Kondo Festival

The Grasp and Composition of Music by Kohei Kondo

Translation by Satoe Ogawa

 

• I think of each part as an individual character with separate personalities.

So to speak, think of it as making them have a behavioral pattern for each part. There could be characters that are like living animals, while there could be characters that act as inorganic matter as well.

• Build/create the situation.

Create a musical situation that takes in the relationships of the characters, how they coexist, and how they influence one another.

 

Each character moves with its own behavioral pattern.

• 　 If the listener feels that, they can receive it as a necessary movement of sound, and feel the character in the music.

⇒Even the performer will understand their own parts behavioral pattern, and perform lively with that character.

⇒When I say each part, it does not mean that it is limited to one performer. There could be a situation where multiple performers in a group become one character.

 

The setting of the situation creates the world for that music piece.

When a piece with a different behavior meets under a certain behavioral pattern, that relationship brings forth a situation in that music. The most crucial portion of what the composer has to think about is the planning of what kind of situation to bring forth.

There could be a possible situation where the characters meet and beautifully resonate with one another. There could be a situation where tension and conflict rise, each affecting one another. There could be a situation where they could be moving toward the same direction, peacefully bringing harmony. Even though the character might be a familiar normal character, depending on the combination, it could bring forth an unfamiliar sound.

 

Make the audience feel the behavior of the character in a situation. If music is produced from the result of each character behaving naturally, we need to use a substantially unfamiliar material. Even if a considerably new sound is born, I think that the audience will receive it as a natural comprehensible music.

 

On television, theatres, and in literature, even if a considerably crazy character, an unidentifiable character, or a villain comes out, if the situation is entertaining, many people will be open to it.

However, in music it is not about setting a character that is interesting to the audience with that original sound. It is more about what kind of sound will be received as a musically beautiful piece.

What kind of harmonic progression will be accepted? Will atonality be accepted? Do they hate or like a change in rhythm? Is microtonal music considered musical? Is it definite or indefinite? How far can we take the special techniques?

Should we be receptive of or not of these kinds of musically individual figures? While the problem of understanding musical composition is kept intermingled, you can still see debates regarding how the audience receives present music.

You have to create an attention-grabbing situation with a distinct character. By pulling them into that necessary situation, I think that the audience will unexpectedly receive the new sound as natural music.

The Character and their Behavioral Pattern

 

Think of how you can acquire a setting for each character and its behavioral pattern.

 

Humans, animals, or sometimes even inorganic matter in nature, each one has its own character. What kind of things occur for us to feel that something has a character?

 

As a person who creates a character, I think that the phrase “Strike zone” that my composer friend Nomura Makoto san uses is very easy to understand.

When you feel someone’s character, along with their clothes, physique, and looks, you look at their posture, how they behave, how they act in front of different people, and what kind of actions they take in various situations or places. By looking at the behavioral pattern in each situation, you feel that person’s character.

 

If there were a certain character, you would think that this person would say that in this situation or that in a different situation. If they were in a hurry, they would walk like this, or if you say that kind of thing, they would get mad. If this sort of thing happened they would be happy, and they would smile with that kind of expression. If we talk about this kind of topic they would liven up, they drink sake in this particular way, or they would order this kind of food. I think that it means to a certain degree, you can predict what kind of action that person will take.

 

If there is a situation where you cannot anticipate how they will act, it just becomes weird and the character becomes mysterious.

In other words, the creation of the behavior pattern in each situation in that assumed area ends up creating that persons character. It is easier to understand if you call the action in that assumed area in each circumstance, that characters “strike zone”.

 

The Strike Zone of the “Character” and “Behavioral Pattern”

 

Along with the distinctive appearance for animals, there is a range of sounds and movements that they make depending on each species. Through that range, each animal has its own “strike zone” for their actions. Furthermore, for separate species, there is a slight difference in the sound and movements that it makes. There is no way for a zebra to climb a tree, or a cat to bark like a dog. 

Even the inorganic matter in nature have a character with a “strike zone”. For example, even the clouds in the sky, a cumulonimbus, would rise up creating thunder and heavy rain, but the round cloud that floats on a sunny day does not create rain or thunder, so you can differentiate what type of cloud it is. However, two of the same clouds do not exist.

Even in music, for each part to become a clear character, it needs a strike zone that sets what kind of action it will take in a certain situation and what kind of method it would take for alterations.

 

The composer thus has to think about what kind of behavior the character will have and what kind of situations to put each character in.

 

The “strike zone” that each part has changes due to each situation. If each characters “strike zone” changes, it is possible for that characters behavior to changes as well, which leads to the growth and development of the character.

 

For each individual part, that character broadens, limits, and changes while functioning as a suitable “strike zone”.

 

The Element of Shaping a Character and the Strike Zone

Organize the idea of creating a character:

 

To comprise a pitch

Tone

A distinct rhythm

The mode

The center of the sound, The main sound

A distinctive harmony progression

A distinctive

The feeling of the beat

The feeling of a set rhythm

Way of singing

The recitation, harmony, and timing of an error like rhythm

The response toward the other

The tempo, feeling of speed

The developmental/growth speed

Periodicity

The variation in dynamics

Attack and attenuation/decrement/reduction

The presence of reverberation (prolongation of a sound/resonance)

A specific culture, national characteristic, the symbol that establishes a community

Jazz A peculiar form of music, Jazz, various folk music styles, and so on

The style of musical performance

Generation pattern

The distinctive features of a melody

The order of distinctive tone changes

Series(?) or Theories

 

These various elements are not analyzed in pieces. From the combination of these elements, that characters behavior and action are created.

