Product Description
Written
as part of a cycle of pieces celebrating Japanese mythology, this duo
for flute and Bb clarinet depicts Izanami and Izanagi, the god and
goddess who play a key role in the peopling of Japan. Izanami, with
his spouse and younger sister Izanami, gave birth to the many islands
of Japan as well as many other gods in the Japanese pantheon. Sadly,
Izanagi died after giving birth to the fire-god Kagu-tsuchi. Izanagi
took revenge by executing the fire god. Afterwards, he sough out his
wife in the Underworld. Unbeknownst to him, she had eaten the food
of the dead, making it impossible for her to leave. Izanagi was
furious and lit up a fire. To avenge her shame, Izanami dispatched
the lightning god Raijin and the horrible hag Yomotsu-shikome to
chase after him. Izanagi escaped, but the goddess declared to kill a
thousand of his people every day. Izanagi retorted that a thousand
and five hundred will be born every day. And thus the cycle of life
and death began for the people of Japan.
The
music is in two parts, depicting first conflict and frustration,
thence leading to a peaceful, if bittersweet, ambiguous end.
Advanced level, suitable for any occasion.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.