Best Concertos for Clarinet

Although I prefer the oboe among woodwind instruments, recently, I have also come to appreciate the clarinet with its rich variety of expression and its warm timbre - perhaps I am getting "mellow", too. The clarinet's expressive power has attracted composers like Mozart, Weber, Spohr, Mendelssohn, Krommer, Pleyel, Stamitz, Brahms and many others. So it is time to delve deeper into clarinet music!

The clarinet is a relative newcomer among woodwind instruments. It is generally believed to have been invented by the Nuremberg instrument maker Johann Christoph Denner (1655-1707) at the start of the 18th c., based on the more primitive chalumeau. The name comes from "clarinetto," a diminutive of the Italian "clarino," a type of trumpet, and points at its rich sound register of approximately 4 octaves (the largest of any woodwind instrument). 

The clarinet produces sound by means of a single reed attached to the mouthpiece.
A number of physical finger keys are attached to the cylindrical section and are used to vary the pitch. The configuration that is now standard was perfected by Klosé in the mid-nineteenth century, based on the ideas of Theobald Boehm, and is therefore called the "Boehm clarinet." For making a clarinet, since the second half of the 19th c., grenadilla wood has been mainly used. This wood is almost black in color and is also used for piccolos and oboes.

The clarinet's cylindrical bore distinguishes it from the oboe and saxophone, both of which have conical bores. Its warm tone in the low register can be extremely bright and even piercing in the high register. The soprano clarinet (in B♭) is the most common model, but there are also clarinets in A, E♭ or C.

In classical music, clarinets are part of the standard orchestra, which frequently includes two clarinetists playing individual parts - each player is usually equipped with a pair of standard clarinets in B♭ and A, and clarinet parts commonly alternate  several times between these instruments during a concert. Clarinet sections grew larger during the last few decades of the 19th century, often employing a third clarinetist, an E♭ or a bass clarinet. 

The clarinet is also widely used as a solo instrument. The relatively late evolution of the clarinet (when compared to other orchestral woodwinds) means that we have  almost no works from the Baroque era - the first concerto was written in the 1740s by Molter. In contrast, solo repertoire from the Classical and early Romantic periods is very rich. In the 1790s (when Mozart wrote his famous concerto) and the early 1800s many beautiful clarinet concertos saw the light of day. There is a dip in the high Romantic period, but the we see more concertos again in the 20th c., with a bulge in the 1940s.

The clarinet also plays an important role in chamber music, for example clarinet sonatas, clarinet trios, quartets and quintets. Here we will look at the concertos for clarinet, the chamber music will be discussed in another post.

So what are the best clarinet concertos?

1. Johann Melchior Molter, Clarinet Concerto in D (between 1743 and 1747)

Johann Melchior Molter (1696-1765) is a German Baroque composer who was influenced by Telemann (his teacher) and Lully, but also stood with one leg in early Classicism. He wrote five clarinet concertos, the earliest we know. He used a high clarinet in D with two keys. This instrument played well in the middle register with a loud, shrill sound, so it was given the name clarinetto meaning "little trumpet" (from clarino + -etto) - and indeed it not only has a trumpet-like sound, but is also treated as a trumpet by the composer. The deep register is not used and there are many trumpet-like fanfares.

Recording listened to: Thomas Friedli (clarinet) with South-West German Chamber Orchestra, Paul Angerer on Claves.

2. Johann Stamitz, Clarinet Concerto in B flat major (before 1757)

Johann Stamitz (1717-1757) came from an Austrian family of musicians. In 1745, he became court chapel master in Mannheim and made the orchestra consisting of excellent European top-class musicians famous throughout Europe. He thus became the founder of the so-called Mannheimer School, which had a great influence on the development of the symphony and the manner of orchestral playing. Stamitz developed a new orchestral style and gave the symphony a fourth movement in the form of the minuet; the wind instruments such as the clarinet were given more weight in the orchestra - the clarinet made its entry into the German court orchestras around 1750. Stamitz' music is stylistically transitional between Baroque and Classical periods.

His two sons, Carl and Anton Stamitz, were also active as instrumentalists and composers and especially Carl wrote many clarinet concertos (see below).

Listen to: Clarinet: Sérgio Pires; Orchestra: Musikkollegium Winterthur

3. Carl Stamitz, Concerto in B flat major for Two Clarinets and Orchestra (ca. 1780)

The new orchestral sound of the Mannheim court orchestra mentioned above, was partially due to the clarinet, which also became an epoch-making solo instrument. One of the instrument's foremost protagonists was Carl Stamitz (1745-1801), eldest son of Johann Stamitz. Eleven concertos for clarinet alone by Carl Stamitz (of which 9 are definitely by him) as well as several double concertos are known to us. At age 25, Carl moved to Paris where he became internationally famous as "Stamitz-fils." He became the musical director of the private orchestra of the Duke of Noailles, and also met the famous clarinet virtuoso Johann Beer, with whom he played together. One such composition is the present double concerto, which they performed at the "Concerts spirituels." One clarinet part can also be played on the violin, as in the recording below.

Nazar Yasnytskyy, violin, and Taras Demchyshyn, clarinet; Hibiki Strings of Japan.

4. Ignaz Pleyel, Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in C, Ben106 (before 1797, probably 1780s)

The problem with Pleyel's concertos is that each work survives in several settings - and solistic versions, respectively. One concerto (Ben104) is for example known in 9 versions for cello, but there are also versions of the same work for viola, clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon and fortepiano! The above concerto Ben106 is known in versions in C major for clarinet but also for cello and for flute. It was notated in C (and thus for a C clarinet) because that was the best common denominator for these 3 solo instruments (and it also meant it could be avoided to have several different versions for these instruments printed) - it was not because of any special ideas of sound. As the C clarinet has a rather sharp tone and is today almost never used for classical virtuoso concertos, the work is also often played transposed to the key of B flat. It is a superior work and is regarded as the most important clarinet concerto prior to Mozart, in which the whole palette of the clarinet is explored - it was first published in 1797, later than Mozart's concerto, but probably dates from the 1780s when Pleyel was active in Strasbourg.

Recording listened to: Dieter Kloecker, Clarinet, and Suedwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, conducted by Sebastian Tewinkel on CPO.

5. Antonio Rosetti, Concerto No. 1 in E flat major for Clarinet and Orchestra (ca. 1781)

This concerto by the Bohemian composer Antonio Rosetti (František Antonín Rössler, 1750-1792) was already in wide circulation during the 18th c. and also exists in a version for flute (transposed to G). It begins with an energetic Allegro assai - in this early work already pointing to the style of Rosettti's later symphonies. The high virtuosity of the clarinet is a sure indication of Rosetti's familiarity with virtuoso works for the instrument. The slow movement is a Romance which gives the opportunity for an intimate dialogue between clarinet and orchestra - not without a certain melancholy. A spirited Rondo concludes the concerto with a bouncy melody and virtuoso passage work. Rosetti's style in this concerto demonstrates a happy combination of French elements with melodies of Bohemian character.

Recording listened to: Dieter Kloecker, Clarinet, with SWR-Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg conducted by Holger Schroeter-Seebeck on CPO.

6. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Clarinet Concerto in A major K. 622 (1791)

Mozart wrote a magnificent work for clarinet, for Anton Stadler, a close friend and a clarinet and basset horn virtuoso in the Vienna Court Orchestra. The oboe has an almost uniform tone, whereas the clarinet is attractive in that its tone changes according to the lower, middle, and higher registers, allowing for a greater range and depth of expression. Mozart had already well grasped these characteristics of the clarinet, which was still a new instrument at the time, and especially made the lowest notes resonate well enough to create a contrasting effect with the higher notes. In this aspect, he is said to have set the precedent for Weber and other Romantic composers.

The fact that both the Clarinet Concerto and the Clarinet Quintet are in A major with the A clarinet instead of the more common B-flat clarinet, seems to have been Mozart's intention. A major, along with G minor, is a tonality that is perfectly suited to the qualities of Mozart's music, which always has a pleasantly lively and sensual mood, and this piece is incomparably beautiful because it blends these tones magnificently into the quiet, clear sound that is typical of Mozart's last years.

(Partly cited from my blog article Music in A Major) 

Listen to: Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Cornelius Meister, conductor, with Arngunnur Árnadóttir, clarinet.

7. Jean Xavier Lefèvre, Clarinet Concerto No. 4 in B flat (1797)

Another musician who was active in Paris was Swiss-born Jean Xavier Lefèvre (1763-1829, who wrote (among other works) six concertos for clarinet and a sinfonia concertante for clarinet and bassoon. He played the first clarinet in the Paris Grand Opera Orchestra and was one of the first clarinet teachers employed by the Conservatoire (founded in 1795), so that he exercised a lasting influence on the development of the new generation of French clarinettists. Besides that, he was also a pioneer of clarinet construction.