 

The behavior that creates that characters personality depends on each situation. They will have an assumed strike zone, but through changing that strike zone the characters personality will alter and develop. The characteristic can also be influenced through the situation, responding to other characters influence and changing.

The Diverse Formation and Analysis of a Character

A bit of a digression and the subject of modern music in the 20th century.

 

The tonality of music in the 19th century, for example the melody, harmonic progression, cycle of rhythm, and so on were created through the combination of a character that had the range and behavior of a 19th century music form strike zone.

 

That strike zone was gradually known in music history, however, there was a strike zone with a similar range that each characters actions belonged to. That is, the harmonic progression of a distinctive tonality, the center of sound and system of a musical scale called the major tone and minor key. Also, the feeling of rhythm through the triple measure, fourth measure, and so on. Furthermore, the distinguished phase changes in pitch that are grouped and have a fixed characteristic like the characteristic of a melody, and the performance with an instrument that is considered excellent in classical music are all within that strike zone.

 

In the beginning of the 20th centuries classical music composition world, even if they were to try and create a character with a new personality from the tonality and rhythm within the strike zone up until that time they would end up creating a piece similar to a past classical music composition. This was because they composed directly according to the composer’s rhythm, musical senses, cultural background, and sense of beauty, which raised frustration among many.

 

From there, some action was taken to broaden the strike zone, and there were composers that expanded the tonality and rhythm. Furthermore, to compose a musical piece that would not be similar to past works; they even went as far as to remove the 19th century strike zone portion and tried to avoid it consciously.

 

Through viewing the 20th century mainstream modern music in Europe from a distance, you can hear it as a music form that has a fixed strike zone. When you are within the modern music community it is hard to realize, however the mainstream modern music, for example like from Europe, you can sense that it has a music form that shares a certain “strike zone to keep that sound modern”.  

 

There was a time of avant-garde (advancement), where they analyzed the parameters of music and thoroughly conducted serial music and acoustic design to free the limitations on the sound of a character with a past tonality strike zone. Despite that, in most modern music, when looked at from outside of the world of modern music, it feels as if it has a strike zone that presents itself as “modern music”. Oftentimes, to the audience, I have been told that all of them sound the same.

 

Why does this kind of thing occur?

I think that it is the same as the shape of the hole in a donut being similar to other donuts with holes. There are various types of donuts. Regardless of the shape, color, and texture that have been created, when you look at a snack that is made out of flour with a hole in the middle, all of it seems like a donut. Most modern music is similar to this hole in the middle.

Many composers that are involved with modern music are usually people that have taken orthodox instruction in classical music. In other words, people that were in a well brought up family. They would learn piano ever since they were young, playing a sonatina or a sonata. They would study Bach, growing up actively playing and listening to romantic music. They would also remember and learn to the extent that they can automatically create a harmony from the textbook on tonality at their school.

Now, we proceed to composition, but from my studies on key music styles in classical music, I would never apply to a composition contest on modern music.

For a new product of modern music to be formed, I needed to avoid the classical style from the past generation that I grew up in.

The composers that have a background with similar education on classical music end up creating a portion of a hole that exceedingly becomes similar because they remove their own strike zone to avoid overlapping with previous music styles.

The reason that the composers whom have studied classical music entirely and have had education appear to have many similar modern music donuts is because they all challenge to avoid the same portion. That is why I think that everyone ends up having a similar donut hole.

In the modern music’s strike zone, everyone successfully has a similar shaped donut hole, called the “classical music’s tonality”.  

That is why if you do not want to participate in creating the same type of donut, it is important that you do not avoid the same target as they do. The people that have the same taboo tend to avoid it in a similar manner. 

Ultimately, the avoidance of a certain old style as taboo will lead to the adherence of that old style in the creation of music.

Therefore, I want to proceed thinking of and composing original contexts, situations, and characters.

Okay, so just a while ago, I spoke about the analysis of parameter in music, and the topic of serial music came about. Therefore, I would like to think about the analysis of elements in music, and the relationship of the character formation.

 

From analyzing the series, to the sound unit that works as a character with a personality.

The music theory in the 20th century is something that is composed once again after it analyzes the sounds of pitch, tone, and the dynamics of a parameter.

I think that this theory is beneficial as a thought process that discovers new combinations. 

For a person that has a solid listening habit on key music; it was felt necessary that they avoid combinations of things that may have existed in past key music. They ended up not grouping sounds like harmony, melody, and so on as well. By doing so, they thought that they were able to listen to it without connecting to the music that they listen to all the time.  

Now, we make various compositions using language. Through that, we communicate various events that occur in this world, our feelings, and our culture.

Language is not just letters or sounds. The numerous meanings are formed through grouping the characters and adding meaning to that word; by combining the phrase with one connection to one meaning and creating a set phrase.

There are not that many music keys or letters in the alphabet.

