‘Sakura Sakura’ (“Cherry Blossoms, Cherry Blossoms”), also known simply as ‘Sakura’, is a traditional Japanese folk song depicting the cherry blossom season in spring. Contrary to popular belief, the song did not originate in ancient times; rather, it was a popular urban melody during the Edo period, which lasted from the beginning of the seventeenth century to the middle of the nineteenth century. The song was later adopted as a teaching piece for beginner students learning the koto, a traditional Japanese string instrument, and was published in the ‘Tokyo Academy of Music Collection of Japanese Koto Music’ at the end of the nineteenth century. This set of variations is based on this melody.
‘Sakura No Hana Variations’ is based entirely on five notes – A, B, C, E, and F – forming a pentatonic scale commonly used in traditional Japanese music. In contemporary Japanese music, a sixth note, D, is occasionally employed to function as a dominant seventh. From the very beginning of the compositional process, my intention was not to create a guitar piece, but rather a composition for two Japanese koto instruments that could later be adapted for marimba and guitar. Through the use of extended techniques on the classical guitar and marimba, I have attempted to imitate the sound and playing techniques of the Japanese koto as closely as possible. Each variation is therefore highly significant in terms of its structure, form, and subtle timbral nuances.
The piece was originally written for two guitars in 2015 and later adapted for guitar and pipa in 2017. This version for marimba and guitar, completed in 2025, is an extended version in which some of the original variations have been removed and several new variations have been added.
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