Meriyasu

{{Short description|Japanese style of music}}

{{Italic title|reason=:Category:Japanese words and phrases}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}

{{Transliteration|ja|Meriyasu}} is a type of music used in kabuki theatre performances in Japan.

Originally derived from the Portuguese word {{lang|pt|meias}}, meaning a stretchy material (and still used today to refer to knitted garments),{{cite book|author=Tai Whan Kim|title=The Portuguese Element in Japanese: A Critical Survey with Glossary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mxZkAAAAMAAJ|access-date=28 May 2013|year=1976|publisher=Inst. de Estudos Românicos|page=30}} {{Transliteration|ja|meriyasu}} came to denote a form of theatrical music which expanded and contracted in order to fit the events unfolding on stage.{{cite book|author1=Alison McQueen Tokita|author2=Dr. David W. Hughes|title="The" Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W2JTgQGc99EC&pg=PA248|access-date=28 May 2013|year=2008|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-0-7546-5699-9|pages=204}} Played on the {{Transliteration|ja|shamisen}}, {{Transliteration|ja|meriyasu}} interludes are generally called for to accompany sections of dialogue. As a result, they are usually instrumental solos, rather than songs.{{cite book|author=William P. Malm|title=Traditional Japanese music and musical instruments: the new edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yn3VQbqywCsC&pg=PA244|access-date=28 May 2013|year=2000|publisher=Kodansha International|isbn=978-4-7700-2395-7|pages=244}} Despite this, the genre is still classified as a subset of {{Transliteration|ja|nagauta}} ("long song") music.{{cite web|url={{wdl|4350}} |author=Santō, Kyōden |date=1783 |title=Sake Cup |work=World Digital Library |language=Japanese |access-date=28 May 2013 }}{{cite book|author=William P. Malm|title=Nagauta: the heart of kabuki music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8OEHAQAAMAAJ|accessdate=28 May 2013|year=1963|publisher=C. E. Tuttle Co.|page=17|isbn=9780837169002 }}