"The melodies of the almost symphonic first movement of the 4th concerto in B flat, put one in mind of Mozart. Lefevre shares a predilection for wide leaps with his pupil Henrik Crusell (see No. 11 below). Lefevre further complicates these with short thrills, which he also adds to rapid triplet runs in order to display his skill. The slow movement's sightly melancholy character is underlined by the first violins' descending chromatisms, The Rondo-Finale mixes tutti repeats of the main theme with a richly decorated G minor episode and brilliant sextuplets for maximum variety. The work ends with a thematic quote from the beginning." (Cited from liner notes by Walter Labhart)

Recording listened to: Eduard Brunner, Clarinet, with Muenchener Kammerorchester conducted by Reinhard Goebel on Tudor.

8. Antonio Casimir Cartellieri, Concerto for Two Clarinets & Orchestra in B flat major (1797)

Cartellieri was active in  Vienna during his short life and shares the period style with the young Beethoven. This concerto opens with a dramatic timpani stroke, like the two opening explosive chords of Beethoven’s Eroica. But it is also a light and merry concerto, with excitingly voluble dialogues of the two solo clarinets and a boisterous Rondo-finale. The orchestral outbursts display a dramatic impact and grandeur that go beyond Mozart and Haydn (and the presence of trumpets in the orchestration certainly contributes). The reflexive Larghetto may als remind of the middle movement of Beethoven's Violin Concerto, not just because of its identity of tempo indication, but because of the accompaniment from the strings' pizzicati that occurs at various points. The first movement also has not one but two cadenzas, which is something not often encountered in the music of the era. Cartellieri's double concerto was spurred, with many others by composers of the era, by the improvements of the instrument’s design and the appearance of new generations of virtuosi. 

Recording listened to: Dieter Klöcker and Sandra Arnold, clarinet, with Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra conducted by Pavel Prantl on MDG.

9. Joseph Leopold Eybler, Concerto in B flat major for Clarinet and Orchestra (1798)

A charming, refreshing concerto. Eybler's Clarinet Concerto in B-flat major was written in 1798, probably for Mozart's clarinetist Anton Stadler, the clarinet superstar of his times. Closely demonstrating the musical influences of Mozart and Haydn, it is a marvelous concerto by a truly underrated composer who deserves to be better known.

Although Joseph Leopold Edler von Eybler (1765 - 1846) was a contemporary and friend of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, he lived 55 years longer. Eybler was born into a musical family in Schwechat near Vienna. His father was a teacher, choir director and friend of the Haydn family. Joseph Eybler studied music with his father before attending Stephansdom (the cathedral school of St. Stephen's Boys College) in Vienna. He studied composition under Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, who declared him to be the greatest musical genius in Vienna apart from Mozart. He also received praise from Haydn who was his friend, distant cousin and patron.

Performance listened to: Eduard Brunner, clarinet, with Bamberg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Stadlmair on Tudor.

10. Franz Krommer, Clarinet Concerto in E flat Op 36 (1803)

A lyrical clarinet concerto that follows the classical model, with a long, engaging first movement containing a double exposition. The Adagio has a plaintive solo line while the finale skips along joyously, entirely untroubled. Krommer – a violinist himself – clearly loved writing for woodwinds, as he also composed two double clarinet concertos.

The Moravian composer František Vincenc Kramář (also: Franz Krommer, 1759 - 1831) studied in Vienna from 1785. Then he entered into various positions in Hungary, but in 1810 he returned to Vienna. After the death of Leopold Anton Kozeluch, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's successor, in the year 1818, Kramář was appointed imperial court composer and court chapel master at the court of the Emperor of Austria. 

As a composer, he wrote more than 300 works, including more than 100 string quartets, violin, oboe and clarinet concertos, works for harmony music, wind suites, masses and sacred music. In terms of style, he is in the tradition of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Haydn, but he also uses Hungarian elements in several compositions. 

Listen to: Clarinetist - Tang Weiguo; Guiyang Symphony Orchestra; Conductor - Yang Yang;

<

11. Bernhard Hendrik Crusell, "Grand" Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra No. 2 in F minor, Op.5 (1808)

One of the most celebrated clarinet concertos by Crusell, who was born in Finland, but studied and worked in Sweden, Germany and France. In 1803 he studied the clarinet in Paris under Lefebre, and later wrote three clarinet concertos. The layout of the three movements of this concerto is firmly classical, although here and there one notices the influence of Beethoven, for example in the concentrated and dramatic opening ritornello. But with the arrival of the clarinet the piece becomes predominantly lyrical, despite wide leaps and virtuoso passage-work. The slow movement is an Andante pastorale in D flat major and has much of the romantic warmth traditionally associated with that key. It is scored for clarinet and strings alone. Despite the return to F minor, the final Rondo is high-spirited and provides ample opportunity for technical display.

Listen to: Han Kim with Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Hannu Lintu.

12. Louis Spohr, Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in C Minor, Op.26 (1808)

The music of Louis Spohr displays fine craftsmanship within a conventional, bourgeois epoch between Classicism and Romanticism. His four clarinet concertos were inspired by Gotha clarinettist Johann Simon Hermstedt, who was known for the beautiful sound with which he played. The dramatic opening Adagio of the first concerto includes the germ of the first subject of the following Allegro, taken up by the clarinet and embroidered with brilliance. The same thematic material is the source of the lyrical second subject. The second movement, an Adagio, starts with a clarinet melody of moving simplicity and potential dramatic content. This serene movement gives way to the final Rondo, its principal theme announced by the clarinet. The lively movement  provides a brilliant conclusion to this fascinating concerto.

Listen to: Aron Chiesa with Brussel Philharmonic Orchestra, dir. Antonio Saiote

13. Philip Jakob Riotte, Clarinet Concerto in B-flat major Op. 24 (1809)

This clarinet concerto formed the debut as composer of Riotte - it was first performed in 1804 by clarinettist Hofmann, who deceived Riotte by selling it to a publisher and pocketing the money. So the composer changed the dedication and published the concerto with Breitkopf in 1809. The orchestral forces employed, the structure and the themes are based on the tradition of Mozart and Haydn. Its melodies are attractive and the harmonic progressions often provide surprising turns that already point toward romantic trends. In the solidly constructed first movement the technical capabilities of the clarinet are fully explored. The slow movement spotlights the cantabile character of the clarinet's middle range. The concluding rondo is typical for the time: the Polonaise rhythm employed was very popular at the turn of the century - and a final stretta is not lacking. A valuable addition to the clarinet repertoire.

Performance listened to: Dieter Kloecker, clarinet, with Stuttgarter Kammerorchester conducted by Gernot Schmalfuss on Novalis.

14. Johann Georg Heinrich Backofen, Concerto in B flat major for clarinet and orchestra, Op. 3 (1809?)

Johann Georg Heinrich Backofen (1768 – 1830?) was a German clarinetist, composer and painter. In his time Backofen enjoyed great fame; he was not only known as a composer for, and virtuoso of the clarinet, but also played the harp, flute and basset horn. His year of death is not known with certainty; a year of 1839 is found in some documents.

Backofen wrote three clarinet concertos, mainly for his own use, at a time when Spohr and Weber were also creating exceptional works for the clarinet. Backofen's concertos formed part of the early romantic atmosphere - especially in his slow movements he immersed himself in an emotional world which pointed ahead to the future. Qua form, Backofen was still based in Viennese Classicism. The solo winds in the orchestra play in splendid correspondence to the solo instrument. Interestingly, his concluding movements (as in this concerto) often possess a Spanish coloration.

Heartfelt music that is immediately accessible to the listener.

Recording listened to: Dieter Kloecker with SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern conducted by Johannes Moesus on CPO.

15. Weber, Clarinet Concerto no. 1 in F minor, Op. 73 (1811)

Written for the great Heinrich Baermann in 1811, Weber’s First Clarinet Concerto is an excellent showpiece. The opening movement has a lengthy, dramatic orchestral introduction before the clarinet steals in, eventually breaking into virtuoso display. The stormy nature of the movement shows itself to be quite capable of assimilating the clarinet's gift for lively melody and virtuosity., just as the beautiful song that opens the Adagio can yield naturally to bright arpeggios decorating it. The most original feature of the movement is the slow chorale-like melody on the horns, against whose sombre tone the clarinet utters a new melody. The finale is a nimble Rondo shot through with a wit that no one has quite seen in the clarinet's character before - there are soprano trills but also frequent descents into the instrument’s bass register.

