A Myth for Symphonic Band
Hiroshi OHGURI (1918-1982)
Created for and first performed by the Osaka Municipal
Symphonic Band in 1973 to commemorate its 50th anniversary, this programmatic
work evokes a famous Japanese myth.
The sun goddess, Amaterasu Omikami, has hidden herself in a
cave, thus depriving the world of light. The
other deities gather to think of a scheme to lure her out.
They make a cock crow loudly, after which the goddess Ame no Uzume no
Mikoto performs a humorous, bawdy dance. The
other deities clap in time and finally burst into uproarious laughter at her
antics.
Amaterasu, her curiosity piqued, peers out of the cave to see
what is going on, whereupon a burly god grabs her firmly by the hand and pulls
her out. Thus, light is restored to
the world.
The composition is divided into three main parts - slow,
fast, and slow. The first part sets
the mood of ancient times and evokes the darkening of the world as Amaterasu
secludes herself. It opens with a
sharp descending motif played by flutes and clarinets, after which low-register
instruments evoke the darkness and anxiety that envelop the world when Amaterasu
hides in the cave.
In the second part, muted cornets and trumpets mimic the
sound of a cock crowing, after which the percussion sets the lively tempo of
Uzume's dance and mimics the raucous laughter of the gods.
An andante section featuring flutes, clarinets, and bassoons follows with
a theme indicating Amaterasu's puzzlement.
The dance resumes, in the course of which a new theme is introduced.
In the transition to the third part, the music swells to a
climax, the gong sounds, and the music slows to andante once again as Amaterasu
peers out of the cave and is pulled out. The
rejoicing of the gods at her reappearance is expressed by a theme played by
trumpets and trombones, backed by the woodwinds. The clarinet theme heard at the beginning of the first part
is repeated, and the music draws to a tense close.