The Last Biwa Singer: A Blind Musician in History, Imagination and Performance (Cornell East Asia Series)
Hugh de Ferranti
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Description for The Last Biwa Singer: A Blind Musician in History, Imagination and Performance (Cornell East Asia Series)
Hardcover. This work is an exposition of the traditions of Japanese blind singers who accompanied themeselves on the biwa, and of the complex identity of Yamashika Yoshiyuki (1901-1996), a man widely portrayed as the last such "living relic" of the medieval bards called biwa hshi. Series: Cornell East Asia. Num Pages: 320 pages, illustrations. BIC Classification: BG. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). .
This work is an exposition of the traditions of Japanese blind singers who accompanied themselves on the biwa, and of the complex identity of Yamashika Yoshiyuki (1901–1996), a man widely portrayed as the last such "living relic" of the medieval bards called biwa hoshi. The author draws upon approaches from Japanese historical and literature studies, performance studies and ethnomusicology in an examination of history, which yielded on the one hand images of blind singers that still circulate in Japan, and on the other a particular tradition of musical story-telling and rites in regional Kyushu, of representations of Yamashika in diverse ... Read more
Show LessProduct Details
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2009
Publisher
Cornell East Asia Program
Condition
New
Series
Cornell East Asia
Number of Pages
336
Place of Publication
, United States
ISBN
9781933947136
SKU
V9781933947136
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-1
About Hugh de Ferranti
Hugh de Ferranti is the author of many articles on the biwa traditions and has co-produced a collection of archive recordings of performances by Yamashika Yoshiyuki, with English and Japanese documentation (Rites and Tales with Biwa: Yamashika Yoshiyuki, Blind Musician of Kyushu; Japan Traditional Cultures Foundation 2007). He is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Music at the University ... Read more
Reviews for The Last Biwa Singer: A Blind Musician in History, Imagination and Performance (Cornell East Asia Series)
[T]his book gives an excellent ethnomusicological overview of these blind musicians, their situations, and the social, cultural, and historical contexts surrounding their work. Although de Ferranti mentions that the documents about them are scarce, he was able to gather enough detailed information to give, I believe, a pertinent idea of their life, particularly through the eyes of a unique musician ... Read more