Hayasaka, Fumio 1914 - 1955
Author: Sudoh, Eiko
Last updated：April 20, 2018
Author: Sudoh, Eiko
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Born in Sendai in 1914, Hayasaka Fumio's family moved to Hokkaido when he was four years old. He became familiar with the piano and organ during his middle school years and aspired to become a composer at the age of 15. However, due to family circumstances, he entered society immediately after graduating from middle school and pursued music through self-study.
In 1934, he met Akira Ifukube, Atsushi Miura, and others, and together they formed the "New Music League" in Sapporo. Influenced by the music of Satie, they brought a fresh perspective to the Japanese music scene, which had been predominantly focused on German music. Subsequently, his orchestral works, Prelude to Two Hymns (1935) and Ancient Dances (1937), successively received awards. In 1936, he received guidance from Alexander Tcherepnin, who visited Japan, and the following year, his piano piece Nocturne No. 1 (1936) was published.
Career in Film and Academia
In 1939, recognized by the president of Toho Film, he moved to Tokyo. He joined Toho Film as a music director and composed scores for films such as Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon and Seven Samurai, and Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu Monogatari. His music frequently won music awards at the Mainichi Film Concours, thereby supporting the golden age of Japanese cinema from a musical standpoint. In 1941, he became a lecturer at Nihon University's Department of Arts, where he was in charge of the newly established "Film Music" course.
Concert Works and "Pan-Orientalism"
Concurrently, he served as a committee member in organizations such as the Japan Music Culture Association and the post-war Japan Society for Contemporary Music. From 1947 onwards, he actively dedicated himself to works for concert performance, holding annual premieres with the "Shin Sakkyoku-ha Kyokai" (New Composers' Association), which he co-founded with Yasuji Kiyose, Akira Ifukube, and others. His compositional style was distinctly Oriental, drawing inspiration from Gagaku and Noh. He advocated for "Pan-Orientalism," aiming to shift the framework of music from Western to Oriental. This endeavor provided significant guidance to his successors, including Toru Takemitsu and Yasushi Akutagawa, and profoundly influenced the direction of subsequent Japanese contemporary music.
Major Works and Piano Compositions
His representative works include:
- Dance of the Left and Dance of the Right (1941)
- Metamorphosis for Orchestra (1953)
- Yukara (1955, posthumous work)
Piano pieces were composed throughout his entire creative period, including:
- Five Movements for Piano (1940)
- Piano Album in Pentatonic Scale Nos. 1 & 2 (1940)
- Poem (1947)
- Piano Concerto (1948)
Among these, Piano Pieces for Chamber (1941) particularly well expresses Hayasaka's aspiration for "Japaneseness," both musically and philosophically.
Death and Legacy
Hayasaka passed away in 1955 at the young age of 41 due to chronic tuberculosis. Posthumously, he was awarded the Mainichi Film Concours Special Music Award and the Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts.
Author : Sudoh, Eiko
Last Updated: April 20, 2018
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Author : Sudoh, Eiko
Works(30)
Piano Solo (10)
pieces (3)
prelude (2)
Various works (13)