Even in Japanese, there are generally only 50 letters in hiragana.

In spite of that, when these things are grouped, the meaning and nuance changes, creating a character that recalls an image. Moreover, by combining various situations, the infinite amount of diverse meanings can be communicated.

By combining the letters in the alphabet and making them into groups, a character called the enormous word will be formed. Furthermore, from those combinations, a fresh speech can be formed. It has been used for ages, where it finally became universal and common in speech.

The sound, even the piano key only has 88 tones. In a temperament, there are only 12 types of pitch in one octave. Unless a person has a sense of absolute pitch, they will not be able to figure out the distinction between sounds because there will be other sounds around it. That is why they closely analyze the music and the notes on a parameter. From there, the development of the types of events that occur lessens.

Because the elements that group up and create a unit come forth to become a character, from that the unlimited characters and various events can be developed. Depending on this and the numbers of possible combinations, infinite numbers of sounds can be made.

Each piece of music groups up to make you feel as if it did not create a melody or a rhythm pattern. It is a music style that is sketched and made to be heard separately. After using up every parameter, in the end, the types of events that appear will gradually decrease. And, if you go through all the types of parameters, there will only be the concept of diversity that is left.

On top of that, if it is only just once, you can hear the difference in the order of creation for the parameters. However, from that the music piece will become longer. If the frequency of the events increase, the entire result will start to become average. Even the frequency of the specific parameters through possibility can become something that is guessable.

Based on those results, many composers from the end of the 20th century to the 21st century, just like Lutoslawski, would assign a strike zone to a certain group with an orchestra. From that, they would be able to create a form where each portion of the strike zone connects, that has a clear/defined character. Similar to Lachenmann, by using special techniques on a certain instrument, that instruments personality becomes anew and they give a new character to the instrument itself.

The individuality of each character is born through the elements and behavior that form it. For that, there could have been a situation where something that is new was constructed and inspired from various parameters. It was not just a mere assembly of parameters. It is filled with symbolism and a nuance that cannot be written down on sheet music. It could also be a situation where a new specific culture is embodied in that vocabulary.

For example, for choro, reggae, or waltz, there could be a character that clearly indicates a certain culture. If the characters that have various cultural backgrounds exist inside music, depending on the situation that character is put into, it means you will make the entire music piece carry various meanings to it. Like Ives, Verrio, and Zimmerman, you can create a new composition where an existing piece of music acts as the main character inside a situation.  

You have to create characters that have a method of growing and developing changes individually, and that carry different nuances and cultures. Through planning the situation that each character meets, in each situation those characters will be changing the strike zone of behavior, which changes the characters itself at the same time.

As this character, it is important to construct your own original character that reflects upon your cultural position, sense of beauty, and values. It is precisely that composer’s voice and behavior.

That is the unique voice, which only that composer has.

While those characters speak for the numerous voices that the composer has, by resonating and clashing into one another in the original situation that the composer has created, while harmonizing, it will be crafting a musical piece.

The character that only the composer can create.

It is crucial as a composer with an original voice to create something that no other composer can. A musical piece that only you can create, with the characteristics of the components, sounds strike zone, and the behaviors development/growth.

Numerous composers in this world have the skills to create a top selling musical piece. They can proficiently prepare new music that combines existing characters from borrowed musical pieces by reconstructing and recombining the past popular musical piece situation, which leads them to not go against the copyright law.

However, I think that a composer that can design their own individual character, and put those characters into a situation that no other composer has ever created, is a composer that has individuality that no one else can replace.

What is the correct progression for natural sound in music?

 

It is said that the inside of a musical piece consists of correct harmonic progression and a correct form.

Unlike me who learned through self-education, for someone who wants to properly learn classical music at school, maybe even popular music, jazz, or an orthodox style, when receiving education goes through a somewhat boring learning process.

When looking at a harmony mechanism textbook, depending on the function of each chord, a name is placed to it. At first, however it feels as if you look through the book to find the name and then choose the chords to match the names. Furthermore, in the book it states that this chord progresses to this chord, or the sound in this scale will progress to this sound. It also says that it is prohibited for sounds to be five frequencies/degrees parallel to one another. It even says how the sounds should move in relation to one another for each vocal part. This book is somehow a mixed blessing of kindness.

What kind of music progression is correct and natural? What kind of progression is not a pleasant sound? Before you make a mistake yourself, the predecessors have already gone ahead with the experience, so they will tell you, if you do that, you will make a mistake, or if you do that, you will succeed.

It is like when you go mountain climbing, before you think of climbing from that ridge, or how you can go to a certain place from this valley, the guide teaches you which road to take to easily get to the top of the mountain.

Well, setting that aside, what does it mean to be “correct” in music?

Inside of a certain musical styles piece, I think that it is set that this type of action is the strike zones range.

In a situation like this with a certain specific music style and custom, this kind of connection between the chords is stated as an experience of the sounds movements, which is the strike zone. Depending on the setting in the book, this kind of music style is told as an expression that is misunderstood as a universal rule that does not touch upon the requirement of how this type of strike zone sound would estimate a certain range.

I think that there is a “correct solution” in a system of a specific music piece and style, through the appropriate harmonic progression and a natural sound. In the system of that musical piece, there are various strike zones in different situations.

