Mountain Storm, Pine Breeze: Folk Song in Japan

xi, 126 pp. What makes Japanese folk music unique? Many Japanese folk songs performed today date back to the sixteenth century and earlier. They demonstrate not only a unique interplay of tradition and improvisation but a wide range of regional influences and dialects as well. Their lyrical subtleties and melodic intricacies, which even the Japanese consider difficult, contrast sharply with simpler songs of other lands. But foremost is the fact that the Japanese take their folk music seriously - not as an historic novelty but as a dynamic repertoire sustained by citizens in every walk of life. Here is the story of this unique cultural tradition, richly enhanced by a generous sampling of songs.