This paper explores a phenomenological approach to temporality in the analysis of Japanese 20th-century music, taking into consideration the influence of Zen Buddhist philosophy on the Japanese composer's perspective. After establishing a philosophical base and examining several aspects of time - its topology, functions, and qualities, the paper lays out a methodology for analyzing music from a Zen perspective. A complete analysis (including a performance) of Kazuo Fukushima's Requiem per flauto sola follows.
Essentially, the practice of Zen Buddhism focuses on maintaining "one mind," a consciousness that attends to the present moment; that is, the present moment in all its depth and complexity. Central to the Japanese concept of time is the Zen principle of "Time-being," as set forth by Dogen Kigen (1200-1253). Time-being implies that all time and space interpenetrate; there is no separation between time and beings. Awareness of Time-being allows for a shift in music analysis from a third-person to a first-person empiricism, the move from an objective perspective to the (inter-)subjective perspective inherent in phenomenology. Second, it offers an opportunity to find ways of modeling the dynamics of our perceptions and responses to music. In Japanese music, this point of view is naturally supported by its cultural roots.
An understanding of Time-being shows that while each moment is unique in and of itself, all moments are also related as one. The analysis will show how the composer projects this unity and diversity in Requiem. While the piece is twelve-tone and uses Western compositional techniques, it also employs the sytlistic gestures of the shakuhachi, as well as the honkyoku form; this further allows for an approach that incorporates both Western and Eastern ideas.
Kristin Taavola is a graduate student in Music Theory at the Eastman School. Her Ph.D. course of study focuses on Asian models of time and their interaction with contemporary music theories. The aim of her study is not only to pursue various ways of modeling Eastern and Western conceptions of music, but to integrate these ideas into performance as well. She has presented papers at the New England Society for Music Theory (April 1993), the Music Theory Society of New York State (October 1993), and is scheduled to present her work at the National Flute Association Convention in August 1994.