Japan's Nightingale Geisha Singers: Listening to Women Through Audio Media

IF 0.2 0 MUSIC
Gretchen Jude
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

This paper examines the emergence and disappearance of Japan’s geisha kashu recording stars over the course of the 20th century, delving into their extensive body of audio recordings, which includes songs by some of Japan's most important early popular composers. Clarifying the distinction between geisha and the geisha recording stars, this paper traces the relationship between “traditional” Japanese musical forms (specifically, the complex of short shamisen songs long associated with geisha) and the popular genres that also comprised the geisha stars' repertoire. While historical audio media provide a valuable resource for scholars and fans alike, unconscious habits and unexamined discourses of listening may lead to the replication of orientalist and sexist stereotypes—and ultimately a superficial experience of the music. As a corrective to such tendencies in audience reception, this paper gives an overview of the key cultural and historical contexts of the geisha recording stars, including their contributions to the careers of several of well-respected composers. Attending to the sometimes difficult circumstances faced by geisha recording stars (and their geisha sisters) may rectify the image of these critically neglected women artists, ultimately providing a necessary counterpoint to the predominance of male musicians and male-centred musical genres in the Japanese canon.
日本夜莺艺妓歌手:通过音频媒体倾听女性
本文考察了日本艺妓唱片明星在20世纪的出现和消失,深入研究了他们大量的录音,其中包括一些日本最重要的早期流行作曲家的歌曲。澄清了艺伎和艺伎录制明星之间的区别,本文追溯了“传统”日本音乐形式(特别是与艺伎长期相关的三味线短歌的综合体)与流行音乐类型之间的关系,这些流行音乐类型也构成了艺伎明星的曲目。虽然历史上的音频媒体为学者和乐迷提供了宝贵的资源,但无意识的习惯和未经检验的聆听话语可能会导致东方主义和性别歧视的刻板印象的复制,最终导致对音乐的肤浅体验。为了纠正这种听众接受的倾向,本文概述了艺妓唱片明星的主要文化和历史背景,包括他们对几位备受尊敬的作曲家的职业生涯的贡献。关注艺妓唱片明星(和她们的艺妓姐妹)有时面临的困难处境,可能会纠正这些被严重忽视的女性艺术家的形象,最终为日本经典中男性音乐家和以男性为中心的音乐流派的主导地位提供必要的对位。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
0.40
自引率
50.00%
发文量
0
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