It is a widely accpepted truth that European civilization can not he discussed without religion, Chritianity in particular. Religion is underlying the European music like a broad river from the Gregorian chants, Cantata and Passion music of the Baroque era represented by Bach, to Bruckner of the later romantic school or Messiaen of the contemporary days.
On the other hand, it is interesting to find that there is no religion which originated in Europe. Of course each tribe had its own ancient religion . For example , the Celt, the Teuton who drove the Celt to the western part of Europe, and the Slav who lived in the eastern part of Europe, they all had their own religion. But those religions were sorts of animism and never developed to the level of organized religions as we see today. And they all mingled with the foreign religions eventually, and cultures of the area started to be built up with the foreign religion being the basis.
The Mithraism which swept over the Roman empire from the 1st through the 4th century, for example, had its origin in Persia. And Christianity, which later spread over the Roman empire to the entire Europe, originated in the Palestine area as everybody knows.
In fact, a similar phenomenon can be found in musical instruments, which are the major tools in the performance of the western music, what we normally call the "classical music". First of all, the lute, which formed the polyphony on which the European music is based, has its origin in Arabic area. Furthermore, when you take a look at the musical instruments used in orchestras, which is considered to be a typical style of performance in expressing the logic and sensibility of the European music in the most colourful way, you will realize that those instruments did not necessarily originate in Europe. For example, oboe originated in India, and prototypes of clarinet and bassoon can be observed in Egypt. Harps came from the ancient Orient and flute came from the Middle East.
What does that mean? It probably means that to originate in a certain place and to develop as a culture are two different things.
We, who are involved in the European music in Japan, are often tend to believe that home is the best and that people raised in Japan can never master the classical music. On the other hand, if you look back the history of religion and music which are the nuclei of the European civilization, they were both imported from other areas and developed in Europe. They were not purely cultured, but mingled and influenced by other factors and grew to be a part of the great civilization.
This fact is a valuable hint when we think about music as a part of the Japanese culture. We should get rid of such thinking that culture will develop only in a place where it originated and the tendency of favouring pure culture. But instead, let us enjoy importing, mingling and exporting of culture with confidence. To begin with, sound is not fixed to the ground by a root. It can propagate freely in the air.
The National Festival of Amateur Orchestra in 1996 will be held as“ the International Festival of Amateur Orchestras'96 in Tokyo” adding the World Youth Orchestra Festival. The youth and amateur musicians from nineteen countries, including about one hundred members of the Canadian National Youth Orchestra and about ten members of the German Amateur Orchestra Federation, will participate in the concerts.
The significance of this festival is as explained above. Mr. Moshe Murvirt, who formerly belonged to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, will also join the festival as the guest concert master. We are looking forward to the fruit of the festival in both near term and long term.
