"Hakone" (MOVT. VI ONLY), from Bookmarks from Japan (Symphony No. II)

Composer:Julie Giroux
Grade: Grade 6
Instrumentation: Concert Band

Based on the bookmark entitled “Hakone Pass” which is based on the actual print by Hiroshige Ando called “Hakone” from the print series “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Highway.”PROGRAM NOTESHiroshige Ando (1797-1858) traveled the Tokaido from Edo to Kyoto in 1832. The ofcial party he was traveling with was transporting horses which were gifts to be ofered to the imperial court. The journey greatly inspired Hiroshige for he sketched many of its scenes during his journey’s round trip. In all, Hiroshige produced 55 prints for the series “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Highway.” Fifty-three of the prints represent the 53 post stations along the way. The additional two prints are of the starting and ending points. The post stations ofered food, lodging and stables for travelers of the Tokaido Highway. Hakone-juku was the tenth of the ffty-three stations of the Tokaido. At an elevation of 725m, it is the highest post station on the entire Tokaido ofering spectacular views. Hakone-juku was established in 1618 and over the years has proven to be a hard road to maintain due to its elevation.THE MYSTERYWhen I started researching Hakone there wasn’t much of anything striking a chord within my creative self. Just a city that had a long road with lots of curves, switchbacks and other hazards passing through it. It wasn’t until I looked at the actual highway on a map that it rang a bell. I had seen this road before. I truly recognized the shape of the entire highway. Having never been on that actual highway in real life I knew I had to unravel the mystery. A few more searches on the internet and there it was. I am an avid “gamer” and though I tend to play all types of games both on the computer and on consoles, I have always played racing games and that is where I had “driven” it before, in a video game. The drifting I did on that highway in the game mostly sent me sailing of the road, fying through air and ultimately landing in a fery, end-over-end wipeout. And as with any search on the internet, Youtube ofered up a seemingly endless supply of videos featuring not one, but long parades of cars in single fle drifting on the Tokaido Highway as it runs through Hakone.THE MUSICSubtitled “Drifting,” this piece refects my love of fast cars doing crazy, fun things. In this instance that would be drifting. Drifting is the art of manipulating the brakes, the gas and precise steering wheel positioning, keeping the car in a controlled skid/slide while traveling around curves. The music depicts the adrenaline-racing, heart-pumping action of drifting cars on the Tokaido Highway through Hakone and beyond. It is fast, furious, full of odd meters and features nearly every instrument in the band at least once. My version of musical drifting. Lets just hope there are no wipeouts or fery crashes. Drifting on the Tokaido Highway will be on my to-do list during my next visit to Japan.Based on the bookmark entitled “Hakone Pass” which is based on the actual print by Hiroshige Ando called “Hakone” from the print series “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Highway.”PROGRAM NOTESHiroshige Ando (1797-1858) traveled the Tokaido from Edo to Kyoto in 1832. The ofcial party he was traveling with was transporting horses which were gifts to be ofered to the imperial court. The journey greatly inspired Hiroshige for he sketched many of its scenes during his journey’s round trip. In all, Hiroshige produced 55 prints for the series “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Highway.” Fifty-three of the prints represent the 53 post stations along the way. The additional two prints are of the starting and ending points. The post stations ofered food, lodging and stables for travelers of the Tokaido Highway. Hakone-juku was the tenth of the ffty-three stations of the Tokaido. At an elevation of 725m, it is the highest post station on the entire Tokaido ofering spectacular views. Hakone-juku was established in 1618 and over the years has proven to be a hard road to maintain due to its elevation.THE MYSTERYWhen I started researching Hakone there wasn’t much of anything striking a chord within my creative self. Just a city that had a long road with lots of curves, switchbacks and other hazards passing through it. It wasn’t until I looked at the actual highway on a map that it rang a bell. I had seen this road before. I truly recognized the shape of the entire highway. Having never been on that actual highway in real life I knew I had to unravel the mystery. A few more searches on the internet and there it was. I am an avid “gamer” and though I tend to play all types of games both on the computer and on consoles, I have always played racing games and that is where I had “driven” it before, in a video game. The drifting I did on that highway in the game mostly sent me sailing of the road, fying through air and ultimately landing in a fery, end-over-end wipeout. And as with any search on the internet, Youtube ofered up a seemingly endless supply of videos featuring not one, but long parades of cars in single fle drifting on the Tokaido Highway as it runs through Hakone.THE MUSICSubtitled “Drifting,” this piece refects my love of fast cars doing crazy, fun things. In this instance that would be drifting. Drifting is the art of manipulating the brakes, the gas and precise steering wheel positioning, keeping the car in a controlled skid/slide while traveling around curves. The music depicts the adrenaline-racing, heart-pumping action of drifting cars on the Tokaido Highway through Hakone and beyond. It is fast, furious, full of odd meters and features nearly every instrument in the band at least once. My version of musical drifting. Lets just hope there are no wipeouts or fery crashes. Drifting on the Tokaido Highway will be on my to-do list during my next visit to Japan.

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