Haiku Music Challenge 50

Welcome to the fiftieth iteration of the Haiku Music Challenge, hosted by Naviar Records.

Chiyo-ni was born in the Ishikawa Prefecture in 1703. She began writing haiku poetry when she was 6, and her ability was soon recognized even though haiku by women were often dismissed and ignored at that time. Chiyo-ni was strongly influenced by Basho’s poetry (probably because her teachers were his students), but developed her own unique style.

sleeping, waking

the emptiness

of my mosquito net

Sixteen tracks were made in response to Chiyo-ni’s poem, and here’s a selection I made for The Haiku Foundation:

Track: Sleeping Waking
Artist: Daniel Diaz
Genre: instrumental

We start with the most peaceful composition we received last week, by multi-instrumentalist Daniel Diaz.

Track: Emptiness
Artist: FlownBlue
Genre: electronic

Here’s an evocative soundscape created by FlownBlue. The soothing ambient layers of “Emptiness” fit perfectly the haiku they’re inspired by.

Track: The Sleeping
Artist: Agnostura Elvar
Genre: ambient

More enigmatic than the previous two tracks, this haunting piece by Agnostura Elvar evokes dreamlike landscapes: a perfect conclusion to our weekly selection.

Thank you for listening. Next week we’ll be listening to music inspired by another haiku by Mark Morris:

true tranquillity

hiding underneath creased sheets —
unknowable blue

The deadline to submit your track is 1 April. To find out more and participate, please visit the Naviar Records site.