Ritornello With Four Amami Island Songs

This piece was originally composed in 2020 for the Osaka Music University Clarinet Orchestra and later re-arranged in 2023 for small wind ensemble. It was my first time encountering Amami Island songs, and while I was deeply fascinated by their unique musical blend, which seems to merge the scales of mainland Japan with the rhythms of Okinawa, I compiled them using Western classical music techniques. As a result, I believe it has turned into a highly hybridized piece of music.

I selected the following four songs from the numerous Amami Island themes:

Asabana: Traditionally the first song sung in Amami's song games, serving as a greeting and vocal warm-up.

Inisuri: Originally a work song depicting the scene of threshing rice, it has lively and joyful imagery.

Chukyaribana: A song with witty lyrics and a cheerful, crisp melody.

Rokuchou: The fastest dance song from Amami Oshima, accompanied by an ecstatic dance, culminating in a festive dispersal.

These four songs are not simply presented in sequence but are structured as follows: "Asabana" - "Inisuri" - "Asabana" - "Chukyaribana" - "Rokuchou," with "Rokuchou" incorporating elements of "Inisuri" and "Chukyaribana" before concluding with "Asabana."(Chang Su Koh)

Performance cut suggestions: To shorten the performance duration, the following sections can be omitted:

Measures 11 to 25Measures 162 to 172Measures 237 to 304This reduces the performance time to approximately 6 minutes and 30 seconds.

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