Sunday, December 12, 2004

The Flute of the Yayoi Period

Yayoi no Fue (The Flute of the Yayoi Period). Pieces composed and performed by Hiroshi Tamura. Toshiba-EMI TW-60020 (vinyl).

Yayoi no Fue Record JacketThis ocallina-like flute on the record jacket is called the Ken. This instrument was found in an archeological research, which has confirmed that such a flute would have existed in the Yayoi Period. Probably, the Ken was originally invented iin China, where a similar instruments still exists today.

The details of the music actually played on the Ken has been lost, unfortunately, but a Japanese composer Hiroshi Tamura in Yamaguchi created rather mild,"New Age"-ish compositions based on his imagination toward this ancient era. Although never mentioned in liner notes or record labels, performances on this LP record include other instruments than the ken: rattles, belles, and small drums. (Written on 1 January 2004)

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