Saibara: Volume 1, Text
Japanese Court Songs of the Heian Period

These volumes will interest readers concerned with musicology, early Japanese literature and paleography.

Elizabeth Markham (Author)

9780521105972, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 April 2009

432 pages
24.6 x 18.9 x 2.2 cm, 0.77 kg

Saibara ('Drover's Songs') is the title of a genre of measured Japanese court song, traditionally believed to have been derived from the songs of pack-horse drivers bringing tribute from the provinces to the Heian capital and known to have formed part of the official court repertory at least since AD 859. From literature of the Heian period (782–1184) it is evident that these songs enjoyed great popularity at court as entertainment music practised by noble amateurs. Six songs are still performed today, albeit vastly modified. As well as being of value to musicologists, these volumes will interest readers concerned with early Japanese literature and paleography.

Introduction
Part I. Sources
Part II. Instruments, tablatures and transcription of the primary musical sources
Part III. A detailed study of a typical Saibara illustrating analytical procedures applied to the entire repertory
Part IV. Relationships between Saibara and pieces from the Togaku and Komagaku repertories
Part V. Melodies and melody-types
Part VI. Transformation of the six Saibara of the modern repertory
Bibliography
Indexes.

Subject Areas: Folk & traditional music [AVGH]