Aki Sato
Tokuko Kakiuchi
Concert-lecture about early Meiji-period sources preserved at the MIM
Marking the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Japan, this concert-lecture highlights a collection of musical manuscripts compiled in 1884 by the Music Investigation Committee (Ongaku torishirabe gakari) in Tokyo, Japan’s very first musical pedagogical institution.
Forgotten for many years, these scores were brought to Belgium as part of an exchange between the Music Investigation Committee and the Musée Instrumental, the former MIM. They include solfeggio and harmony exercises by Japanese students, transcriptions of Japanese classical repertoire in staff notation, and harmonized adaptations of shoka (school songs) for koto.
As such, they are exceptional witnesses to the history of the introduction of Western musical practices in early Meiji Japan.
The concert-lecture will bring this history to life through performances by Aki Sato (koto) and Tokuko Kakiuchi (piano), accompanied by a presentation by Fañch Thoraval.
This concert is organized as part of the celebrations marking the 160th Anniversary of Friendship between Japan and Belgium.
