Furusato

There is much history behind this poignant little song. It started life a hundred years ago or so, in 1914 Japan, as a simple children's song. The title of the tune means "old home" or as intended, "hometown." Like many of our own children's songs and folk songs, it is well-known and beloved by many Japanese.

But after the terrible earthquake and tsunami in March, 2011, the song took on a whole new meaning. Singing nostalgically about one's hometown became so true for those who no longer had one, or who were faced with huge obstacles to get their hometown back to livable. So it was that "Furusato" became a theme song for the relief and recovery programs that cropped up. The song was used at benefits, and there are even organizations that work the word into their titles.

For this issue we have created a lush, emotional arrangement backed by a rich orchestration for full orchestra with solo violin. It can be played with just the first soprano part which requires D, F#, G, A, B, C, D' and E', or with the second easier soprano part which only requires G, A, and B. We have also provided an optional alto recorder part that can be played by most first year alto players. You can mix and match the parts as you like with the recorded tracks. You will also note that the last chord calls for an optional divisi for the soprano parts that can be easily achieved by dividing the notes evenly among your players.

If you would like to reference the piano/recorder score for this recorder piece, you can find it online. (See details in the box on page 70.)