P.90

The Chorus of Autonomous Frogs

Lyrics by Shunpei Kusano
Composed or designed for workshop by Katsuhiro Tsubonou
Improvised and sung by the students of Kochi University 2000. 

        This work was composed or designed for a workshop for voices by Katsuhiro Tsubonou in the 1980s based on lyrics by Syunpei Kusano and was conducted by Yukiko Tsubonou in her workshops several times. The premiere was recited by an actress Mitsuko Hase, and the first workshop by Y. Tsubonou was held at the seminar of JMES held at Yatsugatake, surrounded by forest. Participants made their way into the forest making music with the frog lyrics they chose. At that time, frogs themselves in the forest joined and started singing! 
In autumn of the same year, this piece was performed in Suntory Hall, which was a part of the “Tokyo Contemporary Music Festival”. The members of the children’s chorus walked among the audience singing “Frog Chorus”. Gradually, the audience joined in incited by the workshop leader, and at last, the whole hall was covered by a chorus of autonomous frogs.

        The recording of “The Chorus of Autonomous Frogs” here is the performance by the students of Kochi University, which was a part of Y.Tsubonou’s lesson. 

Yukiko Tsubonou