Sacrifice

Scott Perry

Inspired by:

Festival Hats Tapestry

Corinne Okada Takara

Music Concept:

Japanese were among the many immigrants who came to Hawaii at the beginning of the 20th century to work on sugar-cane and pineapple plantations. This piece focuses on the world that they left behind and the traditions that they brought with them to build new lives in hopes of a brighter future.

The music starts with a reproduction of the traditional Japanese song: Hakusen no. It translates to "A White Fan" and conveys the beauty of nature and romantic commitment. It is traditionally used for wedding ceremonies and private parties. Therefore, as it is used in this piece, Hakusen no represents the immigrant's commitment to retain their identity in a new world and celebrates their traditional values. The instruments used are the shamisen, a plucked string instrument, the hotchiku, a flute, and the shirabe drum. The rhythms of the shirabe drum are known as yatai, or rhythm of the wagon that carries musicians during a matsuri-bayashi parade or festival. The yatai rhythms are not traditionally found in Hakusen no, but they were added as a positive and festive example of the immigrant's ability to adapt and overlap their traditional designs into new environments.

Ferns in the art represent the beautiful landscape of Hawaii that many immigrants never saw because they worked tirelessly on the plantations. Rin bowls, often used to identify with the dead, ring with solitude and isolation much like the immigrants confined existence. Pentatonic themes resound, emulating the immigrant's longing for their identity from a world that they once knew amidst their new one.

Overlapping into the last section is new and unique music that is a merger of old styles into modern times. The hotchicku flute combines with new sounds of the guitar and the electric bass to show willingness for change and adaptation that demonstrate a rare beauty that the immigrants had in their attitudes of sacrifice in hopes of a better future.