Hichiriki 篳篥

THOMAS PIERCY ~ HICHIRIKI
トーマス・ピアシー ~ 篳篥

MASATORA GOYA "Onokoro"
Concerto for Hichiriki
(Chamber version)
THOMAS PIERCY Hichiriki 篳篥

MASATORA GOYA "Onokoro" Concerto for Hichiriki
Thomas Piercy, Hichiriki トーマス・ピアシー ~ 篳篥
Ryo Hasegawa, Conductor

MASATORA GOYA 合屋正虎 "Spring Thaw"
THOMAS PIERCY ~ HICHIRIKI
トーマス・ピアシー ~ 篳篥
TOMOKO SUGAWARA ~ KUGO 菅原朋子 ~ 箜篌

Chen Yihan
Changqiang II "Contemplation on Purity" (默念清凉)
Thomas Piercy, hichiriki Shoichiro Tanaka, piano

John Cage "Ryoanji"
Thomas Piercy, Hichiriki
Hiroshi Ebina, Hichiriki Maki Yamamae, Hichiriki
Sean Statser, Percussion

BIN LI - "Voices (Concetto Strumentale 4)"
THOMAS PIERCY, Hichiriki 篳篥

DAVID SU "Mujitsu no hinode" "無実の日の出"
"innocent sunrise"
Thomas Piercy, Hichiriki トーマス・ピアシー篳篥

Trappist-1 music by l’Artiste ordinaire
performed by l’Artiste ordinaire
Thomas Piercy, Hichiriki
Voices, for hichiriki and electronics music by Bin Li
Performed by Thomas Piercy, Hichiriki

John Cage "RYOANJI"
Thomas Piercy, Hichiriki (and pre-recorded hichiriki)
Miho Sasaki, Percussion

MASATORA GOYA 合屋正虎 ~ "TORO NAGASHI 灯籠流し" Thomas PIERCY - Hichiriki トーマス・ピアシー: 篳篥
Miho SASAKI - Piano 佐々木みほ : ピアノ

Thomas Piercy, hichiriki (篳篥)
Fifteen Minutes of Fame Concert
Premieres of works for hichiriki by composers
Can Bilir, Erik Branch, Susan Brewster, Michael Coleman, Douglas DaSilva, Paul Dice, Composer Eliane Aberdam, Akari Komura, Sandro Montalto, Luigi Morleo, Kaori Nakano, Gardika Gigih, Renaldo Ramai, Anna Vried, and Frank E. Warren

Masatora Goya "Four Seasons" (World Premiere)
Thomas Piercy, hichiriki (篳篥) Tengku Irfan, piano

Hichiriki Reed Seminar 篳篥用の舌 with Thomas Piercy
Preparation, care, adjustment, and more information about the hichiriki and the hichiriki reed discussed in this seminar.
Presented for the Columbia University Music Performance Program Gagaku Ensemble. November 5, 2020.

THOMAS PIERCY HICHIRIKI トーマスピアシー篳篥

Thomas Piercy, already a prominent figure in the contemporary classical world as a clarinet soloist, decided in 2012 to start the study of the hichiriki in Japan. The hichiriki, a traditional double-reed instrument used almost exclusively in Gagaku since the 12th century, has only very recently been used in contemporary music. He began his studies in the traditional manner as a student of world-renowned hichiriki player Hitomi Nakamura, and within four months Piercy started to include pieces for hichiriki in his concerts.

With very little contemporary repertoire for the hichiriki, Piercy started asking composers in Japan and around the world write him pieces. Piercy thought it important that this ancient instrument be played in contemporary settings and still maintain and respect its rich history. With a personal commitment to the past and future, Piercy has worked with many composers to have works for hichiriki and electronics, hichiriki and kugo (Japanese harp), hichiriki and piano, and pieces for hichiriki and other traditional Japanese instruments (ryuteki, sho, shakuhachi, koto), and a concerto for hichiriki. Using his expertise on the hichiriki, he has conducted composer workshops in US, Japan, and Thailand to teach composers how to write for the hichiriki, and has been produced by "ComposersVoice" in an online “How to Wrote for the Hichiriki” video. He continues to compose new pieces, and has had over 60 new hichiriki pieces composed for him as he continues to increase the repertoire of this historical and unique instrument.

