Japanese Music and Instruments
A study of Japan's musical history and life, including: music of Shinto and Buddhism; music of the court and theater (gagaku, nogaku, kabuki); music of Japan's instruments (biwa, shakuhachi, koto, and shamisen); folk and popular music; demonstration of selected instruments; and introduction to notation systems. The class will examine Chinese and other Asian influence on traditional Japanese music, as well as later cross-cultural influence between the Japan and other cultures around the world.