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2003 T#ru Takemitsu: The Roots of His Creation Haruyo Sakamoto
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THE FLOR IDA STATE UN IV ERSITY
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
T RU TAKEMITSU:
THE ROOTS OF HIS CREATION
By
HARUYO SAKAMOTO
A Treatise submitted to the School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music
Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2003
The members of the Committee approve the treatise of Haruyo Sakamoto defended on December 10, 2002.
______Leonard Mastrogiacomo Professor Directing Treatise
______Victoria McArthur Outside Committee Member
______Carolyn Bridger Committee Member
______James Streem Committee Member
Approved: ______Seth Beckman, Assistant Dean, School of Music
The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above-named committee members.
In memory of my mother
whose love and support made it possible for me to complete my studies
With all my love and appreciation
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to express my deepest appreciation to Professor Leonard
Mastrogiacomo for his encouragement, support, and insightful advice for the completion of this treatise. I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Carolyn Bridger, Dr. Victoria McArthur, and Professor James Streem for their generous help, cooperation, and guidance. Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Van Camerik have been kind enough to offer assistance as editors. Lastly, but not least, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my family and friends, who stood by me with love and understanding.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF EXAMPLES ...... vi
ABSTRACT...... viii
Chapter
I. BACKGROUND: CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH...... 1
II. INFLUENCES ...... 14 From the West ...... 17 From Japan...... 23
III. SOLO PIANO MUSIC ...... 40 Uninterrupted Rests ...... 43 Piano Distance...... 50 For Away ...... 55 Les yeux clos ...... 59 Rain Tree Sketch...... 62
CONCLUSION ...... 66
APPENDIC ES ...... 69
A. LIST OF W ORKS...... 70 B. DISCOGRAPHY OF PIANO WORKS ...... 79 C. CHRONOLOGY OF EV ENTS ...... 97
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 107
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH...... 114
v
LIST OF EXAMPLES
1. Messiaen’s second mode...... 19
2a. Takemitsu’s sketch, Japanese garden ...... 29
2b. Takemitsu’s sketch, Arc...... 29
3 Uninterrupted Rests I, opening measures...... 45
4. Uninterrupted Rests I, line 2 ...... 45
5. Uninterrupted Rests I, line 6, precise markings ...... 46
6. Uninterrupted Rests II, lines 3-4, Ma ...... 47
7. Uninterrupted Rests III, mm. 7-9...... 49
8. Piano Distance, mm.7-11 ...... 51
9. Piano Distance, mm. 22-37...... 53
10. Piano Distance, opening measures...... 54
11. For Away, line 10...... 56
12. For Away, opening measures ...... 57
13. For Away, line 26, flavor of Indonesia—gamelan...... 58
14. For Away, lines 5-7, cyclic progression ...... 59
15. Les yeux clos, opening measures ...... 60
16. Les yeux clos, line13 ...... 61
17. Les yeux clos, line 13, rhythmic pattern...... 62
vi 18. Rain Tree Sketch, lines 10-11, depiction of rain...... 64
19. Rain Tree Sketch, opening measures...... 64
vii
ABSTRACT
T ru Takemitsu was arguably among the most important, although lesser known, musical figures of the twentieth century. Born in Japan in
1930, and having lived there through World War II and the post-war occupation, Takemitsu assimilated many strong, life-altering influences both from the West and from his mother country. This fertile mix of powerful oriental and occidental influences played a major role in the development of
Takemitsu’s musical genius. Although never a conscious goal or deliberate objective, the collective body of Takemitsu’s musical works has come to be appreciated by many as a highly significant cultural bridge between the East and the West. Takemitsu’s music accomplishes this unique melding of cultures and traditions, especially through the use of traditional Japanese instruments, in his completely innovative works that are heavily influenced by the Western model.
Takemitsu’s music displays various Western musical concepts and sensibilities, particularly those of Debussy and Messiaen. These unmistakable, potent European musical forces have been deftly woven in and around the core of the long-venerated philosophical, metaphysical, and conceptual elements of traditional Japanese music and its own foundations in
Zen Buddhist philosophy. Together they form a rich musical tapestry.
viii A prolific writer until the end of his life in 1996, Takemitsu described his concept of music in relatively simple haiku-like terms, i.e., in physical environmental terms. Music, for him, was simply a part of ‘the stream of sounds’ that surrounded him. Imbued with such an uncomplicated concept of music, together with his broad and deep love of nature, Takemitsu subscribed to the philosophy that music was not something to ‘construct.’
His compositional approach was to collaborate with and incorporate the world of spontaneous natural sounds around him, thus providing an environment where ‘sounds can meet dramatically.’
In this study, the author has sought to survey the wide spectrum of social, cultural, and natural influences that has heavily impacted on
Takemitsu’s compositional methods, and to examine how Takemitsu’s compositional philosophy has been eloquently shaped and expressed in five selected piano pieces: Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les
yeux clos, and Rain Tree Sketch. The principal focus has been on the
sources and origins of his unique and prolific creativity which underpinned
Takemitsu’s rich musical legacy.
Various examples of Takemitsu’s profound, revelatory remarks, as
well as spoken and written observations, have been cited.* These offer invaluable insights toward the enhanced understanding of both Takemitsu, the man, and his music.
______*All the quotes from Japanese writings were translated by the author.
ix
CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND: CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH
I had one strong desire. I wanted to touch the piano. Buying one was unthinkable, so I came up with a good idea; I made a paper keyboard. I fashioned the keys using the same dimension as that of a real piano. Best of all, this paper substitute was portable, and I could fold it and easily carry it around. My paper piano served me well for a long time until much later when I was able to obtain a real piano. The silent portable keyboard ‘sounded’ far more tones [than a real piano].1
T ru Takemitsu was born on October 8, 1930, in Tokyo, Japan. At the time of his birth, his father was working for an insurance company in
Dalien, China. When Takemitsu was only a month old, his mother moved to
China with him to join her husband.2 (An interesting coincidence that occurred during the same period of Japanese expansion and colonization in
China was that another notable Japanese musician, namely Seiji Ozawa, the famed former conductor of Boston Symphony, was born in the colony.
Perhaps it was more than destiny that Takemitsu and Ozawa established a
1Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 2:167.
2Jun-ichi Konuma, Takemitsu T ru: Oto, Kotoba, Imeji (Tokyo: Seido Sha, 1999), 19.
1 close, long-term friendship and formed a composer-conductor working relationship decades later in life.)
Takemitsu used to recall fondly the early childhood memories of his father listening to Western music—jazz, blues, and Dixieland—and dancing and playing the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute, for whole days at a time. Perhaps Takemitsu was drawn to music through his father’s love for music. Having been exposed to a rich musical environment at such a young age must have played a vital role in developing Takemitsu’s latent musical potential, even influencing his compositional style of later years.3
In 1937, at six years of age, Takemitsu returned alone to Japan to enter elementary school. During this period he lived with his aunt who was a koto (Japanese zither) teacher. Forty years later, at the height of his fame,
Takemitsu recalled his childhood days. While reminiscing during an interview by Louis Dandrel for Le Monde de la Musique, he noted that he had often become tired of hearing the koto all day long. Later in 1937,
Takemitsu was rejoined by his parents who returned to Japan because his father was gravely ill. It was unfortunate that his father died in the spring of 1938, when Takemitsu was only seven years old. Another catastrophic period in the life of Takemitsu began with the onset of World War II. As a direct consequence, it would be an understatement to say that the subsequent four war years were the most difficult period of his life.
3Ibid., 20.
2 Takemitsu recalled with respect to those darkest years:
During World War II, I worked long hours in the food storage- distribution warehouse of a Japanese military base located deep in the mountains of Saitama Prefecture with many other boys. In early August, 1945, we, young boys of fourteen or fifteen years of age, worked and lived just like older combat soldiers. We were abused and punished for no reason and were living miserably. . . . During that time, the Japanese military prohibited everything Western: English language, music of any form and the like.4
It was towards the end of the war, the summer of 1945, when
Takemitsu had a sudden reawakening of Western music. As background,
during the war Takemitsu and fellow young conscripts were often forced to
sing Japanese military songs. One day, Takemitsu and other young
conscripts were invited by an older soldier to listen to a French chanson,
Parlez-moi d’amour, sung b y Lucienne Boyer. (Takemitsu had mistakenly thought for many years that the singer was the famous, black American chanteuse, Josephine Baker.) 5 Takemitsu later referred to this incident as
‘the fatal encounter,’ and described the experience as follows: “My heart was like a hollow cave, and I let the song seep into it. It flowed into my body and soul like a huge body of water.”6 He instantly realized that “the enemies had
such beautiful music!”7 Takemitsu even later recalled, “This very experience
4Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 2:227.
5Ryūichi Higuchi, Takemitsu T ru: Oto no Kawa no Yukue, eds. Seiji Choki and Ryūichi Higuchi (Tokyo: Heibon Sha, 2000), 299.
6Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 1:269.
7Konuma, 18.
3 transformed me into a musician. As the war was ending, my heart and
mind were consumed with the thoughts of music. I quite literally could not
think of anything but music.”8
Since his school life had begun and ended with the war, World War II
indeed had a tremendous impact on Takemitsu’s most formative years. In
this very vein, Takemitsu observed:
Everything I came to be originated from my many traumatic experiences incurred from this war of defeat as well as my post-war life. For me, music, poetry, love—they all developed from these horrific experiences.9
Of course once the war ended, and the occupation commenced, doors to
Western culture were flung open, and Western music including jazz was
heard everywhere in Japan. Now with a great hunger for Western music,
Takemitsu listened to it intensively.
One day, he happened to hear César Franck’s Prelude, Chorale and
Fugue on the radio. Takemitsu later called this incident his “second discovery” in that in this piece by Franck, he had found the absolute music, i.e., music without words. In traditional Japanese music, the music and words are inseparable, but the Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue was performed by a single instrument, the piano, and in this format spoke to his inner senses. For Takemitsu, this Franck piece proved to be a compelling
8Noboru Tachibana, “Takemitsu T ru: Ongaku S z eno Tabi,” Bungakukai (June 1992): 263, quoted in Higuchi, 300.
9Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 1:270.
4 revelation set against the backdrop of his horrific war experiences. The
impact of ‘the second discovery’ was comparable to that of the first ‘fatal
encounter ’ with the French chanson, both of which were indelible experiences.
Thereafter, the war seemed so senseless, cruel and foolish to him.
Since the strong musical experience as a teenager, he had one desire:
“to touch” the piano, but he realized that his family was too poor to afford an instrument. His highly imaginative solution was to fashion a paper piano.10
Takemitsu was so caught up in his dream and his love to learn more about
music that he would literally open up and play his paper keyboard every time
he had a few free minutes. His creative imagination was so powerful that he
could finger over the keys and actually hear the tones that would have been
produced correspondingly on a real piano. His enthusiasm for music was so
strong that when walking down the street and hearing the sound of a piano,
he would knock on the door and ask the resident to allow him to come inside
to play. Interestingly enough, he was never denied access to these strangers’
homes or pianos. Finally, through an acquaintance, Takemitsu was able to
actually rent one of the venerable Pleyels that had been brought back from
France some years before by the renowned pianist/teacher, Kazuko
Yasukawa. This acquisition of the Pleyel was an exciting event in his life.
Takemitsu later wrote in his essay, Oto Chinmoku to Hakarieruhodoni,
[Sound Measuring with Silence] as follows:
10Ibid., 2: 167.
5 That piano brought an elegant atmosphere that was almost out of place in my little room. To me, it produced the ‘nasal’ sounds heard in the [spoken] French langua ge. I never wanted to play etudes on it. I played many Debussy and Fauré pieces, but I don’t know if they sounded like the actual musical pieces. My performance was very poor. My friend, Toshi Ichiyanagi came and played a Ravel piece fluently. While listening to him, I felt envious of him. . . . Soon, I fell behind on the payment of the rental fee, and the unpaid back payment became substantial. I composed Lento in due movimenti on that piano. It received a review from Ginji Yamane, saying it was ‘pre-music,’ which I could not appreciate, after the premiere performance at the Shin Sakkyokuha Kyoukai recital, but the piece meant much more to me than any other piece I had ever composed.11
In this essay, Takemitsu also remarked that he had sad memories associated
with the piano.12 Indeed, Takemitsu ended up returning the piano because
he was unable to pay the escalating rental fees.
Because of his bitter war experiences, Takemitsu disliked everything
that was associated with Japanese tradition. This feeling persisted for
many years. He observed that his career path as composer had begun with
the rejection of anything Japanese.13 Perhaps, it was inevitable that
Takemitsu‘s aversion for Japanese culture would change abruptly. One day in the early 1960’s, Takemitsu had an unexpected opportunity to attend the
Bunraku14 puppet show and hear traditional Japanese music. He later
11Ibid., 1:24-5.
12Ibid.
13Ibid., 3:50.
14Bunraku: Japanese puppet theater of three-hundred-year-old history. Life-sized puppets are controlled by people dressed in black and act out a dramatic narrative, called j ruri. There is a narrator, and an accompanist playing the shamisen, a Japanese string instrument.
6 recalled that it was a shock to discover such “powerful” music.15 Takemitsu suddenly realized that there was another type of music that was totally different. Undoubtedly, this belated encounter with traditional Japanese music at the Bunraku was a very strong, eye-opening experience, especially because of his earlier denial of his own rich mother culture and traditions.
It was ironic that in the backdrop of his prior sole interest in the study of modern European music, Takemitsu found a new heightened appreciation.
In a lecture delivered in 1988 in New York, Takemitsu spoke of the meaningfulness of his encounter with traditional Japanese music at
Bunraku:
Had I never been under the sway of Western music, I know my appreciation of Japanese music would have been very different. I think this is an extremely important point. From that time on I devoted a great deal of energy—as much as possible—to studying Japanese musical traditions, with particular attention to the differences between Japanese music and Western music. With great diligence I tried to bring forth the sensibilities of Japanese music that had always been within me.16
He also spoke of another revelation upon first hearing Gagaku:17 “The sounds were rising toward the sky like a tree.” 18 When directly comparing
15Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 3:50.
16 Idem, “Contemporary Music in Japan,” Perspectives of New Music 27 no.2 (Summer 1989): 201.
17Japanese traditional court music from Heian Period (794-1185). It is orchestral music involving hichiriki, ryuteki (wind instruments), sho (mouth Organ), sono koto, biwa (string instruments), shoko (gong), and various types of drums.
18Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 1:40.
7 traditional Japanese music to Western music, Takemitsu succinctly observed
as follows: “The sounds in Western music progress horizontally, but the
sounds of the shakuhachi rise vertically like a tree.” 19
Takemitsu had no history of formal training or studies in music,
except for intermittent contact with Yasuji Kiyose (1900-1981), the founder of
the Japanese branch of the International Society for Contemporary Music.
Kiyose was the standard bearer for the group of composers known as ‘the
nationalists’ who faithfully maintained distinctively Japanese qualities in
their compositional idioms.20 It was as if by fate that Takemitsu came to
Kiyose to study. Coincidentally, Takemitsu had previously been deeply inspired by Kiyose’s violin sonata, and already had great respect for him.
