Netsuke

ENS.2017.2 | 8′
Solo Piano

Score


Because traditional Japanese garments such as kimonos have no pockets, to hold their personal belongings men wore small containers suspended on cords from their sashes. The fasteners that secured these cords were called netsuke. Over time these utilitarian objects evolved from shapeless toggles into marvelously intricate miniature sculptures depicting everything from everyday scenes and common animals to mythical creatures and demons. My composition Netsuke consists of thirty-four tiny musical objects inspired by but not directly depicting the extraordinary masterpieces of craftsmanship I marveled at in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Pavilion for Japanese Art, whose impressive collection of netsuke suggested this piece.