Shōdan in Okina
Okina’s Song
The performance of Okina’s song features a regular text set in sashinori, sung in the tsuyogin style, accompanied by a non-congruent nohkan part, against a steady beat established by the three kotsuzumi drums in a strict rhythmic setting.
The text is divided into three sections. The first and third sections appear to be based on a lost language, presenting as if derived from a form of shōga, or onomatopoeia that imitates percussion or wind instrument sounds. In contrast, the text in the second section consists of four phrases and represents a style associated with imayō chanting, the popular songs of the Heian (794 - 1185) and Kamakura (1185 – 1333) periods.
The first section, scored for three kotsuzumi, introduces two distinct eight-beat patterns. The primary pattern is built from two sounds: the 'ta' and 'po' strokes, with 'ta' consistently used in the first half of the pattern and the 'po' in the second. This pattern consists of strokes on beats 1, 3, 5, and 7, each preceded by a kakegoe, except for beat 7, which is preceded by an anacrusis stroke on beat 6.5.
The second pattern is briefly introduced in the sixth and seventh honji, anticipating the start of the song's second part by two honji. It is identifiable by the lead kotsuzumi player performing a variation on the primary pattern played by the other two musicians. This variation features combined strokes on beats 1, 3, and 4, 5, 6, 6.5, and 7, for a total of seven strokes compared to five in the first pattern:
After a first section for percussion instruments alone, the second section is marked by the entrance of the vocal part and the nohkan's Hacchō no yuri pattern. This section, like the first, draws on a text of archaic origin, resembling onomatopoeic representations of flute and percussion sounds. The singing is alternated between Okina and the jiutai.
The nohkan's Hacchō no yuri comprises four continuous phrases, with each one starting in a different register, creating a motion from high to middle, low, and finally to very low. The first phrase's opening, 'O-hya', is in the high register; the second, 'Hi-ya', is in the middle; the third, 'Hi-u', is in the lower; and the fourth, 'Ho-hya', concludes the section in the very low register.
In the third section, the nohkan part is tacet, and the chanted text returns to onomatopoeia. The three kotsuzumi players introduce a new, rhythmically dynamic four-beat pattern, alternating 'chi' and 'po' sounds. The symmetrical sequence of strokes and kakegoe divides the honji into two four-beat segments:
Over the course of the third section's six honji, the tempo accelerates from MM = 50 to MM = 112 by the fifth honji. A deceleration to MM = 66 at the sixth and final honji signals the cadence. The nohkan, silent since the beginning of the section, concludes the song with its Hishigi pattern.