Haiku Songs of Karigane (soprano and piano)

Romanized texts with both literal and poetic translations

Note: Where both literal and poetic translations have very similar word order, there is only one translation given.

When word order is significantly different the literal translation appears first, followed by a more poetic one.)

1. Karasu-uri Red squash

tada yureteiru just swinging

mahirudoki. mid-day.

2. Hanamizuki Dogwood

mashironi wagakoto pure white, my child from

hanare sumu. apart living.

Dogwood pure white, living apart from my child.

3. Nekojarashi *Nekojarashi

kakete kuru mago running comes grandson

boshi seni. (his) hat on (his) back.

Grass stalk in hand my grandson comes running, his hat on his back.

*nekojarashi – a type of grass, the stalk of which is topped with a fluffy, cylindrical spike. Children and adults often use it to play with a cat.

4. Daikan ya, The coldest winter day,

hitori-ayatori playing solo string-figures

hitori ite. all alone.

5. Mizutorimo Ducks neither

karimo mizushite geese neither seeing,

toshi kururu. the year ends.

Without seeing any ducks or geese, the year ends.

Japanese haiku by Kaoru Karigane. All haiku used by permission of Kaoru Karigane.

Translations by Mutsumi Moteki and David Kirtley

Music by David Kirtley

(Songs 1 and 4 composed spring 2002, others in the 2005-2006 winter.) duration: ca. 16 minutes

Haiku Songs of Karigane (completed March 2006). A song cycle for soprano and piano, consisting of three new songs plus the two songs of the original 2002 version (listed below). Japanese haiku text by Kaoru Karigane. Premiered April 2, 2006 by MeeAe Cecilia Nam, soprano, and Mutsumi Moteki, piano in the King Center Recital Hall at Metropolitan State College of Denver. Subsequent performances by the same artists were on September 26, 2006 in Grusin Music Hall at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and in Kimball Recital Hall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Music on October 16, 2007. Further performances were by Minori Okada, soprano and Mutsumi Moteki, piano at Kobe College (Kobe Jogakuin Daigaku) in Nishinomiya, Japan on October 31, 2007 and in Suginami Kokaido (small hall), in Tokyo, Japan on June 1, 2009. (ca. 15 min.)

Haiku Songs of Karigane (completed July 2002). A set of two songs for soprano and piano. Premiered August 16, 2002 by Jennifer Bates, soprano and Eunai Cho, piano in Harris Concert Hall at the Aspen Music Festival. Later performances by Kara Guggenmos, soprano and Mutsumi Moteki, piano on July 10 at the 2004 NATS Convention and by other performers at various venues. (ca. 6 min.)