Listen to: Jörg Widmann (clarinet, conductor) with the WDR Symphony Orchestra.

16. Ernesto Cavallini, Clarinet Concerto No 1 in E flat major (1827)

The Italian clarinettist Ernesto Cavallini (1807-1874) has been called "the Paganini of the clarinet." He became the principal clarinetist of La Scala and also taught at the Milan Conservatory. He also spent 15 years performing in St Petersburg from 1852 to 1867. Cavallini played on a six-key boxwood clarinet, which was considered an "outdated" instrument.

As a composer, he is best known for several small pieces as Adagio and Tarantella, Adagio Sentimental, his fantasies, and his 30 Caprices for Clarinet. Cavallini wrote two clarinet concertos. The present one in E flat major was written when the composer was just 20 years of age and premiered by him at the La Scala Theater. It has a classical form. The initial Allegro serves as an introduction and has long cadenzas of the clarinet. The Adagio cantabile has a singing and operatic character and the last Allegro develops some virtuoso variations. Cavallini cited Rossini as an influence in his compositions,

Recording listened to: Giuseppe Porgo, clarinet, with Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock conducted by Johannes Moesus on CPO.

 

17. Carl Nielsen, Clarinet Concerto (1928)

The most influential clarinet concerto of the 20th century is the Nielsen concerto. The Danish composer abandoned classical concerto form - the concerto consists of one long movement, with four thematic groups. It is full of mood swings, and technical solo passages.

The orchestra in this concerto has been reduced to what can be called a chamber orchestra; in addition to strings, there are only 2 bassoons, 2 horns and a small drum on stage. This snare drum has a very prominent role.

Listen to: Sebastian Manz, clarinet, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Dirigent: Herbert Blomstedt

18. Igor Stravinsky, Ebony Concerto for clarinet and jazz band (1945)

Igor Stravinsky wrote the Ebony Concerto in 1945 for the Woody Herman band. It is one in a series of compositions commissioned by the bandleader/clarinetist featuring solo clarinet, and the score is dedicated to him.

Stravinsky decided to create a jazz-based version of a concerto grosso, with a blues as the slow movement. The first movement is a sonata-allegro in B♭ major with a second subject in E♭ major. The second movement is a blues in F minor, turning to F major at the end. The finale is a theme and variations with a coda. The final variation, marked "Vivo", features the solo clarinet in one last virtuoso display.

Listen to: Chris Richards, clarinet, with London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle

19. Paul Hindemith, Clarinet Concerto (1947)

Paul Hindemith's Clarinet Concerto is the first of a series of concertos for wind instruments composed between 1947 and 1949. It was written in 1947 for Benny Goodman, who premiered it in 1950 with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy.

In neo-classical style, it is composed of four movements: the first is a symphonic allegro, very lyrical and full of energy; the second is a complex and witty scherzo; the third is a very graceful pastoral; and the last movement is a lively rondo, which underlines Hindemith's interest in the clarinet as a lyrical instrument.

Listen to: Adrián Hernández Altelarrea, clarinet, with 'Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel' Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dirk Vermeulen

20. Aaron Copland: Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra (1948)

Benny Goodman himself commissioned Aaron Copland to write him a clarinet concerto in 1947 and nor surprisingly, Copland incorporated many jazz elements into his concerto. Copland wrote about it: "Since the instrumentation consists of clarinet, strings, harp, and piano, I didn't have a large percussion section to create jazzy effects, so I used clapping basses and beating harp sounds to simulate them. The Clarinet Concerto ends with a rather elaborate coda in C major that concludes with a clarinet glissando - or "smear" in jazz parlance."

The piece is written in an unusual form. There are two movements which are connected by a composed clarinet cadenza about 2½ minutes long. The first movement, Slowly and expressively, is written in A-B-A form and is full of bittersweet lyricism. The cadenza not only gives the soloist an opportunity to show off his virtuosity, but also introduces many of the melodic Latin jazz themes that dominate the second movement, Rather Fast. The overall form of the final movement is a free-form rondo with several developing secondary themes that resolve at the end in an elaborate coda in C major. Copland remarked that his playful finale consisted of "an unconscious fusion of elements obviously related to North and South American popular music (for example, a phrase from a currently popular Brazilian tune I had heard in Rio was embedded in the secondary material)."

Listen to: Martin Fröst, clarinet, with Norwegian Chamber Orchestra

21. Gerald Finzi, Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra Op. 31 (1949)

Gerald Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto is the finest in the English repertoire. Its moods range from the folkish high spirits of the outer movements to the wistful intimacy of the central adagio. The first movement is often Elgarian in style. It alternates between vigorous, argumentative strings and the more tenderly lyric mood delivered by the clarinet. There is a strong feeling of the English countryside as in so many of this composer's works. The rhapsodic slow movement opens in almost mystical meditation by muted high strings. The lower strings then usher in the movement's principal theme in very Elgarian melancholic nobilmente mood - with the clarinet wandering mournfully around it.  The joyous and carefree rondo finale trips along to one of Finzi's most light-hearted and attractive melodies. Material from the preceding movements is recalled, but the concerto ends with an impetuous flourish.

Listen to: David Hattner, clarinet, with the Portland Youth Philharmonic conducted by Huw Edwards.

22. Jean Francaix, Clarinet Concerto (1967-68)

Jean Françaix has a strong knowledge of the clarinet, which is reflected in this concerto with the French humor typical of the composer. This piece contains multiple acrobatic features of formidable technical difficulty intended to charm the listeners and arouse their attention, apart from the Andantino which is set back from the lively movements (Allegro, Scherzando and Allegrissimo). The work is broadly in line with the French neo-romantic trend, which favors pirouettes, comic phrases, unusual measures, and dynamic contrasts. The different movements of the concerto allow the composer to highlight a writing of great diversity to which the clarinet responds instantly with its own qualities: sentimentality, flexibility, and virtuosity.

This French concerto belongs to the best concertos for clarinet and charms both the public and the soloists. Jean Françaix uses a four-movement form, strongly influenced by the multi-movement sonata form, instead of the usual three-movement concerto model.

Listen to: José-Luis Inglés, clarinet, with Sinfonieorchester Basel, Anu Tali, conductor

[With thanks to relevant public domain articles in either the German, Japanese, Dutch or English Wikipedia]

Reading The Tale of Genji (48): Bracken Shoots (Sawarabi)

 

Sawarabi

Title

The chapter title is based on the poem that the ajari (the holy man of Uji who had been the religious advisor of her father) towards the end of the First Month sends to Naka no Kimi accompanied by a basket of bracken shoots and horsetails. The custom to send new, green shoots at the beginning of the year as a wish for good health in the coming year to persons to whom one felt close, has also appeared earlier on in the Genji in the Wakana chapters. Also see the poem by Emperor Koko about such green shoots in the Hyakunin Isshu.

Waley translates "Fern-Shoots," Seidensticker "Early Ferns," Tyler "Bracken Shoots" and Washburn has "Early Fiddlehead Greens." 

Chronology

This chapter takes place in spring when Kaoru is 25 years old.

Position in the Genji

In this chapter, Niou moves his new love, Naka no Kimi, from Uji to his Nijo mansion in the capital. At the same time, Kaoru, having lost Oigimi, finds himself falling in love with her younger sister Naka no Kimi, whose affair with Niou he himself arranged. 

[Sawarabi, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

Spring has come again to the village of Uji. As usual, sawarabi (young shoots of bracken or fern) are delivered to Naka no KImi, who has lost both her father Hachi no Miya and sister Oigimi, by the Ajari, her father's religious teacher. Naka no Kimi is moved to tears by the Ajari's thoughtfulness.

Since it has become impossible for Niou to commute to Uji, he has decided to bring Naka no Kimi early in the second month to his Nijo mansion in Kyoto. Kaoru, the guardian of Naka no Kimi, takes great care in preparing for her journey to the capital. On the day before her departure, Kaoru visits Uji and talks until late at night with Naka no Kimi about their memories of Oigimi. Kaoru is filled with regret that he has made Naka no Kimi marry Niou (her wasted face has come to resemble that of Oigimi), and she herself is also worried about the future. The old nurse, Ben no Kimi, who has become a nun after the death of Hachi no Miya, has made up her mind to remain in Uji. The night before the departure of Naka no Kimi, she talks with Kaoru about the evanescence of life.

