Research
A Study of the Influence of Utai on Nagauta
Leader: SAKAMOTO Kiyoe
Member: TAKAKUWA Izumi,
HAIKAWA Mika, HOSHINO Atsuko
As a part of the FY2013 Collaborative Research through Open Recruitment project titled “Modern Noh as a Document of Oral Transmission,” we conducted a study on how and when utai was incorporated into nagauta, the music accompanying kabuki. We examined music and accents of nagauta titled Tsurukame (crane and turtle) and pointed out the possibility that original accents of western Japan (the areas around Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe) had been changed to old Tokyo-style (eastern) accents. Purpose Compare records, books and scores of old nagauta and utai to examine how nagauta incorporated the utai’s verse, melody, beat and rhythm from the perspectives of Japanese music, accents and performance. Methods The following SP records of nagauta stored at the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Ataka no matsu, Oimatsu, Kanjinchō, Sarumai, Shiki no yamanba, Shakkyou, Funabenkei, Musume dojoji, Yoshiwara suzume, Kagami jishi and Geki zaru will be digitalized and reproduced as musical scores. They will then be compared with records of nagauta verses (Meiji), shamisen chojurō-fu scores (Taisho) and older shōhon books (Edo) stored at Waseda University Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum and Tokyo University of the Arts (TUA) to identify distinct vocal, melody lines, rhythm and accents. We will also refer to utai scores of the Kyōho era, to examine how utai verse and melody and western accents have been incorporated into nagauta. We will compare Tokyo accents with western accents and how nagauta styles have changed over time. Expected outcomes We hope to further clarify the findings from the previous study and publish the outcomes in the literary research project “Utai incorporated into nagauta; melody and accent” by Japan Women’ University’s Department (undergraduate) and Division (graduate) of Japanese.