Takemitsu reported having been elated when he learned that this distinguished composer would be willing to mentor him. Kiyose did not provide Takemitsu with conventional music lessons. He simply allowed
Takemitsu unlimited access to his musical scores and recordings in support of his self-teaching.21 Fortuitously, Takemitsu found in Kiyose’s music what he
had been searching for, and that was “the real music without any
ostentation.”22
19Idem, Confronting Silence (Berkeley: Fallen Leaf Press, 1984), 87.
20Timothy Koozin, “The Solo Piano Works of T ru Takemitsu: A Linear/Set-theoretic Analysis” (Ph.D. diss., University of Cincinnati, 1989), 19.
21Higuchi, 301.
22Noriko Ohtake, The Creative Sources for the Music of T ru Takemitsu (Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1993), 15. 8 Perhaps in this context, it is helpful to relate to the reader one incident which occurred just a few months before Takemitsu came under the tutelage of Kiyose, as an indication of Takemitsu’s awareness for his musical direction from an early age. In spring of the late 1940’s, Takemitsu took the two-day entrance examination to the Tokyo University of Fine Arts. After the first day, he sensed that “it was not quite right.” Further, he felt that
“composers will not be born from this.”23 Takemitsu did not take the next examination, and thereby forfeited his chances for academic musical studies.
Therefore, until he came under the direct influence of Kiyose in June, 1948,
Takemitsu was limited to the support of his friends and colleagues, who shared their passion for music by studying musical scores with him.24
Although having no prior formal experience or credentials, Takemitsu must have been regarded by Kiyose as possessing considerable talent.
During the two years of study with Kiyose (1948-1950), Takemitsu came to know Fumio Hayasaka (1914-1955), a composer who was considered the forerunner of the Japanese nationalistic movement. Hayasaka was also a major figure in the composition of film music. Because of his admiration and respect for Hayasaka’s music, Takemitsu became interested in film music early in his career.25 He wrote some of the most recognized film music in the
23Higuchi, 300.
24Ibid.
25Ohtake, 15-6.
9 history of Japanese cinema.
Takemitsu’s encounter with Kiyose and subsequent meeting with
Hayasaka indirectly propelled Takemitsu to the musical scene as a composer.
In 1956, Takemitsu composed a work commissioned by the Tokyo
Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. He entitled it Requiem for Strings, in
memory of Hayasaka, who had died the previous year. The work was
premiered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony in June 1957. It drew the
attention of Stravinsky during his visit to Japan, and he praised the work
highly saying, “This is a wonderful work. It is very intense. [It is
remarkable] such intense music came out of such a small man!”26 This
special recognition brought international attention and fame to Takemitsu,
and quickly paved the way to future success.
In 1950, Takemitsu’s piano composition Lento in due movimenti was
introduced at a Shin Sakkyokuha Kyoukai [The Association of New School of
Composition] concert. Takemitsu had a special fondness for this work. It
was his very first piece to be performed in public, but the critical review by
Ginji Yamane in the T to Newspaper was a devastating one to the composer.
One can only imagine the level of disappointment he endured. It was far
beyond what words could ever describe, and Takemitsu put the score of his
fondest piece away. Eventually it was lost; however, he later gathered the
26Makoto oka, “Takemitsu T ru wo Meguru Nisan no Kansatsu,” in Takemitsu T ru no Sekai, eds. Shinji Saito and Maki Takemitsu (Tokyo: Shūei Sha, 1997), 73.
10 fragments of the piece from memory and wrote Litany, a second version.27
After this taxing experience, Takemitsu and his colleagues launched
a new cultural club, Jikken-kōbō [experimental studio] in November 1951.
Jikken-kōbō provided the opportunity to introduce new compositions by its
members, as well as Western avant-garde music to the cultural community.
The association included prominent artists, poets, musicians, and
technicians. The diverse membership reflects both the cultural
sophistication and the multi-media nature of the club. This organization
was different from the Shin Sakkyokuha Kyoukai in that it had a
non-academic bias, a fact that helped Takemitsu, who was not an
academically-trained musician, to consolidate his position.28 Moreover,
Jikken-kōbō served as a ready-made forum, a vehicle, for the performance of
his works. Takemitsu was very fortunate to have had his works premiered
by some of the most renowned professional musicians in Japan.
Around this same period, Takemitsu also began experiments with
musique concrète, which was to become an important compositional method for him. Regarding this, Takemitsu later wrote in his essay, Boku no H h
[My Method], that as early as 1948 he had already become aware of
incorporating random natural sounds. He realized that to compose was to
27Higuchi, 301-2.
28Peter Burt, Music of T ru Takemitsu (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), 39.
11 find ways to bring meaning to ‘the stream of sounds’ around him.29 The idea of ‘stream of sounds’ was to become the core element of his music throughout his compositional effort.
In this highly stimulating environment of Jikken-kōbō, Takemitsu
had invaluable opportunities and experiences. In retrospect, he was keenly
receptive and absorbed everything he could, nurturing and developing his
musical creativity. In 1953, however, his health and financial situation
became a serious concern. His tuberculosis worsened, and he was
hospitalized for a long period. As a result Takemitsu was no longer able to
participate in Jikken-kōbō activities. Greatly discouraged, he even
expressed a wish to withdraw from membership.30
The new year, 1954, began. As a young man of twenty-three his life was at its lowest point, but by May his situation had improved. He became well enough to be released from the hospital, and in the following month he married Asaka Wakayama. Although he was still frail after the long illness, and very much in the grip of financial difficulties, with Asaka’s deep devotion and support Takemitsu was able to come out of the difficult times and proceed toward his yet-to-be-seen dynamic musical career.
Upon reflection, it is indeed remarkable that in several short years, despite the hardships and setbacks he endured, Takemitsu went from being
29Higuchi, 306.
30Ibid., 305.
12 unknown to becoming one of the brightest stars of the modern Japanese musical scene. This chapter has presented only the early part of his background, which was the most formative period.
From the late 1950’s to the end of his life in 1996, Takemitsu was highly productive, not only as a composer but also as a lecturer and writer.
He was blessed with a natural talent and personal goodness, to which was added a great wealth of unique life experiences. Combined with strength of will, dedication, self-discipline, and determination, they effectively served to mold an extraordinary human being and true musical genius, T ru
Takemitsu.
13
CHAPTER TWO
INFLUENCES
Japan and I have arrived at the present with great contradictions. . . . Speaking from my own intuition, rather than from a simple-minded resolution to blend Western and Japanese elements, I choose to confront those contradictions, even intensify them. And those contradictions are for me a valid visa for the world. That is my act of expression. . . . Nothing that truly moves us will come from the superficial blending of East and West. Such music will just sit there.31
Various factors contributed to the uniqueness of Takemitsu’s music.
They derived from both the West and Japan, and there was one factor that was particularly salient, i.e., he never had formal musical training. Because of this background, both Western and Japanese influences had an especially profound effect upon him, making Takemitsu’s music uniquely his own.
In the course of traditional musical training, students typically establish their own style through the musical environment to which they are exposed. With respect to a compositional style, even the most innovative ideas originate in large part from the student’s formal musical education.
31Takemitsu, Confronting, 92-3.
14 The years corresponding to Takemitsu’s life (1930-1996) constituted a time of dramatic, rapid, and even revolutionary innovations and changes, leading to great diversity and riches in the musical world, as well as in other spheres of modern life. This was a period that was open to new ideas, and was generally much more accepting of unconventional methods. Likewise, composers tried to find their individual ways to create a new and unique musical language. Nonetheless, it may be more reasonable to appreciate that the “new” modern music that appeared during Takemitsu’s time was not totally independent of what had been composed previously, but included developments and expansions of inheritances from the past.
As for Takemitsu, his style was a product of his being what he was.
It represented his Japanese sensibilities that evolved from tradition and then came in contact with Western music. This could not have been developed by the mere blending of Japanese cultural idioms with superficial Western musical elements. Takemitsu never adopted such an approach, much less showed any interest in it. He believed that music had the power to speak to the deepest part of the soul and was a very personal experience. He thought superficial blending was meaningless and would not have the power to move the soul.32 It was his desire to confront and even intensify the differences and contradictions of Western and Japanese elements. One example is his composition November Steps in which traditional Japanese instruments, the
32Idem, Chosaku-shū, 2:20.
15 biwa and the shakuhachi, are used with a Western orchestra. Takemitsu acknowledged the differences between two remarkable cultures and created music of his own. Composing November Steps was an invaluable experience.
From it was realized the vast realm of sounds that existed. November Steps became his landmark piece because he followed his intuition and let the music speak for itself. It also gave him hope that it was possible for people from different cultures to develop a deep understanding of each other.33
Takemitsu’s musical influences came from various sources. Some affected him directly, others indirectly. He himself did not even become aware of their subtle effects until years later; however, they were the powerful, underlying force of his musical concepts. For Takemitsu, it was not possible to think of Eastern and Western elements in the same dimension.
Music was capable of speaking out for itself once the ‘universality’ was achieved, and it did not matter who was behind it.34 To Takemitsu, music was a universal expression that spoke out from within.
This chapter will examine the influences that played significant roles in Takemitsu’s musical development and creativity, namely Western and
Japanese composers, and traditional Japanese music and culture.
Furthermore, it will introduce Takemitsu’s own thoughts and philosophies which are connected to Zen Buddhism and derive their origins from his
33Ibid., 3:30-1.
34Ohtake, 5.
16 heritage.
From the West
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) had a significant effect on Takemitsu from the beginning. It has been said that the root of Takemitsu’s music is in
Debussy, and Takemitsu agreed with this assessment.35 He observed that
Debussy had been influenced by oriental music, and his music was re-imported to the Orient and influenced the composers there reciprocally.36
Debussy came in contact with the music of the East at the Paris Exhibition in
1889. This experience, especially the encounter with Javanese gamelan
music, made a tremendous impact. It opened up new avenues to richer
sonorities, particularly in his choice of instruments. Similar to Debussy,
Takemitsu was interested in creating shades of color in many layers in his
placement of sounds. It is understandable that Takemitsu’s music, such as
Riverrun, resembles Debussy with its luminous and transparent sound.37
Moreover, some of Debussy’s characteristics seen in his piano works, such as
35Ryūtaro Iwata, Kafe Takemitsu: Watashi no Takemitsu Ongaku (Tokyo: Kaimei Sha, 1992), 161.
36Takemitsu, 2:162.
37Justin Williams, “T ru Takemitsu, a Gatherer of Sounds: An Analysis of Riverrun” (D.M.A. diss., Manhattan School of Music, 1997), 18.
17 fragmentary melodies, use of indeterminate pedal signs, and ethereal tone
quality, are also found in Takemitsu’s piano music.
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was another who had a strong
connection to Takemitsu and his music. Takemitsu observed, regarding his relation to Messiaen: “Among many things I learned from his music, the concept and experience of color and the form of time will be unforgettable.”38
Takemitsu and Messiaen developed a strong bond between them. Messiaen
spoke of his affinity to Japan:
Japanese music is static, and I myself am a static composer because I believe in the invisible and in the beyond; I believe in eternity. Now, Orientals are on much closer terms with the beyond than we are, and that’s why their music is static. The music written by me, a believer, is equally static. This no doubt explains my attraction to Japan.39
Messiaen’s spiritual beliefs and respect for nature are reflected in his
music, which has much in common with Takemitsu. Their music shares
static, timeless, and meditative qualities, and minimizes a sense of
development or direction. Messiaen’s modes of limited transposition
(Example 1) allowed him to achieve those qualities in his music.40
Takemitsu also incorporated Messiaen’s mode in works such as Lento in due
movimenti and Uninterrupted Rests.
38Takemitsu, Confronting, 141.
39Oliver Messiaen, “Music and Color: Conversations with Claude Samuel,” trans. Thomas Glasow (Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1994), 102, quoted in Justin Williams, 19.
40Williams, 19.
18
Example 1: Messiaen’s second mode
Among Takemitsu’s works, Quatrain (1975) is the one with the most direct influence. Takemitsu visited Messiaen in New York and received advice, guidance, and encouragement for this piece. In Quatrain, Takemitsu used the same instrumentation as Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time.41
Takemitsu later reflected on Messiaen’s music:
I learned so many things from Messiaen’s music; among them is the invaluable experience of learning the concept of color and ‘form of time’ and its application, which will stay with me forever.42
Above all, that sensuous sound—abundance in tone color and sonority. I thought, ‘Oh, this is what I have been looking for.’ It matched my senses perfectly.43
Another connection between Takemitsu and Messiaen lies in their
41Takemitsu, Confronting, 141.
42Idem, Chosaku-shū, 3:164.
43Takashi Tachibana, “Takemitsu T ru: Ongaku Souzou eno Tabi,” Bungakukai (October, 1992): 225, quoted in Higuchi, 303.
19 love for the universe that embraces both men and nature.44 Nature was very important to them, and they incorporated the sounds of nature in their music, although their methods were different. Messiaen translated actual bird songs into music, whereas Takemitsu’s music mainly reflected his thoughts of nature.45
Although Takemitsu and Messiaen had common characteristics and interests, they were at opposite ends in their philosophy. Takemitsu viewed nature as a coexistence of man and nature itself,46 which relates to his musical concept that music flows around everything, including himself.47 It was from the standpoint of man and nature being one entity, making man a part of nature itself. On the other hand, Messiaen’s view was that of a unified entity of man and god, thus separating man and nature. 48 Although it is not possible to categorize them in a simple manner, it is apparent that
Takemitsu’s association with Messiaen influenced him strongly enough to reflect in his music. It was the way Takemitsu viewed his surroundings and not the logic of rules that controlled his attitude and philosophy toward composing and music. His creation was a reflection of his inner thoughts,
44Iwata, 166.
45Ohtake, 7.
46Iwata, 166.
47Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 3:53.
48Iwata, 166.
20 which had a strong tie to his Japanese heritage.
Takemitsu was particularly inspired by Messiaen’s passion and effort
to compose while imprisoned in a German camp during World War II.49
From his own miserable war experience, Takemitsu was able to measure the difficulty that Messiaen must have faced, and the depth of his desire to let his music speak out even under horrific conditions.
Takemitsu also had a close tie to John Cage (1912-1992), as a friend and colleague. When Cage visited Japan in 1962, Takemitsu traveled with him to Sapporo during Cage’s concert tour. Cage had a strong interest and appreciation for Zen philosophy, and it was through him that Takemitsu came to recognize the depth and value of Japanese tradition.50 Takemitsu
expressed his appreciation in these words:
I must express my deep and sincere gratitude to John Cage. . . . It was largely through my contact with John Cage that I came to recognize the value of my own tradition.51
His association with Cage had a strong and profound effect on
Takemitsu’s musical concept; however, Cage’s influence went beyond the
spiritual realm. For example, the structural organization of Takemitsu’s
Dorian Horizon was modeled after Cage’s Quartet for twenty-four strings.
The physical placement of instruments was unique in Quartet, resulting in
49Ohtake., 8.
50Ibid.
51Takemitsu, Perspectives, 199.
