Hayashi, Hikaru 1931 - 2012
Author: Maruyama, Yoko
Last updated：April 24, 2018
Author: Maruyama, Yoko
Author : Sudoh, Eiko
Last Updated: April 24, 2018
[Open]
Author : Sudoh, Eiko
Born in Tokyo in 1931. From around the age of 10, he studied composition under Hisatada Otaka, a close friend of his father, who was a doctor. From his late teens, he became involved with theatrical music, composing for performances by the Haiyuza Theatre Company, among others. After entering Tokyo University of the Arts in 1951, he studied under Tomojiro Ikenouchi. However, in 1953, he withdrew from the university, questioning its stance on “off-campus performances” and the established practices of existing composers.
In the same year, he formed "Yagi no Kai" (The Goat Group) with Yoshio Mamiya and Yuzo Toyama, aiming "to contribute to the development of Japanese national music across all fields of music." They pursued the connection between society and music, holding five subsequent concerts to present their works. In the same year, he received the Arts Festival Award for Symphony in G (1953), and in 1955, the 4th Otaka Award for Variations for Orchestra. His mixed chorus piece Mizu o Kudasai (Give Me Water), released in 1958 (later becoming the first movement of Genbaku Shokei), garnered immediate attention for its exquisite fusion of text and contemporary compositional techniques. He also excelled in the field of film music. For Kaneto Shindo's 1960 film The Naked Island, he received the Best Music Award at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival. Thereafter, he composed music for most of Shindo's films.
From 1975, he served as Artistic Director and resident composer for Opera Theatre Konnyakuza. Collaborating with this group, which aimed to create operas that clearly convey words and performed them nationwide, he produced many masterpieces. His works include the piano opera Gauche the Cellist (1986), where a single piano takes on the roles of conductor and orchestra, and I Am a Cat (1998), which adds a few additional instruments.
His compositional style is characterized by its eclecticism, encompassing various musical elements, and its lightness. Early piano works include Piano Sonata No. 1 (1965) and Sonatine (1965). After his 1978 piano piece Tokkuri-ko, he began actively incorporating Okinawan scales and Ainu music. He also composed many piano works for children, such as Modotte Kita Hizu: 12 Months' Songs for Piano (1979) and 48 Songs for Piano (1983).
Furthermore, in his later years, he left behind many works with social themes, such as Symphony No. 3 "The Sun at Noon in August..." (1990), composed after the Tiananmen Square incident in China, and Viola Concerto "Elegy" (1995, Otaka Award), released after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. He was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 80.
Author : Maruyama, Yoko
Last Updated: April 24, 2018
[Open]
Author : Maruyama, Yoko
Author : Sudoh, Eiko
Last Updated: April 24, 2018
[Open]
Author : Sudoh, Eiko
Works(42)
Concerto (1)
Works with orchestral accompaniment (2)
Piano Solo (10)
sonata (3)
pieces (2)
for children (3)
cadenza (2)
Various works (2)
Piano Ensemble (5)
Various works (10)
Chamber Music (3)
Reduction/Arrangement (3)
Various works (2)