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Matsudaira, Yoriaki 1931 - 2023

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  • Author: Hirano, Takatoshi

  • Last updated:April 24, 2018
  • Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

    Composer, biophysicist (1931–2023). Born in Tokyo as the only son of Yoritsune Matsudaira (1907–2001). Around the age of 14, he became interested in "science and the possibility of composition not solely dependent on emotion," and enrolled in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University. In 1956, he formed "Group 20.5" with Hifumi Shimoyama and other disciples of Yoritsune. He taught at the Faculty of Science, Rikkyo University from 1958, obtained his Doctor of Science degree from Tokyo Metropolitan University in 1965, and served as a professor at Rikkyo University until 1996. After experimenting with total serialism, he became interested in indeterminacy following Toshi Ichiyanagi's return to Japan and John Cage's visit in 1961–62, and released the electronic music piece Transient '64 (1964). In the late 1960s, he encountered Robert Rauschenberg's "Combine Paintings" in the United States and began practicing quotation. After Coherency for Arc (1976), he adopted a "new modality" that repetitively uses total interval series, and in Kurtosis I for Orchestra (1982), he introduced the "pitch-interval technique" based on this new modality for the first time in a rigorous manner. In 1980, he received the 28th Otaka Prize for Oscillation for Marimba and Orchestra (1977). In 1998, he was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon. He served as Chairman of the Japan Society for Contemporary Music (JSCM) (1998–2002) and became an Honorary Member of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) (2008).

    Author: Hirano, Takatoshi
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    Author : Hirano, Takatoshi

    Last Updated: April 24, 2018
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    Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

    Japanese Composer and Biophysicist (1931-2023)

    Only son of Yoritsune Matsudaira, he was born in Tokyo. When he was 14 years old, he became interested in ‘science and the possibility of composing music without depending only on emotions’. After entering the Department of Biology of the Tokyo Metropolitan University, in 1956 he formed ‘Group 20.5’, a composers’ association consisting of disciples of Yoritsune Matsudaira. Teaching biophysics at Rikkyo University since 1958 and obtaining his PhD in science in 1965 at the Tokyo Metropolitan University, he was a professor at Rikkyo University until 1996.

    In his first musical works, he experimented with total serialism. It was when Toshi Ichiyanagi returned to Japan in 1961 and John Cage visited Japan the next year that he came to be interested in indeterminacy, which was treated in Transient ’64 for electronic sounds (1964). In the latter half of the 1960s, when he was staying in America, he decided to use citations, inspired by the ‘combine painting’ of Robert Rauschenberg. Since Coherency for ARK (1976), he used the ‘new modality’, in which all-interval twelve-tone rows appear repetitively. Then, Kurtosis I (1982) became the first work where he rigorously applied the ‘pitch interval technique’, which is an extended version of the new modality.

    In 1980, Oscillation (1977) was awarded the 28th Otaka Prize. He received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1988, and became chairman of the JSCM (Japan Society for Contemporary Music, Japanese section of the ISCM) from 1998 to 2002 and an honorary member of the ISCM (International Society for Contemporary Music) in 2008.

    Works(36)

    Concerto

    Works with orchestral accompaniment (3)

    Recollection

    Composed in: 1989 

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    Revolution

    Composed in: 1991 

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    Remembrance

    Composed in: 1996 

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    Piano Solo

    etude (1)

    Etudes

    Composed in: 1971 

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    character pieces (1)

    Instruction

    Composed in: 1961 

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    Reduction/Arrangement (1)

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    Various works (27)

    24 Essays

    Composed in: 2000  Playing time: 53 min 00 sec 

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    Allotoropy

    Composed in: 1970 

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    Coding

    Composed in: 1978 

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    Why not? (piano version)

    Composed in: 1979 

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    Celebration

    Composed in: 1980 

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    Resonance

    Composed in: 1982 

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    Kurtosis II

    Composed in: 1982 

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    Blending

    Composed in: 1984 

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    Lamentation

    Composed in: 1987 

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    perspective A

    Composed in: 1987 

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    perspective B

    Composed in: 1987  Playing time: 11 min 00 sec 

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    Brightness

    Composed in: 1988 

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    Lexicon

    Composed in: 1989 

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    Toybox

    Composed in: 1989  Playing time: 10 min 20 sec 

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    GALA

    Composed in: 1990  Playing time: 10 min 10 sec 

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    Modification

    Composed in: 1990  Playing time: 10 min 20 sec 

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    Multistrata

    Composed in: 1990  Playing time: 8 min 00 sec 

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    Morphogenesis I

    Composed in: 1991 

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    Morphogenesis II

    Composed in: 1992 

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    Morphogenesis III

    Composed in: 1992 

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    Acrostics

    Composed in: 1992  Playing time: 12 min 10 sec 

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    Michelangelo's Pup

    Composed in: 1993  Playing time: 2 min 10 sec 

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    Morphogenesis IV

    Composed in: 1994 

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    to you from.....

    Composed in: 1994  Playing time: 9 min 50 sec 

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    List for INOUE SATOKO

    Composed in: 1997 

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    Memorial for KUNIHARU AKIYAMA

    Composed in: 1997 

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    Akademische Fest Musik

    Composed in: 2003 

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    Piano Ensemble

    Various works (2)

    Exercise

    Composed in: 2009  Playing time: 6 min 30 sec 

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    Binary-Stars

    Composed in: 1990  Playing time: 6 min 40 sec 

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    Chamber Music

    Various works (1)

    Epitaph for SATOSHI ASHIKAWA

    Composed in: 1984 

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