Programs of public concerts of gagaku

Most concerts of gagaku are composed of two parts, with a first half of kangen instrumental performance and a second half of bugaku dance. There are several generally accepted rules as to how a program is constructed.

First, the kangen section of a performance always begins with a netori, the short instrumental prelude for the mode to which the pieces to be performed belong. The pieces are then arranged with longer, slower pieces before shorter, more rhythmic ones. For the bugaku section of a performance, dances are performed with a Dance of the Left before a Dance of the Right. In many cases, dances that make up traditional tsugaimai pairs, with similar characteristics, are chosen.

If vocal music is included in the kangen section, saibara songs appear early in the program, and rōei songs later. In the rare case when pieces in different modes are included in a single kangen performance, the netori instrumental prelude for the new mode is always performed when the mode changes.

This in the common program structure; some groups have their own ways of structuring programs, and there is much variety.

Bugaku dance programs are often structured in different ways as well. This may relate to time restrictions and limitations on the number of performers, but is often brought about by a concern to show a greater variety of costume types in a single performance. Tsugaimai pairs generally use costumes of the same type, so there is a tendency to avoid these pairs when variety is viewed as more important.