Christmas Musical Traditions

 

Tomoko grew up in Japan, and celebrated Christmas because her family was Christian. Now Christmas is Japan is more popular and more commercialized. One contemporary Christmas activity that Tomoko would approve of is the performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, especially its “Ode to Joy” section, which is often sung in German.  Following are Christmas holiday traditions around the world.

Ethiopians dress in white as they attend church at Christmas dawn where why they see their priests dressed up, and the attendees dance and play musical instruments.

Jamaican radio stations start playing reggae-style and international Christmas carols as early as October. Their Christmas festivities include African-inspired Junkanoo, during which time the Jamaicans dance in masquerade costumes.

Colombian families sing religious Christmas carols called villancicos accompanied by simple percussion instruments. Children sing and play instruments at Novenas, which are religious gatherings during the holiday.

Because Uruguay celebrates Christmas during their summer time, the people there hold open-air music festivals.

Australia also celebrates Christmas in their summer season, and their Santa is often seen surfing – singing parodies of traditional carols. In contrast, the country's annual “Carols by Candlelight” concert is a charity appeal for Vision Australia.

Christmasland in New Taipei City includes a parade carnival and a Christmas Eve concert.

The whole Kastoria community participates in a Christmas time Dionysian revelry, which features folk melodies.

Christmas music can be heard as early as September 1 in the Philippines.

A week before Christmas Welsh people sing caneuon pygain: long sermons in song from the 17^th century, based on folk music, that tell about Christ's entire life. The songs feature close harmonies and were traditionally sung before dawn only by men.

Shopping is a popular Christmas activity in Singapore. In those shopping malls, caroling and concerts are frequently heard.

Outside their homes. Assyrian families make Christmas bonfires out of thorn bushes, and sing psalms as the thorns burn to ashes.

On Christmas eve in Denmark families sign carols and hymns around the tree, and dance around the house.

In Germany Protestant churches hold a Christmas eve service called Christvesper, which includes favorite Christmas carols and festive music for pianos and organs. Very traditional carols from the Latin school are also sung. Christmas eve in Germany, Austria, England, and the Czech Republic also features families lighting their trees and singing carols. In Bulgaria boy carolers visit neighborhoods starting at midnight.

Venezuelans carol from house to house, where they received food and drinks. In their Andes the carolers carry baby Jesus's image. House to house caroling also happens in Pakistan. In return for the singing, the families donate to the caroling choirs and their churches. Poland also features neighborhood caroling on Christmas eve. Romania takes caroling to a higher level. While children sing carols form house to house throughout the Christmas seasons, the first day of Christmas sees carolers parading through the village with a start depicting Bible stories.

Awarding Piano Performance Internationally

Particularly when Tomoko was young, she participated in several piano performance competitions. Besides the regional competitions, Tomoko had the honor Tomoko had the honor to participate in the Long-Thibaud International Piano Competition in Paris, which promoted classical music. This biennial contest was

created in 1943, in the midst of World War II.

The following year she entered her most memorable international competition: the 1968 Queen Elizabeth International Piano Competition. First of all, this Queen did not rule in England. She was born in Bavaria, and was the wife of Belgium’s King Albert I. This Queen Elisabeth as a patron of the arts and set up the competition in 1937, only to have it interrupted by World War II.  In 1951 it was re-activated and named in honor of the queen.

A more recent international award is the program of Excellence Piano Awards, which awards piano solos, duos and trios from around the world. Categories include classical, jazz, film music, minimalist, pop covers and original compositions. Unlike Tomoko who had to fly to these international competitions, current competitors submit their recorded performances online.

The website Musical Chairs (https://www.musicalchairs.info/piano/competitions) lists national and international piano competitions for performers of classical music.

Tomoko’s daughter also completed professionally – in ice dancing. She won several awards nationally, and even competed in the 2002 Winter OIympics.

When asked why she did such competitions, Tomoko replied, “Humans need competition. Pressure transforms to energy.” She continued, “Enjoy life with its challenges – then succeed.” 

The Richness of Cultural Interaction

Tomoko has appreciated the diverse cultures and backgrounds of her students, to some degree because of her own experience. She enjoyed performances by foreign musicians, and as a student in Japan, she had both Japanese and non-Japanese teachers.

