民謡とは

日本民謡は代々人から人へと受け継がれて来た音楽。日本は海と山に囲まれた自然豊かな国であることから漁場や農業での作業歌が日本民謡の中心となっており、多くの歌の中に豊作や豊漁を願う歌詞が織り込まれている。 その他にも四季折々の節日や新築や婚礼などの祝儀の唄、祈りの唄、踊りの唄や子守唄などがある。その一つ一つの唄でそれぞれの土地の豊かな地方性や風土の様子が表現されており、北海道や東北など厳しい気候の中で生まれた曲と九州・沖縄の曲などは雰囲気が異なり、歌詞にそれぞれの方言も反映されている。生活の声として生まれ伝承されてきたその音楽は先祖代々歌うことを通じて伝えられてきた民族のﾒ心ﾓであるといえる。
What is MINYO

Folk songs point to the musical singing passed down for many generations as
Minyo, Japanese Folk Songs, tell the story of a people.They are a musical and
cultural legacy, passed down from generation to generation speaking of the
mundane, of prayer, of humbleness. Many folk songs in Japan originated from
the commoners, the farmers and fisherman, toiling away in the fields and farms,
recounting their stories and hopes. Still others tell of religious, historical and
seasonal events. They capture Japan's true history, unblemished by war and
political upheaval. Through them, their people can preserve and rekindle their
precious cultural legacy, to pass their verbal history on to their children like
the generations before them. Minyo are unique to each province and village, often
incorporating the shamisen and shakuhachi, instruments of traditional Japan. In
the past, these songs were sung daily, playing an active role in peoples everyday
lives. Today, in our modern world, inundated with pop culture, these songs have
all but vanished, lingering on as a memory in those few practitioners who endeavor
to keep these traditions alive. It is now only at festivals and at Obon--a celebration
honoring the passing of one's ancestors--that these songs and traditions continue
to be practiced. Owing some of its rhythmic style and sensibility to nature, Minyo
has a free and open style, unfettered by outside cultural influences. Its sounds are
an echo of the past, the hymns of a proud and humble people, the rhythms of their
lives, the silences of their souls.
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