As the national flower of Japan, Sakura (cherry blossom in Japanese) is a symbol of renewal, hope and optimism as its emergence represents the commencement of spring, the first season of a new year. Also, the brief blooming season of Sakura represents the brevity of the human life cycle and the philosophy of treasuring every moment. There are always ups and downs, and our time should be spent on embracing good memories and practising empathy instead of resenting trials and tribulations. These concepts are reflected in the following 3 wakas (a form of short Japanese poems) by 3 different Japanese poets - Ki no Tomonori, Ono no Komachi and Motoori Norinaga - that this music composition is mostly based on:

紀友則 - Ki no Tomonori (Translated by Clay MacCauley)

ひさかたの
光のどけき
春の⽇に
しづ⼼なく
花の散るらむ

Hisakata no
Hikari nodokeki
Haru no hi ni
Shizu kokoro naku
Hana no chiru ra n

In the cheerful light
Of the ever-shining Sun, 
In the days of spring;
Why, with ceaseless, restless haste falls
the cherry's new-blown bloom?

⼩野⼩町 - Ono no Komachi (Translated by Peter McMillan)

花の⾊は
うつりにけりな
いたづらに
わが⾝世にふる
ながめせしまに

Hana no iro wa
Utsuri ni keri na
Itazura ni
Wagami yo ni furu
Nagame seshima ni

I have loved in vain
And now my beauty fades
Like these cherry blossoms
Paling in the long rains of spring
That I gaze upon alone.

本居宣⻑ - Motoori Norinaga (Translated by David Bowles)

しき嶋の
やまとごゝろを
⼈とはゞ
朝⽇にゝほふ
⼭ざくら花

Shikishima no
Yamatogokoro wo
Hito towaba
Asahi ni niou
Yamazakura hana

If someone wonders
How to describe the spirit
Of the Japanese,
Say “mountain cherry blossoms,
Glowing in the morning sun.”

Apart from the exact text of the poems, the title word “sakura” is also frequently reiterated by the mezzo-soprano and baritone parts throughout the music composition with the accompaniment of piano and tape, the latter of which includes processed ambient noises of bird, creek, rain and thunder to enhance the audience’s virtual experience of the nature during their participation in this musical journey.

This composition is premiered during the Hibiki Project (@hibikiproject) virtual recital at 7 pm (EST) on 22 May 2022.

Composer/Producer/Baritone: Ian Chan (@ian_mc_king_i)
Mezzo-Soprano: Chihiro Yasufuku (@chihirosounds)
Piano: Jayne Abe (@jayne.bibi)
Text: Ki no Tomonori, Ono no Komachi, Motoori Norinaga
Image: Grace Qiu (@photographingrace)

Sakura

Fuga No. 3 Harpsichord in G minor

Banger

Made this on a whim, inspired by Stevie Wonder's vocoder version, and Jacob Collier, however it's not nearly as good as theirs. Great way to test my T-Pain autotune too, haven't gotten a chance to use it in a project yet. Also testing my reharmonization skills, always gotta keep those fresh. Oh yeah shout out to the Carpenter's and the Simpsons

Close To You Reharmonization Cover

Ian Chan
Canadian-Born-Chinese Pianist-Composer
University of Toronto - Music Composition

Sakura

Ian Mc King I

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