Natsu Kusa (Summer Grass)

 

SATB + Cello + Piano

(get the score at Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Inc.)

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Recently I have been

So much in love, like

Summer grass:

Reaped and swept away, yet

Growing back.

 

                      – Japanese Manyoshu Volume 10-1984 (c.759 AD)

 

(Both IPA and phonetic text transcriptions are included in the score)​

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About the Piece:

 

Set to an ancient Japanese waka (a poem written in 5-7-5-7-7 syllable meter),“Natsu Kusa” captures the introspective and melancholic nature of the traditional Japanese view of the changing of seasons, while still personifying the elation and revitalization the poet is feeling.

 

Using tonality to reflect the poet’s description of their previous hurt being “swept away,” the line “kari harae domo” is first presented with a slight modulation, favoring a minor tonal center, with a bit of dissonance between voices. As the music progresses, these lines are then repeated and centered in the original, major key of the piece. This allows us to feel the same excitement and positivity as the poet, as they reflect on their new, limitless bounds of love like “summer grass” growing back endlessly.

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