Theatrical Genres: Hayasi

In nô and kyôgen, the sole instrumental accompaniment is provided by a hayasi made up of the ô tsuzumi, ko tsuzumi, and taiko drums, and the nôkan flute. (Note, however, that the taiko is used only for plays in which the site actor portrays a god, a demon, or some other nonhuman being.) During the Muromati era (1334–1573), the flute’s melodies probably corresponded closely in pitch and metric structure to the vocal melodies. Today this is no longer so,...