On the 7th day of the 2nd month, Naka no Kimi arrives at the Nijo mansion and is treated with great consideration by Niou. Hearing this, Yugiri, who has been planning the marriage of Roku no Kimi and Niou, decides to hold the coming of age ceremony of Roku no Kimi after 20 days. He now asks Kaoru to marry her, but Kaoru flatly refuses. At Kaoru's refusal, Yugiri is dissatisfied with both Kaoru and Niou, who are so infatuated with the Uji sisters that they show no interest in his beloved daughter, Roku no Kimi.

When the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, Kaoru visits the Nijo mansion and has a long talk with Naka no Kimi, making Niou jealous - after Kaoru has left, his fragrance lingers on her robes (even though nothing has happened between them). 

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

The most frequently chosen episode for illustration is that which gives the chapter its title: towards the end of the First Month the Ajari of Uji sends a basket of fern shoots to Naka no Kimi accompanied by a poem (as in the above illustration). 　 

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

 

Music in A Minor

A minor is a melancholy key, expressing tenderness and sadness, and having a lamenting, dignified, and subdued character.

A minor is a minor scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major.

Since the key of A minor does not use a key signature, it is considered easy to read and suitable for beginners. Violins, violas, and cellos also have an open A string, and it is frequently found in concertos. 

Bach not only wrote one of his well-known violin concertos in A minor, but also used that key for his concerto for 4 harpsichords, based on Vivaldi. During the Classical period, orchestral music rarely used A minor as the principal key, but in the Romantic period, A minor became very popular. In 1816, Hummel wrote one of his best concertos in that key, and it apparently was a favorite key of Schumann, but also Mendelssohn, Grieg, Brahms, Saint-Saens, and Tchaikovsky wrote important work in this key. As we for example hear in the Scottish Symphony of Mendelssohn, one of the most high Romantic musical works I know, A minor is beautifully suited to the expression of feelings of melancholy.

In the 20th c. we for example have the violin concerto No 1 by Shostakovitch and the Oboe Concerto by Vaughan Williams, as well as the Sixth Symphony by Mahler.

Characteristic music in A minor:

Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto in A minor for 4 Harpsichords BWV 1065

Largely based on Vivaldi's Concerto in B minor for four violins and orchestra. But in Bach’s version the soloists play harpsichords and B minor was changed into A minor. Bach made a number of transcriptions of Antonio Vivaldi's concertos, especially from his Op. 3 set L'estro armonico. Bach adapted them for solo harpsichord and solo organ, but for the Concerto for 4 violins in B minor, Op. 3 No. 10, he decided upon the unique solution of using four harpsichords and orchestra. This is the only orchestral harpsichord concerto by Bach which was not an adaptation of his own music. In the middle movement, Bach has the four harpsichords playing differently-articulated arpeggios in a very unusual tonal blend, while providing some additional virtuosity and tension in the other movements. All three movements are in the same key of A minor.

Siebe Henstra, Menno van Delft, Pieter-Jan Belder and Tineke Steenbrink and Netherlands Bach Society.

Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Piano Concerto No. 2 in A minor Op. 85

The Piano Concerto No. 2 in A minor was composed by Hummel in 1816 and published in Vienna in 1821. While Hummel's earlier concertos followed Mozart's style almost to the letter, this concerto and the next are written in a prototypical Romantic style, foreshadowing developments that were to come later from composers such as Mendelssohn and Chopin. The piece is also written to show off Hummel's own virtuosity.

The three movements are:
1st movement Allegro moderato (A minor)
2nd movement Larghetto in F major
3rd movement Rondo, Allegro moderato (A minor)

Els Biesemans plays Hummel Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Minor Op. 85 on Fortepiano
Capriccio Barockorchester on period instruments

 

Felix Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 3 ("Scottish", 1829-1842)

In the summer of 1829, the 20-year-old Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy made a three-week visit to Scotland which was to result in the writing of two of his best-loved works: the Overture – The Hebrides, and the Symphony No 3 in A minor (Scottish). But the symphony was only completed on January 20, 1842.

The 4 movements (played without pause) are:
(1) Introduction and allegro agitato - the slow introduction to the first movement, with its unusual scoring of woodwind and violas suggests the “broken and moldering” chapel of Holyrood, and the subdued mood continues at the opening of the Allegro un poco agitato with the long main theme given pianissimo on violins and clarinet; we have to wait until well into the Allegro before the force of the full orchestra is unleashed. Rather than a second subject in the relative major, Mendelssohn chooses a plaintive theme in the dominant key of E minor which extends the sombre mood still further.
(2) Scherzo assai vivace - this scherzo movement has been likened to a gathering of highlanders making merry, and it has also been suggested that the main theme is reminiscent of the Scottish folk-tune "Charlie is my darling."
(3) Adagio cantabile - a beautiful Adagio which has been described as a lament for Mary Queen of Scots.
(4) Allegro guerriero and finale maestoso - the Finale is marked Allegro Guerriero – fast and warlike – and the music strongly suggests a battle, with its restless syncopations which dominate the movement and the underlying four-square tread of the lower instruments which could be soldiers on a quick march. At the end of the movement the music comes to a virtual stop and is followed by a curious coda which presents a theme which sounds new, although it is related to the very opening theme of the Symphony. The majestic melody begins with the lower strings and the woodwind doubling each other at the bottom of their register before it gradually rises up as if escaping the mists with which Mendelssohn had become so familiar in the Highlands. The Symphony ends in triumph with horns blazing above the full orchestra.

Like his concert overtures, the symphony is a series of mood picture intended to stimulate the imagination of the audience rather than presenting a distinct narrative. The first and last movements, with their virile orchestration, evoke the atmosphere of Walter Scott's historical romances; the second movement introduces dance-like melodic and rhythmic material with a distinctly Scottish flavor and the recitative-like opening of the beautiful slow movement reinforces the impression of a hidden narrative to which individual listeners can respond in their own way.

hr-Sinfonieorchester – Frankfurt Radio Symphony - Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Dirigent

Robert Schumann, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor Op 54 (1845)

In 1841, Schumann wrote a Fantasy in A minor for piano and orchestra, which was premiered at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig on Aug. 13, 1841, with Schumann's wife Clara Wieck as soloist. She urged him to make it a full-fledged three-movement concerto. In 1845, he added an Intermezzo and a Finale to complete the work. It became the only full piano concerto Schumann wrote. The complete concerto was premiered in Dresden on Dec. 4, 1845, with Clara soloing and Ferdinand Hiller (to whom the work was dedicated) conducting.

There are 3 movements: Allegro affettuoso (A minor) - intermezzo (in F major) and allegro vivace (in A major).

The concerto is notable for its remarkable coherence, despite the piecemeal manner of its composition. Underlying the work's unity is the fact that it is virtually mono-thematic: most of the materials of the outer movements (each cast in free sonata form) are generated by or are transformations of the concerto's introspective, rhythmically ingenious opening theme. Even the motif of the poetic dialogue that serves as the slow movement is founded on a four-note rhythmic cell from that theme.
 

An eminently beautiful concerto from beginning to end, lyrical, spacious and balanced in form, and rich and various in its ideas.

Schumann's wife, Clara Schumann-Wieck, had already 10 years before her husband, in 1835, composed a piano concerto, that interestingly is also in A minor, and that was also completed by adding two movements to an original single concerto movement.

hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Khatia Buniatishvili ∙ Paavo Järvi

Robert Schumann, Violin Sonata No 1 in A minor, Op 105 (1851)

Another beautiful, melancholy work by Schumann as A minor was his favorite key. In 1850, Schumann became the music director of the city of Düsseldorf, and at the same time, he was constantly busy composing. The First Violin Sonata was composed in a short period of time, from September 12 to 16, 1851, at the urging of the famous violinist Ferdinand David. The first performance was given by David and Clara Schumann on March 9, 1852.

The piece consists of the following three movements:
1st movement: Passionate expression (Allegro appassionato)
2nd movement Allegretto
3rd movement, lively (Allegro con brio)

Considerable attention is paid to the expressiveness and balance of the two instruments, violin and piano, and the concise writing style is powerful and passionate. There is a point in which the coda of the third movement recalls the first theme of the first movement in order to unify the whole work. 

Leonidas Kavakos (violin) and Daniil Trifonov (piano)

Edvard Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor, op.16 (1868)

Although the Piano Concerto in A minor is an early work by Grieg (he was 25), it has become one of the best-known works in his oeuvre. The concerto, with obvious influences of folk music from Norway, was premiered in its first version on April 3, 1869 in Copenhagen. When Grieg visited Rome in 1870 to meet Franz Liszt, he had brought the score of the piano concerto with him. Liszt was enthusiastic and described the concerto as Swedish punch. Although this must have sounded strange to Grieg, a champion of Norwegian national romanticism, he wrote to his parents on April 9, 1870 that the meeting with Liszt had had infinite meaning for him.

