David Solomons

singer, one-man choir, guitarist and composer

Twinkle Twinkle in Japanese style for solo shakuhachi

SM-000182791
Alternative title
Ah je vous dirai maman in Japanese style for shakuhachi
Composer
David W Solomons
Publisher
David W Solomons
Genre
World / Ethnic / Japanese
Instrumentation
Shakuhachi
Scored for
Solo
Type of score
For a single performer
Duration
2'45"
Difficulty
Advanced
Year of composition
2013

Description
Music written originally for shakuhachi, on request, for Matthew Weiss' Internet Opera "Jumping Bean and the Master"
It fits in Act 1 scene 2 as follows:
Flashback to a time many years ago. The morning sun rises above a pleasant mist engulfing the hermitage of renowned Zen Master Katsutoshi Iwasaki, secluded in a mountainous region on the island of Honshu Japan. Young Don Carlos Mateo Blanco III, his head cleanly shaven and wearing a simple robe, sits with his beloved Master sipping tea and enjoying the sweet smell of incense mixed with the cherry blossoms, the sounds of birds singing, and the joyful laughter of small children playing in a village nearby. A Shakuhachi flute improvises upon ”Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” faintly in background. Little does Young Don Carlos know that today marks the culmination of his training, his expulsion from paradise, and the inevitable return to his homeland.

The minor pentatonic scale of the shakuhachi does not allow the tune to be quoted in its original European version, but the improvisations of the shakuhachi around the tune will be easily recognised.
The tune itself, on which this music is based, is thought to have come from the 18th century, although there may have been earlier untraced versions. It is known to English speakers ears as "Twinkle twinkle little star" and to other Europeans as "Ah je vous dirai maman" (as quoted by Mozart) and maybe others too.

The sound sample is an electronic preview using the shakuhachi sound.
A version for solo flute is also available on musicaneo

Upload date
17 Apr 2013

Price

Sheet music file
9.00 USD
PDF, 173.3 Kb (3 p.)

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