Development of lyric shamisen music
Origins in folk songs; restaurant and brothel songs.
Earliest lyric songs: kouta (short song) or hauta (regional song).
Early lyric songs were basis for jiuta, foundation of koto music.
Kouta underwent subsequent reforms to reduce sexual content.
19th century: modern kouta; played today by geisha (female entertainers);
shamisen style: played with fingertips or small plectrum
vocal style: soft, intimate, lyrical style
poetry: five and seven syllable units; non-narrative;
double-meanings, suggestive, ambiguous.

Nagauta (“long song”) - the heart of kabuki music
Largest genre of lyric shamisen music; used in kabuki theater
Origins in kabuki: originally short songs, then longer songs developed.
Mid-18th century: nagauta becomes main type of kabuki music.
19th century: Mass entertainment kabuki adopts stories from noh;
 Hayashi ensemble of noh becomes important in nagauta.
 Concert nagauta develops outside theater.

Kabuki form: through-composed music in six parts
 1) Oki - introduces scene or characters
 2) Michiyuki - entrance of actor; full ensemble instrumental
 3) Kudoki - softer, lyric style; only shamisen and vocal
 4) Odoriji/Taikoji - livelier section; flute and taiko featured
 5) Chirashi - tempo increase; full ensemble
 6) Dangire - tempo decrease; standard ending by full ensemble

Similarities to other forms: Jo-ha-kyu; koto jiuta form (songs and interludes)
Nagauta text: five and seven syllable units of Japanese poetry.
Stereotyped patterns: shamisen patterns, vocal phrases, poetic passages.
Composition: named composer creates shamisen and vocal lines;
  hayashi percussion guild adds appropriate percussion parts.