Introduction
The concept for this book first started as a simple idea. I wanted to create one hundred years of haikus inspired by my beloved songs and instrumentals from the 20th century, my way of sending a 'love letter' to many of my favorite composers, artists and performers. Since 2001 I have anticipated creating such haikus by listening, singing, dreaming and whistling to them, all straight out of my music library! And library it is-as the chosen pieces indeed come from CDs, vinyl, and old 78-rpm discs. My personal music collection consists of a full spectrum of music genres and styles from the volatile 20th century.
My haikus are presented in chronological order, an instrumental and a song for each year, starting with the year 1900. I loosely base each decade by thematic-style and history of that specific era. Each haiku is accompanied by an "optional reading" for those of you interested in the social and historical context of the songs.
The format of a traditional Japanese haiku consists of three lines of 17 syllables, divided into 5, 7, 5 syllable lines. While I adhere to the 17-syllable format, I diverge from the syllabic line rule and add another component that is rarely found in haikus: rhyming and occasionally an acrostic (first letter of each line forming a word).
An accompanying CD with all the music celebrated here would have been ideal-but also costly. Maybe for another edition, if lady luck will have it. However, I encourage you to search on the internet for the songs and instrumentals that inspired me to create such haikus. They are all available in varying editions on CD, vinyl, and through YouTube and other online digital media. I also encourage you to look up certain years you may have a personal connection to the year of your birth, the year of a major event, a family member or friend's birthday. . .Enjoy the entertainment and the musical education.
