Tuesday 4 March 2008
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Traditional Folk Song in Modern Japan: sources, sentiment and society
Daiwa Foundation Japan House
Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
By David Hughes
Published by Global Oriental
‘Folk Song in Japan: the heart’s home town’, a presentation and music performance by Dr David Hughes, will begin from 6.00pm and will be followed by a drinks reception.
Japan’s traditional folk songs (min’yō) have strong links with local identity and particular places. The growth of domestic tourism actually strengthened this trend: even the professionally-composed ‘new min’yō’ of the 1930s, commissioned by railway companies and the like, usually included local place names in their titles. With globalisation, however, the ‘local’ community has often become all of Japan or even the world. Meanwhile, the functions and contexts of min’yō performance have changed with modernisation. David Hughes traces the recent history of this genre, touching on topics such as preservation societies, folk song contests (many devoted to a single song), professionalisation, folk song’s role in enka, and attempts to combat the ageing of the min’yō fan base.
‘Traditional Folk Song in Modern Japan’ published by Global Oriental will be available on the day at the special price of £40 (normally £65).
About the contributors
Dr David Hughes
Dr David Hughes is Senior Lecturer in Ethnomusicology at SOAS, University of London, where he has taught since 1987. After studying Japanese linguistics at Yale University, he took his PhD in Musicology and Anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1985. His writings have focused on various aspects of Japanese folk song, but have also dealt with music archaeology in Japan, the worldwide use of oral mnemonics in teaching instrumental music, the ‘grammar’ of Javanese gamelan music, and other topics. During his many stays in Japan, he has been closely involved in the min’yō world, often performing on stage or television or serving as a judge at min’yō contests.