Sketch of Dawn

Commissioned by the Otsu Symphonic Band and performed at the 2017 All Japan Band Competition. Being the 150th anniversary of the Great Meiji Era, this piece gives homage to the turbulent Meiji era and our predecessors who bravely lived through it.

In the heyday of imperialism after the Meiji Restoration, Japan was suddenly freed from its 300 years of national seclusion, and was striving to become a wealthy country with a strong military in order to confront the eastward expansion of the Western powers. Only 27 years after the Great Restoration, Japan won the Sino-Japanese War, and 10 years later, the Russo-Japanese War against the great power of Russia. The determination of the entire nation to protect Japan was profound.I believe this determination, which might be considered reckless, was the first step toward Japan's current prosperity. And it may be said that the sketch our predecessors drew with blood, sweat, and tears enabled the "Japan of the Future".

The music opens with a shocking signal-like triplet. The fragmented melody is an image of formless words that cannot be clearly described. It expresses the intense and straightforward emotions of people in unsettling situations. The Japanese melody in the middle is reminiscent of the good old days. It describes a spirit of quiet nostalgia for culture, spirituality, and beautiful landscapes that have been lost with modernization. The latter part of the music is inspired by the dawn of a radiant Japan, which has overcome the struggle.

(Yuichi Abe)