As a dedicated and frequent performer of new music, Piercy has premiered over 300 compositions composed for him. The works, for clarinet or hichiriki, include solo pieces, duos, trios, quartets, larger mixed ensembles, concertos and double concertos. They include a wide variety of styles of music, from contemporary classical to avant-garde; from the abstract to minimalism; from J-pop to jazz-influenced pieces. In working with these many and diverse composers from the United States, Japan, and around the world, he has tried to avoid the limiting categorization, the pigeonholing, of himself and the composers. With very little contemporary repertoire for the hichiriki, Piercy first started having composers in Japan and then around the world write for him. He thought it important that this ancient instrument be played in contemporary settings and still maintain and respect its rich history.

When Piercy first started Hichiriki study and playing, he made it a priority to find and work with composers and performers interested in combining traditional instruments with contemporary performance practices. With his “Tokyo to New York” concerts throughout the US, Japan, China, Thailand, Canada, and England, he has been able to work with composers in their communities. It has been his great honor to be immersed in the community of performers dedicating themselves to working in the contemporary world with the tools of traditional artists from their heritages. His practice has begun to expand further into working with other art forms and artists (particularly dance, photography, and painting). This expansion of his horizons, and the horizons of the hichiriki continues bringing art to the public in a collaborative and interactive manner. It has been an important mission for Piercy to see how working with one composer or performer leads to working with yet another composer or performer, and to see that they are all working together to bring the heritage instruments and arts into the contemporary world. There is boundless and “boundaryless” curiosity from artists and non-artists in this community involvement that continues to grow not only in Japan but throughout the world.

In addition to his international contemporary hichiriki activities, he is also a member of the Columbia University Gagaku Ensemble, and a participant in the practice sessions of the NYC Tenri Gagaku Ensemble.

As an instrumentalist performing on both Western classical instruments and the Hichiriki, Piercy has been given the invaluable opportunity and responsibility to work with composers to bring about a new repertoire for the hichiriki. A new music advocate with a focus on diverse and innovative musical forms, he combines Traditional Performance Practices with Contemporary Performance Practices to celebrate the connections between the past and present. His concerts offer a music experience using a diverse collection of Western classical instruments as well as traditional Japanese instruments with the goal of advocating innovative approaches to concert programs. Piercy thinks it important that this ancient instrument - the Hichiriki - be played, presented, and shared in contemporary settings and still maintain and respect its rich history.

A partial list of composers whose hichiriki works have been composed for and premiered by Thomas Piercy.

Japanese composers:
合屋正虎 Masatora Goya (five pieces for hichiriki including the Hichirki Concerto); 平山智   Tomo Hirayama; Akari Komura; 松本祐一   Yuichi Matsumoto; 見澤ゆかり  Yukari Misawa;
森田泰之進 Yasunoshin Morita; Kaori Nakano; 大羽田大輔   Daisuke Ohata;
清水チャートリー  Chatori Shimizu; 宇澤とも子  Tomoko Uzawa

International (non-Japanese) composers:
Aberdam; Alyssa Aska; Erik Branch; can bilir; Susan Brewster; Kanokpak Changwitchukarn; Yihan Chen; Michael Coleman; Douglas DaSilva; Paul Dice; Melissa Grey; Gardika Gigih; Zhihua Hu; Kento Iwasaki; Yohei Kurihara; Paul Yeon Lee;
Bin Li; David Loeb; Piyawat Louilarpprasert; Joshua Banks Mailman; Sandro Montalto; Luigi Morleo; David Morneau; Gene Pritsker; Renaldo Ramai; Michael Rose; Edward Schocker; David Su; Anna Vriend; Frank Warren.

トーマス・ピアシー ~ 篳篥

クラリネットのソリストとしてすでに現代クラシック音楽界で著名人であるトーマス・ピアシー氏は2012年に日本で篳篥（ひちりき）の研究を始めた。篳篥（ひちりき）は12世紀以降、ほぼ雅楽にのみ使用されてきた伝統的なダブルリード楽器で、現代音楽で使用されるようになったのはごく最近のことである。世界的な篳篥奏者である中村ひとみに師事し、伝統的奏法の勉強を始めたピアシー氏は4ヵ月後には自分の演奏会に篳篥のための曲を取り入れるようになった。

