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- Japanese piano sonatas: a discussion and performance guide. Murakami, Kazuo https://iro.uiowa.edu/discovery/delivery/01IOWA_INST:ResearchRepository/12730609420002771?l#13730812810002771 Murakami, K. (2012). Japanese piano sonatas: a discussion and performance guide [University of Iowa]. https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.tpcdeb4m https://iro.uiowa.edu Copyright 2011 Kazuo Murakami Downloaded on 2021/11/06 18:03:55 -0500 -
JAPANESE PIANO SONATAS: A DISCUSSION AND PERFORMANCE GUIDE
by
Kazuo Murakami
An essay submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the
Doctor of Musical Arts degree
in the Graduate College of
The University of Iowa
December 2011
Essay Supervisor: Associate Professor Alan HuckleberryCopyright by
KAZUO MURAKAMI
2011
All Rights ReservedGraduate College
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL
_______________________
D.M.A. ESSAY
_______________
This is to certify that the D.M.A. essay of
Kazuo Murakami
has been approved by the Examining Committee
for the essay requirement for the Doctor of Musical Arts
degree at the December 2011 graduation.
Essay Committee: ___________________________________
Alan Huckleberry, Essay Supervisor
___________________________________
Nicole Esposito
___________________________________
David Gompper
___________________________________
David Gier
___________________________________
Rene LecuonaTo my family who continues to support me
iiACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the chair of my DMA essay committee,
Dr. Alan Huckleberry, for his immense help with my essay. I sincerely want to
acknowledge Dr. Uriel Tsachor, who has been a great teacher and mentor to me since
2003. I would also like to thank Dr. David Gier, Dr. David Gompper, Dr. Rene Lecuona,
and Professor Nicole Esposito for their help and encouragement. Finally, I would like to
express appreciation to my family and friends for their help and support for this project.
iiiTABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................v
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1
CHAPTER
I. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF WESTERN MUSIC IN JAPAN ...........4
Important Figures Pre-1945 ..............................................................................9
Composers after 1945 .....................................................................................16
II. PIANO SONATA BY AKIRA MIYOSHI.....................................................23
Akira Miyoshi .................................................................................................23
Akira Miyoshi’s Piano Sonata ........................................................................24
III. PIANO SONATA BY AKIO YASHIRO.......................................................43
Akio Yashiro ...................................................................................................43
Akio Yashiro’s Piano Sonata ..........................................................................44
CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................62
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..............................................................................................................64
ivLIST OF FIGURES
Figure
2.1 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 1-4. ........................................26
2.2 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 1-4. ...................................26
2.3 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 9-12. ......................................27
2.4 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 21-24. ....................................28
2.5 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 74-77. ....................................29
2.6 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 1-4. ........................................29
2.7 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 101-103. ................................30
2.8 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 60-61. ....................................30
2.9 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 128-135. ................................31
2.10 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 112-115. ................................31
2.11 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 178-181. ................................32
2.12 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 184-188. ................................32
2.13 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 200-203. ................................33
2.14 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 262-267. ................................33
2.15 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 1-6. ...................................34
2.16 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 19-21. ...............................35
2.17 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 58-62. ...............................35
2.18 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 1-5. .......................................36
2.19 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 1-4. ...................................37
2.20 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 270-272. ...............................38
2.21 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 13-16. ...................................38
2.22 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 176-179. ...............................39
2.23 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 270-272. ...............................39
2.24 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 169-171. ...............................40
v2.25 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 176-179. ...............................40
2.26 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 205-208. ...............................41
2.27 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 270-272. ...............................42
3.1 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 1-4. ..........................................45
3.2 “O”, sample of traditional Japanese writing. ...........................................................46
3.3 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 10-15. ......................................46
3.4 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 16-20. ......................................47
3.5 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 21-22. ......................................47
3.6 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 23-25. ......................................48
3.7 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 1-5. .........................................48
3.8 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 28-31. ......................................49
3.9 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 35-38. ......................................49
3.10 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 39-41. ......................................50
3.11 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 48-52. ......................................51
3.12 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 55-57. ......................................52
3.13 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 5-6. .....................................52
3.14 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 11-12. .................................53
3.15 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 133-138. .............................53
3.16 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 51-56. .................................54
3.17 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 79-83. .................................54
3.18 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 85-87. .................................55
3.19 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 1-5. .........................................56
3.20 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 20-21. .....................................56
3.21 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 25-28. .....................................57
3.22 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 42-59. .....................................58
3.23 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 58-62. ......................................59
3.24 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 78-84. ......................................59
vi3.25 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 97-100. ....................................60
3.26 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 120-123. ..................................60
3.27 Akio Yashiro, Piano Sonata, third movement, mm. 148-151. ..................................61
vii1
INTRODUCTION
Western classical music has gained immense popularity since its introduction to
Japan in the nineteenth century. In Tokyo, for example, many concert halls were built to
1
host a variety of concerts and recitals and are still in use today. Presently, eight
2
professional orchestras are in operation in the Tokyo area. In addition, orchestras from
other countries, such as the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the
Berlin Philharmonic, and the Royal Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra regularly tour
Japan. Many Japanese musicians have become internationally renowned for their
exceptional performances and recording careers. There are numerous Japanese musicians
competing in international competitions and studying in music conservatories and music
schools in Europe and the United States. Furthermore, Japan has become one of the most
3
important markets for classical music.
1
Currently in the Tokyo area there are several exclusively concert halls, for orchestras, including the Tokyo
Cultural Hall, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space, Tokyo Bunkamura, Orchard Hall, Suntory Hall, Sumida
Triphony Hall, and the NHK Hall.Kikkawa, Eiji.1986. Nihon ongaku bunkashi (A Cutulral History of
Japanese Music).Osaka: Sogen Sha, Moroishi,Sachio. “Japanese Symphony Orchestras: Present and
Future.” Accessed December 30, 2010. http://www.fanfaire.com/japan/japanmusicmain.html.
