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Instrumental and Vocal Music of East Asia

Preprint · August 2018

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30594.81600

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Almighty C. Tabuena
Philippine Normal University
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Instrumental and Vocal Music of

East Asia
Posted on August 6, 2018 by Almighty Tabuena

Introduction
The musical instruments of east Asia categorized as well into four based
on Hornbostel-Sachs Classification of Musical Instruments (a system of musical instrument
classification devised by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs), and these are:

 Aerophone – the sound is primarily produced by vibrating air (blowing).

 Chordophone – the sound is primarily produced by the vibration of a string or
strings that are stretched between fixed points (plucking, bowing, strumming).
 Idiophone – the sound is primarily produced by striking with the use of sticks or
mallets, or other striking devices (striking).
 Membranophone – the sound is primarily produced by the use of the bare hand
(palming), without striking devices.

Objectives:

 Characterize the different musical instruments of Southeast Asian countries through

Hornbostel-Sachs Classification of Musical Instruments.
 Appreciate the East Asian culture in terms of its vocal and instrumental music.
 Produce and present a song presentation.

Learning Competencies

The Learner:

1. listens perceptively to the music of East Asia;

2. sings songs of East Asia;
3. analyzes musical elements of selected songs and instrumental pieces heard and
performed;
4. explores ways of producing sounds on a variety of sources that would simulate
instruments being studied; and
5. evaluates music and music performances applying knowledge of musical elements
and style.

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Musical Instruments of East Asia

Chinese Instruments

 Sheng – mouth organ with 17 pipes

 Di – transverse flute
 Erhu – kind of violin with two strings
 Ruan – long-necked lute, known as moon guitar
 Pipa – four-stringed pear-shaped lute
 Muyu – woodblock
 Yangqin – struck box zither / dulcimer

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Japanese Instruments

 Shakuhachi – a bamboo flute with four holes

 Biwa – a Japanese version of P’ipa with four strings and frets
 Tsuzumi
 Sho – a mouth organ made of bamboo or wood
 Taiko

Korean Instruments

 Piri – cylindrical bamboo similar to an oboe

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 Kwaenggwari – a small gong struck with a wooden mallet

 Gayageum – twelve-stringed zither similar to Koto of Japan
 Geomungo – six-stringed zither
 Janggu – an hour glass shaped drum
 Daegum
 Taepyeongso

Vocal Music of East Asia – Sakura

In spring, the beautiful but short-lived Sakura, flowering cherry tree—Japan’s most
celebrated plant whose blossom is the national flower—powerfully symbolizes the transient
splendor of human life. In learning the vocal music of a particular country, the following are
the activity (processes) which should execute by the class:

1. Song Analysis – the background of the composition should be learned first in order
to know and appreciate the nature of the song, as well as in terms of musical
elements involved.
2. Song Familiarization – the student in this part will familiarize the song by singing (a
by teacher) and/or by listening to the sample audio (with or without instrumental
accompaniment).
3. Song Execution – the student will execute (learning) the song by means of the rote
method (teacher first then a student), and applied by the law of exercise, repeating
the melodic patterns.
4. Song Interpretation – the student will perform the song among them through an
identified rubric.

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The “Sakura” melody has been popular since the Meiji, and the lyrics in their present form
were attached then. The tune uses a pentatonic scale known as the In Sen, or in modern
Western music theory, the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale.

Original Lyrics:

sakura sakura yayoi no sora wa

mi-watasu kagiri
kasumi ka kumo ka nioi zo izuru
izaya izaya mini yukan

English Translation:

Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, Across the spring sky,

As far as the eye can see.
Is it mist, or clouds? Fragrant in the air.
Come now, come now, Let’s go and see them!

Processing Questions:

1. What is the time signature of Sakura?

2. What tonal system was used in the song Sakura?
3. How does the mood characterized in terms of the melody and context of the song
Sakura?
4. What country does Sakura originate from?
5. What type of song is Sakura?

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Bibliography

Department of Education (2014). Music and arts - grade 8 learner’s material. Pasig City:
Department of Education.

Morales, G. S. et. al. (2014). Music, arts, physical education, and health grade 8. Sampaloc,
Manila: St. Augustine Publications, Inc.

Tabuena, A. C. (2018, July 15). Vocal music of Southeast Asia. [Web log post]. Retrieved
from https://actmusicguide.wordpress.com/2018/07/15/vocal-music-of-southeast-asia

Thompson, B. (2018). Songs. [Web log post]. Beth’s Notes Music Education & Inspiration.
Retrieved from https://www.bethsnotesplus.com/alphabetical-index-2

Other References:

Malm, W. P. (2015, Sept. 17). Japanese music. [Web log post]. Encyclopædia Britannica,
Inc. Retrieve from https://www.britannica.com/art/Japanese-music/Tonal-system

Sakura: A musical celebration of the cherry blossoms. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

Retrieved from
https://folkways.si.edu/sakura-a-musical-celebration-of-the-cherry-blossoms/world/mus
ic/album/smithsonian

To cite this article (APA Style 7th Edition) - from Music Classroom Guide: Asian
and Contemporary Music:

Tabuena, A. C. (2018, August 6). Instrumental and vocal music of East Asia. Music
Classroom Guide: Asian and Contemporary Music.
https://actmusicguide.wordpress.com/2018/08/06/instrumental-and-vocal-music-of-e
ast-asia/

Instruction to cite this article (APA Style 7th Edition) - from ResearchGate:

Replace the link (from the suggested citation above) with the DOI specified in the
article (located below the article title).

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