November 1, 2024, Taro Ishida’s new masterpiece of modern gagaku, "Ranjo ", has been officially released (see Taro's streaming Gagaku Tun 10 for more details).
For those who have had the chance to listen, did you feel it? Did you experience it?
The layered fusion of “gagaku instruments with Western strings” and “strings tuned to 430Hz”... and the beginning of a new era of gagaku.
In light of today’s release, I’d like to spotlight “Taishiki-cho Netori”, which accompanies this release.
◆What is the Original "Taishiki-Tone Prelude"?
Within gagaku, there are six distinct tonal styles for orchestral compositions in the Tang music tradition (aTaishiki, a tone that, like Hyōjō (another traditional scale), centers around a pitch comparable to the E-note in Western music.
Each of these six scales has a unique netori, a short piece played in a specific sequence to establish the main tone before the actual performanshō (mouth organ), followed by hichiriki (double reed), ryūteki (transverse flute), and finally kakko (drum) providing rhythm, with the biwa (lute) and koto (zither) joining toward the end. The final note played on the koto signals the main tone for the upcoming performance.
Netori varies subtly with each unique arrangement and performer, as players attune their breaths and responses, creating a music that is more of a shared experience than a set composition.
◆Taro’s Version of “Taishiki-cho Netori,”
Without altering the original score, Taro has incorporated violin, viola, and cello into the flow of instruments entering in succession – shō, hichiriki, ryūteki, and so on. This infuses the timeless sounds of gagaku with a hint of the austere resonance of stone-walled churches.
Taro: The world of gagaku (traditional Japanese court music) and that of Western music sound in parallel. Occasionally, though, the violin subtly mimics a phrase played on the ryuteki. So, while they’re separate parallel worlds, there’s a faint connection between them.
Aoyagi: It’s as if these two worlds are moving in tandem, layered and overlapping. Almost like a mirror of this life.
Taro: Exactly. The music embodies a simultaneous existence—gagaku and classical, each with its own life but occasionally intersecting and interacting. Imagine someone playing the ryuteki in Japan’s Heian period while, somewhere in Europe, someone unknowingly plays the same melody on a flute. It’s that kind of feeling.
Aoyagi: It’s like sensing the breath of someone in a far-off world. If people could live with that feeling, maybe we wouldn’t have wars.
Taro: I agree.
Aoyagi: It’s such a beautiful idea. What themes are woven into this piece?
Taro: The worlds run parallel, rooted in a serene world of death—not a sorrowful death, but a peaceful, quiet one.
Aoyagi: Life exists because death exists.
Taro: You could say it’s about that contrast. "Ranjo" represents an active life, while “Taishiki-cho Netori” is life in stillness. I didn’t initially set out to create this world; adding strings to the “Taishiki-cho Netori” just naturally brought about that sense of death. The original piece was meant to attune instruments, but with the strings, it acquired a “scent of death.”
Combining classical and gagaku music is challenging because of their different technical and theoretical roots. The moment one side takes over, the balance shifts. Only timeless themes, like life and death, or universal movement, can truly bridge both worlds.
Aoyagi: This music transcends borders, races, time, and even eras.
Taro: In the future, I might create a piece leaning more toward classical, but for now, when both are in balance, the theme naturally becomes universal.
Aoyagi: Earlier, you mentioned that adding strings brought out a “scent of death.” Does that mean gagaku has a strong life energy?
Taro: Gagaku feels like a natural phenomenon, while strings represent emotion, as if from the human world.
Aoyagi: Death exists in nature, too.
Taro: When someone dies in a forest, nature is indifferent—just observing, “Ah, something has died.” The forest witnesses death daily. If that’s death in gagaku, then classical music represents a more dramatic death. I appreciate both.
Aoyagi: So do I.
Taro: Right?
Somewhere in the world, life and death circulate, and though time passes equally, these separate moments flow alongside one another, sometimes unaware, sometimes converging. Toward a quiet death, toward a new life. The poignant resonance, like the sun’s light shining evenly on all, envelops me in an unprejudiced, compassionate embrace.
How did this make you feel?
*To listen to Taro Ishida’s new releases, Ranjo and Taishiki-cho Netori, check streaming services or the following links:
https://artists.landr.com/055855754134
Special Performances and Exhibitions in 2025
For additional details, please visit: https://drftr.co.jp/ranjotour/
Written by Atsuko Aoyagi / ao.Inc.
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