Tennei-Ji

Composer's Note:

The poetry contained within this work is a small portion of a collection of poems which I composed in June of 1997 in Hikone, Japan. The corpus of the poetry as composed after a pre-dawn through early morning visit to Tennei-Ji (Tennei Temple) in the hills above Hikone. Particularly deep emotional experiences occurred while meditating alone at the stone garden at Tennei-Ji. Each selected poem was set to music in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Crested Butte, Colorado between May and July 15, 1999. Furthermore, a few corrections and refinements were made on May 9, 2007 in Dexter, Michigan. The poetry and the music exist in an order which seems appropriate to the temperament of the intended drama within the work. Thus, the ordering of the poems does not unfold sequentially within the time line of my visit to Tennei-Ji. Rather, the ordering of the poetry and music is a result of sensibilities absorbed from my, albeit limited study of Noh.

Without providing specific directives to the interperter/performer, I recommend that the three traditional characters within Noh - the old person, the woman and the warrior - appear within a performance. Characterizations of ghosts and devils, though not conceived while composing this work, may be appropriate to you, the interpreter as you allow the poetry, the music and the mask to transform you beyond the ego of the marimbist. As is customary in Noh, moments of <[>no action] should be observed with great care. A humble goal of mine, as a performer of Tennei-Ji, is to strive to attain a state of Yugen. I encourage each interpreter to read the writings of Seami Motokiyo-san (1363 -1443), the principal figure in the development of the Noh, to absorb the concept of Yugen to experience greater meaning in your interpretation of Tennei-Ji.