This study focused on three points through an investigation of the ‘Ongaku Torishirabe Gakari Jidai Bunsyotsuzuri (Documentary Files on the Research and Musical Educational Institution)’, speeches in jounals from the Meiji period, contemporary reminiscences of those connected with the ‘Tokyo Ongaku Gakkou’ (the Tokyo Academy of Music) and ‘Tokyo Ongaku Gakkou documentary files’.

  First, I pointed out that according to the timetable of Ongaku Torishirabe Gakari, ‘technical koto lessons’ and ‘koto lessons’ were conducted from 1883 to 1885. Traditional koto music was assigned as an examination subject for ‘common koto lessons’ in 1884 and for ‘the technical music instrument, koto’ in 1885. Thus, judging mainly from these historical sources, it can be concluded that at the Ongaku Torishirabe Gakari, traditional music was possibly learned as the subject ‘technical music instrument, koto’ as mentioned above. Second, there existed musical scores for ‘koto learners’ and teachers as koto accompaniment to elementary school songs, and these scores were possibly used for practical lessons during the Ongaku Torishirabe Gakari era. Finally, curriculum data from the Tokyo Ongaku Gakkou documentary files indicate that lessons to play the koto as an accompaniment to elementary school songs had been taught for about 20 years, that is, until 1900.

  This study was aimed at discussing the relationship between society and classical music festivals in recent years, especially focusing on “Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto” in Nagano, and its social educational aspects and civil cultural activities. So far, discussions on these festivals have focused on the perspective of its musical festivity and the prominent musicians involved. However, in Saito Kinen Festival, there exist many social educational aspects and civil cultural activities, and these assume a key role in the festival. With this background, the purpose of this study is to reveal the characteristics of classical music festivals from social educational activities and civil activities, in the age where culture is becoming ever more involved in socio-political matters. Through these arguments, the paper provides considerations how classical music festival and society are inter-connected and also discusses what is necessary to gain a good balance in the relationship between the music festival and society.