現代音楽のレパートリーの中で篳篥（ひちりき）のための作品がほとんどなかったため、ピアシー氏は日本をはじめ、他国を拠点とする作曲家に作曲を依頼するようになった。ピアシー氏はこの古代の楽器が、その豊かな歴史を維持し尊重しつつ、現代音楽の環境で演奏されることが重要であると考えた。過去と未来に対する個人的な音楽的取り組みから、ピアシー氏は多くの作曲家との共同作業を重ね、篳篥とエレクトロニクス、篳篥とピアノ、篳篥と他の日本の伝統楽器（龍笛、笙、尺八、琴）のための作品、そして篳篥のための協奏曲を制作している。また、篳篥（ひちりき）の専門知識を活かし、米国、日本、タイで篳篥のための作曲家ワークショップを開催し、「ComposersVoice」によるオンラインビデオ「How to Write for the Hichiriki」の制作も行っている。また、篳篥（ひちりき）という歴史あるユニークな楽器のレパートリーを増やすため、自身での作曲活動と共に、これまでに60曲以上もの篳篥のための新作品を彼のために作曲されている。
現代音楽の演奏に熱心で、頻繁に演奏を重ねるピアシー氏は、これまで彼のために作曲された300以上の作品を初演を達成する。クラリネットまたは篳篥（ひちりき）のための作品は、ソロ、デュオ、トリオ、カルテット、またはより大きな混合アンサンブル、協奏曲、二重協奏曲など、多岐にわたる。現代クラシックから前衛音楽、抽象音楽からミニマリズム、J-POPからジャズの影響を受けた作品まで、そのスタイルは多岐にわたる。アメリカ、日本、そして世界中から集まった多種多様な作曲家たちと活動をする中で、彼は自身と作曲家たちを限定的にカテゴライズすること、つまりハト派化することを避けよう滑動に励んでいる。篳篥のための現代的なレパートリーがほとんどなかったため、ピアシー氏はまず日本、そして他国からの作曲家に作曲を依頼し始め、彼はこの古代の楽器が、その豊かな歴史を維持し尊重しつつ、現代の舞台で演奏されることが重要であると考える。

ピアシー氏が篳篥の研究と演奏を始めた当初は、伝統楽器と現代的な演奏方法の組み合わせに興味を持つ作曲家や演奏家との共同制作・共同演奏に力を捧げた。米国、日本、中国、タイ、カナダ、英国で開催された「Tokyo to New York」コンサートでは、それぞれの地域の作曲家たちとの共演を成功させた。伝統的なアーティストの楽器や道具を使い、現代音楽の演奏家たちのコミュニティーに身を置くことは、彼にとって大きな名誉であり、彼の活動は、他の芸術形態やアーティスト（特にダンス、写真、絵画）との共同作業へとさらに広がりを始める。このような彼の視野の拡大、そして篳篥の視野の拡大は、他アーティストとのコラボレーションとインタラクティブ演奏形態を通し、多くの人々にアートを提供し続けることになる。一人の作曲家や演奏家との共同作業が、さらに別の作曲家や演奏家とのコラボレーションにつながること、そして遺産である楽器や芸術を現代の世界に持ち込むために演奏家、作曲家と共に活動を続けることは、ピアシー氏にとって重要な使命である。日本だけでなく、世界中で増え続けるこのコミュニティとの関わりには、アーティストもそうでない人も、「境界のない」好奇心があると彼は信じる。国際的な現代篳篥の活動に加え、Piercy氏はコロンビア大学雅楽アンサンブルのメンバー、NYC天理雅楽アンサンブルの練習にも参加する。
西洋の古典楽器と篳篥（ひちりき）の両方を演奏する楽器奏者として、ピアシー氏は作曲家との連携を重ね篳篥の新しいレパートリーを生み出すという貴重な任務と責任を与えられている。多様で革新的な音楽形態に焦点を当てた新しい音楽の提唱者である彼は伝統的な演奏方法と現代の演奏方法を組み合わせ、過去と現在のつながりを祝福する。彼のコンサートでは、西洋の古典楽器と日本の伝統楽器の多様なコレクションを使った音楽体験を提供し、革新的なコンサートプログラムのアプローチを提唱することを目指している。ピアシー氏は篳篥という古代の楽器が、その豊かな歴史を維持し尊重しつつ、現代の環境で演奏され、紹介され、共有されることの重要視を維持する。

The Hichiriki (篳篥)
The hichiriki (篳篥) is a double reed Japanese instrument used as one of two main melodic instruments in Japanese gagaku music, the other being the ryūteki. Pitch and ornamentation (most notably bending tones) are controlled largely with the embouchure. The hichiriki is one of the "sacred" instruments and is often heard being played at Shinto ceremonies in Japan. Its sound is often described as haunting. The hichiriki is the most widely used of all instruments in gagaku. The hichiriki is also used in contemporary classical music and is noted for its highly expressive qualities.

