Toru takemitsu biography of christopher columbus

Home / General Biography Information / Toru takemitsu biography of christopher columbus

Due to lack of any supervision and "organized" classes, Takemitsu managed to develop his unique and individual style.

Takemitsu's first piece that drew attention was "Tutatsu no rento" for piano. One month before his death, he wrote the following passage: "Gradually, my heart became captivated by the sea that connects different regions of this earth, and by its ever-changing, rich expressions.

Works like “November Steps” (1967) and “Eclipse” (1966) showcase his unique blend of East and West.

Simultaneously, Takemitsu became a prolific composer for film. In addition to works like "A Autumn Garden" (1979) for gagaku, commissioned by the National Theatre, Takemitsu also used traditional Japanese instruments in his film scores.

The first film to explicitly feature Takemitsu's name was Ko Nakahira's "Crazed Fruit" (1956).

Regarding this work, music critic Ginji Yamane harshly criticized it as "pre-music," but Joji Yuasa and others praised Takemitsu.

In 1951, he formed the avant-garde artist group "Jikken Kobo" (Experimental Workshop) with Kuniharu Akiyama, Hiroyoshi Suzuki, Takahiro Sonoda, and others.

My music is different. His early childhood was marred by the turmoil and devastation of World War II. His father was a businessman with a love for music, especially traditional Japanese music, and he often played the samisen (a three-stringed Japanese lute) at home. His solo piano works include "Uninterrupted Rest" (1-3, 1952-59) and "Piano Distance" (1961), and his piano concertos include "Arc" (1-2, 1963-64) and "Quotation of Dream" (1991).

Instead, Takemitsu tends to focus on the listener's potential response.

Aside from his talent in the realm of sound and sound colors, Takemitsu's music is also unique in its pacing. In addition to works like "A Autumn Garden" (1979) for gagaku, commissioned by the National Theatre, Takemitsu also used traditional Japanese instruments in his film scores.

The first film to explicitly feature Takemitsu's name was Ko Nakahira's "Crazed Fruit" (1956).

Observing photographs by Man Ray, sculptures by Joan Miró, and other works, he cultivated visual experiences and sublimated them into his own compositions.

His major works include orchestral pieces such as "Textures" (1964), "Dorian Horizon" (1966), "Quatrain" (1975), and "Far Calls.

That depends on how deep our sensitivities accept sound." His idea of incorporating the sounds of nature is shown in the titles of his pieces.

Born October 8, 1920, in Tokyo, Japan. Although Takemitsu largely studied the technical aspects of composition on his own, he closely observed the creative processes of Kiyose and Hayasaka.

This introduction to the local music community helped launch Takemitsu’s career.

In the early 1950s, Takemitsu co-founded the Experimental Workshop (Jikken Kōbō) group, a collective that sought to explore multimedia and cross-genre art forms.

toru takemitsu biography of christopher columbus

Thus, the composers' task is to curve and shape them into the form of what we call music." - T. Takemitsu. After completing this piece, Takemitsu became aware of some dualities in life such as: life and death, individuals and others, solitude and multitude - and East and West.It was Leonard Bernstein who asked Takemitsu to write a piece to celebrate the 125th anniversary of New York Philharmonic in 1967.

If possible, I would like to possess a graceful and robust body like a whale and swim in a sea with no west or east." In his later years, Takemitsu focused on composing using the three symbolic pitches of the sea (SEA) – E-flat (Es), E, and A – as motifs. He first decided to pursue a career in music when he was in his teens at the end of World War II.

Recalling this time in an interview for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Takemitsu said that he was "very negative about everything Japanese. He is also a frequent lecturer and composer-in-residence at music schools and festivals throughout the world.

by Margaret Escobar and Jeanne M. Lesinski

Toru Takemitsu's Career

Famous Works

Selective Works
Arc, for Piano and Orchestra (contains "Solitude," "Your Love and the Crossing," "Textures," "Reflection," and "Coda"), Varese/Sarabande.
Asterism for Piano and Orchestra; Requiem for String Orchestra; Green for Orchestra (November Steps II); Dorian Horizon for Seventeen Strings, Victor.
In an Autumn Garden, Varese/Sarabande.
Coral Island for Soprano and Orchestra; Water Music for Magnetic Tape; Vocalism A I for Tape, RCA.
Corona; Far Away; Piano Distance; Undisturbed Rest, London.
Dorian Horizon, Columbia.
Miniature: Stanza No.

1--Sacrific-Ring-Valeria, DG.
Munari by Munari, for Percussion, RCA.
November Steps, RCA.
Piano Distance; Uninterrupted Rests.
Piano Music, RCA.
Quatrain; A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden, DG.
Quatrain II; Water Ways; Waves, RCA.
Seasons for Glass Trombone, Metal Instruments and Tape, Oiseau.
Textures, Odyssey.
Toward the Sea, for Alto Flute and Guitar, Bridge.
Writings
Oto, chinmoku to hakariaeru hodo ni (Translated as "As much as can be measured with sounds and silence"), Tokyo, 1971.
Compositions
Orchestral Ikiru yorokobi [The joy to live] (ballet), 1951.
Shitsunai kyosokyoku [Chamber concerto], 1955.
Requiem (for strings), 1957.
Solitude sonore, 1958.
Ki no kyoku [Tree music], 1961.
Arc (piano and orchestra), 1963-66.
Chiheisen no doria [Dorian horizon], 1966.
November Steps, 1967.
Green (November Steps II), 1967.
Asterism (piano and orchestra), 1968.
Crossing, 1969.
Cassiopea (percussion and orchestra), 1971.
Gemeaux, 1972.
Aki [Autumn], 1973.
Gitimalya, 1975.
Quatraine, 1975.
Marginalia, 1976.
Vocal Kuroi kaiga [Black painting], 1958.
Kansho [Coral island], 1962.
Kaze no uma [Horse in the wind], 1962.

Toru takemitsu biography of christopher columbus

Toru Takemitsu's Career

Famous Works

Further Reading