(Hit the back button on your browser to return to product listing.) Rhythm Music Magazine The music accompanying the highly stylized, traditional Japanese dance-drama called Noh seems incomplete without the visual/dramatic aspects. Still, the listener will not fail to be moved (whether to stillness or laughter) by the surreal and, at times, downright humorous sounds of a Noh ensemble. The atmospheric (and not necessarily "pretty"-sounding) nokhan (flute) provides the main dance accompaniment and punctuates the different sections of the play. There are three types of drums: the Ko-tsuzumi, a small drum held at the shoulder; the o-tsuzumoi, somewhat larger ad held at the left hip, and the taiko, a large drum placed on a floor stand and beaten with two thick sticks. The small drums are struck with the finger tips. The rhythmic patterns, though very complex, are synchronized -- no mean feat, because Noh rhythms are flexible; the drummers call to each other in spooky tones to help keep time. The lack of chorus on most of the tracks causes a certain lack of fullness. However, upon second listen, I began to respond to some of the images suggested by the music and augmented by the detailed liner notes. The last track is especially delightful, being an excerpt from an actual performance in Kyoto. The play revolves around the theme of a fisherman who, upon finding the robes of a divine lady at the seashore, responds to her pleas for her robe by asking her to dance. The chorus, instruments and actors are all clearly audible in this excerpt, providing a true glimpse into what must be one of the most alluring and evocative forms of Far Eastern music and drama. -Vijaya Sundaram, 1/94 |