21 many layers of sounds in the musical space. Likewise, Takemitsu’s Dorian
Horizon followed a similar plan, with the well-calculated placement of the seventeen string instruments creating the subtleties in diverse tone colors in different gradations.52 He was keenly aware of the sound effects of physical positions of instruments, and was specific in placing them. Takemitsu wrote on the death of Cage:
I lost another important person. I learned from Cage “life,” that is how to live, and that music does not exist away from life. This simple, clear fact has long been forgotten. Art and life have become separate existences, and professionals have put excess concerns on the framework of methodology. Aesthetics became the priority, and music was becoming mere paper work. At such a moment, John Cage shook the foundation of Western musical art, and evoked the forgotten essence of sound and the existence of silence as the mother of sound with naïve clarity. Through John Cage, sound regained its freedom.53
There were other Western composers who influenced Takemitsu.
For example, the sparse texture, emphasis on shifts of timbre, fragmentary melodies, and melodic cells weaving a musical tapestry—these vividly reflect the music of Anton Webern. Takemitsu acknowledged that at one point in his career, he was enthralled by the music of Webern. Other influences include Iannis Xenakis, Aaron Copland, Luigi Nono, Pierre Boulez, Isang
Yun, Arvo Pärt, and Pierre Schaffer.54
52Ohtake, 9.
53Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 3:166-7.
54Iwata, 175-6.
22 From Japan
It was Western music that first drew Takemitsu’s attention toward
music, but there are also Japanese musicians to be considered. As
mentioned in Chapter One, Yasuji Kiyose was the most significant one among
them. Takemitsu’s own words confirm Kiyose’s influence:
I cannot describe how much I learned from Mr. Kiyose. Through his works, I learned the fertility of musical soil where many different thoughts and feelings co-exist.55
Kiyose represented a group of composers known as nationalists who tried to
create a new compositional idiom, while maintaining distinctly Japanese
qualities. Sadao Bekku, the well-known Japanese musicologist and theorist,
described Kiyose’s music:
He does not approach music theoretically but rather in such a way as to express his intimate emotion with quiet naïveté. … His harmonic treatment seems Japanese in nature but not theoretical; he seems to follow the dictate of his natural and simple sensitivity.56
Kiyose believed that even though an act of creation is a personal matter, a composer must be aware that it has to relate to one’s own people. Otherwise, in a broader sense, the arts would be meaningless to them.57
55Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 1:273.
56Sadao Bekku, “The Composer in Japan Today,” Music—East and West (Tokyo: Executive Committee for 1961 Tokyo East-West Encounter, 1966), 94-5, quoted in Koozin, The Solo Piano Works, 20.
57Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 1:273.
23 Shortly after his studies with Kiyose, Takemitsu came to know Shūz
Takiguchi (1903-1979), a surrealist poet. The importance of this encounter with such a remarkable poet was clearly stated:
I don’t know how to express my gratitude. No words are sufficient to show my appreciation even for the opportunity to come to know Mr. Takiguchi. I often waver when making decisions about various things or how to behave. At these times, I think of select, few persons whom I wish to be proud of me. Mr. Takiguchi was always among them. Many times, I was an intruder in his quiet garden of thoughts. I learned to direct my attention toward internal things after having the chance to spend time with him. He awakened me in all areas of arts.58
At about the same time, other notable figures came in contact with
Takemitsu and became his life-long friends and colleagues, namely, Kuniharu
Akiyama, J ji Yuasa, Kazuo Fukushima, and Toshi Ichiyanagi.
The long history of Japanese traditional arts and values was a part of
Takemitsu and was ingrained in his body and soul. Serenity, silence, simplicity, austerity, tranquility of soul, and sensitivity to nature, originating in Zen Buddhism, had been deep in Japanese culture. Poetry, art, calligraphy, archery, swordsmanship, traditional music, flower arranging, landscaping of gardens, tea ceremony, etc. all hold Zen spirit. As a more popular example, one can compare sumo, Japanese traditional wrestling originating from the seventh century, to non-Japanese sports. Sumo wrestlers do not show their emotions. No matter what their feelings are at the time of victory or loss, they maintain calmness in their facial and physical
58Ibid.
24 expressions. This manifests tranquility of the soul, indicating the inner
strength that cannot be affected by the outside world.
Takemitsu found in Zen Buddhism what he was searching for in his
musical expression. Zen values the “margin of life, the blank space.” 59 As emptiness of the mind, Mu [void], is essential for meditation and
enlightenment in Zen, silence and stillness were important factors in the
uniqueness of Takemitsu’s music. His words, “To make the void of silence
live is to make live the infinity of sounds,” 60 originated from the Zen philosophy that underlies Japanese culture.
Just as it was to Takemitsu, nature has a unique place in the minds of most Japanese people. Consider that from ancient times, the changes of the four seasons have a significant meaning. These seasonal changes relate to life—beginning, ending, growth, progress, etc., with each season bringing strong, specific sentiments. One indication is haiku poetry. It must contain
kigo, a word that refers to a season. Japanese have incorporated nature in their life style in various ways. For example, in ordinary letter writing, it is polite and customary to begin one’s correspondence with remarks relating to the weather. One may write, “The coolness of the morning air indicates the approaching fall,” or “The spring equinox has passed, but our days are still
59L. James Hammond, “Ten Zen Basics,” A Newsletter on Philosophy and Literature,
60T ru Takemitsu, “T ru Takemitsu: Miniature II,” (Japanese Deutsche Grammophon, MG2411), quoted in Timothy Koozin, “T ru Takemitsu and the Unity of Opposites,” College Music Symposium 30, no.1 (Spring 1990): 35.
25 cold,” and so on. It may be interesting to the reader to learn that the spring
equinox and the autumnal equinox are national holidays in Japan.
Although there is no special or specific celebration, the Japanese enjoy the
beginnings of new seasons. Still another example is that in selecting a home,
the direction—north, south, east, and west—to which the rooms will face,
becomes an essential part of decision-making. The southern exposure brings
the sunlight into the house during the winter months and eliminates the
evening sun in the summer, creating warmth in the winter and coolness in
the summer. Even with today’s modern technology, people still want such naturalness in their lifestyle. The softening or intensifying sunlight that changes from time to time or season to season also brings a certain feel to them.
Moreover, a traditional Japanese house should never be painted with artificial colors. Doors, walls, and floors use all natural material with neutral shades. In the modern day, houses may not look quite the same, but there is usually a traditional Japanese room, which provides the atmosphere of calmness, warmth, simplicity, and serenity. The depth of its beauty may not be fully understood or appreciated by someone who has a decorative, colorful taste, but the Japanese find profound beauty and depth of character in it. There are numerous other indications—too many to list; however, knowing the Japanese mentality and sentiment for nature would certainty shed light on Takemitsu and his music.
26 This philosophy, living in harmony with nature, is at the core of
Takemitsu’s compositional activity. His own words confirm his musical
concept and the source of his creative energy:
I do not compose by using sounds. I collaborate with them; however, I feel so inadequate because I still cannot speak my collaborator’s language well.61
I am a very religious man. Music is a form of prayer to me. . . . I used to think each tone was like a building block, and that musical work was similar to architecture that needs to be constructed little by little, but my thinking started to change when I studied traditional Japanese music. I was influenced by its philosophy. The act of composing is like reaching a stream, feeling the river bed, and becoming one with it. . . . I now only think about the stream of sounds that surrounds me and try to listen to its sounds. I no longer pay attention to its structure or giving it a beginning and an ending. There is no beginning or ending. When I compose, I touch the stream and express it as it is.62
Takemitsu’s concept derives its origin from Zen philosophy, which sees the
ego, I, not as independent but as merged with the surrounding world, and puts one in touch with nature.63
Takemitsu had a special fondness for old Japanese gardens. He
expressed his thoughts in his essay, Ongaku no Yohaku Kara [From the
Margins of Music]:
I love gardens because they never refuse people. There, we can stroll or stop freely as we wish. We can look at the whole garden or gaze at one
61Idem, Chosaku-shū , 3:241.
62Ibid., 52-3.
63Hammond.
27 tree. Plants, rocks, and sand, they display their various changes. They are constantly changing. Their existence is in one space in different time cycles, the changes of seasons, weather, day, and night—they are all music.64
Takemitsu’s creative activity involved being in touch with nature as the
source of inspiration. His use of the word, Niwa [garden], in the titles of
some of his works indicates his strong affinity to it. Takemitsu also used it
as a metaphor where he ‘saw’ and heard music. One example is Arc for
Piano and Orchestra. In this work the piano has the role of a stroller
walking through the orchestral garden (Examples 2a & 2b). It is clear that
there is a strong link between some of his music and Japanese gardens, in
that their element of spacing is an integral part in understanding the
spatiality in Takemitsu’s music.65
Takemitsu observed that the Japanese listen to sounds in the manner of ‘kikidasu’ [extracting the sound you are searching from the sounds that surround you]. He said that they draw sounds rather than expressing
through sounds.66 Traditional Japanese music has the concept that one tone is music in itself, and it focuses on deepening the meaning of a sound itself.67
64Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 2:23-4.
65Funayama, Takashi, Takemitsu T ru: Hibiki no Umi e (Tokyo: Ongakunotomo Sha, 1998), 172.
66Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 2:74.
67Ibid., 170.
28
Example 2a: Takemitsu’s sketch, Japanese garden
Example 2b: Takemitsu’s sketch, Arc
Each tone is complete, and timbre became a very important element for subtlety in tonal expression, much more so than in Western music. Thus it
29 became necessary to have a means to express varied tone colors for subtle nuances. As a result, varieties of instruments of the same family were created for more precise tonal production.68
Takemitsu was quick to become aware of this practice. He thought that such Japanese artistic sense and concept of naturally existing sounds and noises reflecting the whole worldview, and not being mere material for expression, led to the creation of a highly refined art such as Noh.69 There, the deepest level of the concept of connection to nature exists.70
Japanese people love to listen to the sounds of nature: of leaves blown by the wind, of ocean waves, bird calls, a cricket making noise, etc. In a
Japanese sense, they are all music. There are folk songs and children’s songs about insects making their ‘music’ on a summer day. They call the insects’ noise(s) mushi no ne, literally meaning insect’s tones. In such a culture, it is natural that traditional Japanese instruments such as the shamisen and the biwa (string instruments) produce the resonance, sawari, which is close to the sound of noise. Its sound quality and make-up are complex, and in a Western musical sense, it is simply a noise. Yet, it is a very important part in traditional Japanese music.
68Fumio Koizumi, Nihon no Oto (Tokyo: Heibon Sha, 1994), 27.
69Ancient Japanese literature of highly aesthetic stage form, which combines dance, drama, music, and poetry.
70Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 2:74.
30 Takemitsu thought that the word sawari, which holds multi-meanings, is the desire itself to draw the true meaning of a sound
[kikidasu], and to listen to the whole world in one tone, and that its true meaning possessed an attitude of motion that was closely tied to life. This one tone had to be pure and independent; at the same time it had to resonate strongly as a part of sound as a whole. It was essential for the performer to produce a subtle sound that is almost indistinguishable from noise. The sounds of these instruments are produced spontaneously and resonate through the performer.71
Takemitsu’s expression of his understanding of Japanese concept and his philosophy deriving from it would take extensive studies of ancient
Japanese culture and history to fully comprehend; however, for music that came from centuries of tradition, theoretical thinking is of no use because a single strum or pluck is too complex and too complete in itself to allow any theory.72 Takemitsu’s own claim for the uselessness of analyses of his works finds its parallel here.
In speaking of nature and a pure, independent tone, which relates closely to Takemitsu’s music, the shakuhachi is another instrument that needs to be mentioned. Although the idea of a bamboo flute may not bring a refined image of the instrument or its music, a shakuhachi is a carefully
71Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 1:322-3.
72Idem, Confronting, 51.
31 crafted instrument, made with the utmost precision for delicate tone
production. Its sound is said to replicate the full range of natural life on
earth. Takemitsu spoke of the shakuhachi sound:
Western people separate natural sounds and musical sounds, but in our case, a shakuhachi player will become satisfied if the sounds he produces from the instrument resemble that of the wind traveling across the bamboo forest.73
Shakuhachi, because of its usage by Buddhist monks since around the
seventeenth century, was often associated with religion, and perhaps for this
reason it seems to lead the mind directly into spiritual thought. Thus, a
single tone of the shakuhachi can bring one to the world of Nirvana,74 a state
of fulfillment that is expressed by a phrase, “ichion j butsu.” The Western
shakuhachi master Barry Nyosui Weiss’s words bring a clearer
understanding of shakuhachi music:
The measure of artistry with the Shakuhachi is ichion j butsu, the quality of enlightenment in one note. To the Shakuhachi player, every note and note and every space between the notes has equal importance to each other. There is no sound without silence and silence without sound. Nothing, not a singe breath through the flute can go to waste. In the mind of Shakuhachi master, each moment in this world has its distinct existence and then is gone forever; each sound and silences is an opportunity for enlightenment.75
73Idem, Chosaku-shū, 2:163.
74Montly H. Levenson, “Shakuhachi: The Sound of Nature,”
75Barry Nyosui Weiss, “Blowing Zen,”
32 Weiss has an insightful story as follows: Hundreds of years ago, the Japanese emperor asked a monk named Kakua to teach what he had learned on a Zen retreat to China. The monk bowed, stood silently, played one note on his Shakuhachi and departed. In that one note, he showed his enlightenment.76
The concept that originated from Zen philosophy and has been
imbedded in Japanese culture for centuries may not be easily understood by a
non-Japanese; however, it is a source contributing much to traditional
Japanese music. Furthermore, it influenced Takemitsu’s creative mind. As
a young man, Takemitsu was awakened to his heritage and affected by it,
which led him to develop his own compositional philosophy and style. The
meaning of one single tone became of utmost importance to him. Having
been in tune with nature, he did not try to create a sound. He thought
sound was always a part of nature, and with complexity and integrity, it
stood alone.
I want to give up the idea of constructing music. In the world where we live, there are both silence and infinite sounds. I want to chisel the sound with my own hands and gain one struggling sound. It must be strong to face and measure with silence.77
Takemitsu opined that the goal of a Japanese tone is to reach Mu, the state of nothingness. Once again, it relates to Zen philosophy in which everything exists in relation to all things around. By itself, it is in the state
76Ibid.
77Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 1:40.
33 of Mu. As each tone was polished and became distinct, the scale to which it
once belonged lost its meaning. It is as if the sound is refusing to belong
there.78 The state of Mu of a tone has a parallel in the state of nothingness in Zen, which is essential to attain enlightenment. In traditional Japanese music a single tone is already music itself.79 Takemitsu keenly observed this aspect of Japanese culture and traditional music through the master performers of shakuhachi.
One day the shakuhachi player [for November Steps ] came. I asked him to play one note and hold it as long as possible. He did so, and it was ninety seconds long. I said to him I wanted him to make it longer. Then he began some physical exercises. He took my words very seriously. Three months later he came back. This time, the tone lasted for two minutes. It was an incredibly beautiful sound with a variety of colors. Everything existed in that one tone.80
Another element that relates to nature is the Japanese sense of time;
the sound contains nature within itself and exists in relation to time.81 In
the frame of time, beats exist. In traditional Japanese music, there is no
concept of beat in the Western sense. Beats can be extended or contracted.
