Desert Moonlight
Tone Poem For Flute and Two Guitars
Inspired by a Japanese Folk Song
performed by Jessie Nucho, Lyle Sheffler and Sharon Wayne
When I heard “Desert Moonlight,” a traditional Japanese folk song, I wanted to create a more extensive composition based on this haunting melody, which incorporates variants of the Hirajoshi scale. The song was written 100 years ago by Suguru Sasaki with lyrics by Masao Kato. The text involves a prince and princess crossing the moonlit desert on a camel.
Originally, I thought of writing it for shakuhachi (an end-blown Japanese flute) and a koto, a beautiful 13 stringed Japanese instrument, often regarded the national instrument of Japan. However, it is difficult to find koto and shakuhachi players, so the next best thing was to write for traditional western flute and two guitars - 12 strings are close in number to the 13 strings on the koto. I tried to treat the guitars somewhat like a koto. The two guitars interact together and play against the lyrical lines of the flute.
I wasn’t aware of any deserts in Japan, but later learned that the Tottori Sand Dunes are located in Tottori Prefecture on Honshu Island in Japan. They were created over thousands of years as the nearby Sendaigawa River was washed out to sea and eventually redeposited on the coast by the ocean’s currents. Today the coastal winds constantly reshape the dunes and provide an ever-changing landscape. The Totttori Sand Dunes are a part of the Sanin Kaigan National Park and span a length of nearly 10 miles. Moonlight on the sands must be a magical sight.
The composition was recently played in a concert sponsored by NACUSA, The National Association of Composers, San Francisco. Performers were Jessie Nacho, flute, Lyle Sheffler and Sharon Wayne, guitars. Later, it was professionally recorded by the same group at the New Improved Studio. In 2022, “Desert Moonlight” was entered into the Music Teachers Association California Composers Today Statewide Competition and was awarded 2nd place in the State.
The illustration on the heading of this post is my “Geo Desert Landscape.” I thought it might be fitting in the spirit of this piece.
Hear the newly re-recorded version here.