Repertoire, Ensembles and Instrumentation in Gagaku Music

There are three major bodies of music and dance covered by the term gagaku:

1. Kuniburi-no-utamai

Accompanied vocal music from indigenous origin. It is based on primitive and traditional songs from ancient Japan such as kagura-uta, azuma-asobi, yamato-uta and, kume-uta.

Instruments accompanying these songs are divided up into three choirs:

• Woodwind instruments: hichiriki and kagurabue
  • The kagurabue is replaced by the komabue in the accompaniment of azuma asobi.
  • It is replaced by the ryūteki in the accompaniment of yamato-uta and kume-uta.
• String instrument: wagon
• Percussion instrument: shakūbyōshi

2. Kangen and bugaku

Instrumental music with accompanied dance that derives from Asian mainland. The music is further sub-divided into two classes according to the region of its origin: tōgaku refers to music of Chinese origin, including kangen and bugaku style, while komagaku applies to music of Korean origin and the bugaku style.

Instruments for kangen are divided up into three choirs:

• Woodwind instruments: 3 ryūteki, 3 hichiriki, 3 shō
• String instruments: 2 biwa, 2 koto
• Percussion instruments: 1 taiko, 1 kakko, 1 shōkō

Instruments for bugaku are divided up into two choirs:

• Woodwind instruments: 3 ryūteki or more (or komabue in komagaku pieces), 3 or more hichiriki, 3 or more shō
• Percussion instruments: 1 taiko, 1 kakko, 1 shōkō

3. Saibara and rōei

Vocal music that developed at the Japanese court in the 9th and 10th centuries. The text used for saibara is in Japanese while rōei’s text is in Chinese.

Instruments accompanying saibara are divided up into three choirs:

• Woodwind instruments: ryūteki, hichiriki, shō without harmony
• String instruments: biwa and koto
• Percussion instrument: shakūbyōshi

Instruments accompanying rōei are divided up into two choirs:

• Woodwind instruments: ryūteki, hichiriki, shō without harmony
• Percussion instrument: shakūbyōshi