Hoichi is an original musical composition for orchestra. It is approximately 42 minutes in length. The piece is inspired by a Japanese folk tale entitled Hoichi, the Earless. This story about a blind lute player takes place in Shimonoseki, the city in which I was born. The contrast between chamber sonority and orchestral forces symbolizes Hoichi's battle against evil spirits. Although he eventually loses his ears and dies the music turns into a strong life assertion toward the end. I relate this to a Zen Buddhist notion: when you lose (transcend) everything, you gain everything. The piece ends with a placid ascending line, which represents spiritual purification of the evil spirits. On a more personal level, this work will be my attempt to console and encourage the victims and their families of the earthquake which struck Japan three years ago.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/347089 |
Date | January 2014 |
Creators | Nakao, Kyohei |
Contributors | Asia, Daniel, Asia, Daniel, Decker, Pamela, Walsh, Craig |
Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
Source Sets | University of Arizona |
Language | en_US |
Detected Language | English |
Type | text, Electronic Dissertation |
Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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