Mokuhanga" for flute alone

Gary Schocker: "Mokuhanga" for flute alone was written in 2014 and revised in 2021, right before its publication by Theodore Presser Company. The work is a stylistic collection of 13 Japanese woodcuts for flute alone, inspired by the 200-year-old artwork of Katsushika Hokusai.
The work is a general stylistic exploration of Japanese woodblock prints rather than a dedicated piece for a specific soloist. It is often grouped with his other Japanese-influenced works like Wabi-Sabi or Biwako Wind.
The title Mokuhanga (木版画) literally means "wood-print." Schocker was inspired by the distinct layers and textures of Japanese woodblock prints, and the legendary artwork of Katsushika Hokusai, the most famous master of ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world), an art genre that shifted from portraits of actors to wide-ranging subjects like landscapes, plants, and animals. The music mimics the carving and layering process of the art form, using the flute to create "layers of sound" even though it is an unaccompanied instrument.
Hokusai’s bold compositions and use of color significantly influenced Western Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masters, including Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Claude Debussy. Unlike Western woodcuts that often use oil-based inks, traditional Japanese mokuhanga uses water-based inks. This process allows for vivid colors, glazes, and a unique transparency that Schocker aimed to replicate through the "rich yet delicate tapestry" of his musical writing. These prints often reflect the Buddhist notion of impermanence (the "floating world"), a concept that aligns with the transient, breath-based nature of the flute.