According to Jaroslav Mihule, Nipponari (H 68 A) was originally written as a song cycle with a piano accompaniment, which was apparently adapted for singing and chamber ensemble in the summer of 1912 (H 68). According to Mihule, the vocal cycle, already mature in composition, consists of seven songs set to Czech paraphrases of old Japanese poets and poetesses.
Nippon refers to the land of the rising sun, Japan, and the title of the cycle is a poetic substitute for the more common word 'japonerie', i.e. Japanese moods, particularly popular during the Art Nouveau period at the turn of the century.
[...] Martinů extracted suggestive "oriental" moods from Czech re-tellings of Japanese subjects. The dreamy repose slows down time, which passes differently in the Orient than in Western Europe. Viewed in the light of its development, the work is undeniably youthful, but definitive and convincing. [...]
The writers of the individual songs were: 1. the poetess Nukata no Ōkimi [ca. 630–690], wife of Emperor Tenji (626–671) – song The Blue Hour, 2. the government councillor Kincune (1174–1227) – Old Age, 3. Kibi no Makibi (693–775), scholar, poet, envoy to China, and minister – Memory, 4. and 6. Ono no Komachi [c. 825 – c. 900], poet, one of the so-called Six Poetic Geniuses (Rokkasen), active c. mid-9th century. Shizuka Gozen [1165–1211], dancer in the capital Heiankyo (now Kyoto), late 12th century – Footsteps in the Snow, 7. Ōtsu no Miko (663–687), son of Emperor Tenmu ([c. 631]–686) – By the Sacred Lake. These were inspired by the oriental poetry in the Bohemian reprints of Emanuel of Lešehrad, who relied on a German anthology of Japanese poetry in paraphrases by Paul Enderling.
Nipponari was dedicated to a world-famous opera singer whose name, along with her outstanding performances, Martinů knew from the Prague Opera programmes: Theo Drill Oridge. He considered her his singing idol and was not alone in this high appreciation of her singing. [...]
For more information see also Nipponari, H 68, version for voice and orchestra.
Jaroslav Mihule, Martinů: osud skladatele, Praha: Karolinum, 2002, s. 52–53 [shorted and added by Jana Burdová, 2024].