Sound Spectrum Analysis: Ryūteki and Hichiriki Techniques as Performers of Structure and Mode in Etenraku

This article explores the performance techniques of the gagaku winds, ryūteki and hichiriki, in the piece Etenraku in the hyō-jō mode. I use spectral analysis of Kunaichō recordings from throughout the twentieth century to demonstrate striking relationships between these more-than-ornamental performance techniques (pitch bending/sliding, microtonal pitch alteration, breath pulses, and pitched finger percussion) and both formal structure and mode in Etenraku.