Appreciate
Outline
Although Ryūkaen (‘Garden of Willow Flowers’) once had a dance, it has been lost, and the piece is now only performed in kangen (‘pipes and strings’) style. It was originally in the mode taishikichō (on E), but was transposed to sōjō (on G) on imperial order during the Jōwa year-period (834–48), which corresponds to the reign of Emperor Ninmyō (810–50, r. 833–50). The original taishikichō version does not survive.
It seems that Ryūkaen was performed in two metrical forms, gakubyōshi and tadabyōshi, but the latter became standard since it was preferred by Emperor Horikawa (1079–1107, r. 1086–1107), who is known to have been an avid flute player.
Form of the piece
Ryūkaen takes the metrical form hayatada-yahyōshi hyōshi-nijūshi (24 repetitions of a cycle of 8 measures of alternating 2/4 and 4/4).
Most pieces of the tadabyōshi metrical type with alternating bars of different lengths have an energetic, rhythmic drive, but Ryūkaen’s gentle melody gives it a lighter rhythmic feel.
Points for appreciation
Ryūkaen is one of the longest pieces of the tadabyōshi metrical type. Its bright, elegant melody is very typical of pieces in the sōjō mode (on G).
