LECTURE FOR GRADE 8 MUSIC (SECOND GRADING)

School Year 2017-2018

 JAPANESE MUSIC
Characteristics JAPANESE MUSIC
1. Basically meditative in character
2. Is highly ritualized (musicians show this spiritual self-mastery in their performance and composure)
3. Has traditionally been of a spiritual character
4. Usually about religious festivals, work, dance, love, and regional songs
5. Japanese chamber and solo music have a slow meditative pace.
6. Musicians work on an inner strength in mastering his or her instrument
7. Based on the intervals of human breathing
Characteristics of vocal music
1. Based on the intervals of human breathing rather than mathematical timing,
2. Musicians show their spiritual self-mastery in mastering his or her instrument more than simply
perfecting a technique of some sort and how they give value to their performance and composure.
Two main modes of Japanese Music: The YO-SEN and the IN-SEN. Both consist of five primary tones
based on a scale with seven tones. The two remaining tones are considered as auxiliary tones.
Sakura - Cherry Blossoms is a traditional Japanese folk song describes the beautiful cherry blossom trees in
the season of cherry blossoms. It’s a nature song
- Description in terms of Musical elements - Nasal voice, Slow tempo, Meter in 2, Pentatonic tonality,
Moderate Range, Monophonic Texture, Syllabic Phrasing
Instrumental music of Japan
A. Percussion Instruments (Membranophone):
1. Odaiko- (big drum). The physical energy and sheer excitement of an Odaiko performance is an integral
part of many Japanese matsuri (festivals).
2. Tsuzumi (hourglass-shape) –Two varieties, the smaller kotsuzumi is held on the right shoulder and the
player alters the tone by squeezing the laces. The larger otsuzumi is placed on the left thigh.
3. Tsuridaiko – a large hanging barrel drum
4. Taiko - is a Japanese drum that comes in various sizes and is used to play a variety of musical genres.
B. String Instruments (Chordophone)
1. Koto - is a 13-string zither, about two meters long and made of Paulownia wood. It is plucked using picks
on the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand, while the left hand can be used to modify pitch and
tone. Koto is used in an ensemble in gagaku or as a solo instrument.
2. Shamisen- is a plucked stringed instrument. The neck of the shamisen is fretless, and is slimmer than that
of a guitar or a banjo.
3. Biwa - is a Japanese short-necked fretted lute, often used in narrative storytelling. The biwa is the chosen
instrument of Benten, the goddess of music, eloquence, poetry, and education in Japanese Shinto.
Wind Instruments (Aerophone)
1. Shakuhachi- the most famous flute made from bamboo with 4 or 5 finger holes on the front face and a
thumbhole on the rear face.
2. Nokan - a parallel, bamboo flute (fue) is the only melodic instrument used in noh. The melody of the flute
has no specific pitch relationship with the melody of the chanting.
3. Hichiriki - is a double reed Japanese fue (flute) used as one of two main melodic instruments in Japanese
gagaku music, the other being the ryūteki.
4. Sho - is a Japanese free reed musical instrument that was introduced from China during the Nara period.
5. Shinobue – also called takebue (in the context of Japanese traditional arts) is a Japanese transverse flute or
fue that has a high-pitched sound.
6. Ryūteki - literally "dragon flute" is a Japanese transverse fue made of bamboo.
 CHINESE MUSIC
* Chinese culture was dominated by the teachings of the philosopher Confucius - conceived music in the
highest sense as a means of calming the passion of dispelling of unrest and lust, rather than as a form of
amusement.

Mo Li Hua /Jasmine Flowers - a traditional Chinese song with a beautifully gentle and lyrical melody.
- Describes the purity and fragrance of the Jasmine flower
- Description in terms of Musical Elements - Nasal voice, Moderate tempo, Meter in 2, Pentatonic
tonality, Moderate Range, Homophonic Texture, Syllabic Phrasing
Characteristics of Vocal Music
- sung in a thin, non-resonant voice, or in falsetto
- usually solo rather than choral
- Xiaodiao, or short tunes are popular music in Chinese urban areas
Chinese Musical Instruments (from animal skins, gourd, bamboo, wood, silk, earth/clay, metal, and stone)
1. Yueqin - Moon-shaped lute with shorter neck and four strings, played with a spectrum, used for
accompanying local operas.
2. Pipa - Four-stringed lute with 30 frets and a pear-shaped body. This instrument has an extremely wide
dynamic range and remarkable expressive power.
3. Erhu - Two-stringed fiddle and one of the most popular Chinese instruments. It is used as a solo
instrument as well as in small ensembles or large orchestra, and by various ethnic groups.
4. Yunluo - Literally "cloud gongs" or "cloud of gongs", the yunluo is a set of ten small tuned gongs
mounted in a wooden frame with equal diameter but different Thicknesses. The thicker gongs produce a
higher pitch.
5. Sheng or Chinese mouth organ - looks like a set of panpipes, with 12 to 36 bamboo pipes. Each pipe is of
different length with a brass reed at the bottom and a hole that must be blocked in order for the note to
sound. It is one of the oldest Chinese musical instruments.
6. Dizi - traditional Chinese flute. It can have a membrane over an extra hole to give the characteristic rattle
effect. The player plays the Dizi by blowing across the mouthpiece and produces the different notes by
stopping the six holes found in the rod.
7. Zheng - An ancient Chinese instrument that has an arched surface and an elongated-trapezoid with 13 to
21 strings stretched over individual bridges. Its playing range spans three to four octaves.
8. Pengling These are two small bells made of high-tin bronze, without internal clappers, and hemispheric or
bottomless gourd-like in shape. The instrument has a delicate, clarion and melodious tone. It is a
coloring rhythmic instrument bringing an effect of peaceful dreams.
 KOREAN MUSIC
Characteristics of KOREAN MUSIC
1. use of bright rhythms and melodies
2. offers a more energetic and capricious contrast to the nation's collection of classical music works
3. Folk music represents the soul and sound of traditional Korean villages with an eclectic array of music
forms including numerous folk songs, various forms of instrumental pieces, pansori, and shaman ritual
music.
4. has a slow tempo, giving it a very peaceful and pensive character

* Chong-ak means literally "right (or correct) music".

