Gagaku brings to mind the Heian nobility; but we should not forget the Edo period as a time that saw the revival and flourishing of Gagaku.
Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, resurrected the 200 year-old bugaku court dance “Seigaiha” at Nijo Castle; and Tayasu Munetake, the second son of the eighth Tokugawa shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, devoted himself to studying Gagaku and worked to revive it, leaving behind a vast amount of sheet music. Confucian scholars too were interested in Gagaku; Ogyu Sorai for example discovered the flute score and lyrics for “Shufuraku” (autumn wind music) written on the back of a piece of paper and experimented by adding biwa and vocals.
The first half of the concert introduced these musical ventures, and the
second half featured the performance of a part of an Eichu Kangen performed at Edo Castle in 1823 by the Momijiyama Gakunin musicians, a group comprising court nobles, Sanbo Gakunin musicians (“musicians from three directions”) and others,
offering a glimpse of Gagaku replete with the dynamism of the Edo period.

Program
Part 1:
Seigaiha bugaku: dancers with full ensemble
Seikyucho-no-choshi, Anrakukyoku kangen:full ensemble
Shufuraku(autumn wind music) re-created song: vocals with biwa and ryuteki

Part 2:
Ryueikangen from a concert held in Edo Castle in 1823
Sojo-no-choshi, Mushiroda saibara: vocals with partial ensemble
Tori-no-kyu(nokorigaku version) kangen: full ensemble
Hyojo-no-choshi, Manzairaku(4+8 beats) kangen: full ensemble
Isenoumi(2+4 beats) saibara: Vocals with partial ensemble
Goshoraku-no-kyu kangen: full ensemble

Performance: Reigakusha Gagaku Ensemble
Planning cooperation: Prof. Toru Endo