When the degree of extension or contraction becomes so great, the music
comes to the point that there is no perceivable unit of time. Takemitsu
described his impression upon hearing traditional Japanese music: “Gagaku
78Ibid., 234.
79Ibid., 2:170.
80Ibid., 3:53.
81Ibid.
34 seemed as if it tried to prevent time from being measured. It was static like
an artistic design and appeared occasionally like an arrow shot toward
heaven.” 82
The music of Noh also exemplifies the concept of Japanese beats.
The typical Noh text is comprised of combinations of sets of seven and five
syllables; however, these have to be fitted into “Yatsuby shi,” a unit of eight
beats. In Noh, the dramatic script is emphasized more than the
accompanying music. Thus, it becomes important that the Noh performers
accommodate these syllables by making slight differences in the duration of
each beat, while making the script flow smoothly.83 The beats arranged in
such a way create unique rhythms. Through the use of such novel patterns,
the highest level of refinement in free rhythms was achieved.84
Another concept essential and unique to traditional Japanese music
is Ma. Ma is present in all Japanese art forms as a meaningful space. It is
‘heard’ in Takemitsu’s music almost as his signature. This derives from Zen,
which teaches that the blank space in consciousness, a state of no thoughts,
can lead one to enlightenment. The essence of Takemitsu’s composition is
the somewhat esoteric balance and interplay of time and space, Ma. In a
82Idem, Oto, Chinmoku to Hakarieru Hodoni (Tokyo: Shinch Sha,1971), quoted in Funayama, 160.
83Koizumi, 180.
84Shigeo Kashiba, Traditional Music of Japan (Tokyo: Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai, 1969), 12.
35 broader sense, it accounts for the previously-mentioned treatment of beats.
Takemitsu said it was not possible to explain Ma in terms of the Western
concept of time per se, but it was his view that Ma was rather more readily
defined as a physical phenomenon.85 He stated:
The most important thing in Japanese music is space, not sound. I think Ma is time-space with tension. Always, I have used few notes, and many silences, from my first piece.86
From the foregoing and the following, it can be understood that
Takemitsu’s thoughts on Ma are as powerful as Ma itself.
A single strum of a string or one blow [of shakuhachi] is too complex to fulfill the role of carrying out the theoretical thinking. It is complete in itself. The complexity of its resonance, that makes the tone whole in itself, created Ma, a continuity of the physically intense form of the state of no-sound. . . . The Japanese sensitivity, that was formed through hearing the complexity of sound that achieves completeness and its refined single tone, created the concept of Ma.87
Ma holds different meanings in different contexts. In music, it refers to the time and space intervals between the sounds and silence. Ma is not
something to count or calculate, but to feel and ‘hear.’
Takemitsu observed that traditional Japanese music holds within
itself many different layers of time. For example, if three musicians play
85T ru Takemitsu, Hitotsu no Oto ni Sekai wo Kiku: Takemitsu T ru Taidan Shū (Tokyo: Sh bun Sha, 1996), 234.
86Frederic Lieberman, “Contemporary Japanese Composition: Its Relationship to Concepts of Traditional Oriental Musics” (M.A. thesis, University of Hawaii, 1965), 140-1, quoted in Dana Richard Wilson, “The Role of Texture in Selected Works of T ru Takemitsu” (Ph.D. diss., University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music, 1982), 20.
87Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 1:200.
36 together, there can be three different layers, with each musician keeping his
own time. There is Ma in between the layers. The Japanese find beauty in
the meaning of Ma.88 This is unlike most Western music, in which
performers play together adhering to the same time frame in strict beats.
People listen to Ma in traditional Japanese music as much as they listen to
the sounds. The concept of Ma can be likened to that of the unspoken
thought, with the intervals of silence playing as active a role as that of the
sounds throughout a musical development. Takemitsu said, “Music is either
sound or silence. As long as I live, I shall choose a sound as something that
confronts silence. It has to be one, strong sound.” 89
While Ma relates to time and space, another uniqueness in
traditional Japanese music is tempo, expressed by the word, johakyū. What was previously discussed about yatsub shi has a parallel in referring to tempo. Johakyū can be applied to, for example, one day’s activity or the beginning, middle, and end of a piece, or even to one beat. In traditional
Japanese music, even one stroke of a drum can contain johakyū, reflecting
the complexity and highly developed state of beats.90
Lastly, another dimension to be studied is the use of dynamics. As stated earlier, traditional Japanese music focuses on drawing a sound and
88Ibid., 2:172.
89Ibid., 1:39.
90Koizumi, 26.
37 “deepening” it, which indicates the importance of expressing the subtle
nuances inherent in a single tone. Consequently, getting the exact dynamic
level almost on a note-to-note basis becomes essential. These subtleties and
complexities also require a variety of instruments in the same family. This has a connection to the spoken Japanese language, which does not have accents in the Western sense. Japanese words have high and low intonations. In addition, they are comprised only of syllables. All of these features of spoken Japanese extend into the realm of Japanese vocal music, creating distinct differences compared to lyrics of Western vocal music. For example, a two-syllable word, hashi, cannot be correctly defined using the
Western alphabet. If the first syllable, ha, is emphasized higher
(approximately in between a major and minor third), it means chopsticks.
Alternatively, if the second syllable, shi, is emphasized higher, it can mean bridge(s) or edge(s). In the written form, the meanings are clear based on the use of different Kanji (Chinese characters). In the spoken form, the different intonations and contexts in which specific words are used would differentiate the meanings.
The uniqueness of the language, in addition to the Japanese concept of one tone being music itself, has had much to do with the need for many different levels of dynamics in traditional Japanese music. Expressed in the typical Western way, many more signs would have to be used: fff ff f fmf
f mfm mpm mp pmp p pp ppp. Further, it would require a sign
38 for each note.91 Naturally, traditional Japanese music would use its own mode for dynamic indication.
It is not possible to describe the characteristics of traditional
Japanese music in a simple way since it involves highly complex elements and aspects; however, knowing the integral part of it will bring a better understanding of the link between Takemitsu’s music and his Japanese heritage. His mother country nurtured and supported his development as a person and musician. A much more substantial understanding and appreciation for the relationships between the man and his origins would require a comprehensive, in-depth review and study of Japanese history and
Buddhism, and its profound role in the development of Japanese culture.
The differences between Western and traditional Japanese music go well beyond the superficial and obvious features. The attitudes and approaches toward mastering traditional Japanese instruments with regard to tone production, development of technique, practice regimen, and performance are worlds apart with respect to their Western counterpart, in which a talented young child can play the works by great composers. A
Japanese biwa master brought enlightenment on this issue in a conversation with Takemitsu on his experience of biwa studies during the early part of the twentieth century:
91Ibid., 25.
39 We sat [on the floor in a meditative manner] in a Zen temple from three o’clock in the morning until nine at night for one week. During that time, we did not play the biwa. We only sat there, but our thoughts were focused on the biwa sound. Other times, we went to the temple at seven in the morning in the snowy weather with the biwa in our arms. We sat [za-Zen- meditated] on the cold floor, and when the time came, we played one person at a time. . . . Without za-Zen, the true sound cannot be produced. I learned this later when someone who had never sat [za-Zen] came. . . . You must go through sufferings to gain the true sound.92
92Yasutsugu Tsuji, conversation in Takemitsu T ru Taidan-shū (Tokyo, Sh bun Sha, 1975), 45-6.
40
CHAPTER THREE
SOLO PIANO MUSIC
I have not tried to explain my own works in detail. It is not necessary because the music fully speaks for itself. If I included program notes, reading them would interfere with the actual listening process that should be done by ears. Too much explanation may change and even limit the direction the music can go. It can even inhibit the evocative power of music, which has a potential to go far beyond what the composer could expect. It is only natural that critics are interested in the written language of the composer since that is their business, but I still wish music to be experienced with ears.93
Takemitsu wrote piano music from the early stage of his musical career to the very last. He had a very close connection to the piano and used it in numerous instrumental works. Even so, he wrote only seventeen solo piano pieces, including two unpublished works, Kakehi (1948) and At Circus
(1952). Coincidentally Stravinsky, who brought Takemitsu to the attention of the world, also had a strong affinity to the piano. Takemitsu’s piano pieces display the effects of various influences; however, it is difficult to specifically describe the essence of his style. Takemitsu said:
The role of a musician is not to deal with the physical function of
93Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 5:15.
41 sounds. It should begin with an understanding of the essence of sound itself and how to experiment with it. . . . It is true that music was born from the acts of men creating natural sounds and from men’s simple movements; however, during the long history, we came to merely utilize the sounds within a frame of their convenience and function. The abundance of sounds around me, they have to be alive in my music. I feel I must be courageous enough to let them be alive. . . . A sound has a duration; it is temporal. In that sense, it is vain to construct music within a measured formality.94
Japanese aesthetic values and philosophy are manifested in
Takemitsu’s piano works. The signature elements of Takemitsu’s sound—sparse texture, spatial placement of notes, meaningful silences, and the unfolding of musical experience, like a walk in a garden that is neither forced nor imposed—all relate strongly to traditional Japanese culture and music.
In light of his compositional philosophy and Japanese heritage, five of Takemitsu’s piano pieces Uninterrupted Rests (1952-9), Piano Distance
(1961), For Away (1973), Les yeux clos (1979), and Rain Tree Sketch (1982)
will be examined to find how the link between Takemitsu and Japanese
tradition has been manifested in his music. Mitsuo Aki, an event producer
and writer on music, described Takemitsu’s music:
Nature—flowers and grasses, bushes and trees, rocks and sand; they all breathe according to their own timing. Cycles of four seasons, changing of the weather in a day, changing of the thoughts of a person strolling through the garden—they all have their own cycles of existence. Takemitsu sculpted an image of sound from observing these natural
94Ibid., 2:30-1.
42 phenomena and finding the multi-layers of time and space in nature.95
Uninterrupted Rests
Uninterrupted Rests is comprised of three movements. The first
movement was written in 1952, while the other two were completed in 1959.
The title, Uninterrupted Rests, was taken from a poem by Shūz Takiguchi,
which was the fifth poem in an anthology published as Fairy’s Distance in
1937.96 Takemitsu did not intend to depict the poem musically, but rather to
capture the atmosphere of the poem that was very delicate and yet very
powerful. Uninterrupted Rests was dedicated to the renowned Japanese pianist, Takahiro Sonoda (b. 1928). The text of the original poem is as follows:
Of never folding wings Callow moth is enduring the weight of the night’s colossal Bottle Transient white statue is frozen from the memory of snow The winds perching on gaunt twig are adapting to scant light All Ever silent spherical mirror on the hill
Shūz Takiguchi translated by Noriko Ohtake
The first movement, =48, is marked, “Slowly, sadly and as if to
95Mitsuo Aki, “Takemitsu T ru to Nihonteki na Mono ni Tsuite,” in Takemitsu T ru no Sekai, eds. Shinji Saito and Maki Takemitsu (Tokyo: Shūei Sha, 1997), 128.
96Funayama, 84.
43 converse with.” It is unmeasured and in A-B-A form with a coda. In its
atonal structure, Takemitsu created the atmosphere of the ominously heavy
and dark night with carefully placed sounds and silence. It opens with a
descending half step with an accent and a fermata over the second note. A
dotted vertical line is placed after the two notes. Judging from Takemitsu’s
concept of the completeness of a single tone and the character of the tones
produced, it is logical to think that he wanted the two notes to speak as a
phrase. The prolonged second tone, sounding pure and strong as if to draw a
sound, resembles the sound of the shakuhachi in its placement and character.
Takemitsu’s treatment of this second tone reflects its importance; however, it
is noteworthy that it does not connect to the melodic line. Instead, it is tied
to the inner voice (Example 3). The composer’s concept of one tone being
complete within itself and one tone being music seems to be a reasonable and
appropriate explanation for such a treatment. In this movement, Takemitsu
used Messiaen’s second mode97 (Example 4; See also Example 1 on page 19).
Considering the year it was composed, this connection to Messiaen is understandable, but the Japanese quality manifested here at such an early stage of his career is subtle, yet surprising.
Throughout the movement, a certain pattern is apparent; the music progresses with carefully attacked strong tones fading away as the next musical event unfolds. Its timing scheme lends a feeling that it is
97Ohtake, 79.
44 happening effortlessly, like a natural phenomenon of the physical world.
This is very much a characteristic of Takemitsu’s music. The recurrence of such an event seems to bring coherence and unity to the listening process.
In his careful placements of notes, the music flows, with the perfect timing of sound and silence coexisting, very much in the spirit of Zen.
Example 3: Uninterrupted Rests I, opening measures
Example 4: Uninterrupted Rests I, line 2
The second movement, “quietly and with a cruel reverberation,” is quite different from the first movement. There is no sense of melody, and it is pointillistic with a twelve-tone quality. Takemitsu indicated in detail the dynamic markings ranging from pppp to sfff, which reflects the sensitivity of
45 traditional Japanese music that requires many levels of dynamic nuance.
He even placed ppp under a rest sign, which appears to indicate the high level of intensity of the silence (Example 5). The note ranges are also extreme, guiding the sound production so as to create “a cruel reverberation” effect.
Example 5: Uninterrupted Rest II, line 6, precise markings
This movement contains many silences not specifically indicated by rest signs. Again, Takemitsu’s concept that sound and silence are equal, with its origins in traditional Japanese music, is seen here. Even though it is measured, a free-rhythm quality exists, with the held notes fading away into silence. Wide intervals and the placement of notes lend the impression that Takemitsu indeed created the environment where “sounds meet dramatically.”98 This movement does not seem to try to please the ear, but its sonorities are most appropriate. Indeed, the composer carefully
“chiseled the excess sound” to reach that particular pure sound that always
98Francisco Feliciano, Four Asian Contemporary Composers: The Influences of Tradition in Their Works (Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1983), 74.
46 existed.
The spatialization of time and musical flow in Takemitsu’s music is reminiscent of a Japanese garden and traditional Japanese art forms, such as
sumie painting, flower arranging, the tea ceremony, or poetry, as mentioned in Chapter Two. They all value and incorporate the aspect of time and space, Ma (Example 6). The depth of thoughts and meanings expressed in
the brevity of sounds also resembles the effects of haiku poetry.
Example 6: Uninterrupted Rests II, lines 3-4, Ma
Takemitsu indicated the precise tempo in this movement—one
measure to be played in three seconds. A tone lasting for eight seconds in
ppp is not audible for its entire duration. These silences are active in the musical event, defining the exact duration of each quiet action. Here again,
47 each action-silence serves as a unifying factor in the recurrence of the sound coming in after the silence.
Although Takemitsu did not intend it, the movement appears to impose upon the listener a feeling that sounds floating freely in space were carefully selected one by one by the composer, and placed into an environment where they could “meet dramatically.”
