1. The music of Yokyoku and Hayashi, together
with the actorsʼ stately bodily movements and Play introductory music and interludes
gliding steps gives Noh an overall Set the scene or mood of the play
impression of ethereal and otherworldly. Accompany entrances and exits of actors
Accompany songs and dances
Functions
rhythms and melody of these instruments Provide a rhythmic background for dialogue and action
follow highly prescribed systems
consist of a transverse flute (Nohkan), an hourglass-shaped
sit at the back of the stage.
drum held at the shoulder (Ko-tsuzumi), a slightly larger
hourglass-shaped drum placed on the lap (O-tsuzumi), and
Hayashi an instrumental quartet comprising of a flute a barrel-shaped drum placed on a small floor stand and
and three drums played with two sticks (Taiko)
Timbre drum calls (Kakegoe), the shouts or cries of the drummers add an important element to the sound texture
Shamisen which serve as signals between the drummers as well as of the performance, creating the mood and with
create a strong sense of progression and between the drummers and singers the chant, establishing the tempo
come to a satisfying ending that does not use
the same sounds with which it started specified musical conventions and Jiutai, usually consisting of eight persons, sits at the side of the stage,
orchestrations Vocal Chorus functioning to narrate the background, and the story and its mood
sometimes describes the characterʼs thoughts and
Song (uta) emotions or even sings lines for the characters
no tertian harmony (chords in thirds) and
harmonic progression Sageuta, which are short, slow, and in low range
The "jo" section marks the introduction Form The chorus and the flute may be involved in
the "ha" section marks the exposition "jo-ha-kyu” principal Timbre two completely separate melodic lines Ageuta, which are longer and higher
the "kyu "section the final unravelling of the the drums may be playing a rhythmic pattern of The articulation of every textual syllable is deliberate and prolonged
plot a different length from the chorus and the flute pronunciation is based on a stage convention which is different from everyday speech
Harmony Heterophonic Eight-beat framework
Texture Rhythmic structure five-syllable line is most common
Form Music Songs (solo and choral) sung by the actors or chorus Yokyoku sung by both the actors and the onstage chorus
Geza musicians normally sit in a room
Heterophonic Genre
Recitative-like heightened speech for the actors solemn and spare (due to its origin in Buddhist chanting of medieval Japan)
(Kuromisu) situated at stage right, where they Texture
Instrumental music played by the Hayashi Styles Kotobe (words) - Heightened speech
can look out to the stage and the Hanamichi Yowagin style – delivered softly
through a bamboo curtain and the audience Fushi (melody) - Aria and is used in lyrical scenes
poetic text inside stages are open on two sides in a kind
cannot see them of semi-theater-in-the-round Tsuyogin style – delivered with
At the end of the bridgeway there is a strength and is used in
The Debayashi performers sit at the rear of Offstage masculine and warlike scenes
hanging curtain which swings up and back
the stage with the singers and Shamisen allowing the characters to enter and exit
players on a raised platform behind the other
players (drums & flute) at stage level Onstage a curtain-less square with a bridgeway
leading to it from backstage
only symbolic stage properties are used
Kabuki stage is equipped with several trap lifts,
which are used to bring scenery or musicians Musical Elements The pine tree painted on the back wall of the stage
from below the stage to the level of the stage represents the tree through which Noh was, by
floor, and vice versa. legend, passed down from heaven to mankind
combines elements of dance, drama, music
Stage classical Japanese performance form and poetry
Extensive & Elaborate Scenery
Largely based in the cities of Tokyo, Osaka, passed down the art among family members
Stage and Kyoto for numerous generations
two revolving stages in the center, an outer In Noh, the use of space and time is not
one and an inner one, which are capable of Concept portrayed realistically. Rather, there is a
performed by professional artists, mainly men
being moved in opposite directions freedom of portrayal which requires the
Kabuki Noh audience members to use their
used to change the entire set since 16th
century
Japanese Theater imaginations
both male and female amateurs who practice
A raised runway known as Hanamichi five categories of Noh plays gods and perform its chant, dance, and
additional acting space for the actors connects the stage to the rear of the instruments
15 to 20 people on stage warriors
auditorium
4 musicians (Hayashi), 8 beautiful women
as a more intimate acting area chorus singers (Juitai) notably mad-women or present-time
miscellaneous figures
Kabuki actor is a dancer Dance Actors
Performance supernatural beings elaborately made with gorgeously
A pair of musicians – a narrator and a dyed silk and intricate embroidery
a form of unison chorus with shamisen Music shamisen player who accompanies the
narrator influenced by folk and popular dance reveal the type of character being
accompaniment Chobo portrayed and follow prescribed
conventions as to their use
through composed Form narrate and explain the plot to the audience Costumes
Female roles are impersonated by male
The detail of design, the color combinations,
6 sections: oki, michiyuki, kudoki, odoriji, actors.
sits on the stage left on a raised platform and the richness of texture, and the strength of
chirashi, and dangire. Dance Lead actor (Shite),
performs exclusively narrative (Joururi) music form give Noh its visual impact.
secondary actor (Waki), and
text and dance oriented Debayashi a few other actors All actors who enter the stage carry a fan
Elaborated costumes
nagauta Stage assistants (Kouken)
provides musical accompaniment when the the principal ensemble in Kabuki
stage characters sing or dance Onstage (Degatari) Musicians delicately carved masks who sometimes appears with one or more
means ʻcoming-out orchestraʼ O-daiko (big drums), Shamisen (3-string
The basic instruments in Debayashi are are often used by the Shite companion characters called Tsure
lute), Nohkan (flute), Takebue (bamboo flute) main character and/or the
ʻborrowedʼ from the Hayashi ensemble in Noh Their number varies according to the needs and drums, gongs and bells Instruments tsure attendant In many plays, the Shite appears in the first half as an
Theatre and consists of : Ko-tsuzumi (small of the drama
hand drum), O-tsuzumi (large hand drum), job is to provide sound effects for the masks powerful means of expression ordinary person, departs, then appears in the second half
Taiko (large floor drum), and Nohkan (Noh in his true form as the ghost of famous person of long
may consist of several shamisen players, dramatic action Offstage (Geza) any character being portrayed which is not a middle- Shite
ago. The former is called the Maejite and the latter, the
flute) singers, drummers and flute players aged man living in the present will wear a mask Nochijite. They are traditionally performed by the same
Shamisens, singers, additional Tsuzumi and stagehand in Kabuki theater who plays Kyogenkata
rhythmic patterns on 2 rectangular actor.
a Takebue (bamboo flute). There can be as all characters portraying women and old men wear
can play tutti, or in smaller combinations, with woodblocks, called Hyoshigi, to signal the rise
many as 10 Shamisen players, 8 singers and masks as well as supernatural beings such as Waki The secondary actor, the Waki, is often a travelling
the responsibility for solo performance of the curtain and provide sound effects.
6 Tsuzumi players ghosts, deities, demons, and divine beasts priest whose questioning of the main character is
passing to specific players
the actor does not use his face for realistic important in developing the story line. He also often
only one performer on the Taiko, and a separate expression but rather for mask-like expression appears with companion Waki-tsure
player doubles on both the Nohkan and Takebue Ai-kyogen
The principal Shamisen player is responsible often appears as a local person who gives further
for coordinating the music with the dancers movement While some gestures have specific meaning,
background to the Waki, and thus to the audience, in
others serve as an abstract aesthetic
order to understand the situation of the Shite
expression to convey the emotions of the
main character
All of Noh can be described as dance
deliberateness, brevity, suppression and
abstraction are important features of Noh
movement