2
These include: NHK Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony
Orchestra, Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo
Philharmonic Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, and Yomiuri Japan Symphony Orchestra. Yoshida,
Junko. ”Ongaku kakusa Chiho ni hibiku Hall Josei no Yukue.” in Asahi Sinbun. Tokyo. 2010 May 17.
Accessed December 30, 2010. http://www.asahi.com/culture/news_culture/ TKY201005170095_01.html.
3
Ueyama, Shinichi. Arai, Masahiro. Matsuno, Norika. 2009. “Kuuzen no hitto ni uruou Classic music.” in
Nikkeibusiness. November 20. Tokyo. Accessed December 30, 2010.
http://business.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/manage/20091118/210072/.2
Despite the contributions of Japanese musicians to Western classical music, most
people outside of Japan know very little about Japanese composers. The following
4
questions were asked of thirty musicians in the United States:
1) How many Japanese musicians do you know?
All knew Seiji Ozawa, otherwise only five other musicians were known: Eiji
Oue, Mitsuko Uchida, Masao Kawasaki, Nobuko Imai, and Yuko Shiokawa
2) How many Japanese composers do you know?
All knew Toru Takemitsu, otherwise only four other composers were known:
Takashi Yoshimatsu, Toshi Ichiyanagi, Hiroshi Hoshida, and Satoshi
Yagisawa
3) Have you heard any Japanese compositions?
Five respondents knew “November Steps” by Toru Takemitsu;
Four respondents knew “Fuzzy Bird Sonata” by Takashi Yoshimatsu;
Two respondents knew “Fantasy” by Hiroshi Hoshida;
One respondent knew “Love Song” by Satoshi Yagisawa.
4) Have you performed any Japanese compositions?
Only six of the thirty musicians interviewed have performed Japanese
compositions: three have played Yashimatsu, two have performed Hoshida,
and one has played Yagisawa.
4
Musicians who participated in the survey consisted of current and former orchestra musicians and music
professors from 18 different states: Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, Illinois,
Virginia, and West Virginia, and. The musicians were all trained in the United States. The survey would
most likely produce similar results if conducted elsewhere.3
The musicians who were surveyed had heard of very few Japanese musicians,
and could only name a few composers. Although many of them knew of Toru Takemitsu,
only eight people could name specific titles of compositions. Although many Japanese
compositions are published worldwide, many musicians do not know what they sound
like or how they are constructed. Some musicians have introduced Japanese compositions
to new audiences, but the results of the survey show that there is still a significant lack of
knowledge among US musicians regarding Japanese compositions.
Since Japan began an educational system in the style of Western musical
instruction, numerous composers have emerged. However, their work has not yet been
recognized or accepted as standard repertoire. To address this issue, this essay will
examine two piano works by Japanese composers that were written around 1960.
The works that will be presented are Sonate pour piano (1958) by Akira Miyoshi
and Sonate pour piano (1961) by Akio Yashiro. The first chapter will offer a brief
general history of classical music in Japan and will include a discussion about the
development of Western musical training in Japan and the first prominent composers and
musicians. There will also be a brief discussion about current trends in music
composition in Japan. The second chapter will provide a biographical overview of Akira
Miyoshi, general information about his piano sonata, and an interpretative and
pedagogical discussion of his sonata. The third chapter will discuss Akio Yashiro’s
musical career and his piano sonata with emphasis on the interpretive and the
pedagogical issues.4
CHAPTER I
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF WESTERN MUSIC IN JAPAN
The development of Western classical music in Japan had strong ties to the
political identity of the time, and because of its close proximity to China and Korea,
aspects of their cultures including Buddhism, Confucianism, and the civil service of
5
Asian countries initially influenced it. However, Japan had relationships with several
European countries through which Western classical music was introduced, most notably
6
by Portugal and Spain, in the mid-16th century. Francis Xavier, a Spanish trader and
missionary, landed in Japan in 1549. He presented a keyboard instrument as a gift and
7
showed how it was used in the Catholic mass. The Japanese people were fascinated by
the beauty and dignity of the Christian liturgy, chant, and music, especially compared to
other religions. Many converted to Christianity because of Xavier’s humanity and the
8
subtle charm that the religion offered to Japanese. The number of Christians also rapidly
grew because missionaries convinced the Japanese people to believe in the Christian
9
ideologies as they were based on astronomy and mathematics , and many needed
something to appeal to because of the social unrest and fear of war during the Warring
5
Garrett, Junko Ueno. 1998. “Japanese Piano Compositions of the last Hundred Years: A History of Piano
Music in Japan and a Complete List of Japanese Piano Compositions.” DMA diss., Rice University: 1.
6
Togashi, Yasushi. 1956. Japanese Composers, 1. Tokyo: Ongakuno Tomosha.
7
Galliano, Luciana. 2003. Yogaku: Japanese music in the 20th century, 3. New York: The Scarecrow Press
Inc.
8
Reischauer, Edwin O. 1964. Japan: The Story of a Nation. 3rd ed. 93. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
9
Hazama, Yoshiki. 2005. “Nihon oyobi Chugoku niokeru Society of Jesus no fukyo seisaku” in Asia
Krisutokyo Tagensei Gendai Kirisutokyo Shisou Kyokai. Vol, 3. 55-70 Accessed September 3, 2011.
http:// 130.54.245.7/christ/asia/journals/asia3hazama.pdf.5
10
States Period throughout Japan. The government, led by Ieyasu Tokugawa, noticed that
missionaries often preceded colonial expansion in Southeast Asia such as in the
11
Philippines. To avoid this fate, the Tokugawa family began an isolation policy towards
almost all Western countries in 1639. This isolation halted the influence of Western
music in Japan for approximately 250 years. The government decreed the exclusion of
12
foreigners and absolute seclusion of the Japanese. They agreed to exclusive trade with
13
the Chinese and the Dutch in Nagasaki. The only European influence permitted was the
Dutch, who were only interested in trade rather than religion. Military pressure from and
economic exploitation by Europe and the United States forced Japan to reopen contact
with Western countries in 1854. The Meiji governments (1878-1912) were compelled to
implement a new system of government, which incorporated outside influences to ensure
14
Japan’s protection as well as its competitive edge with dominant Western nations. An
15
important outside influence in the new system was music.