- refers to ensemble music for men of high social status outside of the court.
- It means “music for the noble classes”
Three important term/category under Chong-ak.
1. a-ak, 2. tang-ak, 3. hyang-ak
* Sog-ak or minsogak- associated with the lower classes or for the general public and are vibrant and
energetic.
- Pansori is a kind of music presented to audiences by skilled vocal singers and drummers when they
worked in the rice paddy or fields, when they went off their lover and when their life was troubled
and weighing them down.
* Arirang is a Korean folk song, sometimes considered the unofficial national anthem of Korea.
- used as a symbol of Korea and Korean culture.
- a song of farewell.
- The origin of the word 'Arirang' is ‘the hill’. With Korea’s land being mountainous, there are also many
foothills throughout the country.
- An emotion of deep regret is imbued in the rhythm of Arirang.
- The song evokes the feeling of the tears shed by Koreans and the remembrance of their sad stories.
Instrumental music of Korea
* Korean music has a rich vocal tradition, and diverse instruments and music forms.
* Folk songs, religious works, court music, and shaman rituals all express the soul of a nation whose
history is filled with colorful and fascinating tales.
* Traditional Korean music represents a world of captivating rhythms and melodies whose sounds draw
listeners in like a breath.
* Koreans sang songs when they could not hold their sadness in.
Stringed Instruments
1. Kayagum (gayageum) - is a traditional Korean zither-like string instrument, with 12 strings, although
more recently variants have been constructed with 21 or more numbers of strings. It is probably the best-
known traditional Korean musical instrument.
2. Geomungo - Six-string plucked zither is a traditional Korean stringed musical instrument of the zither
family of instruments with both bridges and frets. Scholars believe that it refers to Goguryeo and
translates to "Goguryeo zither" or that it refers to the colour and translates to "black crane zither".
3. Haegum (two-string vertical fiddle) – It has a rodlike neck, a hollow wooden soundbox, two silk strings,
and is held vertically on the knee of the performer and played with a bow.
Wind Instruments
1. Piri - used in both the folk and classical (court) music of Korea. It is made of bamboo. Its large reed and
cylindrical bore gives it a sound mellower than that of many other types of oboe.
Percussion Instrument
1. Changgo - is the most widely used drum used in the traditional music of Korea. consists of an hourglass-
shaped body with two heads made from animal skin. The two heads produce sounds of different pitch and
timbre, which when played together are believed to represent the harmony of man and woman.
Note: The traditional instrumental and vocal music of Japan, China, and Korea, revealed through the musical
elements used such as
Vocal Timbre – nasal and throaty
Rhythm – duple, triple, quadruple
Melody – pentatonic scale, diatonic scale
Texture – monophony (a capella); homophony (with chordal accompaniment); heterophony (same melody
but ornamented by several instruments)
Form – Strophic (using the same tune on different verses)

Prepared by:
Leila M. Malana
G8 Teacher
 Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Regional Office No. 02 (Cagayan Valley)
DIVISION OF TUGUEGARAO CITY
CAGAYAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

UNIT TEST in MUSIC

Second Grading Period

Test I. Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

1. Sakura, a folk song in Japan is in ___________________ meter
2. Korean music has two categories, these are Chong-ak and ________________.
3. In East Asian countries, ____________ believed that sound influences the harmony of the universe?
4. “Arirang”, a folk song which is classified as __________________________.
5. In Korean music, _____________________ refers to a kind of music presented to audiences by skilled
vocal singers and drummers. But even the unskilled could sing these songs.
6. __________________ is a traditional Chinese song which describes the purity and fragrance of the
Jasmine flower
7-8. Chong-ak means literally "___________ music", and ensemble music for men of high social status
outside of the court there means “music for the ___________”
9. Japanese music is based on the intervals of _________________________.
10. _________ rhythms and melodies are characteristics of Korean music

Test II. Classify the following instruments according to its country of origin and its classification according to
Hornbostel-Sachs group of instruments.

Instrument Country of Origin Classification

1. Kayagum
2. Piri
3. Nokan
4. Biwa
5. Odaiko
6. Yunlou
7. Erhu
8. Pengling
9. Tsuzumi
10. Sho

TRUE OR FALSE:
__________ 1. Japanese music is meditative in nature
__________2. Japanese vocal is based on the intervals of human breathing rather than mathematical timing,

__________3. Japanese music is highly modernized with slow meditative pace

__________4. Japanese Musicians show their spiritual self-mastery in mastering their instrument more than
simply perfecting a technique
__________5. Chinese conceived music in the highest sense as a means of calming the passion of dispelling
of unrest and lust
__________6. Sakura characterized as with a beautifully gentle and lyrical melody.
__________7. Xiaodiao, or short tunes are popular music in Chinese urban areas
__________8. Korean music offers a more energetic and capricious contrast to the nation's collection of
classical music works
__________9. Arirang is a Korean folk song, sometimes considered the unofficial national anthem of Korea.
__________10. An emotion of deep joy is imbued in the rhythm of Arirang.

Test III. Indicate how the traditional instrumental and vocal music of Japan, China, and Korea are revealed
in terms of
1. Vocal Timbre - ____________________

2. Rhythm - ____________________

3. Melody – ____________________

4. Texture – ____________________

5. Form – ____________________

Prepared by:

Ma’am Leila M. Malana

Teacher III - MAPEH