Narrative music of the Kabuki theatre

Abstract

Australian audiences are increasingly intrigued by the combination of sight, sounds and stories presented by Asian theatre troupes on tour with such varied programs as Vietnamese water puppets, Beijing opera and Japanese kabuki theatre. Such tours offer tantalising glimpses of traditional performing arts originating in previous centuries and meticulously preserved by their exponents. It is, however, often difficult to obtain specialist English-language sources on the finely nuanced presentation of such traditions. McQueen Tokita’s book published as volume 8 in the series Studien zur traditionellen Musik Japans, examines kiyomoto-bushi, one of the narrative music styles associated with the kabuki theatre. It is therefore a welcome addition to works by scholars such as Malm (I963) or Gersfle, Inobe and Malm (1990) which also provide detailed analyses of Japanese theatre repertoire. Originally begun as part of her doctoral studies, McQueen Tokita’s association with kiyomoto-bushi has continued over 2o years, most notably with Kiyomoto Eizaburt, the acclaimed Living National Treasure who has written a Foreword acknowledging the significance of McQgeen Tokita’s study.