Week 1

Title: "Sakura Sakura"
Performer(s): Swinky (vocals), Kyoko Yoshioka (shamisen), and Matsuda-san (shamisen)
Culture/Origin: Japan
Orchestration: voice and two shamisens

In listening to "Sakura Sakura", which is a traditional Japanese folk song based on a poem, I could imagine myself peacefully sitting in a field or under a tree with cherry blossoms blowing in the wind. Translated, "Sakura Sakura" means cherry blossoms, and the song depicts the season of cherry blossoms: spring. The work features a voice accompanied by two shamisens, which is a traditional, three-stringed Japanese instrument. On their own, the shamisens can be a bit jarring, especially if you're not used to that type of tuning, but as accompaniment to the voice, it meshes well together. The study of ethnomusicology would inform us that the sung melody uses a scale called Hirajoshi (flutopedia), which is a tuning scale adapted from shamisen music (Harich-Schneider, 1973, p. 520). Further study would inform us that in the Japanese culture, this is a popular children's song that has been well-known for over a thousand years, and that the song belongs to a genre titled Min'yo, which means folk song (Gen'ichi).

Translation:

Romaji (romanization of Japanese)       English translation

sakura sakura                                         Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
noyama mo sato mo                               In fields, mountains and villages
mi-watasu kagiri                                      As far as the eye can see.
kasumi ka kumo ka                                 It it mist, or clouds?
asahi ni niou                                            Fragrant in the morning sun.
sakura sakura                                         Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
hana zakari                                             Flowers in full bloom.

sakura sakura                                         Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
yayoi no sora wa                                     Across the spring sky,
mi-watasu kagiri                                      As far as the eye can see. 
kasumi ka kumo ka                                 Is it mist, or clouds?
nioi zo izuru                                             Fragrant in the air.
izaya izaya                                              Come now, come now,
mini yukan                                               Let's go and see them!


References:
Gen'ichi, T. (n.d.). Sakura. Retrieved from https://www.komuso.com/pieces/pieces.pl?piece=2106

Harich-Schneider, E. (1973). A history of Japanese music. London: Oxford University Press.

n.a. (n.d.). Sakura Sakura - Sheet music for Native American flute. Retrieved from http://www.flutopedia.com/song_Sakura.htm