| Popis: |
How have musical works on the subject of war been depicted in Japan? While most previous studies have focused on the “Western music import period,” the “war period,” and the “postwar period”, this research note discusses the transition of characteristics through the three periods. As its subject, I analyze “Fragments” (2009) composed by Takatomi Nobunaga. In Europe, war and music have been inseparable since ancient times. In Japan, however, due to geographical and historical factors, the importation of Western music began in the modern period after the Meiji era. Although World War I drastically changed the perception of war in the West, it did not have a significant impact on Japan. Until the end of World War II, war music was composed in Japan for “Kō” purposes, such as for the empire and the emperor. After the end of the war, a complete turnaround occurred, with more music about the griefs of war experienced by the “Shi” person. Takatomi Nobunaga’s “Fragments” is a musical work based on the farewell notes of the Kamikaze Special Attack Force. As the title suggests, he alternates fragments of “Kō” and “Shi” memoirs. By doing so, the work does not emphasize only the “Shi” side which is common in postwar musical works, but rather depicts multiple aspects of before and after the war. |
