Story Behind The Song

This track is a medley of four very familiar tunes to most of Japan, and incoporates the ethnic stringed "koto" and bamboo flute instruments. The introductory tune is "Shakura," a traditional Japanese folk song, depicting the coming of Spring and the cherry blossom. This leads to a Romantic era song "Yoimachi-guru," (the evening primrose) first published by Tadasuke Ono (1895-1929) in 1918. The original is a vocal score with piano accompaniment, and we varied the original by changing keys (for the bamboo flute) and adding more dramatic arpeggios. Ironically, the last two tunes of this medley originated from Western Christian Hymns. What we know as the familiar "What a Friend we Have in Jesus" is a tune made popular in Japan, as it is used in almost all Japanese "Westernized" weddings, today. The final tune, from which we get the name "Kami Yo Miame Ni," is a contemporary adaptation to traditional Japanese musical scale of the hymn, "Lord, We Come Before thee Now." Never more appropriate to end this medley with one verse of that musical adaptation by Tomoaki Bunya as a song of prayer.

Song Description

This track incorporates the ethnic stringed "koto" and bamboo flute instruments. The introductory tune is "Shakura," a traditional Japanese folk song, depicting the coming of Spring and the cherry blossom. This leads to a Romantic era song "Yoimachi-guru," (the evening primrose) first published by Tadasuke Ono (1895-1929) in 1918 - from vocal/piano score to synth. We varied the original by changing keys (for the bamboo flute) and adding more dramatic arpeggios. The last two tunes of this medley originated from Western Christian Hymns. The familiar "What a Friend we Have in Jesus" is a tune made popular in Japan, used in almost all Japanese "Westernized" weddings. The final tune, from which we get the name "Kami Yo Miame Ni," is a contemporary adaptation to traditional Japanese musical scale of the hymn, "Lord, We Come Before thee Now." Never more appropriate to end this medley with one verse of that musical adaptation by Tomoaki Bunya as a song of prayer.