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Satsuma Biwa: Lecture, Demonstration, and Concert
October 17, 2000
Satsuma Biwa: Lecture, Demonstration, and Concert
• Lecture and Demonstration by Professor Hugh De Ferranti (Assistant Professor of Asian Languages, Cultures & Music, University of Michigan)
• Concert of Satsuma Biwa narratives by the eminent artist Yoshinori Fumon
301 Philosophy Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM
Yoshinori Fumon
A Biwa is a short-necked plucked lute, of which various types are used for various kinds of music. The biwa is a distant relative of the European and of other Asian lutes, but derives immediately from the Chinese piba. The biwa was already used in court music in the 8th century, but in the 16th century a new type of biwa music grew out of an older style. To arouse the martial ardor of young men, biwa songs were composed on suitable themes, and this repertoire was continually added to over the years. The Satsuma biwa has remained the most popular of all biwa styles.
Prize winners of Japan-United States Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature and the Lindsley and Masao Miyoshi Translation Prize
Explore how Japanese writers use the supernatural to examine human nature.
