Nagauta

Nagauta (長唄, literally "long song") is a kind of traditional Japanese music played on the shamisen and used in kabuki theater, primarily to accompany dance and to provide reflective interludes.

[1] The first reference to nagauta as shamisen music appears in the second volume of Matsu no ha (1703).

[1] By the 18th century, the shamisen had become an established instrument in kabuki, when the basic forms and classifications of nagauta crystallized[1] as a combination of different styles stemming from the music popular during the Edo period.

Two classic compositions of ozashiki nagauta are "Azuma hakkei" (1818) and "Aki no irogusa" (1845).

In the 20th century, a number of composers have integrated Western elements into nagauta styles, including playing the shamisen at a faster tempo, in violin cadenza style, or by using larger ensembles to increase the volume.