The piano concerto consists of three movements:

I. Allegro molto moderato (4/4 bar, A minor)
The Allegro molto moderato opens dramatically with short timpani rolls followed by heroic chords from the piano. A small march in minor is played by the wind section. The music develops into a plaintive melody that turns into a lively dance of the piano. The mood turns when a slow melody is played by the cellists. This theme takes over from the piano until it turns into a series of grotesque chords from the piano. The trumpet opens a new march melody, which is taken over by the flute, horn and piano. A repetition of the main theme follows with several variations on it. The cadenza for the piano now emerges. Steadily the orchestra moves in, after which piano and orchestra conclude the movement.

II. Adagio (3/8 bar, Des major).
The short Adagio is introduced by the strings playing a subtle melody. The piano plays serene and tuneful.

III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato (2/4 bar, A minor)
The finale is ushered in by the clarinets and bassoons. The piano playing leads to a Norwegian dance called "Halling." The dance theme is taken over by the orchestra, but the piano detaches itself from it and moves into another dance. A more solemn tempo follows after this. The mood changes when the flute plays an interlude in which Grieg reviews facets of the Norwegian landscape. The mood brightens when the orchestra takes over the flute's theme and ends with a powerful coda.

Julia Fischer with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie conducted by Matthias Pintscher.

Camille Saint-Saëns, Cello Concerto No 1 in A minor Op 33 (1872)

Saint-Saëns wrote his first cello concerto in A minor. This was probably in homage to Robert Schumann who also wrote a cello concerto in A minor (see my discussion of this Schumann concerto the blog article Best Cello Concertos).

Saint-Saëns is known for his traditional approach, for example in not deviating from the standard sonata form, or from the  standard concerto form. However, the 1st cello concerto consists of just one movement. But that Allegro non troppo is more or less an amalgamation of three interwoven movements. Saint-Saëns was most likely influenced here by Franz Liszt, who for example in his two piano conceros also deviated from the standard concerto form. The three sections of which the single movement consists are:

Allegro non troppo: the concerto begins unusually. Instead of the traditional orchestral introduction, the piece begins with one short chord from the orchestra, after which the cello immediately states the main theme. Soon, countermelodies flow from both the orchestra and soloist, at times the two playfully "calling and answering" each other.

Allegretto con moto: the turbulent opening movement leads into a brief but highly original minuet, in which the strings are muted, and which also contains a cello cadenza.

Tempo primo: a restatement of the opening material from the first movement opens the finale. Saint-Saëns introduces two new themes but also includes the recapitulation of the fourth theme from the first movement, tying the whole design together. After a final restatement of the opening theme, he concludes by introducing an entirely new idea for the cello.

Saint-Saëns often uses the solo cello here as a declamatory instrument. This keeps the soloist in the dramatic and musical foreground, the orchestra offering a shimmering backdrop. The music is tremendously demanding for soloists, especially in the fast third section, but this difficulty has not stopped the concerto from becoming a favorite of the great virtuoso cellists.
 

hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Bruno Philippe ∙ Christoph Eschenbach

Mahler, Piano Quartet Movement in A Minor (1876-78)

The Piano Quartet in A minor, of which - apart from sketches for a scherzo - only the first movement has survived, is the only chamber music work by Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) and dates from his time as a student in Vienna.

The autograph was owned by Alma Mahler-Werfel and is now housed in the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. There is evidence of a broadcast of a performance on Südwestdeutscher Rundfunk in March 1932, but thereafter the quartet movement fell into oblivion and was not rediscovered until some forty years later by Peter Ruzicka, who arranged for it to be printed by Sikorski Publishers in 1973.

The quartet movement follows sonata form, and bears the performance designation "Not too fast." Peter Ruzicka characterized it as follows: "The conclusion of the sonata movement, sinking into somber A minor, negates any convention of externality that might have been expected from a sixteen-year-old. In general, this key, which played a significant role in Mahler's work (and also in one of the youth symphonies), may well be interpreted as an unconscious anticipation of what is to come (Mahler's Sixth Symphony is also in A minor). The thematic invention acquires a thoroughly personal profile; form and gesture point recognizably to the roots of Mahler's musical consciousness at the time: to Brahms, Schumann and Schubert."

Gustav Mahler Piano Quartet

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Piano Trio in  A minor, op.50 (1882) 

Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio in A minor was composed between 1881 and 1882. It is a memorial tribute to Nikolai Rubinstein, Director of the Moscow Conservatory (brother of the pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein), so the overall tone is mournful and solemn. It is known by the dedication "In Memory of a Great Artist." The Piano trio is a large-scale work in two sections. Despite its nearly 50-minute performance time, it remains popular for its breathtaking lyrical beauty and magnificent, decisive finale.

Although ostensibly composed of two movements, the second movement is so long that its final variation with coda effectively serves as the third and last movement.

I. Pezzo Elegiaco (Moderato assai - Allegro Giusto) (A minor) (approx. 18 minutes)
II. (A) Tema Con Variazoni (E major) - (B) Variazioni Finale e coda) (A major - A minor) ((A) about 15 minutes + (B) about 14 minutes = about 29 minutes)

The dark and passionate first movement, "Elegiac Piece," is structured as a traditional sonata form. It begins with a beautiful romantic melody for solo cello, which eventually returns as a funeral march. The second movement is more classical than romantic in its use of variations and the character of the theme. The pseudo-classical variations suggest a connection to Tchaikovsky's "Variations on a Rococo Theme," but there could also be a link to the musical taste of Nikolai Rubinstein, who was a classicist.

There are eleven variations of the theme, which is introduced by the piano. In the first variation the violin presents the theme. In variation two, Più mosso, the cello sings the theme as the violin provides a countermelody. If you hear what sounds to be a "scherzo" by the piano punctuated by pizzicato's from the strings you’re in the third variation (Allegro moderato). In the fourth variation the theme is played in the minor mode (L'istesso tempo). The fifth variation sounds like a music box – piano in the upper register, with strings providing a drone. The long sixth variation is an elegant waltz, an evocation of Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin. In the short seventh variation (Allegro moderato) we hear heavy piano chords, punctuated by the strings. The eight variation is a Fuga. This is followed by an Andante flebile in the ninth variation, and the tenth variation is a lively Mazurka. In the eleventh variation (Moderato) the theme gradually dies away.

The finale starts out with yet another variation of the theme; festive and jubilant and developed at length (Allegro risoluto e con fuoco). This mood eventually changes abruptly - we are suddenly back again in the memorial music. The melancholy opening theme of the first movement returns heavily, bringing the whole work to a close once more with a solemn funeral march (Lugubre).

ATOS Trio

Johannes Brahms, Double Concerto in A minor op. 102 (1887)

The Double Concerto in A minor for violin, cello, and orchestra by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) is an important contribution to the instrumental genre of the double concerto or sinfonia concertante, which was rarely cultivated in the late Romantic period. Brahms composed this work during his summer vacation at Lake Thun in Switzerland in 1887, the same year it was premiered in Cologne with soloists Joseph Joachim and Robert Hausmann (the concerto was, in part, a gesture of reconciliation from Brahms to Joachim, following a personal and professional fall out).

Brahms' Double Concerto, composed two years after his 4th Symphony, is the composer's last orchestral work. Formally, it is - unlike the four-movement 2nd Piano Concerto - again oriented to the common three-movement concerto form. The scoring with two soloists and orchestra harks back to the double concertos of the Baroque period and the Sinfonia concertante of the Classical period. Mozart had made the not-so-disparate violin and viola soloists in a Sinfonia Concertante, and Beethoven in his Triple Concerto joined piano, violin, and cello. And now here was Brahms’ violin-cello wedding, which was predicated not on the exploitation of the soloistic couple’s contrasting individualities, but on their ability to live happily together if given the advantages of powerful and congenial materials. Indeed, the work stands out in its strong interlocking of the soloist parts with the orchestra. The motivic-thematic material is handled with great economy in a manner typical of the composer.

I. Allegro

The broad, densely worked opening movement starts with a four-bar tutti introduction, followed by a cadenza-like introduction by the two soloists, before the tutti exposition proper follows. The secondary theme intoned by the winds clearly alludes to the beginning of Giovanni Battista Viotti's 22nd Violin Concerto in A minor, a work that both Brahms and Joseph Joachim held in high esteem. The development is dominated by the soloists. In the recapitulation, the secondary theme turns to A major before a terse coda closes the movement back in A minor.

