Misasa Kouta: Materials for the 'Can We All Sing Together?!' Corner
Introduction
Hello to everyone coming to the Children's Cinema on August 1st, and to everyone interested in 'Misasa Kouta'! I am Mari Sakamoto, a silent film musician.
I have been given the role of being in charge of the music time for the film, where I will sing along with the children at the following event.
My goal for this time is not to accurately reproduce the 'Kouta' (short song) in the film, but rather to provide good vibes so that we can experience the time when 'film and song' walk together!
To introduce myself briefly, I am a former kindergarten principal and currently work in music education, catering to various needs based at“Murasaki Music Lab” . Since this is a lab where quite unique people come to research various things together, I have prepared materials that can be widely used, from those who want to connect their hearts to the rhythm of the Kouta with a hum during the film, to those who want to deepen their understanding on their own after watching by using these scores and karaoke tracks as a starting point. Please scroll only to the parts you need, and I would be happy if teachers involved in music education could resonate with this.
Event Overview
National Film Archive of Japan
Children's Cinema: Summer Vacation 2025★
Kids’ Cinema: The Summer Vacation of 2025
Let's travel with 'Silent Films with Songs' [Katsuben and Live Performance]
“Onsen Hiwa Misasa Kouta” (1929) Japan / Director: Yoshinosuke Hitomi / 57 minutes *The runtime has been corrected. / Black and white. O-Hisa, a village girl at Misasa Onsen, meets a painter from Tokyo on the day of a festival and falls in love...BenshiNaotaka Oda
Accompaniment/VocalsMari Sakamoto ★Can we all sing together?!
About Misasa Kouta
Misasa Kouta is a new folk song from Misasa Town, Tohaku District, Tottori Prefecture [1]. Lyrics by Ujo Noguchi, music by Shinpei Nakayama
Since it is a song that is already in the public domain, you can find many versions on YouTube, from those sung along with dancing to recordings from old records.
First, let's clap our hands and get the nuance!
If you search for 'Kouta', you will find 'the difference between Kouta and Hauta', but I thought that for the children of the Reiwa era, it is more about 'Song and Kouta'.
Apart from the style of opening your mouth wide and keeping your back straight that you learn at school, I want them to first experience and know a relaxed atmosphere like a 'groove'. I felt that if we get that first button wrong, we won't be able to travel through time with the film and the song.
And the words in the lyrics are quite a challenge just to read aloud! I think it's a task unique to summer vacation, and I thought it would be a wonderful summer vacation if this could spark an interest in other old things like 'old maps'.
Lots of Karaoke! Which one do you like?
Shamisen Bon Odori Scene
The lyrics are limited to the section for the experience corner.
The same on-screen lyrics are attached to every karaoke track.
I also made karaoke tracks. There are many different types, so which one is easier to sing? Please let me know in the comments if you'd like. In the film, 'Misasa Kouta' is sung three times. The nuance is different depending on the scene. 1 and 2 are shamisen tones, with and without a click track. The speed of the music is a live performance fixed at 92 BPM.
The one without the click ishere
What is love? The sadness of the koto tone in the middle part
In the scene where the couple, who were so in love in the middle part, senses their impending separation, the beautiful sound of the koto accompanies the poignant lyrics in this version. (The contrast in lyrics scrolls in the second half)
Last scene: Let's immerse ourselves in the movie's protagonist.
What plays at the end of the main feature is this. The transition from classical guitar to orchestral tones is arranged to be a bit moving. Here
Let's create sheet music by ear!
I want to meet various needs. For those who find it easier to have sheet music, I have prepared some.
The parts inserted into the movie have lyrics tailored to each scene, but first, this is the sheet music I created by transcribing the record version by ear and taking notes on my iPad.
A very common request in recent lessons is about how to 'transcribe by ear,' and when I wondered why, I realized there are many such videos on 'YouTube.' Transcribing by ear is recommended because it is easier to do with a tablet than with a musical staff, as you can hear the notes you are checking.
Let's make a piano roll like a game!
To address various needs, I also created a roll for those who like games.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, tablet learning has begun in elementary schools, and in some wards and cities, schools provide Apple iPads to students. Since there is also a simple composition experience in music class, there were requests from elementary school students who wanted to try additional experiences at the lab.
Also, for elementary school students who watch game music on YouTube, some find the piano roll (pictured below, similar to Taiko no Tatsujin in arcades) easier to read than a five-line staff.
When you extract the melody part,
the pitch difference of the melody, which you wouldn't notice on a score, becomes clear.
'Kouta' has a wider range than the 'songs' learned in school.
Although it is a feature not found in the iOS version, the Mac version of GarageBand has a 'Score' feature, so you can convert it to sheet music with a single click.
A wide vocal range does not necessarily mean it is difficult.
Since any music starts with understanding its 'individuality,' I believe the secret to learning music is to observe and grasp its characteristics as if you were looking at an encyclopedia, rather than treating it like a sport where you suddenly sing it many times a day.
Let's think about the tempo, up to Creepy Nuts (R-Shitei & DJ Matsunaga).
In the film, only the opening Bon Odori and the experience corner were set to the same BPM 92 as the record version.
Hayama tempo
You will experience a speed close to the tradition known as this.
It's a bit niche, so it's only for those who want to try it, but I've also created data for various other tempos. I recommend 160. The tempo of Creepy Nuts (R-Shitei & DJ Matsunaga)'s 'Bling-bang-bang, bling-bang-bang-born' was a huge hit with the children at the nursery school where I teach. I recommend this game to childcare workers: trying to play completely different songs at 160 BPM.
Local Misasa
In local Misasa,The 'Narrate the Silent Film Misasa Kouta' TeamArakan Masuko-san also visited the
Murasaki Music Lab
, and I was able to hear valuable information, such as the fact that this film is still being passed down regularly by multiple narrators today, and that it is also being collaborated on with traditional Japanese instruments.
incorporate a performance and
ask for their opinions.
And, in the film
Film Song 1
Film Song 2.jpg
Film Melody 3.jpg
Film Song 4.jpg
And, to be continued...
The final rehearsal with narrator Oda
And I hope to continue sharing things like
the situation during the actual screening.
This was delivered for those who would like to try the "preparation edition" to sing along.
To everyone attending on the day, I look forward to seeing you there.