Info
This song is based on the “Sakura Pentatonic scale,” also called the “In scale.” (source)
Lyrics – Transliteration
(Japanese folk song)
Sakura, sakura
yayoi no sora wa
mi-watasu kagiri
kasumi ka kumo ka
nioi zo izuru
izaya izaya
mini yukan
English Translation - Cherry blossoms
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Across the spring sky,
As far as you can see.
Is it a mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the air.
Come now, come now,
Let’s look, at last!
Japanese – 桜
桜 桜
弥生の空は
見渡す限り
霞か雲か
匂いぞ 出ずる
いざや いざや
見に行かん
YouTube
(or available for purchase here)
- Printable & Digital Visuals
- Song with chords, Version with English lyrics, Lesson ideas for Melody (improvisation) & Recorder (countermelody – Notes D, E, A), Student Recorder Copies of countermelody, Orff arrangement (PDF)
- MIDI file
- Listen to the song
5 thoughts on “Sakura”
I am doing a new unit this year “Music Around the World”, and your blog has been AMAZING helping me put it together. Thank you so much for going through them and taking the time to add to your blog. What a blessing.
I’m so glad to hear that, Laura!
You said you based this on the In scale, but the In scale has minor notes in it and your composition doesn’t. Of the five notes in the In scale two of them are only a semitone from their next highest neighbor.
The interval pattern for the In scale is 1, ♭2, 4, 5, ♭6 , so what did you mean when you said you based it on the In Scale?
Did you see that I quoted a Wikipedia article? Did you read the article?
Hi Beth,
Using the core partition I intend to write down one of many variations on this score. Thank you so much for sharing.
Bruno