Visualizing Music in Modern Japan: Sheet Music at the Crossroads of Modern Mass Culture

This talk introduces the topic of Japanese sheet music cover design from 1920-1950 as the nexus of visual art, film, and popular song. It posits the humble, disposable and seemingly obscure music sheet as perhaps the most sensitive lens for capturing modern popular arts in Japan during the tumultuous period before, during and just after WWII. The lecture includes snippets of Japanese music and film.