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Home > Sukegawa, Toshiya > CHIISANA SHIKI

Sukegawa, Toshiya : CHIISANA SHIKI

Work Overview

Music ID : 17440
Composition Year:1971 
Publication Year:1971
First Publisher:全音楽譜出版社
Instrumentation:Piano Solo 
Genre:pieces
Copyright:Under Copyright Protection

Commentary (1)

Author : PTNA Piano Encyclopedia Editorial Department

Last Updated: June 21, 2012
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Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

From Forests and Fields - Seeking Songs of Wind, Clouds, and Light...

Composer's Words

This collection of pieces was composed by capturing the changing seasons of nature and the ecology of various small insects within them, viewed through the lens of a fairy tale. The original foundation for these pieces was music composed for a program introducing insect ecology, which was broadcast on NHK Educational TV for approximately one year. However, while the original works were for chorus and small instrumental ensembles, these new pieces were entirely re-conceived and completed as piano solos from the very beginning. Therefore, in that sense, they are completely distinct from the original works; these are purely conceived and created for the piano.

However, Mr. Furukawa's poems, which served as the lyrics, were so wonderful that I decided to include them with the musical scores. These poems, which pour overflowing love and poetic sentiment into the small creatures that secretly continue to live in a corner of nature, became a great source of inspiration for me, as someone who loves animals. Between their lines, I felt the coldness of an early spring wind and heard the whispers of forest trees and the sound of a stream flowing through a valley.

In fact, these pieces have become indispensable to me in a different sense than my works in more specialized fields.

I believe this is because they are accessible, understandable to anyone, playable by anyone, and also because there is something that can only be expressed through such accessible music.

These pieces are now an irreplaceable and precious part of myself, just like my orchestral and chamber works.

The entire collection is divided into four parts: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Since the actual progress of composition largely coincided with this division, the transitions of the seasons are reflected even more deeply: the brightness of spring, the freshness of early summer, the tranquility of autumn, and the severity of winter.

For some of the pieces, unforgettable memories still remain.

For example, “Lullaby of the Earwig” from the “Winter” section: on the day I composed this piece, late February snow fell in Tokyo. Amidst the soft spring snow that had accumulated white and the damp, cold air, I wrote this piece while thinking of early spring somewhere in the distant mountains. The entire mood of that time is reflected in this piece.

On the other hand, I particularly strove to prevent these pieces from becoming incomplete as instrumental works by leaning too heavily on such emotions. My goal was to make them as simple and complete as possible. I endeavored to avoid unnecessary notes, use as few notes as possible, and employ simple techniques. Therefore, with one or two exceptions, most pieces should be fully playable with elementary technique. Furthermore, because their simplicity is the result of a concentrated essence, they are also suitable as practice pieces for repeated playing.

The reason I dared not add the subtitle “for children,” despite the fairy-tale nature of the content, is that they are suitable for adult emotions as well, not just children. Of course, they are also appropriate in terms of content and technique for use as practice pieces for children.

For those living in cities now, forests, fields, and the sky have become distant. Even insects have become department commodities in this world, but I believe the longing for nature still lives even more deeply in everyone's heart.

If this small collection can convey the sound of rustling leaves in the forest, the scent of grass in the field, and the cold sensation of a stream flowing between rocks to the hearts of those who play them, that is the composer's entire wish.

Furthermore, the division into Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter followed a natural sense of the seasons rather than a calendar-based one.

Also, throughout the entire collection, several thematic motives appear cyclically to create a sense of unity.

Movements (26)

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Scores List (1)