Takemitsu’s application of dynamics, duration of sounds, entering of new tones, and the slow progression of sounds and silences produce the
‘come-pause-go’ pattern of the musical event that is neither constructed nor planned; yet it is like a precisely timed movement of quietly rotating planets comprising our solar system. This effect seems to derive from Takemitsu’s delicate use of silences created by soft prolonged notes, which seem to end the musical flow, as well as from the way the sound continues with stronger tones entering. It also resembles a leisurely walk through a garden. The possibilities of spacing of sound and silence are, of course, infinite; however, created by Takemitsu, they are most intriguing, much less aesthetically remarkable. In any case, an attempt to describe this sound experience would be as futile as explaining a beautiful sunset to someone who has never seen colors.
The third movement, “a song of love,” is measured and employs time signatures; however, the free-rhythm quality prevails with long-held notes in slow motion (Example 7). It is quiet and soft with mostly pp and ppp
48 markings. Here again, the carefully attacked notes fade away followed by
other such tones. Just as a delicate timbre is essential in traditional
Japanese music within a limited variety of instruments, Takemitsu indicated
dynamic signs for subtle differences in tone production. It is the most lyrical and sorrowful of the three movements
Example 7: Uninterrupted Rests III, mm. 7-9
The last movement was dedicated to Shūz Takiguchi. Takemitsu’s
note on the original manuscript sounds confusing: “Since I wrote my first
music based on Mr. Takiguchi’s poem, for the last piece I will also write my
first piece based on his poem.”99 Takemitsu later wrote a violin and piano
duo, Hika, based on this piece.
Conclusion: Throughout Uninterrupted Rests there are no exaggerated statements, except for the ‘cruel reverberation[s]’ of the second movement.
Quiet, intense, pure, simple, and unassuming are some of the words that
99Funayama, 92. 49 might be used to characterize the first and third movements, as completely consistent with the aesthetic and spiritual principles of Takemitsu and
Japanese culture. The title, Uninterrupted Rests, although not created by
Takemitsu, seems appropriate, given that there are very few long rest signs written in the score. Further, there are many prolonged silent moments after the tones have died away. The silences, Ma, are intense and active, allowing no interruptions.
Piano Distance
Piano Distance was composed in 1961, the beginning of the second period of Takemitsu’s career. It was composed for pianist Yuji Takahashi.
Takemitsu’s encounter with this musician was especially meaningful in that it affected the development of Takemitsu’s creativity for piano writing. The first performance by Takahashi was said to have been magnificent and almost miraculous to the extent that no one else could have ever achieved it.100
Regarding this work the composer said, “The title does not have any special meaning, but it could be interpreted as a small essay on a gradation of
100Ichiro Nodaira, Takemitsu T ru: Oto no Kawa no Yukue, eds. Choki Seiji and Higuchi Ryuichi (Tokyo: Heibon Sha, 2000), 75.
50 coloristic changes in the soft dynamic ranges.” 101 Indeed, the title is suitable
because the music extends to different dimensions of varied tone colors, wide
registers, and dynamic ranges. It is an expanded sound activity that goes
out in every direction (Example 8).
Example 8: Piano Distance, mm. 7-11
Piano Distance is Takemitsu’s first piece in which he consciously
explored the issue of space in music.102 Takemitsu stated that in Piano
Distance he was to free the sounds from the frame of bar lines, and to work out the connection among truly alive sounds; moreover, each note that appears the same in the physical manifestation in the score must be understood and played as if possessing a different character. He observed that Piano Distance was similar to the structure of Noh, with regard to space
101Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 5:452.
102Funayama, 151.
51 and time.103
Piano Distance continues from the pointillistic musical language of
Uninterrupted Rest II and is the driest sounding piece among his piano music. The texture is sparse and the music seems to unfold extemporaneously. It does not have a time signature; however, it is measured, bearing the tempo marking of three seconds per measure. The precise length of each measure seems to indicate that Takemitsu timed the duration of fading-away tones to create the exact sonority he had in mind
(Example 9). It is seventy-nine measures long and opens with a single note marked “with feeling.” This is another indication of Takemitsu’s philosophy of one tone being complete within itself.
Takemitsu indicated the pedal and dynamic markings precisely with specific words such as ‘very short,’ ‘tenderly hard,’ ‘quickly,’ ‘cut,’ etc. For the exact manner in which to use the pedals, he employed unique signs.
Takemitsu’s sensitivity to every note and sound is manifested in such places.
The frequent changes and the complexity involved require coordinated footwork that affects the reverberation of the keys struck.
The fading sounds, sonority created by harmonics, the sudden outbursts of fff notes, and the duration of the tones all contribute to the formation of multi-layers of timbre, texture, and tone color within the boundaries of the limitations of the piano. One example is seen in the
103Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 5:431.
52 opening measures: D-flat harmonics are placed to last four measures, during which time the notes C, D-flat, B-flat, and A that are within the interval of a minor 10th, and a cluster chord, E-F-B-C#-D, are played. They are placed ever so meticulously to create many different layers of sonority (Example 10).
Takemitsu’s intense focus on drawing the sounds is manifested here.
Example 9: Piano Distance, mm. 22-37
53
Example 10: Piano Distance, opening measures
Although measured, the free-rhythm quality exists with the long-sustained tones. Active and meaningful silences, Ma, and cyclic musical occurrences permeate the piece, as in Uninterrupted Rests. Here
again, Takemitsu’s signature elements, the cycles of sound and silence, are
apparent, and reconfirm their origin in Japanese culture deriving from Zen.
Without knowing its meaning and significance, the listener may overlook the
coherence and unity of the piece. The isolated strong tones suddenly break
the peace of the quiet moment, which is followed by another silence—such
recurrence seems to intensify the strength of sounds.
Conclusion: In Piano Distance Takemitsu created a musical world full of
spaces and distances: from pppp to fff, from the lowest D to the highest A-flat,
and long sustaining sounds and silences. The spaces permeate the musical
activities in which the sounds freely travel to every direction and distance.
Even though Takemitsu did not have a specific meaning for the title, it seems
54 most appropriate. For Takemitsu, Piano Distance was a pioneer piece in the
use of a title with multiple meanings. Piano indicates both the dynamic indication, p, and the instrument, pianoforte. Likewise, Distance indicates
the distance of the upper and lower ends of physical parameter. The
sonority demands careful attention of both performer and listener to be
appreciated for its multi-dimensional quality.104 It is also likened to a
garden in which plants and rocks coexist in the cyclical and changing
temporal world.
For Away
For Away was composed in 1973, eleven years after Piano Distance.
Takemitsu’s fame grew during those years with his many instrumental works
and screen music. His landmark piece, November Steps, had been composed in 1967, and by 1973 the composer T ru Takemitsu was a major international
figure in the musical world. For Away has often been mistaken for “Far
Away.” Takemitsu said, “The title is a strange one. The piece is my personal gift to Roger Woodward, and at the same time my expression of praise and offering to the vast atmosphere of life, which is not merely or solely for the realm of mankind.” 105 For Away was premiered by the
104Iwata, 122-3.
105Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 5:451.
55 dedicatee. It was the first of several titles drawn from Finnegan’s Wake by
Irish novelist, James Joyce.
For Away employs regular bar lines as well as dotted lines that further divide the measures. Even so, it is not easy to feel the beats in this piece that contains many grace notes, arpeggio-like figurations, and sustained tones. The texture is thicker and the silences are shorter compared to Uninterrupted Rests or Piano Distance. Takemitsu’s notation of dynamic, pedal, tempo, and nuance markings indicates how he focused on the details of each sound. It was never his goal to make his music resemble traditional Japanese music; however, such details display the characteristics of Japanese music in which timbre is of utmost importance (Example 11).
Example 11: For Away, line 10
56 The opening grace notes possess the character of sounds created by
plucking the strings of the koto (Example 12). This effect is used a number
of times. With the grace notes in each hand moving in the opposite
direction, based on an octatonic scale, the music creates unique sounds that
would remind a Japanese person of koto music.
Example 12: For Away, opening measures
Upon hearing the piece the clear, pure sounds haunt the ear.
Takemitsu used repeated tones over the reverberation of pedaled tones.
Although they are played very softly, they ‘speak out’ convincingly with their
pure, strong character. This effect supports the composer’s philosophy of a
tone being a part of the ‘stream of sounds’ and the aim of Japanese
traditional music to make a sound complete within itself by strengthening it.
For Away also poses a flavor of Indonesia. Takemitsu visited the island of
Bali and wrote For Away to commemorate his visit and experience with
gamelan music106 (Example 13).
106Iwata, 175.
57
Example 13: For Away, line 26, flavor of Indonesia—gamelan
The musical progression is quicker, and again there is a cyclic
element: there are many notes that appear as if they are traveling freely at
will without restraint. When the musical activity rests on one tone, the
cycle is concluded (Example 14).
Conclusion: The concept of the deepening of sound, one tone being music itself, is manifested strongly with the recurrence of the musical activities coming to rest on one tone. In the use of numerous notes with a variety of characters that are so far apart from each other in dynamic and register distances, his words, “I don’t compose with sounds. I collaborate with them,”107 become real. He united them by ‘collaborating’ with each one; together they created the “Takemitsu sound.”
107Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 3:54.
58
Example 14: For Away, lines 5-7, cyclic progression
Les yeux clos
Les yeux clos, meaning closed eyes, was completed in August 1979 in memory of Shūz Takiguchi, who died a month earlier. The piece refers to the lithograph of Odilon Redon with the same title. According to Takemitsu,
59 “closed eyes” evoked “open ears” in him. He said that facing the death of
this remarkable poet changed his musical feeling for the work, and that the
calm expression on Takiguchi’s face and the eyes that would never open again
made the relation of the title and the work go beyond his intent or plan, and
the composer himself could not even analyze it108 (Example 15).
Example 15: Les yeux clos, opening measures
The sounds here are very complex with many layers of sonority, and
seem to create a third dimension. Takemitsu noted in the score: “[The] most
important thing in performing Les yeux clos is to produce subtle changes of the color and the time as floating.” The unceasing sound activity is complex with every level of sonority reverberating. The delicate, carefully placed notes resonate as if to deepen themselves (Example 16).
108Ibid., 5:424.
60
Example 16: Les yeux clos, line 13
Takemitsu expressed a number of times that he was not interested in
constructing music. One indication of this is in a quasi-isorhythmic passage
in which each hand plays different rhythmic patterns against one another
(Example 17). Takemitsu did not preserve this in the orchestral version of
the piece, Visions. Many Western composers would have taken advantage of such a musical construction and tried to use it again.109 Takemitsu’s intention for composing was only to provide a meeting place for sounds to gather together, and structural organization never had a major place in his creative mind.
109Burt, 244.
61
Example 17: Les yeux clos, line 13, rhythmic pattern
Conclusion: In Les yeux clos, Takemitsu explored the piano’s capacity for sonority to its limit and utilized it at the highest level, a level he himself could not fully analyze. Harmonics, held tones, chords—sounds are superimposed in every possible way and create multi-layers of sonority. His careful attention to the details of sound production emphasizes the importance of each tone and timbre as in traditional Japanese music.
Rain Tree Sketch
Rain Tree Sketch was composed in 1983 as a fiftieth birthday gift for a
friend, Maurice Fleuret, the French writer. In the 1980’s Takemitsu’s career
was unshakable and the popularity of his music grew. Rain Tree Sketch was inspired by Japanese writer Kenzaburo e, whose works bear the words Rain
Tree, such as “Women Listening to the Rain Tree,” or “Clever Rain Tree.”110
110Iwata, 49. 62 Takemitsu and e responded to each other’s works by writing music and novels. Rain Tree Sketch is the last of such activities between the two.111
Takemitsu wrote Rain Tree Sketch after reading a passage from e’s Clever
Rain Tree:
When it rains at night, Rain Tree lets the droplets of water fall until the following day because it stores the water within its thumb-sized, dense layer of leaves. All the other trees dry up quickly, but rain tree keeps the water. It’s a clever tree.112
Takemitsu had a special affinity for ‘rain’ and ‘tree,’ and used these words in the titles of his works. He even named his daughter Maki, literally meaning ‘true tree,’ after Ki no Kyoku [Music of Tree]. The traditional
Japanese concept of everything being a part of a temporal, cyclic, transient
moment is similar to the state of rain.113 Takemitsu depicted the state of an
opulently wet tree dripping droplets of water (Example 18). The Japanese
influence does not appear so much in the compositional aspect as in his
thoughts behind the music.
Rain Tree Sketch is in A-B-A form. It is measured; however, there is
no time signature. The number of beats in a measure changes constantly,
and the first five measures display an interesting feature: Takemitsu used
the melody notes of A-G#-E-F in every measure, switching from right hand to
111Ibid., 50.
112Kenzaburo e, Ame no Ki wo Kiku Onnatachi, quoted in Takemitsu, Chosaku-shū, 5:385.
113Ohtake, 87.
63 left hand in different rhythms (Example 19). He indicated two different
tempo markings: = 3 = 63~56 (Tempo I) and = 2 = 84~80
(Tempo II). There is a parallel to the music of Noh in the treatment of tempo and the unequal measures.
Example 18: Rain Tree Sketch, lines 10-11, depiction of rain
Example 19: Rain Tree Sketch, opening measures
64 The texture here is thicker and the musical activity is clearer and
more concise. The static quality seen in his earlier works is not present and
there is also an improvisational quality. Takemitsu’s musical philosophy is
still seen once again in specific, detailed markings: for strong,
moderate, and soft accents; for very long, medium long, and short pauses. To Takemitsu, each tone was complete in itself and needed much attention.
Conclusion: In the 1980’s, Takemitsu’s music was entering a new stage,
“densification of space.”114 Rain Tree Sketch displays his new approach in
its texture, flow, and Ma. Rain and tree had a special affinity for Takemitsu
and he loved them. He was always a part of nature, and his tone a part of
the ‘stream of sounds’ that surrounded him.
114Iwata, 152.
65
CONCLUSION
In this study the author has touched only the surface of the most profound intention and expression behind Takemitsu’s music. Shortly before his death, Takemitsu expressed the desire to be a whale, to possess a strong body to swim across the ocean where there are no boundaries of East or West.
Takemitsu received influences from both hemispheres. He was exceptionally receptive and assimilated new and foreign concepts and ideas, which was particularly remarkable for the time. He was open to question, accept, discard, absorb, then ultimately found the ‘true music’ for which he had been searching. Along the way, rejection became acceptance, inspiration became creation, and intellectual philosophy built musical foundation; but above all, there was one strong influence that molded T ru Takemitsu into a
truly unique composer—Japan, with its long heritage of Zen philosophy and
refined culture. Many, if not most, of the concepts and values embodied in
Takemitsu’s music find their underpinnings in the mainstream Japanese
tradition.
Takemitsu’s concept of sound and silence being equal originated in
the Japanese culture, and reflects the temporal sense of the Zen view of
66 nature. This concept is manifested in his music, not obviously, but in
somewhat abstract terms. Knowing the essence of Japanese culture is
essential for a clear understanding and deeper appreciation of his music. He
was truly a Japanese composer to the core. In a conversation with Seiji
Ozawa, Takemitsu expressed his affinity to Japan:
In my case, it is when I see the nature and scenery and become inspired by them. Only then, I feel my musical senses coming out from inside. It has to be the Japanese trees and mountains. I don’t know the reason why, and it may seem strange, but I can compose only when I am in Japan. I travel abroad with staff paper on hand, but I cannot compose anything.