Tomoko was the first Asian teacher at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, so knew how it felt to be culturally different from many of her colleagues. And she accepted the first Black student of the Conservatory. Throughout the years, she has continued to teach a wide variety of students. Here are a few examples.

Christina Igoa  came from a Muslim family. She was born in the Philippines, and her father was the President of Philippine Airlines. Tomoko has known her for almost twenty years, and is proud of Dr. Igoa's accomplishments in life, including her work on the UN 2013 Commission on the Status of Women.

Another one of her students came from the area of Yugoslavia that became Croatia. Tomoko encouraged her singing when the girl was a piano student of Tomoko, and she became a professional singer.

One of Tomoko's long-time students, Vivian, lived with her family in Vietnam. Her father was a young tutor of wealthy children. One rainy day on his way home from tutoring, he stopped and stood under his umbrella, inspired as he listened to someone playing Chopin. At that moment, he thought to himself: "If I have a daughter, she must study piano."Indeed, he fathered Vivian, and she studies piano -- with Tomoko. "Vivian performs Chopin, Liszt, and Beethoven beautifully," says Tomoko. She continues, "Both her children studied piano with me throughout their childhood. So that moment of rain led to at least two generations of pianists, and most likely more."

Another student, Rowan, was born in Australia, and his mother was born in Kenya. He started at age 7, and hated the piano. But he joined the San Francisco boys' chorus, and learned the importance of reading and play music. Tomoko remarks, "Who know where experience leads. It is not good to stop possibilities."

That sense of surprising success is exemplified in Tomoko's student Brai, who is Chinese. He is small, and was benched in footfall.  He learned not only how to play the piano, but also to gain the discipline and perseverance to succeed academically, as illustrated by his acceptance into Harvard.

What do Tomoko's students of these different cultures say of her?  Tomoko's daughter Beata hears those students, and remembers them saying, "We love your mom so much. She is the best. She works so hard. She teachers with her heart." Beata concludes, "They are to grateful."

The interaction of cultures can enrich everyone's lives. Music facilitates that interaction: both between the performer and the composer -- and, in Tomoko's case, between student and teacher.

The Many Musical Faces of Freedom

Tomoko asserts that music is freedom. She has many examples to prove it.

Freedom is very personal for Tomoko. After World War II, Japan was occupied by the United States. In a way, that situation gave Japan freedom to appreciate art more and see its importance. Yet in terms of music, Japanese piano technique was very disciplined, and students did not have much freedom in how they played. Tomoko left for the United States to find the freedom to seek the personality of the piano. Even though she knew little English, she could be understood through the international language of music; the piano gave her freedom to communicate.

In the 1960s Tomoko traveled to Europe, and later she met her future husband: a Hungarian who witnessed his country’s revolution in 1956. Hungary was behind the Iron Curtain, and freedom was limited. In 1972 Tomoko married this refugee in Austria, and they were able to come to the U.S. for more freedom.

Tomoko notes the voice of freedom expressed in folk music. Bartok and Chopin, for instance, drew upon the national musical spirit, which enabled people to express their sense of inner freedom.

For freedom also lives in the mind and heart. For instance, Tomoko says, “Your music is your own; no one can steal your heart.” Tomoko continues, “I love Mozart so much. I repeat it 20 times. It gives me freedom.”

It should be recognized that freedom does not mean lack of discipline. For instance, Tomoko states: “When I give a recital, preparation is most important. The performer is not free if not prepared.” Tomoko knows that having the freedom of showing personality requires careful choice. Music has lots of vocabulary, so the more knowledgeable the performer, the more clearly the personality can be expressed freely.

With age also comes freedom. “All my recordings are after I reached 65 years old,” Tomoko states. “You are free.” Feel free to enjoy the fruits of Tomoko’s freedom as expressed in her dozen of CDs.

Emotional Wasabi of Playing the Piano

Tomoko rightly says that the language of music is international and timeless. The keyboard is international. Similarly, emotions are universal: “In any language, feeling is the same: guilt, nastiness, courage,” asserts Tomoko; “emotion is same as in Egyptian time.” Furthermore, piano playing is an emotional experience, as Tomoko explains. She realizes the importance of emotion when practicing and performing. “I go with the feeling philosophy.”

