Gagaku is an ancient form of Japanese classical music, traditionally played at the Imperial court.  Literally meaning ‘elegant music’, gagaku developed from native Japanese musical traditions such as kagura-uta, yamato-uta and kume-uta, drawing influence from ancient musical traditions brought to Japan from continental Asia, and had become well established in Japan by the tenth century.  For more than one thousand years, this exquisite form of expression has been nurtured by hereditary musical guilds, passed down to successive generations under the auspices of the Imperial Palace.  The descendants of the ancient guilds today make up most of the Imperial Household Agency’s Music Department.

There are many different styles within gagaku, but all share an ancient tradition and an intrinsic historical value as Japan’s oldest form of musical culture.  Gagaku performance can be divided broadly into three forms: Kangen (instrumental), Bugaku (classical dance to accompany music), and Utamono (recitation and chanted poetry accompanied by Chinese instruments).

Gagaku is performed on a variety of wind, string and percussion instruments.  The best known of these are the sho, a reed-free mouth organ consisting of seventeen pieces of bamboo; the hichiriki, a reed pipe instrument similar to a recorder; and the ryuteki, a flute-like instrument which produces a sound that is said to be like “the voice of a crying dragon”.  Other gagaku instruments include the biwa, a large type of lute; the wagon, an indigenous Japanese string instrument played with a tortoiseshell plectrum; and various drums and gongs.

The Kitanodai Gagaku Orchestra has been performing gagaku since 1982, with an aim to educate and raise the level of aesthetic sensibilities in young people, and to promote this particular facet of Japanese culture abroad.  The orchestra was initially instructed by the late Fumitaka Tohgi, formerly the director of the Imperial Household Agency’s Music Department.  They will perform at three concerts in New South Wales and the ACT from 10–13 November.