Classical music in Europe has a custom for chord connection that is called a tonality, and a role that is placed depending on the combination of chords, which is called a function of harmony.

The listeners of this piece with this music style will accept the chords combinations and the sounds movements as the strike zone. That is why when you begin listening to classical or romantic music and there is a mistake in the performance you think, “Oh, did I make a mistake?”

Even if it is not a popular music piece by Mozart, for example, let’s think of a minor piece that a classic composer like Johann Baptist Vanhal or Leopold Kozeluch created. It is obvious when a performer makes a mistake during a performance.

In tonality, the custom of the chords connection portrays how “after this tone, next is probably this type of tone and one of these tones will continue on”. To the audience this is accepted as the conditioning that was established in this long history.

As the “correct law of harmony” and the “correct combination of tones”, they need to be formed as a strike zone that should be protected. This type of rate of progress is accepted as natural. In reality, when you listen to it, you can hear it in that manner.

By changing the C(so), E(ti), and G(re) tones with different C tones (do, mi, and so) and progressing, the correct tonality in the end form is not necessarily something that is absolutely universal in means of naturalness. 

For the longest time, I have listened to C(so), E(ti), and G(re) tones change to C tones (do, mi, and so), which indicated that the piece was about to end. Because of this music habit of listening to music in this manner, I feel as if it is the end form.

For example, in folk music and percussion instrument music, if there are repeated drum sounds, the strike of the tambourine, and the tom-tom rumbles; by listening to intervals of a piece, when the drum starts beating near the end, the sound of the tom-tom will act as the end tone, and to the audience that functions as the conclusive sound.

If you make works of a piano collection that always has a high pitched sound of a cluster bell after the tones of C (do, mi, so), after a couple of pieces, the audience will be conditioned into knowing that when the cluster bell resounds, that indicates the end of the musical piece. The cluster will then become the indicator as an end tone. The C/do mi so tones before that is like the dominant chords that prepare the end of the musical piece, which conditions the audience to listen to it in that manner. In the system of this collection of musical pieces, the different C’s, do mi and so always leads to the cluster bells high pitched sound. That strike zone is set in this collection of music.

This is the example of the new situation and strike zone that is set in each musical piece that the audience should naturally feel. If the last piece in this collection were to end with the C’s (do, mi, so), it will leave an unpleasant and unresolved feeling for the audience.  

I think that it is natural to want to rebel against and distance yourself from the restraint of past strike zones if you think of wanting to create new music. That is what creating a new “style” means. 

In music that was created through a system with tonality, if there is a sound used to deviate from the habits up to now, the audience may receive that deviated sound from the strike zone to be a wrong and unnatural sound. It is possible that it can also be received as an exciting and impulsive sound that omits the strike zone. Music of tonality pursues a stimulus, which has slowly expanded the strike zone.

Leaving the composer and the audiences listening habits in the system of old “music tonality”, through making them listen to a sound that is off from the old strike zone, “present music” is oftentimes uneasy and rough for the audience. It has been received as music with a strike zone that is not orderly.

To make music that is new and feels natural to the composers themselves and to the audience, there has to be that natural feeling inside your own musical creation, and you have to create a strike zone and a system. It is necessary to take the audience to your own special systematic and musical world right away.

In that musical piece, you have to successfully condition the audience’s ear, and guide them to listen the way you want them to listen.

That order and naturalness is what was created from the content/detail of that musical piece. Through the composers situation that they designed and the behavior of each part, they produce a natural necessity in that music.

It will not be music that is natural, unless the composer feels that their own system of music is “natural to themselves” from their heart.

In various situations, depending on the individual flexible behaviors of different characters, the music that will alter the strike zone will be very abundant and easy to understand. 

The composer themselves are also a human being with diverse characteristics and imagination. Subject to each situation, their actions will change. The composer creates diverse characters, and gives behaviors that match each personality. After setting the situation, the characters will influence, react, resonate, intervene, collide, and combine with one another. That relationship will further create an abundant musical space. You cannot create a polyphony through the counterpoint of using the same form of elements and overlapping them. Each character will behave in their own individual way, which leads to developing changing situations in a polyphony. This is the composition of a “character” and a “situation”. 

The Technique of Composition

I think that the quote, “Expanding and narrowing the strike zone” is a simple expression that an interesting composer from Japan named Makoto Nomura uses. 

He did not use it because Arizona is famous for baseball. He has been saying this for a long time. Please do not mistake it as a term from baseball.

So, what does it mean to expand and narrow a strike zone? It is a certain individual musical characters strike zone, or maybe it is the strike zones situation as a whole.

Controlling the Strike Zone

The strike zone mentioned here are the range of behaviors that the audience assumes that the character will take into action.

It is the estimated range of actions that displays the characters personality in each situation.

For example, let’s say that a random wind instruments part in Dorian by Bach, was a dance rhythm of three measures with quarter notes and eighth notes, and the dynamics are a very soft melody.

Your ears will predict that it will behave in this range of the strike zone. This is what brings forth the behaviors of the characters in this part. On the other hand, in regards to that, if the timpani were to sometimes come in during the sound of D (re) and F (ra), as a character in this part the strike zone will be built through the pitch of the D (re) and F (ra) and the tone of the timpani.