A new era of Western musical influence began when the government established
the Western style of military service and the military band. In 1871 the director of the
10
“Warring States Period” is a period of long civil war that the middle 15 th to the early 17th centuries.
11
Ibid., 93.
12
Okunaka, Yasuto. 2008. Kokka to Ongaku: Izawa Shuji ga mezashita Nihon Kidai. 4, 8. Tokyo:
Shunjusha.
13
“Isolation policy” stated that the only European influence permitted was the Dutch, who were only
interested in trade rather than religion.
14
Santo, Isao. 2008. Shoka to Kokugo: Meiji Kindaika no sochi. 166-176. Tokyo: Ko-dan sha.
15
Baba,Takeo. 1967. “The review of musical education in the early Meiji Era.” Tetsugaku 53: 291- 305.
Tokyo: Mita Tetsugakukai.6
British military band, John Williams Fenton (1831-1890), was appointed as the military’s
music instructor. Since there were enormous cultural differences between Western
16
Europe and Eastern Asia, and it was difficult to teach this new music. Despite the
differences, the military band had its first performance one year later, which was then
followed by the formation of the first orchestra, the Imperial Court Orchestra, which held
17
its first concert of Japanese and Western music in 1876.
The Meiji government changed the education system according to Western
guidelines and founded the Music Study Committee, headed by Shuji Izawa, in 1879.
After graduating from Tokyo University, Izawa went to the United States to research
18
their educational system. He studied with Luther Whiting Mason (1818-1896) while he
was in the country, and he reported his fascination with Western classical music and
19
discovered the importance of music education. Izawa established three fundamental
objectives: the creation of new rules of music using both Eastern and Western elements,
training musicians in preparation for the new developments, and the introduction of
music into the national education curriculum. He also created the elementary education
20
system as well as the education system at the university level.
16
Galliano 18.
17
Ibid., 28.
18
Luther Whiting Mason was an American music educator and worked as a music teacher in Boston before
he moved to Japan.
19
Izawa’s first purpose for studying in the United States was science. He sent a letter regarding the
importance of music education to the government on April 8. The reference is as follows: Baba, Takeo.
1967. “The review of musical education in the early Meiji Era.” Tetsugaku 53. 294. Tokyo: Mita
Tetsugakukai.
20
Garrett, 3.7
Izawa began creating teaching materials for music education. Luther Whiting
21
Mason, from Boston, was appointed as the Minister of Music Education by Izawa, and
worked with Izawa on this project, completing the first book of school songs in 1882,
22
which were titled “Shoka,” for elementary schools. Most of these songs used original
Western melodies with added Japanese text, which were meant to evoke feelings of
23
nationalism. To be able to understand Western classical music better, Izawa contacted
Alexander J. Ellis (1814-1890), an English musicologist, and Senzaburo Kozu (1852-
24
1927), who had been in the US with Izawa, to write a basic theory textbook. In addition,
the government invited foreign musicians to work in Japan. For example, Franz Eckert
(1852-1916) came from Germany to Japan in 1879 and worked as the music advisor for
25
the Ministry of Education. Before 1910, the Ministry of Education permitted several
publishers to make songbooks, known as “Shoka”, for use in school. As a result, their
26
songs were sung all across Japan. The Meiji government took full advantage of music
as a propaganda tool for national policy against Europe and the United States. Texts were
adapted to exalt national spirit by boosting cooperation and morale, and to teach Japanese
history and geography.
21
The “Minister of Music Education” was the person who developed music teaching programs in
elementary and middle high school, as well as teacher training programs.
22
Harich-Schneider, Eta. 1973. A History of Japanese Music. 541. London: Oxford University Press.
23
Garrett, 3-4.
24
Galliano, 30.
25
Ibid.,29.
26
Ibid., 217-223.8
As part of the instructional aids, the government decided that schools should have
a piano and an organ because these instruments were already major instruments in
27
Western countries, and Mason noticed their value for education. In 1885, after studying
the construction of a piano imported from the United States, Torakusa Yamaha (1851-
1916) began producing Japan’s first line of pianos. Yamaha and several others founded
instrument companies that sold pianos throughout Japan. Initially, the instruments did not
sell well because they were relatively unknown in the country; nevertheless, the
manufacturing of pianos helped disperse the instruments to schools, which resulted in the
28
popularization of both classical music and the piano.
In 1888, the Music Study Committee became the first Japanese music academy,
known as the Tokyo Music School. The students were allowed to play any instrument
during their three years of study. Studying abroad was considered an important aspect of
Japanese music education, and most musicians went to study in Germany or France.
Every musician who studied in another country influenced Japanese music enormously
29
upon returning to Japan.
27
Santo, 18.
28
Maema, Takanori. Iwano, Yuichi. 2001. Nihon no piano 100-nen: piano-zukuri ni kaketa hitobito.
Tokyo: Soshinsha.
29
Fukui, Masa Kitagawa. 1981. “Japanese Piano Music, 1940-1973: A Meeting of Eastern and Western
traditions.” 5-6. DMA diss., University of Maryland at College Park.9
Important Figures Pre-1945
Nobu Koda (1870-1946) was the first to graduate from the Tokyo Music School,
30
and she continued her studies in Boston and Vienna on the violin and in composition.