“I love music,” Tomoko says. “I feel good because I can play well.” But Tomoko warns, “If you take piano lesson you have to be miserable. Every lesson has a challenge; one thing may be ok but you need to improve as well.” On the other hand, “When was I disappointed in myself, the piano could lift me high,” Tomoko remembers. She also advises, “Enjoy the challenge, and feel confident.”

Composers integrate emotion in their writing of piano music, and the performer tries to recreate that emotion in playing the piece. For example, compositions based on folk music often convey nationalistic pride.   “Think about The Star-Spangled Banner,” Tomoko reminds us. “Other music moves the listener to tears.”  She adds, “Liszt and Ravel translated violence.  Beethoven’s music conveys his emotion, which was so strong inside.”

As a piano teacher, Tomoko recognizes the impact of emotion. “A student’s first experience learning the piano needs to be fun. The teacher needs to be welcoming. She is opening the door to the world of music. The teacher is the passport.” Tomoko continues, “From day one the teacher needs to instruct with love with respect at any age. You need to be sympathetic.” By sharing her passion for music and the piano, and care for her pupils, Tomoko lays the emotional groundwork for student enjoyment and perseverance when playing gets tough.

Tomoko concludes, “If there are no emotions, why play? If you have no interest, do not share. Without feelings, you are missing wasabi.”

The International Language of Music

Tomoko Hagiwara was born in Japan, lives in the U. S., and has traveled widely in Europe. So she knows the international nature of music. “When I came to the U.S., I couldn’t speak English. The piano helped me communicate. The piano speaks the international language of music, and the keyboard acts as the translator.”

 

As a teacher in the conservatory, Tomoko has worked with many students from other countries. She herself was the first Asian teacher there, and notes how both the staff and student population now is much more diverse. The love of music is visibly shared by people around the world who gather together to learn how to express that love.

In particular, Tomoko recalls one Indonesian mother who had five children who were all conservatory students. Tomoko noticed that the woman stayed at the conservatory, and asked, “Why do you come to the conservatory?” The woman answered, “Because I LOVE the beautiful music.” She also commented, “Everyone carries a violin case, unlike in public school.” Music is the norm, not the exception at the conservatory.

Tomoko concludes, “In any language feeling is the same.” She expresses that feeling in her performances, and encourages her students to start with their hearts, even before they use their fingers, when they learn a piece of music. 

Valuing the Arts

Because Veterans Day was recently celebrated and Thanksgiving is coming this week, Tomoko’s recollections about Japan and the arts seems timely. One good outcome of World War II was a renewed appreciation of the importance of the arts. As Tomoko says, “Art is something that remains in one’s culture.” Additionally, art is an international language; “You don’t need to translate music.” After the war, Japan brought foreign artists to its land to perform and teach. Pablo Casals came. Russian pianists come. Even before the war, Japan invited Prokofiev, who played his own compositions there in 1927. Overall, Japan has been effective in borrowing from other cultures, and adapting their art.

Tomoko remembers how after WWII people who had been rich were no longer in such high status. Her family obtained a pedal organ, and then bought a piano from neighbors who needed ready cash. Tomoko remarked that the rest of her family’s home was austere, but music played an important role in their lives so her parents made sure that musical instruments were available.

Because music and the arts were so important, Tomoko learned the accompanying importance of quality. Very precise high standards were expected. She noted that today’s students quit too soon, perhaps because they do not value music and the opportunity to perform music as much as those in Japan when Tomoko was growing up. Some students might not think that they can ever play well, but Tomoko asserts that all students have talent but that they grow at different rates so need to persevere in their piano studies.

Tomoko generalizes her point about nationality and music. “People love music. If you’re a musician, they respect you more politically.” Tomoko noted that Poland’s president played the piano, and made connections that way. “He played the piano before the Congress started.” Several U.S. Presidents have played instruments, and U.S.’s Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was a music major at Stanford. “Her personality is very sweet. She was also a skater, and talked to all the Olympics skaters,” Tomoko said, whose daughter is an Olympics skater.

Now is the time to be thankful for the role of music in political and personal life. Many ethnic motifs are found in Tomoko’s album Touria. Listen to it at https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tomokohagiwara13.