Against that, if a group of stringed instruments were to play a chord that was a fourth degree composition and sounded like a drone, it would mean that the sound of the strike zone in that group of stringed instruments would keep playing in a high pitched harmonic, or a continuant of the fourth degree chord.

There could also be an entire situation that has these elements coexist with one another in the strike zone. The strike zone of this entire situation would be the combination of each characters strike zone and the relation of how the sound is developed through these characters resounding together in a situation. It is the union of rhythm and the sounds that are made from the combination of these relationships between the ensembles.

In music, the strike zone expands and narrows, changing throughout. It is possible for the strike zone to alter through each individual character. There is also a chance that a character with another strike zone could join as well.

For the listener, an unchanging strike zone will eventually lead them to not feel any emotion. There will be no peacefulness or excitement. 

The moment that the strike zone expands, the music will surprise and give new excitement to the listener, and the relationships of each character and situation will change.

In the case of music with tonality, through modulation, there was a proficient system was able to shift the strike zone. From that, the sounds that used to come up in the strike zones would no longer appear. When a new sound appears as a sound from a strike zone, it skillfully shifts the sounds of the strike zone for the audience.

The moment when the polyphony is successfully made, like in a fugue when the voice part comes in, by the appearance of a new character, the strike zone expands and it brings forth a change in situation that is fresh.

In a situation that has a strike zone that is really limited, the new musical elements that did not appear up until then promptly takes part in it, and the music’s strike zone instantly changes. While amazing the audience, it is possible to take them to a realm where a new strike zone was set rapidly.

Through slowly changing the strike zone, you can make the audience feel calm and relaxed, and shifting to make them not get bored of listening to your music. In addition, you could slowly expand the strike zones or immediately expand it to shock the listeners.  

In the limited instrumentation and range of sounds that you can use, if you want to prepare moments where the strike zone changes to the audience, you have to begin with a strike zone that is very limited with what elements you can use, and provide events where the strike zone expands numerously .

You have to bring the sound of the first part that was in the strike zone. During that process, you have to leave behind the parts that you will not use, and bring the sounds outside of the audience’s strike zone temporarily. Lastly, you can make them appear once again, bringing them back into the strike zone with a fresh reappearance. Prokofiev’s symphony is a good example of how this is so. In the fifth symphony, at the end it shortly assembles a string music solo and then goes back to a tutti, or when all instruments start playing again. Such an effective contrast is made in Prokofiev’s symphony.

The symphony and sonata are skillfully made with the effective method of not using all components, and the alterations in each individual parts strike zones are very original. As a whole, it provides the arrangement of harmony and the sense of comfort in strike zones changes. Through this it is understood that it is a well-made system.

To create a shocking and expanding situation suddenly, for example, in the beginning, with a few number of sounds that are picked in a repetitive rhythm and a two key repeat in a single tone, you have to make the strike zone extremely narrow. Then you suddenly make different instruments, various rhythms, diverse pitches, and chords to appear, which immediately expands the strike zone. 

On the other hand, you could use diverse original elements to make a situation. However, you have to make sure that the audience does not reject that sound in an original and unfamiliar strike zone.

For example, in the beginning of the piece, you could vastly expand the strike zone of the listener by including difficult micropolyphony’s, a polyrhythm that has all kinds of instruments taken in, a crowded cluster, a fortissimo (which means making it very loud), and the distribution of a wide range of sounds. From there, if you make a system that makes the individual characters behavior become apparent and the strike zone to narrow down, that will be the first attempt to amaze the audience. After that, the audience will not be too shocked, even if it is a new sound, and receive it as a normal sound inside the strike zone. Through this, you can make the impression that it is clear and calm, rather than just a simple closed up character. 

The reason why the simple melody in the last pentatonic in my work “The Snow by the Sea Shore” can be heard unusually peacefully is because of this method. 

After loud and aggressive music, Prokofiev gives the impression of a calm and beautiful melody and harmony. This is also because of the method.

In the opening of Martinu’s fourth symphony, there is a way that he expands the listener’s strike zone instantly. After that expansion, he gives the impression of music that is clear and simple.

After the second movement of Ives fourth symphony, when the third movements hymn is introduced, it gives off the same effect.

With limited instrumentation and range of sounds that you can use, in order to make the audience experience the moment that the strike zone changes, you have to begin with a narrow strike zone. Thoroughly making the audience be aware of the expanding process of the strike zone’s dynamics and orchestration. Ravel’s “Bolero” is a piece that thoroughly and typically uses this method.

There is music that exists where they have already decided each parts strike zone, having an understanding of it, and from their improvising in each individual strike zone.

In jazz it is typical for the performer to pick out the chord progression in advance, not following the sheet music exactly, using each improvised element to its full extent, and precisely maintaining the chord progression of a music piece.

There is also music that indicates only the strike zone of each part for each performer and the situation that is set, entrusting several performers to improvise. My piece that I created with two percussion instrument players is that type of work. We will be performing it in this festival, and it is called the “Sign of the Beast” for percussion player’s op.123. Most of the instructions for the flow of the performance is written and the segments of 12 rhythms are prepared. 

In this type of music, the setting and situation of the strike zone as a result, holds unlimited possibilities in a certain strike zones range. At the same time, depending on the situation and setting of the strike zone, the music itself becomes a musical piece’s world that the composer designed clearly.   