She mastered the late German romantic style and influenced many of her pupils. One of
Koda’s students, Rentarō Taki (1879-1903), a fine pianist and the first person to perform
piano music by Beethoven in Japan, was the first significant composer of Western music
in Japan. Due to illness, he was forced to stop studying in Germany and died in 1903 at
the age of 23. However, he still composed several piano works, including Menuetto and
Kan, as well as school songs with piano accompaniment. His school songs used a unique
31
scale, called “Yona-nuki,” and an active rhythmic style called “Pyonko-rizumu.” Kōjō
no tsuki is probably the most famous song from this period.
The most influential figure before 1945 in Japan was Kosaku Yamada (1886-
1965). Yamada graduated from the Tokyo Music School and then studied in Germany.
32
While he was in Germany, Yamada studied with Max Bruch and Leopold Karl Wolff.
During his studies in Germany, Yamada composed several piano works, including
33
Menuetto in E-flat major and Chaconne for piano (1910).
30
Takii, Keiko. 2000. “Koda Rohan to Ongaku, soshite Imoutono Nobu.” In Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku Kiyo
26, 87-107. Tokyo: Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku.
31
The “Yana-nuki,” scale came from an older Japanese scale, and used an activate rhythmic style called
“Pyonko-rizumu.” The “Yana-nuki” scale has two types: one is “Yananuki Tan-Onkai,” which is a minor
scale without the second and fourth scale degree, and the other is “Yananuki Cho-Onkai,” which is a major
scale without the fourth and seventh scale degree. “Pyonko-rizumu” has conventionally been written as a
dotted eighth note plus a sixteenth note. (Koizumi, Fumio. 1994. “Senpo.” In Nihon no Oto. 320-326.
Tokyo: Heibonsha.
32
Kanzawa, Masukata. Akioka Yo. 2001. “Kosaku Yamada.” In New Grove Dictionary of Music and
Musicians, Edited by Stanley Sadie, Vol.27, 633. New York: Grove,
33
Galliano, 44.10
Yamada was the first musician to tour the United States, where he performed,
34
among other places, at Carnegie Hall on October 16, 1918. Yamada composed in a
European style that juxtaposed other styles ─ modern and Romantic, European and
35
Japanese ─ either between movements or within a single movement. Yamada also
established the first professional orchestra in Japan in 1910. He spent much of his life
creating music organizations such as opera companies and orchestras.
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the Tokyo Music School invited an
increasing number of foreign musicians to come to Japan. The first exchange was
36
established with Germany. Franz Eckert (1852-1916), Rudolf Dittrich (1861-1921),
August Junker (1870-1944), Heinrich Weckmeister (1883-1964), Karl Vogt (1884-1960),
37
Josef Laska (1886-1964) and Ernst Putscher (1896-1972), lived and worked in Japan
for a long period of time and provided a great wealth of music information, which
38
included compositional styles and musical critiques. As a direct result of German
influence, Japan’s first music journal, Ongaku zasshi, began its publication in 1890.
Furthermore, the first Western opera performance, a scene from Gounod’s Faust, took
place in 1894. After 1915, an increasing number of European visitors further encouraged
34
Akioka, Tatsuo. 1996. “Yamada Kosaku to America.” In Ibunkakoryu to Kindaika, Kyoto Kokusai
seminar 1996, edited by Matsushita Kane, 69-75. Kyoto: Okosha.
35
Pacun, David. "Thus we cultivate our own world, and thus we share it with others": Koscak Yamada's
Visit to the United States in 1918-1919, American music. 24, no. 1
(Champaign, Ill: Sonneck Society and the University of Illinois Press, 2006), 67-94.
36
Galliano, 43.
37
Ibid., 41.
38
Galliano, 4311
musical activities. As the government invited musicians from Germany to be guest
clinicians and professors, their students in Japan considered studying in Germany.
Saburo Moroi (1903-1977) studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin from
1932 to 1935. He composed music that was influenced by the German tradition, such as
39
his use of the classical sonata-allegro form. Moroi particularly admired Ludwig van
Beethoven and Johannes Brahms, and modeled his work around their approach to
40
structure and form. For example, his second symphony, which is in three movements
(completed in 1937), used the standard orchestral forms that were influenced by German
41
music.
By contrast, Tomojiro Ikenouchi (1906-1991), who was the first Japanese student
in France, studied at the Paris Conservatory with Paul Fauchet, Henri Busser, and George
Caussade from 1927 to 1936. His music was influenced by French Impressionism.
42
Ikenouchi, who came from a family of haiku poets, became interested in French poetry
43
and vocal works. In fact, Ikenouchi preferred writing vocal music instead of French
poetry.
39
Ibid., 73-74.
40
Mori, Saburo. 1953. Ongaku to Shiko. Tokyo: Yomiuri Shinbunsha.
41
Ibid., 75.
42
"Haiku”, which is a very short form of Japanese poetry, is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables in
the pattern of 5-7-5.
43
Galliano, 73-74.12
As a result of the work of these two composers, Japanese composers can be
divided into two groups depending on whether they were influenced by the French or
Germans. Yoshiro Irino and Minao Shibata were successors of Moroi’s German styles
and idioms, as well as the twelve-tone techniques of Arnold Schoenberg. Akira Miyoshi
and Teizo Matsuura were successors of Ikenouchi’s concepts and were influenced by
Maurice Ravel and other twentieth-century composers.
After the first music magazine Ongaku zasshi, (The Music Magazine) was
successfully published, several others were soon issued, including Ongaku shinpo, (New
Musical News) beginning in 1904, and Ongakukai, (The Musical World) beginning in
1908. The intention of the latter was to promote and campaign for new music. Thus,
music journals became an important factor in developing the classical music scene. After
the first radio broadcast in the United States, the Japanese government considered
broadcasting on the radio as well, especially because “The Great Kanto Earthquake”
made people panic due to a lack of up-to-date, correct information. In 1925, Radio Japan,
the country’s first radio broadcasting company, opened three stations in Tokyo, Nagoya,
and Osaka. Programming was limited to classical music, including Japanese classical
music, which helped to disseminate Western classical music throughout Japan. In
addition, the first commercial recording appeared in the 1920s. During the 1920s, most
recordings were still made in Britain or the United States; however, when the quality of
recording and playback equipment improved in Japan, the Japanese public immediately
responded and the practice spread throughout the country.
