Toru Takemitsu

Tōru Takemitsu (武 満 彻jap, Takemitsu Tōru, born October 8, 1930 in Tokyo, † February 20, 1996 ) was a Japanese composer.

Life

Takemitsu decided after the Second World War to become a composer and started in 1948 with the composition studies with Yasuji Kiyose, but remained largely self-taught.

His unconventional style of composition is characterized by a large sonic sensibility. While the Viennese school (especially Schoenberg, Berg and Webern ) and the French school (especially Debussy ) recognizes in his first works, it soon became apparent Takemitsu's interest in all avant-garde techniques. Very often he used traditional Japanese instruments, for example in the work November Steps for biwa, shakuhachi and orchestra, was composed in 1967.

Takemitsu was interested not only for music but also for literature and modern painting. Therefore, in 1951 he founded, together with other artists, the group Experimental workshop which soon made speak for their avant-garde and multimedia performances from him.

Takemitsu was enthusiastic about next especially for the French chanson, the pop, jazz and film music. As a big movie buff, he wrote, for example, the music for the films Ran and Dodes'ka - Den. Although he was pronounced in the film music and electronic music probably, are his most characteristic works of those. For chamber ensemble and large orchestra In Japan, his arrangements of Beatles songs for guitar solo still enjoy great popularity.

He taught himself composition and was frequently invited as a lecturer. For its international compositions, he received the Asahi Prize in 1984. In 1994 he received the Grawemeyer Award for his work Fantasma / Cantos for clarinet and orchestra, one of the most prestigious music awards in the world, already in 1996 posthumously the Glenn Gould Prize. Since 1978 he was a member of the Academy of Arts of the German Democratic Republic.

Takemitsu had to undergo in the last months of life of a medical treatment for a malignant tumor of the bladder. On February 20, 1996, he died in Tokyo of pneumonia.

Works

Filmography (selection)

Links and bibliography

• Toru Takemitsu: Complete Works

• Japanese composer
• Composer of classical music ( 20th century)
• Film composer
• Member of the Academy of the Arts ( DDR)
• Japanese
• Born in 1930
• Died in 1996
• Man