Description
The concepts of Japanese beauty, such as “wabi” and “sabi”, which are renowned worldwide, differ significantly from those of the Western tradition. While I won’t go into detailed explanations here, Japanese aesthetics encompass various facets, making it impossible to represent them all in a single piece of music. In this composition, I focused particularly on a sense of beauty rooted in the Buddhist concepts of “emptiness” (kū) and “impermanence” (mujō).
By utilizing slow pauses and leaps between sounds, significant changes in timbre between notes, and blending traditional Japanese scales with Western major, minor, and ecclesiastical modes, I sought to express a uniquely Japanese aesthetic.
I aimed to create music that reflects “transience” while also revealing “hope,” inspiring the strength to face life’s challenges.
Composition, baroque lute: Nao Sogabe
This is the original version. You can find the extended version here.