T ru Takemitsu’s music does not call for an explanation, but for a performer’s acute sense of sound and silence to be understood properly. One needs to merge with the musical flow; only then does it unfold its profound meaning. Takemitsu always claimed his music did not need justification for what it was or require any deep analysis. His music was neither a result of mere blending of Eastern and Western musical elements nor a planned construction. Its expression is pure and strong, and it was never calculated to satisfy the rules of standard musical frames.
His piano works introduced in this treatise suggest the various influences. Their manifestation is subtle but powerful, and reconfirms his Japanese heritage. The sounds that flowed in the ‘stream of sounds’ were given the time and space, and gained meaning and direction.
They were discovered from where they always existed and given life by the master’s hands. 67 For me, the act of composing consists of creating an environment where sounds can meet dramatically. T ru Takemitsu
68
APPENDICES
69
APPENDIX A
LIST OF WORKS
Works for Piano
1948 Kakehi*
1949 Romance Two Pieces for Piano
1950 Lento in due movimenti
1952 At the Circus* Uninterrupted Rests (I)
1959 Uninterrupted Rests (II & III)
1960 Love Me
1961 Piano Distance
1962 Corona for Pianist(s), graphic score Crossing, graphic work for piano(s)
1973 For Away
1979 Les yeux clos Little Piano Pieces for Children 1. Breeze 2. Cloud
1982 Rain Tree Sketch
1988 Les yeux clos II
1989 Litany, in memory of Michael Vyner
70 1992 Rain Tree Sketch II, in memory of Olivier Messiaen Golden Slumbers (transcription of work by John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
* Unpublished works
Orchestral Works
1957 Requiem for String Orchestra
1958 Tableau noir: for narrator and orchestra Solitude sonore
1959 Scene: for cello and string orchestra
1961 Music of Trees
1962 Coral Island: for soprano and orchestra
1963-6 Arc Part I: for piano and orchestra (revised 1976) I. Pile (1963) II. Solitude (1966) III. Your Love and the Crossing (1963)
1964-66 Arc Part II: for piano and orchestra (revised 1976) I. Textures (1964) II. Reflection (1966) III. Coda . . . shall begin from the end (1966)
1966 Dorian Horizon: for seventeen strings
1967 Green
1967 November Steps: for biwa, shakuhachi and orchestra
1968 Asterism: for piano and orchestra
1970 Crossing: for four soloists—piano/celesta, guitar, harp, vibraphone, female voices and two orchestras Eucalypts I: for flute, oboe, harp and string orchestra
71 1971 Cassiopeia: for percussion solo and string orchestra (includes electric guitar) Winter: for three orchestras Gemeaux Part 1: for oboe, trombone and two orchestras
1973 Autumn: for biwa, shakuhachi and orchestra
1974 Gitimalya: for marimba solo and orchestra
1975 Quatrain: for clarinet, violin, cello, piano and orchestra
1976 Marginalia
1977 A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
1980 Far Calls. Coming, Far!: for violin and orchestra
1981 Dreamtime A Way a Lone II: for string orchestra Toward the Sea II: for alto flute, harp and string orchestra
1982 Star-Isle Rain Coming: for chamber orchestra
1983 To the Edge of Dream: for guitar and orchestra Lacrima for String Orchestra (transcription of film music, Yogen[Prophecy])
1984 Orion and Pleaides: for cello and orchestra Vers, ‘arc-en-ciel, Palma: for guitar, oboe d’amore and orchestra Riverrun: for piano and orchestra
1985 Dream/Window
1986 Gemeaux: for oboe, trombone, two orchestras and two conductors
1987 I Hear the Water Dreaming: for flute and orchestra Nostalgia– in Memory of Andrei Tarkovskij: for violin and string orchestra
1988 Twill by Twilight–In Memory of Morton Feldman Tree Line
72 1989 A String Around Autumn: for violin and orchestra
1990 Visions From Me Flows What You Call Time: for five percussionists and orchestra
1991 Fantasma/Cantos: for clarinet and orchestra How Slow the Wind Quotation of Dream—Say Sea, Take Me!: for two pianos and orchestra
1992 Family Tree—Musical Verses for Young People: for narrator and orchestra Ceremonial—An Autumn Ode: for sh and orchestra
1993 Archipelago S.: for twenty-one players
1994 Fantasma/Cantos II: for trombone and orchestra Spirit Garden Three Film Scores 1. Music of Training and Rest 2. Funeral Music 3. Waltz
1995 Spectral Canticle: for violin, guitar and orchestra
1996 Nami no Bon: for orchestra, harp, celesta and synthesizer Alone on the Pacific: for orchestra Two Cine Pastorali: for koto and orchestra 1. Orin 2. Kaoru Dodes’ka-Den: for orchestra, harp and celesta Death and Resurrection: for string orchestra
Works for Chamber Ensemble
1955 Concerto de chambre: for thirteen wind instruments
1958 Pananpe no Omoigakenai Shouri no Hanashi: for clarinet, vibraphone, piano, guitar, drums, double bass,
73 baritone and bass
1958-60 Le son calligraphié: for four violins, two violas and two cellos Landscape: for string quartet
1960 Be Sleep Baby!: for flute, saxophone, drums and bass.
1961 Ring: for flute, terz guitar and lute
1962 Sacrifice: for alto flute, lute and vibraphone Corona II: for strings
1963 Arc for Strings
1965 Sonant: for two flutes, violin, cello, guitar and two bandoneons (renamed Valeria in 1969 for two piccolos, violin, cello, guitar and electric organ).
1969 Stanza: for soprano, piano (celesta), guitar, harp and vibraphone
1971 Eucalypts II: for flute, oboe and harp
1973 In an Autumn Garden: for Gagaku orchestra
1974 Garden Rain: for brass ensemble
1976 Bryce: for flute, two harps and two percussionists Waves: for clarinet, horn, two trombones, percussion
1977 Quatrain II: for clarinet, violin, cello and piano
1978 Waterways: for clarinet, violin, cello, two harps, two vibraphones
1979 In the Autumn Garden (complete version): for Gagaku orchestra
1981 A Way a Lone: for string quartet
1982 Rain Spell: for flute, clarinet, harp, piano and vibraphone
1986 Entre-temps: for oboe and string quartet
74 1987 Signals from Heaven—Two Antiphonal Fanfares: for two brass groups I. Day Signal II. Night Signal
1992 And Then I Knew ’twas Wind: for flute, harp and viola
1993 Between Tides: for violin, cello and piano Harbstlied: for clarinet and string quartet (transcription of a solo piano piece by Tchaikovsky)
Works for Other Instruments
1951 Distance de fée
1957 Solitude sonore: for flute
1959 Masque, Continu/Incidental I: for two flutes
1960 Masque, Incidental II: for two flutes
1966 Eclipse: for shakuhachi and biwa Hika: for violin and piano
1970 Seasons: for percussion and tape or four percussions
1971 Voice: for flute Munari by Munari: for percussion solo Stanza: for harp and tape
1972 Distance: for oboe (and sh )
1973 Voyage: for three biwa
1974 Folios: for guitar Over the Rainbow: for guitar
1975 Le fils des étoiles – Prélude du 1er acte “La vocation”: for flute and harp (transcription of a piano piece by Eric Satie)
75 1977 Twelve Songs for Guitar (transcription of works by other composers)
1981 Rain Tree: for three percussionists Toward the Sea: for alto flute and guitar
1982 Cross Hatch: for marimba and vibraphone or two keyboard instruments
1983 The Last Waltz: for guitar (transcription of Les Reed and Barry Mason) Rocking Mirror Daybreak: for two violins From Far Beyond Chrysanthemums and November Fog: for violin and piano
1984 Orion: for cello and piano
1986 Rain Dreaming: for cembalo
1987 All in Twilight: for guitar
1988 Toward the Sea III: for alto flute and harp
1989 Itinerant–In Memory of Isamu Noguchi: for flute
1993 Equinox: for guitar Fallen Leaves: for guitar (arrangement of work by J. Kosma)
1994 Paths– in Memoriam Witold Lutoslawski: for trumpet A Bird Came Down the Walk: for viola and piano
1995 In the Woods: for guitar Air: for flute
Vocal Works
1961 Wind Horse: for female chorus 1. Vocalise I 2. Spell of Fingers
76 1966 Wind Horse: for mixed chorus 3. Vocalise II 4. Vocalise III 5. Legend of the Dining Table
1981 Chiisana Heya de [In a Little Room]: for mixed chorus
1982 Grass: for male chorus Koi no Kakurenbo: for mixed chorus Mienai Kodomo: for mixed chorus Wings: for mixed chorus Shima e: for mixed chorus
1984 Shinda Otoko no Nokoshita Mono wa: for mixed chorus Ο to ∆ no Uta: for mixed chorus Sayounara: for mixed chorus
1987 Handmade Proverbs– Four Pop Songs: for male chorus
1990 My Way of Life—In Memory of Michael Vyner: for baritone, mixed chorus and orchestra
1992 Asu wa Hare Kana Kumori Kana: for mixed chorus
Other Works
1951 Joi de vivre: for ballet
1953 Ginga Tetusdou no Tabi: for ballet
1955 Static Relief: tape music
1956 Ai no Jouken: tape music Vocalism A. I.: tape music Clap Vocalism: tape music Ki, Sora, Tori: tape music
1958 Sky, Horse, and Death: tape music
1960 Quiet Design: tape music Water Music: tape music
77 1961 Nihon no Monyou: tape music with traditional Japanese instruments
1964 Blue Aurora for Toshi Ichiyanagi: theater music
1966 Seven Hills Events: theater music
1968 Cross Talk: bandoneon and tape
1970 Toward: tape music
1972 In Motion: tape music
1986 A Minneapolis Garden: tape music The Sea is Still: tape music
The works that are not listed in this appendix include more than one hundred pieces for films, numerous television and radio programs, and TV commercials.
78
APPENDIX B
DISCOGRAPHY OF PIANO WORKS
Recording Labels: A—Angel; BIS—BIS; Cam—Camerata; Cr—Crown; DG—Deutsche Gramophone; EMI—EMI Classics; Etc—Etcetra; Fin—Finlandia; Fon—Fontic; K—King; KO—KOCH International; L—London; MS—Music Scape; Ph—Philips; PRP—ProPiano; R—RCA; TH—Thorofon; To—Toshiba; V—Victor
Romance (1949)
Kazuoki Fujii
20-20CD 005*
Aki Takahashi
EMI-TOCE55237 Little Piano Pieces for Children: Breeze and Cloud, Lento in due movimenti, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
______
*Published by Nippon no Sakkyoku: 21 Seiki en Ayumi Iinkai [Japanese Compositions: The Committee for ‘Steps Forward to the Twenty-first Century’]
79 Lento in due movimenti (1950)
Kazuoki Fujii
Fon-FONC5043 (FOCD3202) Rain Tree Sketch, Les yeux clos, Piano Distance, Uninterrupted Rests, For Away
Aki Takahashi
EMI-TOCE55237 Little Piano Pieces for Children: Breeze and Cloud, Romance, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Uninterrupted Rests (1952-9)
Kazuoki Fujii
Fon-FONC5043 (FOCD3202) Rain Tree Sketch, Les yeux clos, For Away, Piano Distance, Lento in due movimenti
Fon-FOCD3109 Litany, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch
Fon-FOCD2522 Litany, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Kumi Kogano
Ph-PHCP145 Rain Tree Sketch, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany
Ph-PHCP1823 Litany
80 Noriko Ogawa
BIS-KKCC2229 (BIS805) Litany, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Hiromi Okada
Cam-28CM568 Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany
Ichir Nodaira
MS-MSCD0001 Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Peter Serkin
R-RCL8377 Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos
R-BVCC1508 R-09026-68595-2 Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
R-BVCC8899-8900 Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos
Takahiro Sonoda
Fon-FOCD3417 Uninterrupted Rests I
Aki Takahashi
EMI-TOCE55237 Romance, Little Piano Pieces for Children: Breeze and Cloud, Lento in due movimenti, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
81 A-EAA85013-5; (EAC60153, EMI-18MN1015) Piano Distance
Yūji Takahashi
V-SJV1504 (VX23, SJX7506) Piano Distance, For Away
V-JVCD1008 Piano Distance, Corona
V-KVX5514 Piano Distance
DG-MG2408 (POCG3358, 3653) For Away, Piano Distance, Corona
DG-C25G00032 For Away, Piano Distance, Corona
Izumi Tateno
Fin-WPCS5752 (Fin-15245) Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany
M. Yugachi
TH-2324 Litany
Roger Woodward
Etc-NSC214 (KTC1103) Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, For Away, Litany, Piano Distance, Corona, Crossing, Rain Tree Sketch
L-SLC2365 (POCL2347, 3998) Corona, For Away, Piano Distance
82 Piano Distance (1961)
Kazuoki Fujii
Fon-FONC5043 (FOCD3202) Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch, Les yeux clos, For Away, Lento in due movimenti
Fon-FOCD3109 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch
Fon-FOCD2522 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Kumi Kogano
Ph-PHCP145 Rain Tree Sketch, U ninterrupted Rests, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany
Noriko Ogawa
BIS-KKCC2229 (BIS805) Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Hiromi Okada
Cam-28CM568 Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Uninterrupted Rests, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany
Midori Matsutani
Cam-32CM318
Ichir Nodaira
MS-MSCD0001 Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany, Uninterrupted
83 Rests, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Peter Serkin
R-RCL8377 Uninterrupted Rests, For Away, Les yeux clos
R-BVCC1508 R-09026-68595-2 Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
R-BVCC8899-8900 Uninterrupted Rests, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Tomiko Tahara
V-VDC1415 For Away
Aki Takahashi
EMI-TOCE55237 Romance, Little Piano Pieces for Children: Breeze and Cloud, Lento in due movimenti, Uninterrupted Rests, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
A-EAA85013-5; (EAC60153, EMI-18MN1015) Uninterrupted Rests
Yūji Takahashi
V-SJV1504 (VX23, SJX7506) Uninterrupted Rests, For Away
V-JVCD1008 Uninterrupted Rests, Corona
V-KVX5514 Uninterrupted Rests
84 DG-MG2408 (POCG3358, 3653) For Away, Uninterrupted Rests, Corona
DG-C25G00032 For Away, Uninterrupted Rests, Corona
Izumi Tateno
Fin-WPCS5752 (Fin-15245) Uninterrupted Rests, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany
Roger Woodward
Etc-NSC214 (KTC1103) Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, For Away, Litany, Piano Distance, Uninterrupted Rests, Corona, Crossing
L-SLC2365 (POCL2347, 3998) Corona, For Away, Uninterrupted Rests
Corona for Pianist(s) (1962)
Toshi Ichiyanagi
V-SJX7539
Aki Takahashi
Cr-SWS1-2
Yūji Takahashi
DG-C25G00032 Piano Distance, For Away, Uninterrupted Rests
DG-MG2408 (POCG3358, 3653) For Away, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance
V-JVCD1008 (Yuji Takahashi and Toshi Ichiyanagi)
85 Piano Distance, Uninterrupted Rests
Roger Woodward
Etc-NSC214 (KTC1103) Rain Tree Sketch, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, For Away, Litany, Piano Distance, Uninterrupted Rests, Crossing
L-SLC2365 (POCL2347, 3998) For Away, Piano Distance, Uninterrupted Rests
Crossing (1962)
Roger Woodward
Etc-NSC214 (KTC1103) Rain Tree Sketch, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, For Away, Litany, Piano Distance, Uninterrupted Rests, Corona
For Away (1973)
Kazuoki Fujii
Fon-FONC5043 (FOCD3202) Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Rain Tree Sketch, Les yeux clos, Lento in due movimenti
Fon-FOCD3109 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch
Fon-FOCD2522 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Kumi Kogano
Ph-PHCP145