II Andante

This movement is in three parts and begins in D major. Two rising fourths in woodwinds and horns are followed by a chant-like main theme. Both soloists frequently play in parallel octaves. The middle movement in F major feeds off a chorale-like woodwind theme. The repetition of the varied D major section is followed by a coda based on the thematic material of the middle section.

III Vivace non troppo

Here the form of a sonata rondo is used, the sequence corresponds to the scheme A-B-A1-C-A2-B2-A3. The dominant theme is a catchy, restless, dance-like one, which is first intoned by the solo cello. The movement, which begins in A minor, is not without dramatic episodes, and with thirds and sixths that seem "Hungarian" in places, it increasingly changes to a more friendly major character and concludes with a short, effective coda in A major.

Violinist Julia Fischer and cellist Daniel Müller-Schott with the symphony orchestra of the Northwest German Radio, conductor Alan Gilbert.

Ralph Vaughan Williams, Concerto in A minor for Oboe and Strings [1944]
Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958) was an English composer who worked in a great variety of genres, including film music - his interesting double name without a hyphen is of Welsh origin. Vaughan Williams studied at the Royal College of Music with Stanford and later Parry. Here he also befriended fellow-student Gustav Holst. Vaughan Williams early on became interested in folk song, which he collected. As a central figure in British music he wrote 9 symphonies, several large oratorios, and concerts not only for the piano, but also for rarely used solo instruments as the tuba. His oboe concerto was written for soloist Léon Goossens in 1944. It is a typically English pastoral piece and is divided into three movements: a lightweight first movement, rondo pastorale, then a short minuet and musette, and a scherzo which is the longest and weightiest movement, although it ends on a wistful note. The material for the Oboe Concerto derives from some of the same ideas that generated Vaughan Williams' magisterial Fifth Symphony, completed the year before, but here the tone becomes much more inward and intimate. Oboe and orchestra never argue, always genially supporting each other. The entire concerto is suffused with a gentle melancholy - befitting the key of A minor. But don't be fooled by the easy character of this concerto: extreme virtuosity, agility and endurance are required of the soloist and the accompanying string orchestra.
(The above note on Vaughan Williams's Oboe Concerto is based on my blog article Best Works for Oboe)

Listen to: Takuya Takashima, oboe, with the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer

[With thanks to relevant public domain articles in either the German, Japanese, Dutch or English Wikipedia]

Reading The Tale of Genji (47): Trefoil Knots (Agemaki)

 

Agemaki

Title

The title of this chapter is based on a poem that Kaoru wrote for Oigimi at the Buddhist service at the anniversary of her father's death. The literal meaning of "agemaki" is "an elaborate three-looped knot, and also a young girl's coiffure in that shape." Kaoru expresses his hope that he and Oigimi may be tied together in a "trefoil knot."

Waley keeps the title as "Agemaki," Seidensticker and Tyler translate it as "Trefoil Knots" and Washburn as "A Bowknot Tied in Maiden's Loops".

Chronology

This chapter takes place from autumn to winter when Kaoru is 24 years old.

Position in the Genji

In the story, Oigimi attempts to redirect Kaoru's ardor for her to her younger sister Naka no Kimi. Kaoru in turn encourages an alliance between Naka no Kimi and Niou. Oigimi's rejection of Kaoru, however, remains unchanged. Around the same time Yugiri, Genji's son by Aoi, decides to wed his daughter Roku no Kimi to Niou. Overcome by sorrow, Oigimi passes away.

[Agemaki, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

In the eighth month of autumn, a memorial service is held to mark the first anniversary of the death of Hachi no Miya, and Kaoru takes care of everything. That night, Kaoru approaches Oigimi and again expresses his feelings for her. Although they talk through the whole night, she again refuses him. Oigimi is determined to continue her father's legacy and remain celibate at their Uji residence, while at the same time planning to marry her younger sister, Naka no Kimi, to Kaoru. But Oigimi's clothes are stained with Kaoru's strong fragrance, leading Naka no Kimi to suspect that her sister has been intimate with Kaoru (which was not the case).

Shortly after the memorial service, Kaoru again visits Uji and with the help of Ben no Kimi this time enters the bedchamber of Oigimi, planning to create a fait accompli. However, Oigimi guesses his intention and hides, leaving Naka no Kimi behind. So that night Kaoru keeps talking to Naka no Kimi, without attempting any intimacy.

Knowing that Oigimi wants him to marry her sister, Kaoru instead decides to have Naka no Kimi marry Niou. One night in the 9th month, he secretly takes Niou to Uji to meet Naka no Kimi - and this rendezvous is successful. Niou promptly seduces Naka no Kimi.

Kaoru confides the truth of what has happened to Oigimi and again presses her to marry him, but she keeps refusing. Niou continues to visit Naka no Kimi for three nights (which in the Heian period meant that they now are married), but is deterred from further visits by the opposition of his mother, the Akashi Empress. He is after all an imperial prince, she tells him, and it is extremely bad manners to repeatedly sneak off to Uji to visit a secret lover. She strongly reminds him of his status. With his life thus circumscribed, he is thereafter unable to visit Uji. Oigimi and Naka no Kimi are distressed by the cessation of Niou's visits.

In autumn, Niou thinks of a plan to visit Uji: he wants to use a boat trip along the Uji River to see the colored maple leaves as a pretext to visit Naka no Kimi. But as imperial prince he is forced to come with a large retinue and is after all unable to slip away. His father, the Emperor, doesn't want Niou to go on such outings again and arranges for him to marry Roku no Kimi, the daughter of Yugiri.

Oigimi is so distressed by this setback - she regards it as her personal shame the the husband she picked for her sister has left them in the lurch and now will marry someone else -, that she falls ill. Despite Kaoru's earnest efforts to nurse her, she dies in the 11th month as " a withered tree breaking off," on a night that there is a heavy snow storm in Uji.

Kaoru is deeply saddened by the fact that he has not been able to marry Oigimi, and he stays on in Uji to mourn her loss. Hearing of Kaoru's sorrow through a friend, the Akashi Empress reconsiders Niou's case: "If she is the younger sister of a woman who is so loved, it is no wonder that Niou goes to see her." Niou then makes up his mind to take Naka no Kimi to his Nijo Palace in Kyoto.

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

Scenes commonly chosen for illustration include: dawn in the ninth month, Niou and Naka no Kimi looking over at Uji Bridge as the fire-wood boats (shibabune) are rowed out on the river; and, the young women of the princesses' household looking out at Niou on an excursion in a boat roofed with scarlet leaves on the Uji River around the beginning of the tenth month (as in the above). 

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

 

Reading The Tale of Genji (46): Beneath the Oak (Shii ga Moto)

 

Shii ga Moto

Title

Waley and Washburn translate "At the Foot of the Oak Tree", and Seidensticker and Tyler have "Beneath the Oak". The title occurs in a poem by Kaoru written in memory of the Eight Prince. The oak is a symbol for the prince, with whom Kaoru has studied Buddhism.

Chronology

The story ranges from the Second Month in the spring of Kaoru's 23rd year to the summer of his 24th year.
 

Position in the Genji

Niou stops at Uji in early spring, and exchanges poems with Hachi no Miya. Hachi no Miya passes away in autumn and his two daughters are left in Kaoru's hands. Kaoru wants to arrange a marriage between Naka no Kimi and Niou, while he himself confesses his love to Oigimi, who however cannot return his feelings.

[Shii ga Moto, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

Around the 20th of the Second Month, on his way back from a pilgrimage to the Hase Temple, Niou stops by Yugiri's villa in Uji (Yugiri is his mother's half-brother; this villa is located on the opposite bank of the Uji River from the residence of the Eight Prince, where now the Byodoin Temple stands). The reason for his stop-over is his curiosity regarding the sisters of Uji about whom Kaoru has told him. In Uji, he enjoys partying, playing go, and making music on the koto with Kaoru and Yugiri's sons. The lively sound of their music can be heard in the residence of the Eight Prince on the other side of the Uji River, and the prince is nostalgically reminded of the old days when he served at court.

The next day, the Eight Prince therefore sends a poem to Niou, who reacts with a poetic reply, delivered by Kaoru (protocol keeps Niou from visiting in person). Also after returning to the capital, Niou keeps sending poems to Uji. Each time, the Eight Prince asks his daughter Naka no Kimi to write the reply poems for him.

As the present year is an "akudoshi", "bad year" for the Eight Prince in the Japanese almanac, he entrusts Kaoru with the guardianship of his daughters if anything happens to him. He also warns his daughters not to take their future marriage lightly and leave Uji to disgrace themselves in the secular world - he wants them to spend the rest of their lives in this mountain village.

