Mochitsuki Festival Elements of Music

The Mochitsuki festival at Fujitsu had different performers come and go, but the elements surrounding the music were very much the same. The Koto and Sakuhachi played a duet called “Spring Sea”. It was written in 1921 by an artist that lost his sight and expressed his memory of the sea in the music. The artist’s memory seems very vivid when listening to the music. The beginning started off with a slow and melodic tempo, and sped up as the music went on. The Sakuhachi player carried the melody while the Koto player had the rhythmic part.

The performers wore traditional Japanese kimonos and seemed to be very focused on their music, instruments, and their whole performance. Even though I have never heard that song before, I’m quite sure they didn’t make any mistakes. They didn’t seem nervous at all and kept their composure despite a loud audience.

The staging area had a very attentive audience. Many of them had cameras and camcorders, and they were generally very quiet as the music was playing. However, outside the staging area was a big ruckus. People kept going on with their business and conversations, and at times it was kind of difficult to hear the music with all the chatter around.

I’m not sure how different the audience would have been compared to an audience in Japan, but I think more people would have paid attention to the performance and it would have been quieter if it had been in Japan. It also probably would have been quieter around the stage if the festival took place outside. The sounds and conversations bounced off all the walls, which may have made the room sound a lot louder than it actually was.