Original Anthem: Kimigayo
Country: Japan
Style: 6/8 Blues
“Haiku” is derived from material in the opening and closing phrases of the Japanese national anthem, “Kimigayo”.
It was Irishman, William Fenton, who composed the music for the first version of “Kimigayo” in 1869 when Japan was modernising following the end of the shogunate in the 1860s, and the Meiji restoration of imperial rule to Japan in 1868. This version proved to be unpopular, however, as it was too western, and a more traditional melody was agreed in 1888. The lyrics, though, are a waka poem from a much older classical Japanese period, from about 790 to 1200. After 1945, with the defeat of Japan, “Kimigayo” was retained as the national anthem.
Appropriately, the melody of “Haiku”, here performed on the flute-like baroque tenor recorder, is pseudo-haiku in its organisation of notes in three phrases—7-5-7 1st head; 5-7-5 2nd head—and is 11 bars in length, the same as “Kimigayo”. Harmonically, it has a D Dorian and G Mixolydian modal organisation, thus also mimicking the approximate modes (Yu-type and Shang-type modes) used in kangen music of the gagaku classical instrumental style. With a steady triple metre though, “Haiku” is essentially an 11-bar 6/8 modal blues.
Instrumentation
Renaissance tenor recorder: Charlie Hearnshaw
Piano: Chris Lee
Acoustic bass: Neil Todd
Drums: Tony Plato