For example, in a certain work by John Cage, although it gives uncertain instructions, as music, Cage’s sound and individuality as a composer can he heard. The reason why Cage’s music gives a beautiful and yet uniquely individual impression is because in the situations that he instructs, it is clear that his personality is molded into it. I believe that as a result, the sound it makes as music and the audiences conditioning of hearing it actually lets him control the way he wants the audience to feel. 

By pulling the audience in and making an inevitable situation, the audience will clearly be conscious of the individual’s characters; understand the characteristic of it as music, while making it so that they can receive that character’s actions as natural. I believe that through this you can construct a new, yet natural, and comprehensible music.

 

The Review of the Idea on Diverse Characters Coexisting called Polytonality 

During the late 20th century of Europe and Japan, it was taboo to compare past music to the diatonic scale like tonality, or the elements, like the mode of clear melodies and catchy rhythm, especially in Europe. For those behaviors to not appear, they analyzed music, so that those musical characters could be avoided. The process of reconstruction became mainstream.

During that time, the polytonality that Darius Milhaud and Gustav Holst used in the 20th century of the present age music world, for the most part stopped being big news. Later on, Milhaud does not radically develop the polytonality. In the late years of his life, he goes through a moderate style. Most likely after Pierre Boulez, he became a composer with a composition technique that no one made news about.

However, let’s say that you come up with an idea of distinct and various characters that coexist in an abundant situation. I think that the concept of polytonality is very important and gives abundant suggestions.

The situations that have melodies with personalities that have various tonalities produce new mutual relationships, and it gives an abundant idea of a new counterpoint for characters to coexist.  

We in the 21st century surely know the tonality in melody, an entirely new sound, and a concrete sound. We also know how to use countless melodies and systematization of pitch in a new composition scale. It is possible for characters with various folk music, or characteristics of the world’s traditional music to exist. A method of multiplying, or maybe a certain voice parts tonality in melody. A specific character, for example, a Gamelan like structure, or a certain voice part where there is no melody in the sound. Furthermore, it is possible for the elements of each individual vocal part to vary in the rhythms cycle and development. This is the way of thinking that many Asian composers have, a composer not from Europe like me.      

My local musical elements, chants to Japanese folk songs that are inherited, digital art, comics, or the images that developed in modern Japan’s popular music culture, and the various adventures of modern music in the globalization of people in this world that migrate and communicate. The exchange where people cross boundaries and get in touch with a distant lands music culture, receiving influence from it. Even for this festival, I listened to the performances of musicians in Arizona. Most likely, the characters that reflect upon these experiences will appear in my music, since I will be conscious of America and Arizona’s music culture. It does not mean that this kind of hybrid existence, one human being, is in a single culture, with a single listening habit, or a single music culture. Through the experiences in this modern society, each person lives in numerous music cultures. For the freedom of making music that indicates the place that you are at in a world where society shifts around, I believe that Milhaud’s idea of polytonality gives an immense meaning. 

It is unfortunate that Milhaud’s “The Man and his Desire” are not that well known. 

 

The Decomposition, and the meaning of music that are unable to be analyzed.

Furthermore, I thought that what Ives said during the same period as Milhaud was alive, was more direct. The behavior of a character in music is not simply just a parameter that features composers who works on the piece by themselves. A certain sounds behavior and the type of rhythm and sound cannot be analyzed. It hints a certain culture or meaning. For example, it is not meaningful to analyze the phonetic value or tone in a parameter of basanova or samba. They exist as a whole. When Ives quotes Lowell Mason’s hymn, From Greenland’s Icy Mountains, it holds the meaning that it cannot simply be explained just by analyzing.  

When listening to the quote that Ives uses from the hymn, I start to remember my middle school’s worship service. I remember singing that hymn at the service in the church around my neighborhood. Originally, in the past, American missionaries came to where I lived and created that school. The students that learned at the school became pastors of the neighborhood church, so the American anthem became music that I became familiar with when I was little. When I heard Ives work, I soon realized that the environment that he and I were raised in were quite similar.

For Ives and I, this is a character that holds meaning that this is the anthem that we sang when we were kids. It is a matter that will not be understood even if the major key or the harmony progression was analyzed.

Such is the existence of these characters that carry a clear meaning that connects to that person’s experiences, culture, and sense.

 

The Relation of an Interlude

In Japanese folk songs, there is an important element called the “Interlude”.

This interlude is not the same as a melody that can be created through the response of the certain melody that came out in western music’s general rhythm and structure of measures. It is also not the same as the Call and Response of African Music.  

When a vocalist sings, at the end, there are times when people call out or clap, which seems like it indicates the response to that vocalist’s style of singing.

I think that is it fitting to say that this term is called interruption.

In a certain timing the “interlude or the interruption” barges in, and that vocalist will keep singing.

The people that interlude for the singer are called partners.

The vocalists way of singing, depending on the atmosphere that is born in that situation, they would interlude during a certain timing. This timing is called an “interval”. This “interval” is very different from the set rhythm or the rhythms cycle. Moreover, there is no correct answer to decide what to do in a certain situation. When someone is giving a speech, it is similar to “jeering” at a certain timing. 

