"This is to introduce our new, edited book Music as Heritage: Historical and Ethnographic Perspectives (London & New York: Routledge, 2018). The theme of the book is to explore music as ‘intangible cultural heritage’. Japan played a vital and pioneering role in establishing that notion and in safeguarding such cultural properties. As part of the celebration of the launch of the book, we will enjoy performances of Japanese music, traditional as well as avant-garde."

Description
The Music Department and the Asian Music Unit (AsMU), Goldsmiths, University of London are pleased to invite you to a special event where Barley Norton and Naomi Matsumoto and the contributors of the chapters will launch their new edited volume, Music as Heritage: Historical and Ethnographic Perspectives. The event will include a short concert by Rica Narimoto (Aichi University of Arts, Japan, the author of Chapter 12), and David Hughes (SOAS, the author of Chapter 7) and the SOAS Min'yō Group which he founded.

Rica will perform her own composition, Six Pieces on Matsushima for piano (2011) which is based upon 'Matsushima' of Tokiwazu-bushi from Jōruri, Japan's traditional musical genre, typically used in Kabuki theatre. Songs that the SOAS Min'yō Group will perform come from various regions in Japan and include among others, 'Sōran Bushi' (fishing song), 'Nambu Ushioi Uta' (ox-driving song), 'Tanchamē' (dance song from Okinawa), 'Akita Ondo' (comical rap song), and "Aneko Mo Sa' (sad love song). The group use traditional instruments including the 3-string shamisen 'banjo', the end-blown bamboo flute shakuhachi, the side-blown bamboo flute shinobue, taiko drums and some other percussion, plus the Okinawan sanshin (ancestor of the shamisen). Both the Min'yō and Jōruri genres have been inscribed on the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The performances will be followed by a drinks reception.

* The event is free but please register in advance from here(click).

* If you need us to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs. Many thanks.

About the Book:

As economic, technological and cultural change gathers pace across the world, issues of music heritage and sustainability have become ever more pressing. Discourse on intangible cultural heritage has developed in complex ways in recent years, and musical practices have been transformed by safeguarding agendas. Music as Heritage takes stock of these transformations, bringing new ethnographic and historical perspectives to bear on our encounters with music heritage. The volume evaluates the cultural politics, ethics and audiovisual representation of music heritage; the methods and consequences of music transmission across national borders; and the perennial issues of revival, change and innovation.

https://www.routledge.com/Music-as-Heritage-Historical-and-Ethnographic-Perspectives/Norton-Matsumoto/p/book/9781138228047

*'Music as Heritage' project has been supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).