By 1930 the contemporary European scene had been fully assimilated into Japan.
Japanese composers began to write in a variety of styles. The Shinko Sakkyokuka13
Renmei (Japan Society for Contemporary Music) was organized in 1930 by eighteen
young composers. The purpose of this organization was to open up new areas and ideas
in music. In 1935 it was renamed the Nihon Gendai Sakkyokuka Renmei, which became
the Japanese branch of the ISCM (The International Society for Contemporary Music).
In the field of classical music, several musicians and composers were influenced
by the shift to a new kind of Japanese nationalism. Shiro Fukai (1907-1959) and Noburo
Ito (1903-1993) were the first musicians to become interested in avant-garde music.
Fukai, a famous writer and critic, was deeply influenced by the works of Igor Stravinsky,
Maurice Ravel, and Manuel de Falla. He wrote several articles condemning Japanese
composers for their lack of knowledge regarding modern music and their inability to
44
understand music by de Falla and Stravinsky. In 1933, Fukai wrote Five Parodies for
orchestra which presented a style that pointed to de Falla, Stravinsky, Ravel, and Albert
Roussel (1869-1937), while rejecting truly German, central European classical music
style. This shift in thought regarding Japanese music led in 1934 to the formation of a
new group, the New Music League. Three of the group’s more famous members were
composers Akira Ifukube (1914-2006) and Fumio Hayasaka (1914-1955), and music
critic Atsushi Miura. They were the first to adapt elements of Japanese traditional music.
Akira Ifukube was born in 1914 in Kushiro, located on the eastern side of the
Hokkaido province in Japan. Much of his childhood was spent in areas with mixed
Japanese and Ainu (native people in Hokkaido) population. His father spent a good deal
45
of time socializing with the Ainu. Ifukube was strongly influenced by the musical
44
Fukai, Shiro. 1948. “20 Seiki Kangengaku to sono Giko no Genkai.” Ongaku Geijutsu 6: 2-11.
45
Ifukube, Akira. 1959. “Ainuzoku no Ongaku.“ Ongaku Geijutsu 17: 16-2114
traditions of both peoples and studied the violin and the Japanese traditional string
46
instrument, shaminsen. His first encounter with Western classical music occurred
during his education at a secondary school in Sapporo. Ifukuebe heard a radio
performance of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring at the age of fourteen, which inspired him
47
to become a composer. His first composition, simply titled Piano Suite, was dedicated
to an American pianist and composer George Copeland (1882-1971) who was living in
Spain. In 1935 Ifukube composed his first orchestra piece entitled Japanese Rhapsody.
For this piece, he won first prize in the International Contest for Young Composers,
hosted by Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977). The judges of the contest, Roussel,
Jacques Ibert (1890-1962), Arthur Honnegger (1892-1955), Alexandre Tansman (1897-
1986), and Henri Gil Marchex (1894-1970), were unanimous in their selection of Ifukube
48
as the winner.
Ifukube’s works have several specific characteristics. First, his compositions often
present simple motifs that are repeated and developed, much like the Ainu folk songs that
49
he listened to as a young boy. His melodies are often decorated with Kobushi, a type of
50
melismatic writing. Ifukube also used specific modes, including those similar to the
46
Galliano, 80. “ shamisen” is a Japanese traditional three-stringed musical instrument.
47
Niwa, Masaaki. 1958. “ Ifukube Akira,Sakkyokuka Houmon.” Ongaku Geijutsu 16, 73-82.
48
Garrett, 36.
49
Matsuzaki, Toshiyuki. 2001. “Transformation of Akira Ifukube’s nationalism: An Aspect of Modern
Japanese Muscia as a Problem.” Tohoku Society for Art and Culture, 6, 2. Sendai: Tohoku Society for Art
and Culture. Accessed December 10, 2010. http://www.tsac.jp/index.cgi?eid=10
50
Matsuzaki, 6-8.15
51
Gregorian modes as well as pentatonic scales. He would often use an ostinato as a
52
driving rhythmic force in his works. Ifukube’s works often consist of three sections: the
theme, the development, and the conclusion. Although these composers became well
known, they did not have much influence on other Japanese composers at the time,
because most musicians who studied at the Tokyo Music School and in Europe were
supported by the Japanese government, which exercised power over the Japanese
53
composition circles.
In the late 1920s, drastic political changes occurred throughout Japan. The
54
military came into power and took control of the government. By the time the war with
China had started in 1938, music from the United States and the United Kingdom was
55
prohibited. Many composers were forced to write music, which contributed to the glory
56
of Japan’s empire and to the war efforts. The Japanese people also lost the freedom to
listen to art music and were forced to listen to military songs and music that inspired
national pride until the end of the war. The Nihon Gendai Sakkyokuka Renmei and
several other smaller associations that had been organized at this time were disbanded by
the police at the beginning of World War II, when all musical activities were strictly
51
Ifukube often used modes that are similar to Phrygian and Aeolian. The reference is as follows: Takase,
Mariko. 1974. “ Minzokushugiteki Sakkyoku Yoshiki.” Ongakugaku 20, 203-216.
52
Ibid.,10.
53
Matsuzaki, 2-3.
54
Galliano., 119-120.
55
Ibid.,121.
56
Galliano., 120.16
controlled by Nihon Ongaku Bunka Kyokai (the Association for Japanese Musical
Culture), which was under the supervision of the Information Department of the Ministry
57
for Education.
Composers after 1945
Before 1945, Japanese composers tended to avoid traditional Japanese musical
58
influences. In the years after World War II, however, the political ideology of ethnic
nationalism developed, infusing modern classical music with traditional Japanese sounds.