And indeed, during a period of religious seclusion in the mountain temple in Uji which he usually visits, the Eight Prince falls ill and suddenly dies. That happens around the 20th day of the Eight Month. When the princesses learn of his death, they wish to see their father one last time, but are strictly refused by the ajari who manages the temple and was the spiritual advisor of their father. Kaoru oversees every detail of the prince's funeral and memorial ceremonies. Niou, too, from time to time sends messages of condolence.

On a snowy day at the end of the year, Kaoru visits Uji and meets Oigimi. He again confesses his love to her, but she keeps refusing him. He also tells the sisters about the interest Niou has shown in Naka no Kimi.

In the spring of the following year, Niou's feelings for Naka no Kimi grow more and more intense, so much so that he is reluctant to discuss his coming marriage to Roku no Kimi with her father, Yugiri.

As his Sanjo residence in Heiankyo has been destroyed by fire, for a long time Kaoru is unable to visit Uji. When he finally travels to Uji in the summer, he catches a glimpse of the princesses in their mourning robes and finds himself more and more attracted to the noble beauty of Oigimi.

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

Scenes chosen for illustration include: 1) During Niou's trip to Uji on the twentieth day of the Second Month with a large retinue. There is gaming and drinking on the banks of the Uji river with blooming mountain cherries. 2) After a winter snow and the death of the Eight Prince, Kaoru leans against a pillar in the prince's chapel and sits reading the poem by Oigimi from which the chapter takes its name. In the left corner of the painting we see Oigimi in a large room. In the upper right corner the Uji Bridge has been depicted. This is a marvelous snow scene of the sort in which Tosa Mitsunobu excelled (see the above illustration). 

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

 

Reading The Tale of Genji (45): The Maiden of the Bridge (Hashihime)

 

 Hashihime

Title

"The Maiden of the Bridge" was a mythical female guardian deity of the bridge over the Uji River. The name "Hashihime" is used in a poem by Kaoru to Oigimi, in which he likens himself to a ferryman who is adrift between the secular world and the far shore of the next life, while Hashihime is also a symbol for Oigimi.

Waley translates "The Bridge Maiden", Seidensticker "The Lady at the Bridge", Tyler  "The Maiden of the Bridge" and Washburn "The Divine Princess at Uji Bridge"

Chronology

This chapter starts by describing the early life of the Eight Prince. Kaoru enters when he is already a Consultant Captain (age 20). After the passage of some time, the story gets underway in autumn when Kaoru is 22.

Position in the Genji

The last ten chapters of the novel are known as Uji Jujo, "The Ten Books of Uji."They belong to the fourth part of the Genji, also unofficially called "Kaoru Monogatari," as Kaoru is just as central to these chapters as Genji was to the main part of the novel.

Uji is a locale south of the capital, near the banks of a turbulent and noisy river, an area which is mist-covered and rustic. The trip to Uji from the capital is described as difficult and even dangerous, leading over steep mountain paths - one would think that Murasaki Shikibu had never visited Uji, for the road from Kyoto really does not lead through the mountains - it is rather flat and easy to travel. But besides being a real place, Uji was a poetic "pillow word," associated with "ushi," "sadness," by a pun on its name. Both the Uji River and Uji Mountain were associated with gloom, as many now famous scenic spots were in the past, as they were more lonely and distant than at present (to modern eyes, Uji boasts a striking natural setting, with attractions as the scenic Uji riverside, but also several famous temples). See my translation of the poem by Priest Kisen in the Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each) for more on the connotations of Uji.

The Uji chapters are dominated by a strong influence of Buddhism and sense of uncertainty. The character of Kaoru is irresolute and hesitant - a thinker rather than a doer; he can't take the initiative in love, which makes a strong contrast with his rival Niou (and Genji in the past). 

This first Uji chapter introduces the Eighth Prince (Hachi no Miya), a half-brother of Genji, and his two daughters, Oigimi and Naka no Kimi, who live with him in his self-imposed retirement at Uji. The prince is known for his piety and wisdom. Kaoru, whose serious character is engendered by deep misgivings about his paternity, begins to study Buddhism under Hachi no Miya. Eventually he learns from Ben no Kimi, the daughter of Kashiwagi's wet nurse, who serves in the household of the Eight Prince, that he is not in fact Genji's son, but rather the illegitimate son of Kashiwagi.

[Hashihime, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

The Eight Prince (Hachi no Miya) was the eighth son of Emperor Kiritsubo, and therefore Genji's younger brother by a different mother. When Emperor Reizei was the Crown Prince, Empress Kokiden (Genji's nemesis) plotted to remove him and help Hachi no Miya to the throne. But the conspiracy, in which the prince himself was not actively involved, failed and Hachi no Miya was ostracized by court society. His wife already being dead, and his residence in the capital destroyed by fire, he retreated to Uji with his two daughters, Oigimi, the older sister, and Naka no Kimi, the younger sister. There he leads the life of an awakened Buddhist practitioner, without taking formal vows. For Kaoru, Hachi no Miya is a kindred spirit, a nobleman with a similar sensibility and profound Buddhist insights, so he starts frequently visiting him for philosophical and religious guidance.

In the third autumn since Kaoru has started to visit Hachi no Miya, he catches a glimpse (yes, via kaimami) of the two daughters making music, by playing a koto (a long Japanese zither with thirteen strings) and a biwa (a Japanese lute) under the wan moon at dawn. Kaoru is naturally attracted to the daughters, who look innocent, but also graceful. He is especially smitten by elder sister, the noble Oigimi.

[Kaoru's kaimami scene as portrayed in The Tale of Genji Museum]

When Kaoru tries to see Oigimi with the aid of one of the ladies in waiting, he meets the elderly Ben no Kimi, the daughter of the wet nurse of the late Kashiwagi. She promises Kaoru to tell him the secret concerning his birth.

After returning to the capital, Kaoru keeps thinking of Oigimi and the promise given him by Ben no Kimi. He also shares his discovery of the two beautiful sisters with his friend Niou, who, as the inveterate womanizer he is, gets passionately interested in them.

Early in the 10th month, during his next visit, Kaoru and Ben no Kimi talk about old times, and he receives a bag of letters from her. When he returns to Heiankyo, he opens the bag to find a bundle of moldy letters, which have been exchanged between Kashiwagi and the Third Princess. He now knows the secret of his birth - his father is Kashiwagi.

When Kaoru later visits his mother, the Third Princess, he plans to tell her that he knows who his real father is, but when he sees her peacefully reading sutras, he can't speak about those complications from the past, and decides to keep his knowledge to himself.

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

The scene most frequently chosen for illustration shows Oigimi playing a biwa lute and Naka no Kimi a koto under the moon and clouds while Kaoru secretly peers in through a break in the villa's bamboo fence. In the above illustration we only see one sister, presumably Oigimi.

Visiting Genji

(1) The Tale of Genji Museum in Uji is dedicated to the 10 Uji chapters that conclude The Tale of Genji. Located on the other bank of the river from Byodoin temple, the smart museum displays life-size models, dolls, costumes and furnishings as well as an oxen-drawn carriage from the novel. A film based on the Uji story is also shown. There is a cafe (with a good shop) and it feels as an oasis in the tourist onslaught around Byodoin. This is a beautiful museum, interesting as a whiff of aristocratic culture from the Heian period. 

[Tale of Genji Museum]

Access: Uji is about 30 min by from Kyoto by JR line to JR Uji St, and the same time via the Keihan line from Sanjo St in Kyoto to Keihan Uji St (with a transfer in Chushojima).  The museum is 8 min on foot from Keihan Uji, and 15 min on foot from JR Uji (from JR UJI it is across the river Uji).
When to visit: Hours: 9:00-17:00, last admission 30 min before closing.
Closed: Monday (open if Monday is a national holiday, then closed the next regular weekday), New Year holidays.

(2) The Uji Bridge. One of the oldest bridges in Japan, said to have been built for the first time in 646 (the present structure dates from 1996). A monument in nearby Hojoin temple on the east side of the bridge, claims that the builder was the monk Doto, while the Shoku Nihongi mentions another monk as founder, Dosho.

