A study of the metrical specifications <i>Nobe and Haya</i> in the late Heian to early Kamakura Periods

Kofu-Ryoritsu-no-Maki (KRRM, also known as Kofu/Hooshoo-fu Ryoritsukan/Kofu Ritsuryo-kan) _??__??__??__??__??_, a tablature score for shoo _??_ (mouth organ with 17 bamboo pipes, used in gagaku _??__??_), was compiled in the early 13th century by musicians of the Toyohara family. It includes a large repertoire of toogaku _??__??_ pieces and is especially significant as one of the earliest sources which includes the indications nobe _??_ and haya _??_, a pair of metrical specifications.<br>The elements of the notational system of KRRM are as follows:<br>1. Primary tablature signs in vertical column of notation indicating the names of the pipes of the instrument.<br>2. Secondary signs dealing with rhythm, namely ku-ten _??__??_ (intra-columnary dots) and kobyooshi-ten _??__??__??__??_ (dots to the right of the notational column). Although the ku-ten and kobyooshi-ten systems are applied to the notational column simultaneously in KRRM, these can be analyzed independently.<br>Analysis focusing on these elements has made it clear that all measured toogaku pieces can be classified into two rhythmic types. Furthermore, comparison of the melodies in KRRM with those in Sango-Yooroku (SGYR) _??__??__??__??_ and Jinchi-Yooroku (JCYR) _??__??__??__??_, both of which were compiled in the late 12th century by Fujiwara no Moronaga, has shown that melodic features in KRRM correspond to those in SGYR and JCYR, although the two types of KRRM are divided into four types in SGYR and JCYR.<br>The metrical indications nobe and haya can be found in KRRM, while they cannot be found in SGYR and JCYR. It is possible, however, to apply the indications in KRRM to SGYR and JCYR because of the correspondence of melodies between the sources. The relationships between the indications of nobe/haya and the four rhythmic types are as follows:<br>Type AA: one primary tablature sign for every kobyooshi. →haya<br>Type B: two or more primary tablature signs for every kobyooshi, with syncopated melodic movement →nobe<br>Type A: one primary tablature sign for every kobyooshi, or two or more primary tablature signs for odd-numbered kobyooshi →haya (nobe)<br>Type AB: one or two primary tablature signs for each kobyooshi →haya (nobe)<br>In the greater part of the repertoire of SGYR and JCYR, an original melody and an arrangement of this is given for each measured piece. In nobe-yahyooshi _??__??__??__??_ pieces particularly, most of the original melodies can be classified into Type A or AB, and the arrangements into Type B. Even though these pieces are classified as nobe pieces as a whole, the original versions in Type A or AB may be classified as haya pieces in terms of the density of tablature signs and melodic movement. In some cases, the original versions in Type A or AB of nobe are expressly referred to as haya in KRRM.<br>Today the classification of nobe and haya is fixed for each piece, but it seems not to have been in the late Heian to early Kamakura periods (the 12th-13th centuries). In other words, there were several versions of each piece, differing from each other in terms of the metrical specifications nobe and haya.