Printed set (Score & Parts)
Piccolo
Flute 1
Flute 2
Oboe 1/2
Bassoon 1/2
Eb Clarinet
Bb Clarinet 1 (div.)
Bb Clarinet 2 (div.)
Bb Clarinet 3 (div.)
Eb Alto Clarinet
Bb Bass Clarinet
Eb Contra-alto Clarinet
Bb Contrabass Clarinet
Bb Soprano Saxophone
Eb Alto Saxophone 1 (div.)
Eb Alto Saxophone 2
Bb Tenor Saxophone (div.)
Eb Baritone Saxophone
Bb Trumpet 1 (div.)
Bb Trumpet 2
Bb Trumpet 3
Flugelhorn 1/2
F Horn 1/2
F Horn 3/4
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Trombone 3
Euphonium
Tuba (div.)
String Bass
Harp
Piano
[Percussion 1] Timpani
[Percussion 2] Chimes, Wood Blocks, Wind Chime, Marimba, Snare Drum, 3 Toms, Vibraphone, Suspended Cymbal
[Percussion 3] Vibraphone, Xylophone, Wind Chime, Suspended Cymbal, Chimes, Bass Drum
[Percussion 4] Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbal, Wood Blocks, Bass Drum, Tam-tam, Tom-toms, Glockenspiel, Marimba
[Percussion 5] Tam-tam, Bass Drum, Bongos, Glockenspiel
[Percussion 6] Bongos, Tam-tam, Bass Drum, Tsuke
Some of my work comes from the request of Mr. Seiji Sagawa, and there will likely be more in the future. The first of these is "Nobunaga - a shaft of light in the Renaissance." To borrow Mr. Sagawa's words, it is part of a series themed around "the tragedy of heroes." The second piece in this series, written the following year, is "The Land of Great Promise - Chingis Khan."
Mr. Sagawa requested a piece themed around Nobunaga. I have no interest in "descriptive music" or "music that merely sketches impressions," so I explored how to refine this request into something that resonated with me. In my research, I discovered that Western music was first introduced to Japan during Nobunaga's time and that Nobunaga was the first warlord to hear Western music. While there are no precise records of what music he heard, it is likely that he listened to Josquin des Prez's "Mille Regretz," a popular piece in the West at the time. This discovery thrilled me. The unexpected connection between Nobunaga and the reception of Western music in Japan, along with the overlapping imagery of the acceptance of Christianity, which naturally comes to mind when considering the reception of Western music, was fascinating.
As you know, Nobunaga was a strong supporter of Christianity, but after his time, it faced tragic persecution and eventually became an underground culture along with the country's isolation policy. Western music faced a similar fate, not being re-engaged by Japan until the Meiji Restoration. This background inspired me to explore the relationship between Western music, Japan, and the Japanese people, a perspective that also influenced my composition of "Chingis Khan" in the "Tragedy of Heroes" series.
The piece is unified by melodic motifs derived from "Mille Regretz" and is based on a mix of church modes and pentatonic scales. I aimed to achieve changes in color by adjusting the balance of these modes to match the images of Nobunaga's will and the hardships of acceptance.
(Eiji Suzuki)
World Parts Download
