Pilgrimage : Spring for Violin, Violoncello and Piano / Ken'ichi Masakado [score and parts]

Score and Parts

Pilgrimage : Spring for Violin, Violoncello and Piano

Composed by Ken'ichi Masakado (正門研一)
 
Duration：9'40"

Publisher：Golden Hearts Publications（ONSA）

Printing Material：Color fine paper

Program notes:

I think that people are quietly seeing their own “future”, through the “past”, against the “present”, which is the starting point.
The title is because this work is on basis of “Oita Saigoku Junrei-Uta (Pilgrimage song)” and old folk song “Sakura (Cherry blossoms)”.  Title doesn’t indicate the particular landscape nor sound. However, this work may reflect the people who is seeing their “past”, quietly, and seeking for their “future”, and also their distresses and troubles. On the other hand, I was also looking for a new way, or, “future”, through those two “past”, “Oita Saigoku Junrei-Uta” and “Sakura”. In that sense, myself might be reflected on this work, and at the same time, composing this work may be my “Pilgrimage”.
(From the Program Note at the first performance)

In summer of 2015, Hirohiko Tamura (an emeritus professor of Oita University) talked to me about sending my work to the group “Ibuki”, which is officiated over by him, so that my work would be performed in concert “Furusato Oita-no Hibiki”. The point of this concert is to show new arrangements of Oita folk songs and pieces which are related to Oita (Oita is one of prefectures in Japan). He kindly lent many data, and I looked for main piece. On this process, I was especially attracted by “Oita Saigoku Junrei-Uta”. This may be because I composed “Homage for Wind Band” in 2014. The stage of this work is Sasaguri Town in Fukuoka prefecture, which is well known by “The pilgrimage course of Sasaguri Shikoku 88 sacred places”. Nowadays, I don’t think many people sing this song. There was no sound source for reference, and there was only a transcription by a researcher. How should the song be performed? I made a large subject on myself.
The concert would be held in early spring. Therefore, I would have liked to put other element which we could feel the spring, too. Consequently, I chose “Sakura”, which is a popular folk song, as another main piece. And, on “Oita Saigoku Junrei-Uta” and “Sakura”, there is a common scale structure, “Miyakobushi Scale”. On basis of Miyakobushi Scale, I added other elements, and structured a whole of this work.
The structure is as below;
Introduction: Elements of “Oita Saigoku Junrei-Uta” and “Sakura”
[A]: Monologue
[B]~: Song of Pilgrims (composition on Miyakobushi Scale)” and “Sakura”
[E]: Monologue
[F]: “Oita Saigoku Junrei-Uta”
[H]: Monologue
[I]~: Development (including Exposition of Five-tone series on “Miyakobushi Scale” and Development)
[O]: Monologue
[P]: Coda

The first performance was in 13th February of 2016, at “Horuto Hall Oita”, and by Keiichi Asaki (Violin), Shin’ichi Karashima (Violoncell), and Hideki Goto (Piano).

(Ken'ichi Masakado)

Reference music：

Instrumentation：