-bushi by Bungo Miyakoji († 1740).
Kato-bushi enjoyed great popularity in the 18th century and is based on domestic tragedies . The result is Kato-bushi in Kyôto , the style was not completed until in Edo . The mood of this music is also very typical of the Edo of that time. Bungo-bushi, however, enjoyed a completely different kind of attention. The depiction of such vividly pictorial love stories, which ended with the pair of lovers committing a double suicide, meant that the number of real double suicides also followed as proof of love. In order to prevent further such cases, the performances of these pieces of music had been banned. The pieces of Shinnai-bushi by Shinnai Tsuruga (1714–1774) have also been banned . The uplifting music led to the fact that in the then entertainment district of Edo, in Yoshiwara , numerous employees fell in love with ordinary citizens and ran away together. The owners of the various houses lost income and respect as a result. Due to the large number of different forms, a kind of competition arose that went deep into politics.
Gidayu-bushi
The shamis play was also used as an accompaniment for the Japanese puppet theater Bunraku . The style of music still in use today was founded by Takemoto Gidayū (1651–1714) in Osaka . Together with the famous playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon , Gidayū created one of the most famous traditions in Japanese theater.
After a shamisen prelude, the singer lets the puppets wake up with a low hum. The shamis player then comments on the game. As the climax approaches, the shamisen music interrupts the singer more and more, while his voice alternates between a melodic chant and the speaking voice again. What follows is an indescribable mixture of singing and speaking. At the same time, the singer's movements become the same as the doll's movements. He tries to put all of his own emotions into the doll with just his voice. The music increases to an enormous volume and height. Gidayū-bushi is considered by many to be the most difficult Japanese form of music, because the singer needs a lot of stamina for the voice and has to act and play with the shamisen music at exactly the same time. The Shamis playing bears the main responsibility for the Gidayū-bushi pieces. The shamis player coordinates the processes by giving musical signs for operations. In other words, it holds everything together.
The form of the shamisen in Gidayū-bushi is different from other pieces or musical styles. The skin is thicker and the overall construction of the instrument is heavier. The pick is very narrow and blunt. The overall sound is deeper and harder, which goes well with the emotional expression of the drama.
History of the Utaimono
Playing folk songs with the shamisen is practically the beginning of the utaimono ( 歌 物 ), also called utamono . This term encompasses the entire lyrical music of the shamisen . The oldest songs come from the Ryūkyū Islands and were called Ryūkyū kumiuta . A little later, jiuta ( 地 唄 'local songs' ), pieces performed by blind musicians in the Kyoto-Osaka area, became popular.
Kouta
From the jiuta the developed kouta ( 小唄 ), translated "little song". These pieces were originally short folk tunes sung without any instrumental accompaniment. Kouta are not that complex and therefore easier to play. The lyrics are very wistful and romantic. The sentimentality of the words and the intimacy of the kouta pieces are ideal for the geisha entertainment arts . It was part of a geisha's repertoire to be able to perform such songs. That is why Kouta can also be called children's and geisha songs. The structure of the shamisen is very delicate. The thin neck and skin make the sound of the instrument relatively bright. These songs became popular at the beginning of the 18th century when they became part of the kabuki theater . Here the songs became longer and longer in order to adapt them to the Kabuki. This is how the “long song”, the so-called nagauta, came about . In the 19th century, another type of "short song" was created, the Hauta . This term is used nowadays for all “short songs” with shamisen accompaniment. There is no general difference between kouta and hauta . Some claim that hauta often tell a story and kouta doesn't.
Nagauta
After the kouta in Kabuki became longer and longer, it was also given the name “long song”, nagauta ( 長 唄 ). If Gidayū-bushi is the best known form of musical narrative style, it is Nagauta, the best known of the lyric style. Nagauta originated in Tokyo , unlike Gidayū-bushi, which started in Osaka . Nagauta are mostly used in the dance scenes of Kabuki and thus form the heart of Kabuki music.
The shamisen is based on the play and singing the most important element of kabuki. It belongs here to create an ensemble of Noh tools be hayashi called (flute and three drums). Behind the actual theater stage, up to 30 shamis players sit on an additional raised stage. This creates a particularly spectacular visual effect. Kineya Kisaburō (early 18th century) was the first to combine the early forms of Kabuki music with the old styles of Nagauta . Apart from the dance accompaniment, the shamisen is also used for reciting and for the melodic background music of the entire piece. The success of the “new” ( Edo ) Nagauta and the musicians from the Kineya clan spread through all of Tokyo's theaters. To this day, the shamisen masters in the upscale theaters come from the Kineya school. Nagauta is one of the most popular styles in shamisen music to this day.
literature
- Silvain Guignard: Shamisen. In: MGG Online , November 2016
- Eta Harich-Schneider: A History of Japanese Music. Oxford University Press, London 1973.
- Shigeo Kishibe: The Traditional Music of Japan. Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai, Tokyo 1966.
- William P. Malm: Japanese Music and Musical Instruments. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland, Vermont / Tokyo, Japan 1959.
- Hisao Taneba: Japanese Music. Kokusai Bunka Shinkôkai, Tokyo 1938.
Web links
- Shamisen Berlin eV
- Shamisen Description ( Memento of February 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- Shamisen, the Japanese lute. ( Memento from April 1, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
- Linda Kako Caplan: The Shamisen. (English)