There is a word called “hayashi” in Japanese, when translated becomes musical accompaniment, which does not make any sense. Rather than making a background with rhythm and harmony, there is no counter melody in regards to the melody of a song and whistle, so this is also something that should be said as “inserted into” or “to cheer”. After all, if there is a person that gives a speech, it is closer in relation to someone who is jeering and making a fuss.

The relation of the musical accompaniment of a song is related to “vocal applause”. It is after all, the singer’s way of singing in that situation and responding to it. The length of the musical accompaniment in regards to the song is not precisely chosen. 

In Japans traditional music, this “interlude” and “musical accompaniment” are very crucial. This interlude and music accompaniments interruption does not form a rhythmic cycle like western music. The intervals of songs are supposed to be interjected and during that time, the interruption is inputted.

For my concerto for violin and percussion instruments, the length of the three performer’s percussion ensemble was decided from the mixture of the operations sequence. It is in the form of inserting interludes, while the violin plays.

 

The weight of one vote and each parts influence on the music as a whole

In Japan, “the weight of one vote” in the voting system has become a problem.

The electorate number of people in the voting precinct is unbalanced and has become a problem as well.

議員は国民の代表なのに、20万人の投票で当選できる選挙区と40万人の得票でも落選する選挙区があれば、有権者一人の投票の影響力が2倍違うということになる。

In a similar situation, generally the formation is big, so the more events there are, the influence of each sound and each person’s part to the entire thing becomes small.

For example, in a string quartet, even though, each part performs, as an entire thing, the pitch range does not change greatly. It frequently becomes calm music that does not have much variation.

If it is a duet, the audience will listen to each person’s sound, and the range of the entire music changes severely.

例えば、無伴奏のチェロだったら、高音からいきなり、開放弦の低音へ下りたり音域分布も極端に変化して、一人演奏者の動きが全体に対して多く影響する。

大編成のオーケストラで各パートがやたらめったらバラバラに頑張って動くと、結局、全体としてはブラウン運動のようになって停滞する。

 

これは、音が少ないほど、和音連結でいう共通音が少ない状態が作れるということであり、たくさんの色々な音が鳴っている状態の中では、音のストライクゾーンが広がりすぎて、何をやっても、ストライクゾーンを広げる新しい要素の参入が生まれず驚きがない状態となる。

 

フーガなどでも、最初の各声部の入りは新鮮なのに、その後、だらだらと各声部が忙しく鳴り続けている曲では、聴衆が眠くなっていることが多い。

これは、各声部の投票権の影響が小さい状態に陥るとともに、ストライクゾーンが広がって音楽が飽和してブラウン運動のようになってくるからだ。

 

大編成ほど、みんなが一緒に動く単純さや、あるパートを目立たせたりするなどしないと、全体として振幅の大きい劇的な変化は作れない。

「みんな　上だ！　左だ！　今度は下だ！！」とやらないと変化がつかない。

後期ロマン派の大編成で頑張っているのに退屈な曲がある一方、ベートーヴェンのほうが変化が激しい感じがするのは、このあたりのテクニックだと思う。

 

同時に鳴らすのではなくても、長い曲で、いろいろな音楽的事象を大量に起こしても、だんだん、何をしても驚かなくなる。

→ストライクゾーンが広がって、もう何が出てきても驚かない。

→ブーレーズのソナタが最初はかっこいいのに、意外と聞いているうちに眠くなるのは、この現象ではないかと疑っている。

 

たとえば、ピアノ曲で両手で、低音から高音まで全音域をくまなく鳴らしあらゆる不規則なリズムでパラメータを使いまくったりすると、最初は騒がしくて刺激的だがすぐ平板な感じになってしまうし、どんな音が鳴っても目立たない状態になる。いわばストライクゾーンが広りすぎて、何をやっても驚かないよという状態になる。

 

ところが、例えば、左手だけのピアノ曲で、高音域の部分から、低音へ急に」移動すると、ピアノの音域ごとの音色の違いも目立つし、ストライクゾーンが、大きく変化するので驚きの瞬間が多く生まれる。

→実作例　「海辺の雪」

 

左手のピアノでは、音楽全体として非常に大きな振幅で音域も音色も変化することになる。一つ一つの音の、音楽全体への影響も非常に大きくなり、聴衆の注意も集中する。

全体の響き、ハーモニーの変化も、いわば「共通音」の連続が少ない変化の激しい状態になる。

 

左手のピアノ音楽　照明が変わるという発想　音域を大きく動くということ、　

共通音が少なく、ストライクゾーンが大きく変わる構造

 

左手のためのピアノ曲では、このように、音域分布が大きく振幅し、共通音が少なく、ストライクゾーンが大きく変わる構造が生まれやすい。

旋律もピアノのはしからはしまでの極端に音域の広いものが作れる。両手のピアノ曲でも、そのようにできるのだが、とかく、左手は低音で伴奏して、右手は高音の範囲の中で忙しく動くということになりがちだ。

 

 

 

照明が変わるという発想

 

