Musical Representations of Japan in the Work and Thought of Shinkō Sakkyokuka Renmei, 1930–1940

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Musical Representations of Japan in the Work and Thought of Shinkō Sakkyokuka Renmei, 1930–1940 University of Helsinki Finland “March from the Age of Imitation to the Age of Creation” Musical Representations of Japan in the Work and Thought of Shinkō sakkyokuka renmei, 1930–1940 Lasse Lehtonen ACADEMIC DISSERTATION Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by due permission of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki in lecture room 12 on the 20th of April, 2018 at 12 o’clock. ISBN 978-951-51-4176-7 (pbk.) ISBN 978-951-51-4177-4 (PDF) Unigrafia Helsinki 2018 Abstract Japan in the 1930s was a culturally complex land combining various syntheses and juxtapositions of Western and Japanese culture and thought. After decades of enthusiastic adoption of Western culture and technology, Japanese society turned to a revaluating of traditional culture. This trend was also seen in the arts, and music was no exception. One phenomenon that perfectly exemplifies the cultural contradictions of Japanese tradition and Western modernity is Japanese-style composition—here defined as music based on Western principles of composition but adopting elements from traditional Japanese music and culture—which became a notable and debated new trend among Japanese composers in the late 1930s. The main objective of this thesis is to understand Japanese-style composition as a phenomenon in the complex musical and social sphere of the 1930s: what it was musically, why it emerged, and how it related to the social developments of the time. To accomplish this, the present study discusses the Japanese elements in the musical work and thought—as encountered in their writings and interviews—of the founding members of the composer group Shinkō sakkyokuka renmei (Federation of Emerging Composers), founded in 1930. Several previous studies have recognized these founding composers as the frontline of both modern expression and Japanese-style composition in Japan at that time, but this thesis is among the first to discuss them in detail and to examine the trend of Japanese-style composition as one example of the general traditionalist trends of the period. By adopting Carl Dahlhaus’s structural study of history and the examination of musical works in their socio-cultural context, this thesis discusses the works of Shinkō sakkyokuka renmei as musical discourses that convey the ideas and values of their time—both artistic and social. The approach is linked with studies emphasizing the “imaginary” and constantly changing nature of culture and nations. From this perspective, the thesis does not claim to recognize that which is, but which has been thought of as being Japanese. Thus, the adoption of Japanese elements is approached as a form of expression intentionally chosen by the composers, and identifying these musical elements—a procedure for which the thesis proposes a methodology— is considered to be the first step in enabling more contextualized analysis. The analysis focuses on four composers of Shinkō sakkyokuka renmei, due to their markedly different approaches to Japanese-style composition: Mitsukuri Shūkichi (1895–1971), Kiyose Yasuji (1900–1981), Hashimoto Kunihiko (1904–1949), and Matsudaira Yoritsune (1907–2001). Other founding members are also discussed, albeit more briefly. The results of this thesis suggest that Japanese-style composition in the 1930s was not a monolith, but followed various viewpoints and approaches. Not only did the use of Japanese elements result in different kinds of musical 3 approaches, but the motivations to adopt them ranged from the defense of the traditional Japanese way of life to the pursuit of the modernist aim of developing and renewing expression in Western-style music. These results suggest that prewar Japanese music introduced significantly more versatile viewpoints into Japanese-style composition than has been recognized to date—including even the use of relatively modern compositional techniques such as microtonality as a “Japanese element.” Despite the rise of nationalism in the 1930s, the work and thought of Shinkō sakkyokuka renmei does not support the view that Japanese-style composition, as a rule, expressed ultranationalism—although examples of that exist as well. Rather, the musical approaches adopted by each composer merge with the discourses of the time related to traditionalism, modernism, and nationalism, and reflect the confusion between Japanese and Western culture apparent in Japan of the time. Even in cases where the composers discussed Japanese elements deceptively as purely artistic expressions, many musical works also suggest that Japanese-style composition represented the expression of a Japanese identity in the context of Western-style music. From this perspective, both