One of the most distinctive sounds of gagaku is the strong nasal tone of the hichiriki. It is said that the sound of the hichiriki expresses the voice of people living close to the earth. Often the main melody of a gagaku piece is carried by the hichiriki, but the range of the instrument is only about one octave, so a very rich range of embellishment techniques developed. The double reed for the hichiriki is very large so that even with the same fingering, just by altering the pressure on the reed a range of three pitches or so can be reached and a kind of portamento can be created.

The body of the instrument is a length of bamboo 18 cm. long 1.5 cm. in diameter and it is relatively elliptical. There are seven finger holes on the front of the instrument and two on the back. The ends of the instrument and sections between the finger holes are wrapped with thin strips of birch or cherry bark. The reed, which is called "shita" or "tongue," is 5.5 cm. long. It is made from ashi reeds with the skin peeled and the two sides brought together. The end that is pushed into the instrument is wrapped with Japanese paper and the two parts of the reed are held together with a length of rattan cane. The reed needs to be moistened when the instrument is played and soaking the reed in hot green tea is considered best. The reed being relatively large it can easily influence the pitch of the pipe. Sliding notes and tonal variation obtained by producing the same pitch on different fingerings is a feature of its style and a characteristic of the beauty of its sound.

Composing for the Hichiriki

Traditional Performance Practices
Articulation: Traditionally, tonguing is not used with the hichiriki. Instead phrases are shaped by the control of the airflow and selected pitches are accentuated by tapping the instrument’s holes with the fingers. It is typical for the starting pitch of a melodic line to be approached with a portamento from below.

Osu: Decrescendo followed by a sudden re-attack of the pitch on a strong beat. The attack is not tongued but produced by an increase of the airflow.

Tataku: This is the coloration of a sustained tone with a rapid insertion of its upper or lower neighbor-tone. The change of fingering between the two pitches usually involves the rapidly closing and re-opening of a single hole, tapping the closing-hole and thereby accentuating the corresponding tone.

Mawasu: This melodic motion usually entails a change of fingerings involving two holes. A pitch slowly slides to its upper-neighbor tone opening one hole, and then rapidly closing two holes to move to its lower-neighbor tone, tapping the holes and thereby accentuating the last tone. On the hichiriki the motion of the reed inside of the performer’s mouth can also produce this effect. In this case, the last tone is not accentuated.

Enbai: Motion of the instrument in the performer’s mouth with the reed held in a shallow position producing a glissando that can alter the pitch by up to a perfect fourth. It is often used to color a sustained tone.

New Performance Practices
Articulation: Tonguing (including staccato) can be used, but best limited to single tonguing. Flutter tonguing is possible.

Tremolo: The hichiriki does not traditionally use tremolo, but it can be utilized in new music. The rule of thumb is to use tremolo between two pitches that do not involve awkward fingerings and for the most part, to limit it within the range of the perfect fourth.

Glissando and trills can be used independently or in combination.

Bisbigliando: An effect produced when slightly transforming the color of a tone. This is traditionally part of the hichiriki modes of performance since sliding notes and tonal variation obtained by producing the same pitch on different fingerings is a feature of its style.

Singing while playing:
It is important to take into consideration the singing range of the performer.

Range of the hichirki and modern notation.

Any given fingering can produce a range of pitches with finger manipulation and by varying air and embouchure pressure.

The basic range is: G4 to A5.
Extended range: F4 to B5 are easily produced by embouchure and air pressure.

Notes below F4 and higher than B5 are also able to be produced by embouchure and air pressure but are less easily controlled.

Overblowing can be utilized to go higher than B5, but can be difficult and not easily controlled. You ca hear examples of these higher, overblown notes in the John Cage "Ryoanji" video.

You will find modern hichiriki notation "written as sounding" and also notated an octave below sounding pitch. I prefer the notation to be written "as sounding."

THOMAS PIERCY HICHIRIKI トーマスピアシー篳篥

THOMAS PIERCY ~ HICHIRIKI トーマス・ピアシー ~ 篳篥﻿

THOMAS PIERCY ~ HICHIRIKI
トーマス・ピアシー ~ 篳篥