Japanese Noh and Heike katari

Although literature specialists tend to classify Noh and Heike katari differently (Noh with a representational dimension that renders it more a hybrid), a student of oral tradition will find in them many common elements. Central to both is narrative recitation and a commitment to the expressive potential of the voice. Both show oral traditional characteristics, but early on, both also assigned a central role to libretti that performers work from. The co-presence of chanting and instrumentation is another defining characteristic. Heike katari have been traditionally performed by blind minstrels, who accompany their own solo recitations on the biwa (lute). Noh actors have performed to an instrumental ensemble of drums and flute. Both of these arts, which continue to be practiced today (Noh more widespread than Heike katari), rely on audience foreknowledge of traditional materials, making them both potential resources for examining how performances may be "re-keyed" over time to adjust to changing reception.