Sound Spectrum Analysis: Ryūteki and Hichiriki Techniques as Performers of Structure and Mode in Etenraku

Abstract

Abstract:

This article explores the performance techniques of the gagaku winds, ryūteki and hichiriki, in the piece Etenraku in the hyō-jō mode. I use spectral analysis of Kunaichō recordings from throughout the twentieth century to demonstrate striking relationships between these more-than-ornamental performance techniques (pitch bending/sliding, microtonal pitch alteration, breath pulses, and pitched finger percussion) and both formal structure and mode in Etenraku.