Sakura (Cherry Blossom Song)

for SATB Choir with Harp, Koto or Piano

(Purchase includes a digital download with all three versions)

A beautifully mysterious choral rendition of this famous Japanese children's song, with three options for accompaniment.

Complete piece with harp accompaniment (live recording):

Complete piece with koto accompaniment (live recording):

Complete piece with piano accompaniment (live recording):

Duration: 2:45 to 3:15
Difficulty: Intermediate
Language: Japanese
Minimum Voices: 4 (optimal 12-80)

Traditional Japanese folksong
Arranged by Chappell Kingsland

Wild Beautiful Choral Series (WBCS-004). Digital download; please purchase one copy for each singer. Suitable for highschool, college, church, community and professional choirs.

People travel from all over the world to see the splendor of Japan’s cherry trees in full bloom. This song is about the beauty and mystery of the cherry blossoms. The arrangement was written for koto virtuoso Ryuko Mizutani to perform with the First Universalist Church Choir of Rochester, NY. The choir begins with a spacious first verse for treble voices in inversion, followed by a driving second verse for low voices in overlapping slow and medium speeds, concluding with a third verse which fragments and rebuilds the tune. The music evokes several facets of Nature: delicate, powerful, overwhelming, enigmatic. The Harp or Piano may also be used as accompaniment, inspired by the haunting sounds of the Koto.

Premiere: May 2004 – Rochester, New York
First Universalist Church Choir conducted by Chappell Kingsland
Ryuko Mizutani, koto

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