86 Rain Tree Sketch, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany
Yukie Nagai
BIS-KKCC2210 (BIS766) Rain Tree Sketch
Ichiro Nodaira
MS-MSCD0001 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Piano Distance, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Minoru Nojima
To-TCM002 Les yeux clos
Noriko Ogawa
BIS-KKCC2229 (BIS805)
Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Hiromi Okada
Cam-28CM568 Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany
Peter Serkin
R-RCL8377 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Les yeux clos
R-BVCC1508 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
R-BVCC8899-8900 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Les yeux clos
87 Tomiko Tahara
V-VDC1415
Aki Takahashi
EMI-TOCE55237 Romance, Little Piano Pieces for Children: Breeze and Cloud, Lento in due movimenti, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Yuji Takahashi
DG-C25G00032 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Corona
DG-MG2408 (POCG3358, 3653) Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Corona
Izumi Tateno
Fin-WPCS5752 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany
Roger Woodward
Etc-NSC214 (KTC1103) Rain Tree Sketch, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Piano Distance, Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Corona, Crossing
L-SLC2365 (POCL2347, 3998) Corona, Piano Distance, Uninterrupted Rests
Les yeux clos (1979)
Kazuoki Fujii
88 Fon-FONC5043 (FOCD3202) Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Rain Tree Sketch, For Away, Lento in due movimenti
Fon-FOCD3109 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch
Fon-FOCD2522 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Kumi Kogano
Ph-PHCP145 Rain Tree Sketch, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos II, Litany
Ichiro Nodaira
MS-MSCD0001 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos II
Noriko Ogawa
BIS-KKCC2229 (BIS805) Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Hiromi Okada
Cam-28CM568 Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos II, Litany
Peter Serkin
R-RCL8377 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away
R-BVCC1508 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree
89 Sketch II, For Away, Piano Distance, Les yeux clos II
R-BV CC729
R-BVCC8899-8900 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away
Aki Takahashi
EMI-TOCE55237 Romance, Little Piano Pieces for Children: Breeze and Cloud, Lento in due movimenti, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos II, Litany, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Izumi Tateno
Fin-WPCS5752 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany
Roger Woodward
Etc-NSC214 (KTC1103) Rain Tree Sketch, For Away, Les yeux clos II, Piano Distance, Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Corona, Crossing
Rain Tree Sketch (1982)
Kazuoki Fujii
Fon-FONC5043 (FOCD3202) Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Lento in due movimenti
Fon-FOCD3109 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II,
Fon-FOCD2522
90 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch II
Kumi Kogano
Ph-PHCP145 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany
Yukie Nagai
BIS-KKCC2210 (BIS766) For Away
Ichiro Nodaira
MS-MSCD0001 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch II, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Noriko Ogawa
BIS-KKCC2229 (BIS805) Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch II
Hiromi Okada
Cam-28CM568 Rain Tree Sketch II, U ninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany
Chitose Okashiro
PRP-KKCC2210
Peter Serkin
KO-7450 Rain Tree Sketch II
R-BVCC1508 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch II, For Away, Les
91 yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Aki Takahashi
EMI-TOCE55237 Romance, Little Piano Pieces for Children: Breeze and Cloud, Lento in due movimenti, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany, Rain Tree Sketch II
Izumi Tateno
Fin-WPCS5752 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany
Roger Woodward
Etc-NSC214 (KTC1103) For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Piano Distance, Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Corona, Crossing
Les yeux clos II
Kazuoki Fujii
Fon-FONC5043 (FOCD3202) Rain Tree Sketch, For Away, Piano Distance, U ninterrupted Rests, Lento in due movimenti
Fon-FOCD3109 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Rain Tree Sketch
Fon-FOCD2522 Les yeux clos, Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Kumi Kogano
Ph-PHCP145
92 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Rain Tree Sketch
Noriko Ogawa
BIS-KKCC2229 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Hiromi Okada
Cam-28CM568 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany
Ichiro Nodaira
MS-MSCD0001 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos
Peter Serkin
R-BVCC1508 Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, For Away, Les yeux clos
R-BV CC725
R-09026-68189-2
Aki Takahashi
EMI-TOCE55237 Romance, Little Piano Pieces for Children: Breeze and Cloud, Lento in due movimenti, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Litany, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Yuji Takahashi
Fon-FOCD3451
93 Izumi Tateno
Fin-WPCS5752 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany
Roger Woodward
Etc-NSC214 (KTC1103) Rain Tree Sketch, For Away, Les yeux clos, Piano Distance, Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Corona, Crossing
Litany (1989)
Kazuoki Fujii
Fon-FOCD3109 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch
Fon-FOCD2522 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Kumi Kogano
Ph-PHCP1823 Uninterrupted Rests
Ph-PHCP145 Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Noriko Ogawa
BIS-KKCC2229 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Hiromi Okada
94 Cam-28CM568 Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Ichiro Nodaira
MS-MSCD0001 Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Peter Serkin
R-BVCC1508 Uninterrupted Rests, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Izumi Tateno
Fin-WPCS5752 Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Roger Woodward
Etc-NSC214 (KTC1103) Uninterrupted Rests, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, For Away, Piano Distance, Rain Tree Sketch, Corona, Crossing
Aki Takahashi
EMI-TOCE55237 Romance, Little Piano Pieces for Children: Breeze and Cloud, Lento in due movimenti, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II
Rain Tree Sketch II (1992)
Kazuoki Fujii
Fon-FOCD2522
95 Rain Tree Sketch, Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Noriko Ogawa
BIS-KKCC2229 Rain Tree Sketch, Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Hiromi Okada
Cam-28CM568 Rain Tree Sketch, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany,
Ichiro Nodaira
MS-MSCD0001 Rain Tree Sketch II, Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
Peter Serkin
R-BVCC1508 Rain Tree Sketch, Litany, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II
KO-7450 Rain Tree Sketch
Aki Takahashi
EMI-TOCE55237 Romance, Little Piano Pieces for Children: Breeze and Cloud, Lento in due movimenti, Uninterrupted Rests, Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany, Rain Tree Sketch
Izumi Tateno
Fin-WPCS5752 Rain Tree Sketch, Uninterrupted Rests , Piano Distance, For Away, Les yeux clos, Les yeux clos II, Litany
96
APPENDIX C
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS
1930 Born on October 8th in Tokyo
Moved to China
1937 Returned to Japan
Entered Fujimae Elementary School (April)
1938 Father, Takeo, died
1943 Entered Keika High School
1945 Worked at military base (April)
Returned to Tokyo (October)
1946 Began music self-study
1947 Request to study with Kishio Hirai turned down
1948 Became Kiyose’s disciple
1950 Joined Shin Sakkyokuka Koukai
Premiere of Lento Due Movimenti (début piece) by Haruko Fujita at Yomiuri Hall (December)
1951 Organized Jikken-k b with several other artists and musicians
Wrote Ballet music, Joi de Vivre; premiered in November
97 1952 Wrote At the Circus and Uninterrupted Rests I
Premiere performance of Uninterrupted Rests I by Takahiro Sonoda at Ichigatani Girls’ High School auditorium (August)
1953 Wrote Ginga Tetsudou no Tabi (ballet music)
1953 Tuberculosis worsened and was hospitalized
1954 Released from the hospital
Married Asaka Wakayama (June)
1955 Wrote Concerto de chamber
Concerto de chambre premiered at Yamaha Hall (July)
1956 Static Relief premiered at Yamaha Hall (February)
1957 Requiem for Strings premiered at Hibiya Hall by Tokyo Symphony
1958 Le son calligraphié I won First Prize at Karuizawa Contemporary Music Festival by the Twentieth Century Music Institute
Won French Ambassador prize with the same piece (August)
Solitude sonore, composed as an entry piece for the Art Festival by NHK, won the Incentive Prize. Performance was broadcast
Tableau Noir won Prix Italia at Broadcasting Competition
1959 Joined the Twentieth Century Music Institute. (January)
1960 Organized Sakkyokuka Shūdan [Composers Group]
Requiem for Strings won German Ambassador’s Prize in the First Tokyo Contemporary Music Festival
1961 Ring won German Ambassador’s Prize at the Fourth Contemporary Music Festival in Osaka
98 Premiere of Piano Distance (April)
Daughter, Miki, born (December)
1962 Won Music Award in the 16th Mainichi Film Music Competition with Mozu [The Shrikes] and Furyou Sh nen [Bad Boys]
Held Graphic Score Exhibition in Tokyo with Yūji Takahashi, Toshir Mayuzumi, and Toshi Ichiyanagi
1963 Received Blue Ribbon Prize for film music
Film music Seppuku and Otoshiana won Music Award in the 17th Mainichi Cinema Competition.
Coral Island won 5th place in the International Rostrum of Composers held in Paris (June)
1964 Invited, along with John Cage, to the Festival of Art at Hawaii East West Center
1965 Textures received the Prize for Excellence at the International Rostrum of Composers held in Paris
1966 Organized the contemporary art festival with Toshi Ichiyanagi
Orchestral Space held at Nissei Theater in Tokyo Seiji Ozawa and Yūji Takahashi among the participants
“Music of T ru Takemitsu,” in four LP records by Japan Victor Co., received Record Award and Record Academy Award (November)
1967 Dorian Horizon premiered in San Francisco by San Francisco Musica Viva conducted by Aaron Copland
Received Music Awards for Tanin no Kao, Akogare and Ki no Kawa in the 21st Mainichi Cinema Competition
Completed November Steps (August)
November Steps premiered by New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Seiji Ozawa (November)
99 1968 Green won 4th prize of the International Rostrum of Composers
November Steps premiered in Japan during the Orchestral Space ’68 music festival (June)
Invited to Canberra, Australia by Musica Viva for the concert tour with the NHK String Quartet
1969 Dorian Horizon, Coral Island, Asterism and others performed by Toronto Symphony Orchestra for two weeks, with Takemitsu present
Asterism premiered in Toronto conducted by Seiji Ozawa
Became the music director of Steel Pavilion for Expo ’70 held in Osaka
Took on many projects related to the Expo including the Space Theater
1970 Produced “Music Today,” Contemporary Music Festival at the Steel Pavilion, Expo, ’70
1971 Organized “Persona Series” to bring attention to new performers, and held Yūji Takahashi piano recital as its first event, which drew much attention
Asterism’s San Francisco performance conducted by Ozawa
Cassiopeia’s premiere in Chicago, conducted by Ozawa
“Music of T ru Takemitsu” concerts held in Paris
Oto Chinmoku to Hakarieru Hodoni [Sound, Measuring with Silence] published by Shinch Sha
1972 Invited to the United States for Encounters Contemporary Music Series “Music of T ru Takemitsu” exhibition
Won Music Awards in the 26th Mainichi Cinema Competition
Organized “tranSonic” group with six other composers
100 Visited Bali and heard gamelan music
1973 “Music of T ru Takemitsu” exhibition held in London
For Away and Piano Distance premiered in London (May)
Organized and produced “Music Today,” a contemporary music festival
Invited performers and composers from overseas for “Music Today”
1974 Won Music Award in the 28th Mainichi Cinema Competition (February)
T ru Takemitsu Festival held at Nissei Theater in Tokyo (November)
1975 Became visiting professor at Yale University (January)
Was the featured composer at ‘Meet the Modern Composer’ series by Brooklyn Philharmonic, directed by Lukas Foss (March)
1976 Won Music Award in the 29th Mainichi Cinema Competition (February). Became the first person to win 8 times in this competition
Awarded the Otaka Prize (the top excellence of orchestra works) with Quatrain
Invited by the International Friendship of the People’s Republic to tour in China for two weeks as a member of Music Delegation
1977 Premiere of revised version of Arc conducted by Pierre Boulez in New York (January)
Premiere of A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden in San Francisco (November)
“Music of T ru Takemitsu” concerts in Buffalo, New York, b y Center of the Creative and Performing Arts
101 1978 Premiere of Waterways at the 5th “Music Today” concert (May)
Traveled to France to serve as a member of the jury at the 6th Rencontres Internationales d’Art Contemporain (June)
Selected to become a member of jury at the Competition for Excellence in the Performance of American Music held in Washington, D.C. (September)
Became the music director for “Japanese Contemporary Music and Traditional Music” at the “Ma” exhibition of Festival d’Automne in France (October)
Takemitsu Festival held at the New York Beacon Theater (December)
1979 Won the Music Award in the 33rd Mainichi Cinema Competition (February)
Film Music Ai no Bourei and Moeru Aki received Music Award of the 2nd Japanese Academy Award.
Selected an honorary member of Academie der Kunste DDR
Death of Shūzo Takiguchui, Takemitsu’s spiritual father
Les yeux clos dedicated in memory of Takiguchi (July), and premiered by Aki Takahashi (September)
1980 “Evening of Music of T ru Takemitsu” was held by CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) in Vancouver (March)
Awarded the Nihon Geijutsuin Sh
1981 Awarded the Otaka Prize for Far Calls Coming, Far.
Premiere performance of A Way A Lone at Carnegie Hall in New York
Became a regent lecturer for the University of California at San Diego (February)
Received Mobil Music Award
102
1982 Premiere of Rain Coming in London
Premiere of Star-Isle at the 100th Anniversary Ceremony of Waseda University in Tokyo
Premiere of Rain Tree Sketch by Kazuoki Fujii at Tokyo Cultural Center
1983 Premiere of Rain Spell at the First Japanese Contemporary Composer series, “Music of T ru Takemitsu” (January)
Premiere of To the Edge of Dream (March)
Guest composer at the New Music Concerts in Toronto.