the musical and written works of each composer end up reflecting and constituting the social and cultural issues of their time. 4 Acknowledgements The completion of a thesis is not only the result of the work of one individual, but also all the people involved in the process. Of the great number of persons to whom I am indebted for influencing this research in one way or another, I will be able to name only a few here. First, this research would not have been possible without the generous support from the Research Foundation of the University of Helsinki. Having been able to focus on research and lecturing on Japanese culture and music at the university in an encouraging atmosphere for four years has been an extremely stimulating and educational experience, for which I am truly grateful. I had the very best supervisors I could have wished for. Docent Alfonso Padilla’s enthusiasm, devotion, and knowledge of music research have not only guided this study but also left a deep impression on my thinking. Professor Kai Lassfolk has been a great mentor, with his patient guidance in the process of academic thinking and thesis writing, as well as his always constructive comments. The invaluably perceptive comments and suggestions by the preliminary examiners, Professor Emeritus Bonnie C. Wade (University of California, Berkeley) and Professor Juha Ojala (University of Oulu), not only helped me to see the present thesis with new eyes, but also introduced new paths to follow in future research, for which I am truly grateful. Professor Emeritus Eero Tarasti deserves my deepest gratitude for having been incredibly supportive, beginning with his very first classes I ever took. I also warmly thank Professors Mikako Iwatake and Pirkko Moisala for their encouraging and supportive comments when I was doing my very first studies on Japanese music. The countless stimulating discussions with Mikko Ojanen and Esa Lilja have not only led into important scholarly realizations but also to friendships that I greatly value. I express my deepest gratitude to Merja Hottinen and Hanna Isolammi for meticulously reading an earlier version of this thesis, and for their insightful comments on the text. I am also grateful to Sergio Castrillón, Harri Mäcklin, Márta Schmidt, and Takemi Sosa, who have all given me valuable feedback during many long seminar sessions, and to David Forsman, Aleksi Haukka, and Henri Pitkänen for inspiring exchanges of opinions, as well as for their friendship. To Miika Pölkki, Aleksi Järvelä, and Leena Eerolainen I would like to state my thanks for introducing intriguing aspects to research in our shared—albeit admittedly large—topic, namely Japanese culture. Our academic discipline might still be small and somewhat dispersed in Finland, but it is, I believe, precisely the versatility of research topics that proves that we are going in the right direction. I warmly thank Senior Lecturer Milla Tiainen, Dr. Meri Kytö, and Dr. Riitta Rainio not only for our discussions, which have significantly expanded my 5 perspective on music research, but also for having such an encouraging attitude. I express my special thanks to Senior Lecturer Riikka Länsisalmi for having always been open to my research in the field of Japanese studies, and for working admirably hard to further the best teaching of Japanese language and culture at the University of Helsinki. I also thank Miwa Hämäläinen, Akane Suzuki, and Chikako Senge, for their great cooperation at the Finnish Teachers’ Association of Japanese Language and Culture, and look forward to working with them also in the future. I am indebted to Christopher TenWolde for patiently revising my English, and thus making this thesis more accessible for international readers. The tens or possibly hundreds of hours that I have spent in archives and libraries in Japan could not have been possible without financial support from the University of Helsinki and the Emil Aaltonen Foundation. The research period at the Nordic Institution of Asian Studies (NIAS) was a memorable experience, and I express my gratitude to the institution for offering such a wonderful opportunity. In addition, I thank the Japan Foundation, Centre Européen d’Etudes Japonaises d’Alsace, the University of Bucharest, and the International Musicological Society for providing me with funding to attend international conferences that have led to important realizations and fruitful contacts. All the discussions on Japanese music with Associate Professors Margaret Mehl and Gunnar Linder, and Dr. Kei Saitō and Dr. Jonathan Service, have been incredibly inspirational and significantly expanded my perspective on research of Japanese music. I would also like to thank collectively all the students that have taken my classes about Japanese culture and music: for their continuous enthusiasm, valuable comments, and interesting writings.
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