Utaimono: vocal settings of Japanese folksong and Chinese poetry
Wakan rōei-shū (Japanese and Chinese poems to sing), Masuda copy, 2nd scroll
Utaimono are arrangements of Japanese folksong and settings of Chinese poetry, accompanied by an instrumental ensemble of tōgaku (‘Tang music’) style, which developed during the Heian period (9th to 12th centuries). The former, based on ancient folksong and popular song, is known as saibara, while the latter, Japanese renditions of Chinese poetry, is known as rōei.
Saibara are accompanied by three wind and two stringed instruments, with a fixed rhythm led by the clapper shakubyōshi. In contrast, rōei are in a broad, free rhythm, and are accompanied only by the three winds. The instrumental accompaniment is called tsukemono (lit. ‘attached things’). The winds follow the outline of the vocal melody. The mouthorgan shō, which plays chords in the performance of bugaku and kangen, plays a melodic line without chords in these repertoires.
Both saibara and rōei are generally performed as parts of kangen concerts, between pieces of the tōgaku repertoire. The opening phrase is sung solo by the leading singer, after which the other singers join in. Both forms are sung in Japanese, saibara in the classical Japanese of the ancient period, and rōei in elegant Japanese renderings of Chinese poetry.
New vocal forms of the Heian period (9th to 12th centuries)
At the court of the Heian period, when gagaku was at its most popular, Emperors and other nobles enjoyed playing instruments and singing. Saibara songs derive from folk and popular songs brought to the capital by visitors from regional areas. They were taken into the music culture of the court, and arranged into two modal classes, ryo (major) and ritsu (minor). They were often performed between instrumental performances of kangen pieces, and developed within two competitive lineages of transmission, known respectively as Genke (Minamoto family) and Tōke (Fujiwara family).
Chinese poetry was also a popular element of court culture. The rōei genre became established as particularly popular couplets were set to formulaic melodies, and performed repeatedly as an elegant form of vocal music. Nobles of the time treasured talent in the accomplishments of what they called shiika-kangen, ‘Chinese poetry, Japanese poetry, pipes and strings.’
These vocal forms, however, declined during the medieval period, and only a limited number of pieces were revived during the Edo period (17th to 19th centuries). For instance, only six of the original repertoire of more than sixty saibara pieces were revived; all six, however, were performed widely at kangen concerts of the Heian period.
