Nobutoki, Kioyoshi : KONOHA SHU
Work Overview
Instrumentation：Piano Solo
Genre：pieces
Copyright：Public Domain
Commentary (2)
Author : Nakatsuji, Maho
Last Updated: May 21, 2014
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Author : Nakatsuji, Maho
Nobutoki Kiyoshi primarily focused his creative activities on vocal works, leaving behind only about 20 instrumental pieces. However, Konoha-shū (Collection of Leaves), consisting of 15 short pieces rich in musical ideas, demonstrates Nobutoki's high expressive power and can be considered one of his representative piano works.
Nobutoki, who studied in Germany from 1922 (Taisho 11), brought back approximately 1,000 music books and scores upon his return. Among these, about 130 volumes were related to J.S. Bach, and numerous scores by Beethoven and Brahms were also found. However, he was by no means a narrow-minded musician who would not listen to, learn, or compose modern music; he left behind writings on Schoenberg and Bartók, and when composition students at the Tokyo Music School (now Tokyo University of the Arts), where he taught, brought works attempting "new" expressions, he showed understanding, nodding without being rigid. He even attempted to incorporate atonal music and jazz, which were cutting-edge at the time, into his own works on occasion. Glimpses of this can be felt in Konoha-shū as well. Even a glance at the score reveals a variety of evocative titles such as "Wabishiki Jazz" (Melancholy Jazz) and "Russia no Inaka Odori" (Russian Country Dance).
Regarding this work, the composer stated: "It was composed in 1936 for young people who, having received early education, were gradually emerging into the world around that time, capable of reading scores quickly and possessing considerable performance skills. Since the musical character and difficulty vary, one may play any number of pieces according to their preference." (From Nobutoki Kiyoshi Piano Works, Shunjusha, 1958). Furthermore, according to the composer, "All my piano pieces are based on an educational perspective, much like the poet Miyazawa Kenji wrote children's stories that could be read by both children and adults. Konoha-shū is also intended to be playable by those who have studied piano for a short time, yet aims for considerable depth in expression."
Nobutoki composed many "renkyoku" (song cycles or series of pieces), such as "Tanka Renkyoku" (Tanka Song Cycle), "Shōkyoku Gosho" (Five Short Pieces), and "Rokutsu no Butōkyoku" (Six Dance Pieces). Regarding Konoha-shū, a clear overall consistency was not intended; instead, it is like a diary of occasional impressions.
Incidentally, 1936 (Showa 11), the year Konoha-shū was composed, was the year before the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War. Sara and Umi Yukaba, counted among Nobutoki's representative works, were composed around the same time, suggesting that his creative activities were flourishing during this period. Umi Yukaba, a commissioned work by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), was sung as frequently as, or even more frequently than, Kimigayo during World War II, and was even called "the second national anthem." Due to its performance during student mobilizations and repeated broadcasts on radio alongside reports of "gyokusai" (honorable death), it was long suppressed after the war. However, Umi Yukaba, which, despite its simplicity, maximized the beauty of C major harmony and melody, has seen its value re-evaluated in recent years.
Kiyoshi Nobutoki approached composition with sincerity, using only the sounds he believed in for all his musical pieces. Konoha-shū, in particular, is a work imbued with his sense of mission as an educator and his exploratory spirit in pursuit of creativity as a composer, while also allowing one to fully appreciate the richness of the piano's timbre.
Author : Nakatsuji, Maho
Last Updated: June 30, 2014
[Open]
Author : Nakatsuji, Maho
Konoha-shū (Collection of Leaves) comprises fifteen short pieces, each possessing a distinct emotional quality, and new appeal is discovered through their interrelation. Kiyoshi Nobutoki composed many 'linked pieces' (renkyoku), including Sara, and his keen sensitivity to the arrangement of movements is particularly noteworthy.
At the beginning of the first edition of Konoha-shū, published by Kyōeki Shōsha Shoten in 1936 (Shōwa 11), the following statement can be found:
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In addition to performing all fifteen pieces sequentially as a linked set, each number may also be regarded as an independent piece, allowing for arbitrary selection or arrangement for performance. When arranging them, for example:
- A. I. II. VI. IX. X. XII.
- B. I. IV. V. VII. VIII. XI. XII. XIII XV.
- C. I. II. III. V. VI. VII. IX. XII.
As shown above, please consider an appropriate arrangement, taking into account the character of the pieces, the difficulty of the techniques, the required duration, etc.
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Furthermore, another section states, "When performing all fifteen pieces continuously, it may be permissible to replay I here as the final piece."
These notes are recorded in the autograph score and are instructions provided by the composer himself. The autograph score (fair copy), bound with thread and measuring 32 cm in height and 24 cm in width, contains Konoha-shū written in pencil, and in addition to the aforementioned texts, a series of Roman numerals, such as "I, II III II," can be seen, written over erasures. From the score, interspersed with red lines and symbols, one can discern traces of the composer exploring the performance order. While the end of the autograph score bears the inscription "December, Shōwa 10," an autograph sketch dated "February 12, Shōwa 10" also remains, in addition to this fair copy.
In addition to the first edition by Kyōeki Shōsha Shoten, Konoha-shū is also included in Kiyoshi Nobutoki Piano Works (published by Shunjūsha in 1958 [Shōwa 33]) and "Selected Contemporary Japanese Piano Works" (1964, Kawai Gakufu). In 2005 (Heisei 17), a reprint edition was also published by Shunjūsha. Considering both the content of the work and the fact that it has been continuously included in various collections, there is no doubt that Konoha-shū is one of his representative piano works.
Principal References
- Kiyoshi Nobutoki Autograph Score, Konoha-shū (Collection of Tokyo University of the Arts Library).
- Published Score, Piano Pieces: Konoha-shū (Kyōeki Shōsha Shoten, 1936).