Lectured at Harvard University, Yale University, Boston University and others
Mother, Reiko, died (August)
Premiere of Rocking Mirror Daybreak at Carnegie Hall
1984 Selected as a member of American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters (March)
Premiere of Orion and Pleiades
“Composer’s Exhibition—T ru Takemitsu” was held by Suntory Foundation
Attended “France-Japan Music Festival”
Premiere of Vers, 1’arc-en-ciel, Palma
1985 Premiere of Riverrun in Los Angeles (January)
Awarded the Asahi Prize (January)
“Music of T ru Takemitsu” concerts were held in Banff, Canada (February)
Awarded Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by French Government
103 Premiere of Dream/Window conducted by Seiji Ozawa in Kyoto (September)
Became an honorary member of the American Institute of Arts and Letters
1986 Selected honorary member of the Academie des Beaux Arts in France (February)
Received the Music Award of Japan Academy Award
“Works of T ru Takemitsu, Special Concerts” held in Denmark
Premiere of Rain Dreaming in Washington, D.C. (June)
Featured composer at Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music (August)
“The Takemitsu Event” held in London
“Thirteen Steps Around T ru Takemitsu” broadcast by BBC
1987 Awarded Los Angeles Film Critics Award for the music for Ran
Premiere of I Hear the Water Dreaming in Indianapolis
Invited to Glasgow, England, as the featured composer at “Musica Nova” Festival
Invited by the International Society of Contemporary Music to serve as a jury member for the Composition Competition held in Hong Kong
1988 Invited to Dallas, Texas, by Southern Methodist University, Voices of Change (April)
Became the artistic director of Japan Society Auditorium Concerts at the first New York International Art Festival
Received the Kyoto Music Award, Grand Prize
Premiere of Les yeux clos II by Peter Serkin in New York (November)
104 1989 Itinerant, composed in memory of the sculptor, Isamu Noguchi, premiered by Paula Robinson in New York (February)
Received the Japan Culture Design Conference-International Culture Design Award (October)
Received the Grand Music Award of the First Hida Furukawa International Music Festival (October)
Invited by the Donald Keen Center and the Fritz Reiner Center for Contemporary Music, Columbia University to give lectures and attend concerts held in his honor. Premiere of Les yeux clos II by Peter Serkin at this occasion (November)
1990 Visions, commissioned for the 100th Anniversary of the Chicago Symphony, premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim (March)
Received Music Award of the Japan Film Music Academy Award
Invited to Stockholm as the featured composer at the Stockholm New Music Festival (May)
Awarded the International Maurice Ravel Prize (May)
Awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Durham University (July)
Invited to Festival d’Avignon in France as the featured guest composer (July)
Premiere of From Me Flows What You Call Time, commissioned for the 100th anniversary of Carnegie Hall (July)
Takemitsu’s 60 th birthday celebration concerts held at San Francisco Conservatory, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo (October-December)
1991 Awarded the Tokyo Cultural Honor Award (January)
Received the Mainichi Art Prize
Received the Suntory Music Prize (March)
105 The Suntory Prize celebration concert, “Music of Toru Takemitsu” held in Tokyo (August)
Received UNESCO/IMC Music Award (October)
1992 Traveled to Seattle, Washington, to attend the music festival as a featured composer (April)
Invited to Vancouver Music Festival
Premiere of Rain Tree Sketch II—in Memory of Olivier Messiaen—by Alan Neveu in France
1993 Invited to Dallas, Texas, by the Voices of Change (April)
Featured at music festivals in England (June), Germany (September), and Austria (November)
Received the Japan Foundation Award (October)
1994 The CD of A Way A Lone performed by Tokyo Quartet was nominated for the Grammy Award
Received the Grawemeyer Award for Fantasma/Cantos
Became an honorary member of Royal Academy of Music
Awarded NHK (Nippon H s Kyoukai) Culture Award
Became an honorary member of ACL (Asian Composers League)
1995 Lincoln Center Chamber Society held ‘T ru Takemitsu 65th Birthday concert ’
1996 Air I, composed for flutist Aurele Nicolet’s 70th birthday, premiered in Switzerland by Yasukazu Uemura (January 29th)
Received Glenn Gould Prize (February)
Died from cancer (February 20th)
106
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bekku, Sadao. “The Composer in Japan Today,” Music—East and West. Tokyo: Executive Committee for 1961 Tokyo East-West Encounter, 1966.
Boswell, Lilise. “T ru Takemitsu: Rain Tree Sketch II – In Memoriam Olivier Messiaen.” Notes 52/1 (September 1995): 310-11.
Burnett, Henry. “An Introduction to the History and Aesthetics of Japanese Jiuta Tegotomono.” Asian Music 11/2 (1980): 11-40.
Burt, Peter. The Music of T ru Takemitsu. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Feliciano, Francisco. Four Asian Contemporary Composers: The Influences of Tradition in Their Works. Quezon City, New Day Publishers, 1983.
Fukui, Masa Kitagawa. “Japanese Piano Music, 1940-1973: A Meeting of Eastern and Western Traditions.” D.M.A. diss., University of Maryland, 1981.
Funayama, Takashi. Takemitsu T ru: Hibiki no Umi e. [T ru Takemitsu: To the Sea of Sound]. Tokyo: Ongakunotomo Sha, 1998.
Gibson, J. Robert. “T ru Takemitsu: A Survey of His Music with an Analysis of Three Works.” Ph.D. diss., Cornell University, 1979.
Gowen, Bradford. “From Rain to Spain.” Piano and Keyboard 167 (March/April 1994): 70.
Grilli, Peter. “Takemitsu T ru—An Appreciation.” Japan Quarterly 44/2 (January-March 1997): 51-57.
Higuchi, Ryūichi, Takemitsu T ru: Oto no Kawa no Yukue. [T ru Takemitsu: Destination of Stream of Sounds]. eds. Choki Seiji and Higuchi Ryūichi, Tokyo: Heibonsha, 2000.
107 Ikuma, Dan. Watshino Nihon Ongakushi: Ibunkatono Deai. [My Japanese Music History: Meeting Foreign Cultures]. Tokyo: NHK Publishing, 1999
Iwata, Ryūtarou. Kafe Takemitsu: Watashi no Takemitsu Ongaku. [Kafe Takemitsu: My Takemitsu Music]. Tokyo: Kaimeisha, 1992.
Kashiba, Shigeo. Traditional Music of Japan, Tokyo: Kokusai Bunka Shinkokai, 1969.
Kikkawa, Eishi. “The Musical Sense of the Japanese.” Contemporary Music Review 1 (1987): 85-94.
Kogano, Kumi. “Takemitsu: Solo Piano Works.” Musical Times 133 (August 1992): 40.
Koh, Hwee Been. “East and West: The Aesthetics and Musical Time of T ru Takemitsu.” Ph.D. diss., Boston University, 1998.
Koizumi, Fumio. Nihon no Oto: Sekai no Naka no Nihon no Ongaku. [Japanese Tone: Japanese Music in the World]. Tokyo: Heibon Sha, 1977.
Konuma, Jun-ichi. Takemitsu T ru: Oto, Kotoba, Imeji. [Takemitsu T ru: Sound, Word, Image]. Tokyo: Seido Sha, 1990.
Koozin, Timothy. “Octatonicism in Recent Solo Piano Works of T ru Takemitsu.” Perspectives of New Music 29/1 (Winter 1991): 124-140.
______. “The Solo Piano Works of T ru Takemitsu: A Linear/Set-theoretic Analysis.” Ph.D. diss., University of Cincinnati, 1989.
______. “T ru Takemitsu and the Unity of Opposites.” College Music Symposium 30/1 (Spring 1990): 34-44.
Lee, Chung-Haing. “Japanese Elements in the Piano Works of T ru Takemitsu.” D.M.A. diss., University of North Texas, 1991.
Lieberman, Frederic. “Contemporary Japanese Composition: Its Relationship to Concepts of Traditional Oriental Musics,” M.A. thesis, (University of Hawaii, 1965.
Nuss, Steven. “Tradition and Innovation in the Art Music of Post-War Japan.” Ph.D. diss., City University of New York, 1996.
108 Ohtake, Noriko. Creative Sources for the Music of T ru Takemitsu. Aldershot, England: Scolar Press, 1993.
Rands, Bernard. “Two Views of Takemitsu: ‘I sing only for myself.’” Musical Times 128 (September 1987): 477-480.
Reynolds, R. and T. Takemitsu. “Roger Reynolds and T ru Takemitsu: A Conversation.” Music Quarterly 80/1 (Spring 1996): 61-76.
Saito, Shinji and Maki Takemitsu, eds. Takemitsu T ru no Sekai [The World of T ru Takemitsu], Tokyo: Shūei Sha, 1997.
Tachibana, Takashi. “Takemitsu T ru: Ongaku Souzou eno Tabi,” [T ru Takemitsu: Journey to Creation of Music]. Bungakukai (1992-8).
Takemitsu, T ru. Confronting Silence. Translated by Glenn Glasow and Yoshiko Kakudo. Berkeley: Fallen Leaf Press, 1995.
______. “Contemporary Music in Japan.” Perspectives of New Music 27/2 (Summer 1989): 199-205.
______. trans. Sumi Adachi, “Mirrors.” Asian Art and Culture 8 (Fall 1995): 32- 49.
______. “My Perception of Time in Traditional Japanese Music.” Contemporary Music Review 1/2 (1987): 9-13.
Watanabe, Akio. ed. Masterpieces of Contemporary Japanese Music 1960. Tokyo: Ongakunotomo Sha, 1960.
Wen-Chung, Chou. “Asian Concepts and Twentieth-Century Western Composers.” The Musical Quarterly 57/2 (April 1971): 211-229.
Williams, Justin. “T ru Takemitsu: A Gatherer of Sounds, An Analysis of Riverrun.” D.M.A. diss., Manhattan School of Music.
Writings by T ru Takemitsu (in Japanese)
Hitotsu no Oto ni Sekai wo Kiku: Takemitsu T ru Taidanshu [Hearing the
World in One Sound: T ru Takemitsu Conversations]. Tokyo: Sh bun Sha, 1996.
109 Ki no Ka gami, Sogen no Kagami. [Mirror of Tree, Mirror of Grass]. Tokyo: Shinc h Sha, 1975.
Ongaku. [Music]. (Conversations with Seiji Ozawa). Tokyo: Shinch Sha, 1981.
Ongaku no Niwa. [Music Garden]. Tokyo: Shinch Sha, 1981.
Ongaku no Tech . [Music Notebook]. Tokyo: Seido Sha, 1981.
Ongaku no Yohaku Kara. [From the Margins of Music]. Tokyo: Shinch Sha, 1981.
Ongaku wo Yobisamasu Mono. [What Awakens Music]. Tokyo : Shinc h Sha, 1981.
Opera wo Tsukuru. [Creating an Opera]. (Conversations with Kenzaburo e). Iwanami Shoten, 1990.
Oto, Chinmoku to Hakarieru Hodoni. [Sound, Measuring with Silence]. Tokyo: Shinc h Sha, 1971.
Oto, Kotoba, Ningen. [Sounds, Words, Men]. (with Junz Kawada). Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1980
Oto to Kotoba no Tasousei. [Multi-layers of Sound and Word]. Tokyo: Iwatani Shoten, 1980.
S z no Shūhen. [Circumference of Creativity]. Tokyo: Geijutsu Gendai Sha, 1976.
Subete no Inshū Kara Nogareru Tameni. [For Escaping from All the Conventionalism]. Tokyo: Ongakunotomo Sha.
T i Yobigoe no Kanata e. [Beyond the Far Calls]. Tokyo: Shinch Sha, 1992.
Toki no Entei. [Gardener of Time]. Tokyo: Shinch Sha, 1996.
Yume no In-you. [Quotation of Dream]. Tokyo: Shinch Sha, 1984.
Watashitachi no Mimi wa Kikoeteiruka [Are Our Ears Listening?]. Tokyo: Nippontosho Center, 2000.
110 Compilation of Writings by T ru Takemitsu
Takemitsu T ru Chosaku-shū. [Writings of T ru Takemitsu]. 5 vols. Tokyo: Shinch Sha, 2000.
Vol. 1: Oto, Chinmoku to Hakarieru Hodoni. [Sound, Measuring with Silence].
Ki no Ka gami, Sogen no Kagami. [Mirror of Tree, Mirror of Grass].
Vol. 2: Ongaku no Yohaku Kara. [From the Margins of Music].
Ongaku wo Yobisamasu Mono. [What Awakens Music].
Vol. 3: T i Yobigoe no Kanata e. [Beyond the Far Calls].
Toki no Entei. [Gardener of Time].
Yume no In-you. [Quotation of Dream].
Vol. 4: Oto, Kotoba, Ningen. [Sounds, Words, Men].
Opera wo Tsukuru. [Creating an Opera].
Vol. 5: Yum e t o Ka z u. [Dream and Number].
Uta no Tsubasa. [Wings of Songs].
Kotoba no Tsue. [Cane of Words].
Books on Japanese Culture, Tradition, Philosophy
Blocker, H. Gene and Christopher L. Starling. Japanese Philosophy. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press, 2001.
Heisig, James and John Maraldo, eds. Rude Awakening. Honolulu: University of Honolulu Press, 1994.
Itoh, Teiji. Gardens of Japan. Tokyo: K dansha, 1984.
111 ______. Space and Illusion in the Japanese Garden. New York, Tokyo, and Kyoto: Weatherhill/Tankosha, 1973.
Kasulis, T.P. Zen Action/Zen Person. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1985.
Komatsu, Isao. The Japanese People. Tokyo: Kokusai Bunka Shink kai, 1962.
Lieberman, Frederic. “Zen Buddhism and Its Relationship to Elements of Eastern and Western Arts.” The U.C.L.A. Graduate Journal 1 (Spring, 1967).
Moore, Charles, ed. The Japanese Mind. Honolulu: East-West Center Press, 1967.
Nisitani, Keiji, trans. Yamamoto Seisaku and James W. Heisig. Nishida Kitar . Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991.
Northrup, F. S. C. The Meeting of East and West. New York: Macmillan and Co., 1964.
Sources from WorldWideWeb
Hammond, L. James. “Ten Zen Basics.” Phlit: A Newsletter on Philosophy and Literature. June 2001,
Kodansha International Ltd. for Japanese Government Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Japan Access.” July 1999,
Levenson, Montly H. “Shakuhachi: The Sound of Nature.”
Weiss, Barry Nyosui. “Blowing Zen.”
112 Editions of Major Solo Piano Music
Editions Salabert: Paris
Uninterrupted Rests (1962) Piano Distance (1962) For Away (1973) Les yeux clos (1979)
Schott Japan Company Ltd: Tokyo
Rain Tree Sketch (1982) Les yeux clos II (1990) Litany (1990) Rain Tree Sketch II (1992 )
113
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Haruyo Sakamoto was born in Aichi-ken, Japan. She began her piano studies at age five, and received intensive musical training during her teen-age years in Japan; however, she turned her life direction to Christian ministry, and worked as a teacher/missionary. Later she returned to music for her graduate studies in piano: Master of Music in Piano Performance
(University of Miami), Doctor of Music in Piano Performance and a
Certificate in Piano Pedagogy (Florida State University). Her piano teachers include Leonard Mastrogiacomo, Ivan Davis, Ellen Herrmann,
Nanae Kikuta, Mieko Matsuoka, and Yoshiko Inoue.
Ms. Sakamoto has performed both solo and duo recitals in Japan,
Sweden, and the United States. She has taught at Florida State University
School of Music as a Teaching Assistant in Piano, the Georgia State
University Neighborhood Music Schools in Atlanta, Georgia, the Atlanta
Music Academy, and Coral Ridge School of the Arts in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida.
114