Pépé on a Spring Day - Irino, Yoshiro - PTNA Piano Music Encyclopedia

Irino, Yoshiro : Pépé on a Spring Day

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Work Overview

Music ID : 4090

Composition Year：1967　
Instrumentation：Piano Solo　
Genre：for children
Copyright：Under Copyright Protection

Commentary (2)

Author : Sudoh, Eiko

Last Updated: April 21, 2018

[Open]

Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

“Pepe's Day” is a piano work for children composed in 1967. It consists of three pieces: “Chatterbox,” “Prim and Proper,” and “Goody-Two-Shoes.” It is included in Volume 1 of “Contemporary Piano Pieces for Children,” commissioned and edited by Toho Gakuen School of Music for Children from leading composers.

Irino was a pioneer in introducing the twelve-tone technique, a German avant-garde music style, to Japan in the 1950s. As he stated, “To give each of the three pieces a distinct character, I conceived them based on different intervals,” he composed the pieces drawing inspiration from twelve-tone interval relationships.

1. “Chatterbox” Allegro

A piece centered on second intervals. Lively chatter unfolds as major seconds and minor seconds alternate, and whole-tone scales of major seconds or chromatic scales of minor seconds appear.

2. “Prim and Proper” Andante

Centered on fourth or fifth intervals. The prim melody from the beginning reappears multiple times, modulating as it does.

3. “Goody-Two-Shoes” Moderato assai, cantabile

A piece centered on third intervals. Melodies intertwine contrapuntally, but a somewhat humorous atmosphere pervades due to the differing tonalities (polytonal) of each.

Writer: Sudoh, Eiko

Author : Sudoh, Eiko

Last Updated: April 21, 2018

[Open]

Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

“Pépé on a Spring Day” is a piano work for children composed in 1967. It consists of three songs, 'Babbling', 'Look Serious' and 'Good Baby!'. This work is included in the first volume of “Album of Piano Pieces for Children by Japanese Contemporary Composers,” commissioned and edited by Toho Gakuen Music school for children.

The composer Irino was the leading expert who introduced the German avant-garde twelve-tone music to Japan in the 1950s. Even in this work, as he said, “I thought of songs based on different pitches in order to give features to three songs”. Irino composed songs according to the pitch ideas as in the twelve-tone music.

I. Babbling (Allegro)

This music turns around the second interval. Active chatting is carried out while major second and minor second are alternately repeated, or appears a whole tone scale by major seconds or a chromatic tone scale by chromatic scale.

II. Look Serious (Andante)

This song turns around the fourth and fifth intervals. The beginning melody which seems serious appears repeatedly while modulating.

III. Good Baby! (Moderato assai, cantabile)

This music turns around the third interval.

Melodies are played like dialogue as a counterpoint, but each tonality is different (polytral), so this music is heard as if it has a humorous atmosphere somewhere.

Writer: Sudoh, Eiko