Some composers, including Akira Ifukube and Shiro Fukai, were successful in writing
nationalistic Japanese works before 1945. Because of the control of the politicians and
the military, their compositions did not affect the classical musical scene until the war
was over. After the war, they became active in the music scene, and many other Japanese
composers began creating musical works without any restriction by the government. In
addition, Japanese composers easily adapted to the prevalent trends of modern music
outside of Japan.
Yasuji Kiyose (1900-1981), one of the important composers who wrote music
using traditional Japanese musical idioms, studied composition with Yamada and Kosuke
Komatsu (1884-1966). His first compositions were influenced by the German Romantic
tradition; however, he also drew on traditional Japanese music, particularly Japanese
folksongs, pentatonic and, gypsy scales, and a harmonic minor scale with two augmented
57
The Information Department of the Ministry for Education is one of the organizations in the Japanese
Cabinet. They boosted the moral of the army with discipline and manipulation of public opinion.
58
Galliano, 51-53.17
59
intervals. His work, Four Preludes for piano, encompasses many of these
60
characteristics.
Another significant composer who utilized the traditional Japanese harmonic and
melodic system was Kishio Hirao (1907-1953). Hirao studied with Satoru Onuma (1989-
1944), and also studied in Paris at the Schola Cantorum from 1931 to 1936. After
returning to Japan, he won the first prize in a national competition offered by the New
Symphony Orchestra for his orchestral work, Kodai Sanka, in 1937. The influence of
French music can be heard in his compositions; however, he drew upon traditional
61
Japanese music to create the distinctive character of his music.
Hirao favored chamber music and preferred to compose in the classical sonata
62
form. He composed several solos for woodwind instruments with piano accompaniment,
e.g., Sonatine for flute and piano and Sonata for oboe and piano. In the first movement of
his Piano Sonata, which is his only piano composition, Hirao presents the Japanese scale
that is similar to the pentatonic scale but also creates unique sounds meant to imitate the
63
Yamatogoto, a Japanese string instrument.
The next generation of composers began with Toru Takemitsu, who was the first
Japanese composer to write for a global audience and to achieve international
59
Matsuhasi, Keiko.2006. “Nihonteki oto kankaku no sakkyokuka Kiyose Yasuji.” Accessed October 30,
2010. http://www.shirakaba.gr.jp/home/tayori/060514kiyose.pdf.
60
Kazushi, Ishida. 1979. “Kiyose Yasuji: Four Preludes.” In Saishin Meikyoku Kaisetsu Zenshu, Vol. 17,
288-289 . Tokyo: Ongakuno Tomosha.
61
Ueno, Akira. 1979. “Kishio Hirao: Piano Sonata.” In Saishin Meikyoku Kaisetsu Zenshu, Vol. 17, 327.
Tokyo: Ongakuno Tomosha.
62
Ibid., 327-329.
63
Ibid, 329.18
64
recognition. Takemitsu was born in Tokyo in 1930 and moved to Dalian in Northeast
China when he was one year old. During WWII he served in the Japanese military and,
even though Western art music was prohibited, he was exposed to it through a petty
65
officer, who was listening to it in secret. After the war, he worked as a waiter at a club
at the U.S. Armed Forces in Yokohama during the period of U.S. occupation in Japan,
which gave him exposure to a significant amount of Western music. He also spent time
66
teaching himself to play the piano and had intensions of becoming a composer.
Takemitsu was one of the founding members of the anti-academic group Jikken Kobo, a
group established in 1951 for multidisciplinary collaboration on mixed-media projects
that opposed Japanese artistic tradition. Not long after that, in 1962, Takemitsu met John
67
Cage, who made a lasting impression. Cage sincerely encouraged Takemitsu to explore
the Japanese traditional instruments and musical characteristics. Takemitsu developed
his own personal musical aesthetics to combine the character of Japanese sounds with the
sounds of nature.
Takemitsu began using the unusual sonorities of traditional instruments in his
own music, and even learned to play the biwa, a Japanese short-necked fretted lute. He
began experimenting with unknown and unusual Japanese instruments in his film
64
Burt, Peter. 2001. The Music of Toru Takemitsu. 1. New York: Cambridge University Press.
65
Kawai, Hayao. 1991. “Conversation with Takemitsu Toru.” 123-124. Anataga Kodomodatta Koro.
Tokyo: Mitsumura Tosho .
66
Ibid. 137-138.
67
Suenobu, Yoshiharu. 1997. “Takemitsu Toru, John Cage, soshite…” Ongaku Geijutsu 55: 18-23.19
68
music. In 1962, Takemitsu composed a score for the film “Seppuku” in which he used
the biwa. After Takemitsu became familiar with the sounds of traditional Japanese music,
69
his creative process blossomed. In fact, he utilized several traditional Japanese
instruments for his works for solo instrument and orchestra. For example, in The
November Steps, which was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, a biwa and a
shakuhachi serve as solo instruments.
Takemitsu had immense influence on Japanese composers of the 20th century.
Many Japanese composers who followed created a variety of music for traditional
Japanese instruments while drawing ideas from Japanese traditional music. Ryohei
Hirose (1930-2008), who composed a concerto for Shakuhachi and orchestra in 1976,
70
also wrote twenty pieces for Japanese instrument ensembles and several solo works.
Michio Mamiya (b.1929) was also interested in traditional Japanese instruments and
71
composed several works for them.
At the same time that Takemitsu presented his compositions as a member of
Jikken Kobo in 1950s, many Japanese composers explored contemporary music from
Europe and the United States. They were influenced by the twelve-tone method and
72
experimented with avant-garde music. For instance, Yoshiro Irino studied the twelve-
68
Ibid.,21.
69
Burt, 31.
70
Galliano, 286-287.
71
Ibid, 198.
72
Shibata, Minao. 1973. “1950 nendai kara 60 nendai hajime no Nihon no Sakkyokukai.”33. In Ongaku
Geijutsu. 33-42. Tokyo: Ongakuno Tomosha.20
tone method of composition after 1945 and his composition, Concerto da Camera for
73
Seven Instruments (1951), was the first twelve-tone Japanese composition written.
