Music 4th Qtr (M)

• The Kabuki along with the Noh and Mingyo joruri (bunraku) are the three most prominent forms of traditional Japanese theatre
• Kabuki

  • classical Japanese dance drama
  • rich in shownmanship
  • all male theatre that portrays female characters
• Izumo Okuni - kyoto shrine maiden that invented kabuki
• Kabuki Theatre reached its peak during the Edo era (1616-1853)
• Kabuku - art of singing and dancing
• Categories of Kabuki plays

  1. Jidaimono (History plays) - political events from the past (9th-15th century)
  2. Sewamono (Domestic Plays) - affairs of towns people (commoners)
  3. Shosagot (Dance-dramas) - world of spirits and animals
• aragoto - "rough style" exaggerated actions that conveys meaning
• kumadori - major style in kabuki theatre

  • uses dark lines to portray a mask like effect
• The Plots of Kabuki Theatre

  • historical events
  • warm hearted dramas
  • moral conflicts
  • love stories
  • supernatural
  • tales of tragedy
• onnagata or oyama - female impersonator in kabuki
• Roles in kabuki theatre:

  1. high ranking samurai lady
  2. young maiden
  3. wicked woman
• Kind of music:

  1. debayashi (on stage ensemble) - hayashi ensemble and shamisen
  2. Joruri (narrative) - gidayu-shamisen
  3. Geza (off stage music) - gives musical clues
• Parts of the kabuki stage

  1. Kamite (stage left) - high ranking characters
  2. shimote (stage right) - low ranking characters
  3. hanamichi - allows for a dramatic entrance
• Noh drama - mysterious, tragic, supernatural and ceremonial kind of theatre
• There are 240 Noh texts
• shite - leading character/the one being interrogated
• waki - side character/the one interrogating
• kata - Strict performance of set forms
• Wayang Kulit - form of a puppetry show in Indonesia (Java and Bali)

  • origin is from india
  • have been in existence for 800 years
  • "Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" (Given by UNESCO on November 2003)
• Wayang - shadow (javanese meaning)

  Wayang - puppet (Bahasa indonesia meaning)

  Kulit - Leather or skin
• 3 forms of Javanese puppet:

  1. Wayang Kulit (shadow puppets)
  2. Wayang Klitik (flat wood puppets)
  3. Wayang golek (rod puppets)
• blencong - oil lamp
• dalang - manipulates the leather figures
• garuda bird - represents the rays of the sun
• Gamelan - sets the appropriate mood for the play

  • has a tune for every puppet played
• dalang - narrates the story along with the gamelan (traditional orchestra)
• The gamelan players will respond according to the dalang
• gawang - screen frame
• kothak - puppet box
• kelir - focus of the performance
• gedebog - banana log
• cempala - hammer used by the dalang