左手のピアノ曲では、何らかの音をパーンと鳴らして、その響きの中で、何がメロディなど歌わせたりすることが多い。これは、舞台照明が変わるような感覚だ。もちろん和音が変わったり転調したりということで、たいていの音楽は、照明が変わるようなシフトというものがあるわけだし、伴奏のハーモニーが変わって、このような照明の変化のような状態というものはあるわけだが、左手のピアノでは、とくに、この照明を投げかけるという動作と、その中で何かを演じるというシチュエーションが時間的に前後して独立して行われるので強く意識される。

　→実作「海辺の雪」　　

　　鳴らされた低音の５度和声が響いている中で、ペンタトニックの旋律が

鳴る場面。

 

拍節や小節のフレームの中での音価分割ではない、呼吸による音の持続

（あるいは「間合い」の作曲と記譜）

 

ビート、拍節の周期的枠組みとは異なる、呼吸による間合いという感覚が、日本の伝統音楽ではある。リズムは１６分音符とか３２分音符とか、１分間に何拍というカウントではない。

とりわけ、追分系の音楽では、明確な特徴。

　→実例　江差追分

 

これは、呼吸をもって節を歌い切り、息を出し切ったところで節が終わるという感覚だろうか。パルスでカウントするのではなく、息の長さで伸び縮みする。息を吐き切ったところで切れ目が来る。

それに対し、相方は、その伸び縮みで生まれた時間の感覚を受けて、それに、注釈し呼応するように「合いの手」を入れる。

 

　→実演　よ～～～　ポン

　→実演　えっさ　ほい　えっさ　ほい　えっさ　ほいほい

 

この間合い＝タイミングの感覚は、日本の伝統音楽では、口承でまねることで伝えられてきたのだが、私の曲では、この「間合い」、「合いの手」が入るタイミングを、五線譜の西洋音楽の記譜システムで伝えようとしている。

メシアンの付加リズムとも違い、ストラヴィンスキーのような拍が増えたり減ったりというあくまで拍節のフレームがあって、長いフレーム、短いフレームがブロックになっているというものとも違う。

面白い事に、この間合いの感覚は、口承で伝わる日本人にしかわからないものと言われがちなのだが、楽譜にきっちり書いておくと、意外なことに解釈されて、驚くほど適格に再現されるということに気付いた。

そして、世界の演奏家で、私の曲の楽譜から、この「間合い」「合いの手」のタイミングを、最も見事に再現した動画をYouTubeにあげて、私を驚かせてくれたのが、Tandem Duoのお二人なのです。

今回、そのTandem　Duo　に招かれてここにやってくる日が来て、私はこれ以上ない幸福を感じているところです。

 

 

ユニットの起点把握への他のパートの干渉現象

 

ライヒの音楽では、位相が変わる瞬間に、リズムのパターンの聴取の起点がずれて、反復にも関わらず、耳には大きく変化するというところがある。

ドミソ　ドミソ　ドミソ　と聞こえていたのが、反復されるパターンの位相差による干渉で、耳には、ある瞬間から、ミソド　ミソド　ミソド　と耳が、ひとまとめにグループ化する起点がシフトする。

 

これを私の音楽では、繰り返すリズムのパターンに、息の長いメロディ（節）の切れ目や、ゆっくりと移り変わるハーモニーがシフトする瞬間が干渉することで、生み出そうとする箇所がある。

実作例→今回の新作　

 

様々な音の現れかたを実現できる鍵盤ハーモニカという楽器。

 

実演で　ピアノと鍵盤ハーモニカの組み合わせで、さまざまな音の立ち現れ方と関係性を再現する。

この鍵盤ハーモニカという楽器は、管楽器、重音、呼吸による節回し、タンギングによる刻み、鍵盤楽器のグリッサンド、打鍵、楽器を揺らすことでのヴィブラートなどなど、実にいろいろなことができる。

鍵盤ハーモニカによるトリオというプロジェクトも、友人である作曲家、パフォーマーである野村誠さんがやっていて、共同企画したり、作品提供したりしている。

 

ポータブル・コンチェルトというコンセプト

 

私の作品で、ポータブル協奏曲というコンセプトの作品がある。

協奏曲は、独奏楽器とオーケストラなのだが、オーケストラではなく、持ち運びが簡単にできる小物楽器だけの３人ほどのアンサンブルが付くという協奏曲。

「ヴァイオリンと打楽器のための協奏曲」は、ヴァイオリンと、タンバリンやギロやカスタネットなど持ち運び簡単な打楽器３人のアンサンブルなので、

原曲編成で、例えば、カフェ・ショップでもストリートでも、どこでも原曲

 

成長するリズムという構成

 

ヴァイオリンと打楽器の協奏曲と、今回の新作の中では、小節の長さを、複数の数列を組み合わせて組み立てるということも行っている。

 

囃子というユニット

 

神楽や能、祭りなどで、笛と打楽器のアンサンブル

これをヒントに、「ヴァイオリンと打楽器の協奏曲」を書いた。

 

特殊奏法か、異種アンサンブルによる拡張か

 

ヴァイオリンの特殊奏法で胴体など、通常とは違う箇所を弾くなどして刺激的な音。これと、ヴァイオリンとギロの組み合わせと、音の結果としてどうだろうか？

 

マトリックス法

 

大量に思いつくための強制的発想法の活用。【発散技法】 divergent thinking

Matrix Analysisの使用

複数の主題×変奏技法×楽器　

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