Toshi Ichiyanagi (b.1931) was one of the most influential and controversial
Japanese composers of the 1960s. Most of his works composed at this time were graphic
or diagrammatic, because Ichiyanagi was very influenced by Cage after meeting him in
74
1958. In the 1960s and 1970s, Japanese composers expanded to create a variety of
styles: serialism as a symbol of idealistic and mathematical compositional theory, and
75
aleatoric music. Some composers began creating electronic music, computer music,
tone-clusters, and minimalist music. On the other hand, some composers became more
interested in Japanese traditional music rather than the avant-garde.
After 1945, the opportunities for Japanese composers to have their works
performed dramatically increased. First, many composers formed music groups for the
presentation of their compositions after 1950.76 In 1962, the Japanese Society for
Contemporary Music began an annual composition festival. In addition, Japanese
composers often received commissions from Japanese professional orchestras to create
new works. By the end of 1980, orchestras established composer-in-residence positions.
Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa established this position in 1988, Tokyo Symphony
73
The program notes of the 28th Japanese contemporary orchestra music concert on March 31, 2004.
Accessed November 2, 2011 http:// http://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/2004/00331/contents/0001.htm.
74
Garrett, 85.
75
Ibid.,89.
76 Galliano, 182-186.21
established the position in 1994, etc.77 The “Composer Exhibition Concert Series” by
Suntory Music Foundation, as well as concerts that focus on one composer became
established in the Tokyo area. Also, as the brass ensemble became more popular in
78
Japan, Japanese composers were often commissioned to write music for these
ensembles.
Recently, the style of Japanese composers has become more diverse, and it is
extremely difficult to separate each into a specific group. However, there are currently
two major trends in Japan. Some composers, including Akira Nishimura (b.1953),
Tokuhide Niimi (b.1947), and Toshio Hosokawa (b.1955), tend to be more interested in
an Asian style of avant-garde style music. Nishimura is very influenced by heterophonic
concept from Japan, India, and Bali. One can hear complex sounds and timbres of
various Asian religious rites in his compositions. Niimi has two distinct compositional
styles. One is based upon graceful melodies and one on motoric rhythms. Hosokawa is
interested in the Japanese cultural identity and creates “Sound Concerts”, which are
inspired by Japanese aesthetics. These three composers’ compositions feature energetic,
powerful sounds, which are inspired by Asian cultures. Other composers, such as Takashi
Yoshimatsu (b.1953), often write in a more audience-friendly manner.
Japan’s acceptance of Western classical music increased due in large part to
improved international relations with Europe beginning in 1858. Japan learned, imitated,
and highly developed the essence of classical Western music with surprising speed.
77“Composer-in-residence” is the title given to a composer who is contracted to produce several works per
year for a particular orchestra. Many orchestras recently created this position to expand their repertories.
78
Students in middle high schools and high schools have been encouraged to participate in brass
ensembles by the Japanese Government. The reference is as follows: Kitagawa, Junko. 2008. “Suisogaku
no Hirogari,” in Gendai Nihon Shakai niokeru Ongaku. 39-40. Tokyo: Nihon Hoso Shuppan Kyokai.22 Japanese composers began to explore a variety of ideas from both Western and traditional Japanese music. After the Second World War, the performance quality improved and international exchange was encouraged, making Japanese compositions that were influenced by a variety of cultures more successful. Thus, Japanese composers achieved a command of Western classical music and succeeded bringing together Western European music with Japanese traditional music.
23
CHAPTER II
PIANO SONATA BY AKIRA MIYOSHI
This chapter will present the Piano Sonata by Akira Miyoshi. It will include a
basic analysis of the sonata, especially as it pertains to interpreting this composition. The
analysis will focus on form, outside influences, rhythms, and textures. It will also seek to
help inform the performer and listener alike as to what is evocative of Japanese cultural
aesthetics.
Akira Miyoshi
Born on January 10, 1933, Akira Miyoshi began his musical training at the Jiyu-
gakuen school at the age of four and then studied composition with Kozaburo Hirai and
79
Tomojiro Ikenouchi. Miyoshi also studied French literature at the University of Tokyo.
From 1955 to 1958 he lived in Paris, where he studied composition at the Paris
80
Conservatory with Henri Challan and Raymond Gallois-Montbrun, after which he
returned to Japan and graduated from the university in 1960. He then became a professor
81
of composition at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo. From 1974 to 1995,
Miyoshi was president of this school.
Miyoshi has written a variety of compositions including orchestral, chamber,
vocal and choral works. He has written only a few pieces for solo piano which include:
Sonata (1958), Suite in Such Time (1960), Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1962),
79
Brown, Naomi Nore. 1994. “Akira Miyoshi’s didactic works for Solo piano.” DMA diss., Louisiana
State University. 6.
80
Ibid., 6, 8.
81
Narazaki, Yoko. 2001. “Miyoshi Akira.” In New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Edited by
Stanley Sadie, Vol.16, 769. New York: Grove,24
82
Chaînes Prelude for piano (1973) and En Vers (1980). Instead of composing piano solo
works, Miyoshi devised a new piano method and composed pedagogical works for
83
children. He also founded a piano competition in 2009 that requires the participants to
84
perform his piano works.
Akira Miyoshi’s Piano Sonata
Miyoshi made sketches for his Piano Sonata and Symphonic Metamorphose for
85
Orchestra while studying in Paris. After returning to Japan, he completed the two
86
compositions in 1958. The sonata was premiered by Hiroshi Tamura on April 24, 1958,
87
and was published by Ongakuno Tomosha in 1964.
This sonata consists of three movements. The outer two movements use
traditional forms, sonata-allegro form for the first and rondo form for the third movement.
The second movement is composed in an arch form and thus takes on a central meaning
in the sonata as a whole, which will be discussed later in more detail.
