This work, composed to commemorate Yoritsune Matsudaira's 80th birthday, is one in a series of recent compositions based on composers' speech. In this series, recordings of composers' spoken voices from interviews and other sources are transcribed as faithfully as possible according to Western traditional music notation and used as source material.

  Both human speech and music are forms of organized sound produced by humans, yet it is almost impossible to perfectly reproduce human speech with musical instruments. Due to the fact that both human utterance and musical instruments adhere to different physical and physiological constraints, and that our familiar notation system is not well-suited for describing human speech, there is very little compatibility between natural speech and instrumental music. Conversely, this seems to highlight what instrumental music is and what it entails. If natural human speech were to be transplanted into instrumental music, it would hardly sound like speech, and would likely deviate somewhat from ordinary instrumental pieces.

 This series employs complex rhythms rarely seen in my other works. While complex and intricate rhythms are often encountered in contemporary compositions, many of them appear to be generated by highly systematic methods. However, the complexity found in this series is not produced by such “theoretical” methods. By capturing and meticulously describing natural human speech uttered at a specific time and place in reality, the complexity of seemingly trivial everyday occurrences is revealed. I am more strongly drawn to the subtlety and fragility inherent in such phenomena themselves, rather than the complexity of systems or methods. Furthermore, composing by transcribing natural speech might be akin to creating art by processing photographs or videos.

 In “Umbrella for Yoritsune Matsudaira,” recordings of Mr. Matsudaira's appearance on a radio program featuring his works are used as source material. All previously written pieces in this series were based on the speech of Italian composers (e.g., “Interview with L.B. by a Viola and Piano Interpreter” (2006) was based on Luciano Berio's Italian, and “Bruno's Aura, or Interview by a Tuba and Piano Interpreter” (2008) was based on Bruno Maderna's English interview). However, this is the first time that Japanese speech has been used as source material.

 The first half of this piece uses material from a program likely broadcast in 1986, where Mr. Matsudaira provided commentary alone. The explanations were delivered in a calm manner, likely based on a pre-prepared script, with a relatively stable speaking tempo. Due to the characteristics of the Japanese language, there is a tendency for rhythms close to equal beats to continue. The latter half is based on a program broadcast in 2006, featuring a dialogue with Mr. Akira Nishimura. Unlike the first half, a lively conversation takes place in a considerably relaxed atmosphere. Characteristics of such free conversation include occasional silences while searching for words, hesitations, and frequent changes in the pace and intensity of speech. Furthermore, Mr. Nishimura's speech has significant intonation, a lower vocal range, and contrasts with Mr. Matsudaira's speaking style (many of the low-register melodic figures appearing in the latter half of this piece are Mr. Nishimura's utterances). It should be noted that this work contains many sections that are particularly faithful to the recorded speech, thus bringing a considerably stronger linear quality to the forefront than before.