[Uji Bridge with statue of Murasaki Shikibu]

It is one of the three oldest bridges in Japan. Both in the Jinshin War and the Heike war the bridge played an important strategical role. The present bridge is a very tasteful structure, the cypress wood railings are in the traditional shape of wooden railings crowned with giboshi, so that the bridge blends in with the natural scenery of the Uji River and the historical heritage of the area surrounding the bridge. There is an overhang on the upstream side of the bridge, called "San-no-Ma," which is dedicated to Hashihime, the guardian deity of the bridge. The Hashihime legend plays an important role in the No play Kannawa. On the west side of the bridge also stands the small Hashihime Shrine.
The Uji Bridge spans the Uji River between Keihan Uji Station (east side) and JR Uji Station (west side) and is just a few minutes walk from each.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

 

Reading The Tale of Genji (44): Bamboo River (Takekawa)

 

 Takekawa

Title

"Bamboo River" is a saibara folk song, that is sung by various persons in this chapter.

All translators have "Bamboo River."

Chronology

Chronologically, "Bamboo River" overlaps with "The Perfumed Prince," "The Maiden of the Bridge" and the first part of "Beneath the Oak," but the story stands completely on its own.

Here we find another parent who seeks to marry off her daughters: Tamakazura, the half-sister of Kobai, for whom Genji acted for a while as guardian (see the "Tamakazura chapters" 22 to 31) - she is now 47 and the widow of Higekuro.

Position in the Genji

After two short chapters which were just vignettes without much story, here we get more meat on the bones. But there is another problem: the chapter does not fit in the chronology and also uses different titles for some of the characters - it clearly was written later, I suppose by Murasaki Shikibu herself, perhaps at a time she couldn't consult her previous manuscript. Moreover, revision of the novel was impossible, as what she wrote was immediately taken from under her hands by the eager ladies-in-waiting (and even palace ministers) around her!

[Takekawa, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

After Higekuro's death, Tamakazura has been left with her three sons and two daughters - she especially worries about finding suitable husbands for her daughters. But as a matter of fact, both the present Emperor and the Cloistered Emperor Reizei ask Tamakazura to let them marry her eldest daughter, Oigimi, as secondary consort. Tamakazura hesitates, also as both Kaoru and Kurodo (the fifth son of Yugiri, also called by his title "Shosho," "The Lesser Captain") are showing interest in Oigimi. Especially Kurodo is very persistent, even befriending Tamakazura's youngest son to gain an entry into the household.

Towards the end of the First Month, when Kaoru is just fifteen, a group of young people gathers at Tamakazura's residence to sing "Takekawa" in the Saibara style. At that time, Tamakazura realizes that the sound of the wagon (Japanese harp) which Kaoru is playing, is very similar to the style of her deceased elder brother, Kashiwagi (who is in reality Kaoru's father).

At dusk in the Third Month, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, the two sisters, Oigimi and Naka no Kimi open the bamboo blinds and play a game of Go - the winner will become the owner of the beautifully blossoming cherry tree in the garden. Via an act of kaimami (peeping), Kurodo secretly observes the informally dressed sisters and his love for Oigimi deepens.

However, Tamakazura decides to let Oigimi marry the Ex-Emperor Reizei. She feels she can't refuse him, as in the past, before she married Higekuro, Reizei was in love with her and she had to disappoint him (so it is a lingering romantic regret that drives her decision). But she makes sure that Reizei's present wives, the Ex-Empress Akikonomu and Secondary wife Kokiden (the daughter of To no Chujo), also approve of this arrangement.

When Kurodo hears this news, he is so disappointed that he appeals to his mother, Kumoi no Kari, to send a letter of protest to Tamakazura. But the promise can't be turned back and in the Fourth Month Oigimi enters the imperial palace. The Cloistered Emperor Reizei shows great affection towards her. On the other hand, the reigning emperor (who is never named in the Genji) is in a bad mood because his wish was not granted. Tamakazura's sons, who all three serve at court, blame her and warn that things may turn out bad for Oigimi.

In the spring of the following year, to the happiness of the Cloistered Emperor (who has only one daughter with Kokiden) Oigimi gives birth to a daughter. Around the same time, Tamakazura decides she has to humor the present emperor as well, so she gives up her palace position of Naishi no Tsukasa, Mistress of Staff, (which for many years has been entirely nominal, as she never went to the palace) to her second daughter, Naka no Kimi, who in this way enters court and in fact becomes a consort of the present emperor.

The Cloistered Emperor Reizei's affection for Oigimi remains strong and a few years later she gives birth to a son - an imperial prince. Reizei is greatly pleased, but Oigimi starts frequently coming back home because of mental exhaustion caused by the slander of the ladies in waiting of Akikonomu and Kokiden, who see her as an interloper. Meanwhile, Naka no Kimi lives in comfort with the present emperor.

Kaoru and Kurodo are steadily promoted to high positions, so when Tamakazura thinks of the unhappiness of Oigimi, she feels a bit sorry for marrying her to Reizei and not one of the younger men... and on that note, the story ends.

P.S. As it is confusing that Tamakazura's daughters are called "Oigimi" and "Naka no Kimi," just like the daughters of the Eight Prince who will appear in the next chapter, Waley changes their names into "Himegimi" and "Wakagimi".
 

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

Scenes frequently chosen for illustration include: 1) The serious Kaoru calls on Tamakazura, and while sitting on the veranda next to a plum tree in first bud with a warbler uguisu about to alight, he is teased by some of her ladies who are just behind the blinds. 2) In the Third Month, Yugiri's son, the lieutenant, spies on Tamakazura's daughters playing a game of go, with a blossoming cherry tree in the inner court at stake (as in the above illustration).

Reading The Tale of Genji

 

Reading The Tale of Genji (43): Red Plum (Kobai)

 

 Kobai

Title

The chapter derives its title from an exchange or red plum blossoms and a poem between Kobai (who thus got his nickname, "Red Plum") and Niou.

Waley has "Kobai", Seidensticker "The Rose Plum", Tyler "Red Plum Blossoms" and Washburn "Red Plum".

Chronology

While "The Perfumed Prince" ends early in Kaoru's twentieth year, "Red Plum" begins early in his twenty-fourth. The intervening years are covered by the three chapters that follow. 

Position in the Genji

The chapter is about developments that happen later to the descendants of To no Chujo and their relatives. Kobai is a younger brother of the late Kashiwagi and the husband of Makibashira, the widow of Prince Hotaru. They both have daughters from previous marriages whom each would like to have married to Niou.
　

[Kobai, by Tosa Mitsunobu. Harvard Art Museums]

Synopsis

Kobai ("Red Plum") is the second son of To no Chujo, and Kashiwagi's younger maternal half-brother. He is cheerful and clever, having been known for his beautiful voice since he was a child. When he was young, he sang Saibara (gagaku-styled folk melodies)) in front of Genji (as related in the chapter "Sakaki"), and he has also appeared as a singer at many other auspicious occasions such as related in "Umegae," "Fuji no Uraba", and so on.

He is now about 55 and has attained high rank (Chief Councilor of State). After the death of his first wife, he has married Makibashira, the daughter of Higekuro and the previous wife of Genji's brother Hotaru (Makibashira is now about 47). Kobai has two daughters from his first marriage, Oigimi and Naka no Kimi (confusingly, in the next two chapters we again meet two sister couples with these same names, but they are all completely different persons). Makibashira and Kobai have a son, Tayu. Furthermore, Makibashira also has a daughter from her first marriage, an unusually bashful girl, Miya no Onkata.
 
Though there are many suitors for the three princesses after they finish their coming-of-age ceremony (mogi), Kobai has already had Oigimi become a consort of the Crown Prince (whose first wife is the eldest daughter of Yugiri). He also wants her sister Naka no Kimi to marry royalty, and his preference goes to Prince Niou. Kobai sends his young boy Tayu (who is already favored with attentions by Niou) to the palace to hand him a branch of red plum blossoms with a poem that hints at the fact that he has another daughter available for marriage. But Niou is more interested in pursuing Miya no Onkata, Makibashira's daughter who is living with her mother and stepfather. Through Tayu he frequently sends poems to Miya no Onkata, but she never answers - she seems more interested in taking holy orders in the future, than in getting married. Makibashira thinks Niou would be a good match for her daughter, but she hesitates about it considering the feelings of her husband, who after all wants Niou as husband for his second daughter, Naka no Kimi. Makibashira is also worried by the rumors she hears about Niou's inordinate number of secret affairs, one of them with a daughter of the Eight Prince (to be related in the Uji chapters). So she just sends a polite answer in place of her daughter and there the chapter ends, again rather abruptly - this is a storyline that will not be continued in the latter parts of the novel.
 

Genji-e (Information from JAANUS)

The most frequently depicted scene shows Kobai's young son at the royal palace, waiting with a branch of red plum blossoms and a letter from his father to present to Niou (in the above illustration, Niou sits reading the letter).

Reading The Tale of Genji