As mentioned above, one finds a standard sonata-allegro form in the first
movement with the exposition (mm.1-94), development (mm.95- 187), and recapitulation
(187-end). Within the exposition, one also finds, as to be expected, two distinct themes.
(The first theme is presented in the first eight measures, the second in measures 74-86.)
82
Naomi Nore Brown, 102.
83
Ibid.
84
Accessed December 28, 2010. .http://editionkawai.jp/miyoshi/4thconcours/results.htm.
85
Miyoshi, Akira. Yamaoka, Yuko. 1981. “Miyoshi Akira: Piano Sonata,” in Saishin Piano Ko-za, Vol.8,
235. Tokyo: Ongaku no Tomosha.
86
Ibid.
87
Miyoshi, Akira. 1964. Sonate pour Piano, 1. Tokyo: Ongakuno Tomosha.25
The only non-traditional aspect to the form of this sonata-allegro is that the transitional
areas are rather lengthy. (57 of the 96 measures of the exposition can be considered
transitional material.)
The overall texture of this sonata is complex, and contrapuntal throughout.
Miyoshi also employs motivic transformation as a central compositional technique. In
general, it is comprised of one independently running musical line. It associates
fragments of the passage, which form the basis for his unique transformation,. Despite the
complexity of this sonata, the first theme of the first movement flows as a simple, four-
measure phrase that interweaves eighth notes between the two voices like a musical
88
hocket. At the end of the phrase, the three quarter notes embody one of the important
gestures of Japanese traditional music: simplicity. “Simplicity” is a key concept of the
89
traditional Japanese culture. Simplicity is not only a focal point of traditional Japanese
music, but also of Japanese life, art, and culture in general. This can be seen in the
presentation of food, the way furniture is laid out in a room, as well as in gardens and
landscaping. These uniquely Japanese moments in Miyoshi’s sonata must be played with
great expression and a deep understanding of the quasi-meditative nature of this side of
Japanese culture and tradition. (Figure 2.1)
88
The term, “Hocket” in contemporary works is characterized by single-note exchanges between different
parts. Sanders, Ernest H. 2001. “Hocket”, In New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Edited by
Stanley Sadie, Vol.11, 567-569. York: Grove,
89
Brinkman, John T. 1996. Simplicity: A Distinctive Quality of Japanese Spirituality (Asian Thought and
Culture). New York: Peter Lang Pub Inc.26
Figure 2.1 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 1-4.
The opening first three notes of the melody, E, G-flat, and F, constitute a motif,
90
which will be developed to provide cohesiveness and unity throughout the entire sonata.
(Figure 2.1)
It is imperative that the performer is aware of this leitmotif, in order to correctly
identify and execute structurally important moments in the sonata. Another example of
Miyoshi’s use of the motif can, among other places, be found in the opening measure of
the second movement. In this case, he moves the motif to the lower line, enharmonically
describing the G-flat as F-sharp. (More on this occurrence of the leitmotif when the
second movement will be discussed in detail.) (Figure 2.2)
Figure 2.2 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, second movement, mm. 1-4.
90
Ibid., 2127
The first theme combines a legato motif with a rhythmic motif made up of
repeating quarter notes in measure four. Seven notes from the first theme E, G-flat, F, B-
flat, D-flat, A, C comprise the basic material for the first movement and develop with full
91
harmonies in the transition and later sections.
In the first transitional area, beginning in measure 9, Miyoshi introduces a new
rhythmic motif, which combines dotted eighth notes and sixteenth notes, while presenting
the first theme in a condensed and reversed form. The melody here should be expressive
92
with contrasting percussive eighth notes that are light and dry. (Figure 2.3)
Figure 2.3 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 9-12.
At measure 21, one finds a further demonstration of Miyoshi’s technique of motivic
transformation. Here, the main interval of the minor 2nd is inverted to a major 7th. The
original figure is fragmented and presented in up to four staves. It is of utmost importance
that the performer must identify the main melody and emphasize it in order to bring
structure to all of the various voices, in order to create coherence in a complex texture.
(Figure.2.4)
91
Fukai, 21.
92
Miyoshi, Yamaoka, 237.28
Figure 2.4 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 21-24.
The beginning of the second theme is clearly marked “Andante”. Much like the
first theme, one finds a four bar phrase, with two almost repeated measures, followed by
a varied measure leading to a stoic, simple fourth measure, which unlike the first three
measures, is vertical in nature. The main differences one finds here in comparison to the
first theme (and thus showing the traditional sonata-allegro form of opposing themes) are
fourfold: first Miyoshi presents the second theme in Andante as opposed to the Allegro of
the opening. Secondly, the overall melodic direction is ascending in the first theme,
rising to a major ninth through its course. The second theme descends a minor ninth
throughout its presentation. Thirdly, he has expanded the texture to three voices from the
original two. And finally, the predominant interval of the opening theme is that of a
second, except at the very end, when the “simple” measure is approached through a
seventh. In the second theme, the main interval is that of a seventh. Here again, Miyoshi
uses the opposite interval of a second through which he arrives in the final measure of the
theme. (Figures 2.5 and 2.6)29
Figure 2.5 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 74-77.
Figure 2.6 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 1-4.
Due to the thicker texture of this section, the pianist needs to keep track of each line
independently, just as one would in a three-part invention of J.S. Bach.
The characteristic trait of the development is an ascending sixteenth-note figure,
which passes from one hand to the other. (Figure 2.7)30
Figure 2.7 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 101-103.
This idea is developed from measures 60. (Figure 2.8)
Figure 2.8 Akira Miyoshi, Piano Sonata, first movement, mm. 60-61.
In order to properly execute this passage, pianists need to have excellent
technique in both hands. Furthermore, imagining the overlapping sixteenth-note lines as
waves in the open sea will help give a musical solution to a technical problem by
encouraging the pianist to employ a fluid body/playing apparatus. (Figure 2.9)You can also read
