Japanese Musical Instruments (Images of Asia) - Softcover

De Ferranti, Hugh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195905008 ISBN 13: 9780195905007

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2000

Synopsis

During Japan's early history, musical instruments were seen as sources of ritual power, allowing performers to call up divine forces for inspiration and aid. As Japan developed a court and then an urbanized society, instrumental performance remained at the heart of aesthetic experience, playing diverse roles expanded to cover nearly every part of the society.

Illustrated with images drawn from picture scrolls as well as photographs of instruments as they are used in performance, Japanese Musical Instruments is a complete survey of traditional instruments. The book includes literary references to musical instruments from sources that span the tenth to the twentieth centuries, and it describes in detail the musical instruments' dual roles as 'instruments of culture' and as devices for producing sound. Easy to use and concise, the book is a readable overview of the nation's musical heritage.

About this title

About the Author

Hugh de Ferranti is Assistant Professor in the Department of Musicology and the Department of Asian Languages & Cultures at the University of Michigan.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195905008
• ISBN 13: 9780195905007
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112