JAPANESE ART SONG
日本歌曲
Singing Style
EXPRESSING JAPANESE TEXTS
Learning Process and the General Style
1)Study word-for-word translations and poetic translations.
This is a process you can never skip whatever language you are singing in. Thanks to advanced online technology, you can copy and paste Japanese text into a translation app and figure out the meaning of each word as well as the whole sentence. You may enter a sentence first, then break it down to each word. You would get a better result by pasting the poems in Japanese characters.
Song List section of this website includes word-for-word translations and poetic translations of texts to some popular Japanese art songs that are in the public domain. Please contact us if you need help with other song texts.
Japanese Art Song Anthology (published by Classical Vocal Reprints) also contains word-for-word translations and poetic translations of texts to the songs in the anthology.
Notice that word order in Japanese is often opposite of that in English, and nouns do not always specify singular or plural. Subjects are often omitted. Furthermore, many poems used in songs are archaic and stylized, which makes it difficult to fully understand the meaning even for Japanese people. In that case, feel the mood of the poem as you would with some French symbolist poems. Further studies in Japanese poems such as haiku and tanka (waka) are highly recommended.
2) Recite the text with the word groupings in mind.
Small words (called “particles”) such as “wa”, “ga”, “ni”, “no”, “to”, “o”, “e”, “yo”, etc. have many different functions. They often indicate whether the preceding noun is a subject or an object, or they can function similarly to English prepositions, but they always occur after a noun or adjective, as “postpositions”. Note that oftentimes these words are not translated. When singing or speaking, these particles should always be connected to the preceding word and never be stressed. These connections are marked with a dash in the Rōmaji transcriptions.
Example: Noru hito-wa nani-o omoite
Song List section of this website includes Text Reading in a normal tempo and a slow tempo. It is highly recommended to practice reciting the texts with the audio tracks. Japanese is a tonal language, and inflection is important when spoken. However, in songs, it is the composers' job to reflect the inflection (pitch) of the text. Therefore, although it is recommended to imitate the inflection when you recite the text, all a singer will have to do is to sing the pitches written by the composer.
3) Emphasize the beginning of important words (such as nouns, adjectives, and verbs) with a very slight aspiration or elongation of the consonant sound.
For a word starting with a vowel, use a small accent while avoiding a strong glottal attack.
Example: Karatachi-no hana-ga saita-yo. Shiroi shiroi hana-ga saita-yo.
Aoi aoi hari-no togeda-yo
4) Keep a legato line and do not use “rubato”.
The number of syllables in each line gives a basic structure and a form to traditional Japanese poems, similarly to French poems, and each syllable is sung without varying its note value. This results in less use of rubato compared to other languages that have strong contrasts between stressed (and long) syllables and unstressed (and short) syllables such as in English, German, and Italian.
Furthermore, the sentiments of Japanese poems and songs are often subtle and objective. Even when the song expresses that one is in a difficult situation, there is a feeling of “C’est la vie”, and dwelling on or outpouring one’s emotion could be considered rather distasteful in most Japanese art songs. Although, in some popular songs such as Enka and traditional folk songs, showing strong emotions is encouraged.
DIFFERENT STYLES
in JAPANESE ART SONGS
Children’s Song Style
A unique aspect of Japanese art song is that it developed along with children’s songs. (This will be discussed in the Brief History of Japanese Art Song in the Other Resources section.) There are three types of children’s songs:
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Shōka---Songs written for school music textbooks. Simple music with moralistic and/or patriotic texts.
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Dōyō---More artistic and imaginative poems set to music by classical composers. Dōyō Movement started during the Taishō period in 1918.
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Warabe-Uta---Traditional folk songs and play/dance songs for children.
Many of these songs are part of Japanese art song, and most of the notable classical composers have written songs for children. In these songs, expression would be rather straightforward, and using less vibrato in one’s voice would be suitable.
Examples of these songs include:
Shōka
“Hana” by TAKI Rentarō
“Akatonbo” by YAMADA Kōsaku
“Momiji” by OKANO Teiichi
“Natsu no Omoide” by NAKADA Yoshinao
“Hamabe no Uta” by NARITA Tamezō (although, not originally written as a Shōka)
Dōyō
“Karatachi no Hana” by YAMADA Kōsaku (must be sung by a trained singer)
“Six Children’s Songs” by NAKADA Yoshinao (must be sung by a trained singer)
Warabe-Uta
“Mukōyokochō” by MOTOORI Nagayo
Folk Song/Traditional Japanese Music Style
Many arrangements of Japanese folk songs in the Western classical music style are also considered Japanese art songs. These songs use traditional Japanese modes and may include some characteristics of traditional folk music, namely, improvisational musical languages such as grace notes, portamento, and slight rhythmic freedom. Vocally, using a rather tight-sounding straight-tone and chest voice on certain notes could be appropriate. However, most Japanese classical singers sing these songs with the Bel canto style vocal production.
Examples of these songs include:
“Uguisu” by HAYASAKA Fumio
“Narayama” by HIRAI Kōzaburō
“Higanbana” by YAMADA Kōsaku
“Kane ga Narimasu” by YAMADA Kōsaku
Early Popular Song Style
Just like many Western art songs that were popular songs in the olden days, many Japanese art songs were also popular songs, which were heard on radios. Sentimental texts and emotional music were characteristics of these songs, and attractive illustrations by popular artists adorned the covers of the sheet music. These songs were often sung by famous Japanese opera singers, but one may use a less operatic sound.
Examples of these songs include:
“Defune” by SUGIYAMA Haseo
“Hama-chidori” by HIROTA Ryūtarō
“Jōgashima no Ame” by YANADA Tadashi
“Yoimachigusa” by ŌNO Tadasuke
German Style
In the first half of the twentieth century, many Japanese composers studied in Germany. Songs that show German influence may allow and require direct expression of emotions and exaggerated ritardandos. However, note value should stay even unlike in German music.
Examples of these songs include:
“Kujū-kuri-hama” by HIRAI Kōzaburō
“Shigure ni Yosuru Jojō” by OHNAKA Megumi
French Style
After WWII, many Japanese composers became more interested in French music and studied in France. Songs that show French influence should not employ much rubato, but some “nuance” would be allowed.
Composers whose songs show much French influence include:
NAKADA Yoshinao
MIYOSHI Akira
STYLISTIC NOTES for COMPOSERS
YAMADA Kōsaku (1886-1965)
Yamada was undoubtedly one of the most important Japanese composers of Western style music throughout his long active life. He studied in Germany, spent two years in the U.S., and performed as a conductor with many notable orchestras in the world. He composed over 700 songs, and he was a very important figure in the Dōyō Movement. He was an extremely skilled composer and wrote many different styles of songs: children’s songs, folk-influenced songs, German Lieder style of songs, songs in different languages, patriotic songs, etc. His use of dynamic markings and tempo changes could be overwhelming; each performer must decide how to incorporate them in practical ways. Also, his pedal markings may not work well with modern pianos.