Miyoshi, Akira 1933 - 2013
Author: Iida, Arisa
Last updated：April 24, 2018
Author: Iida, Arisa
He composed numerous works, including orchestral, chamber, and vocal pieces, and his style is noted for its influence from French modern music. Born in Tokyo, he began piano lessons at Jiyu Gakuen's music school at age three, and after entering elementary school, he studied composition with Kozaburo Hirai. Subsequently, he studied under Tomojiro Ikenouchi. Opting not to pursue composition at a music university, he enrolled in the Department of French Literature at the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Letters in 1951. While still a student, he gained recognition by winning the chamber music division of the 22nd Japan Music Competition (1953) with his Sonata for clarinet, bassoon, and piano. In the same year, he studied under Raymond Gallois-Montbrun, who visited Japan. In 1954, his Concerto Symphonique for Piano and Orchestra, composed that year, earned him his first Otaka Prize.
From 1955, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris as a French government scholarship student. During his studies abroad, he continued to study under Gallois-Montbrun, also learned from Henri Challan, and was strongly influenced by Henri Dutilleux.
He returned to Japan in 1957. The following year, his Symphonic Metamorphoses, composed in 1958, received its broadcast premiere performed by the NHK Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Hiroyuki Iwaki. This work is structured around symmetrical chromatic patterns centered on E, and transformational themes derived from them. The use of semitones and transformation became important formative principles in Miyoshi's works of this period. While Dutilleux's influence is noted particularly regarding transformation, the motif transformations in his Piano Concerto (1962) and Concerto for Orchestra (1964) from the 1960s feature a unique tempo design that incorporates the 'Jo-Ha-Kyu' character found in traditional Japanese music, while using the minor second (semitone) as the central interval of their construction. Alongside orchestral works, he also composed vocal pieces. In addition to numerous songs such as Kogen Dansho (Fragments of a Plateau) (1955) and Shiroku (White) (1962), he received the Arts Festival Award for the choral suite Kodomo no Kisetsu (Children's Season) (1965), and the Arts Festival Encouragement Award for the choral work Itsutsu no Dogaka (Five Children's Pictures) (1968), which was highly praised for its classically refined style.
From his String Quartet No. 2 in 1967, atonal sonorities became prominent, and in the 1970s, the use of graphic notation and instructions for extended techniques increased. Such compositional techniques culminated in Requiem for chorus and orchestra (1971), Psalms for mixed chorus and orchestra (1979), and Kyomon (Resonant Patterns) for children's chorus and orchestra (1984). Requiem, which listens to the voices of the dead; Psalms, a call from the living to the dead; and Kyomon, which uses children's voices based on the children's song 'Kagome,' are known as the 'Trilogy for Chorus and Orchestra,' depicting Miyoshi's view of life and death. This concept also permeates his 1990s works, known as the 'Tetralogy': Natsu no Sanran (Summer Scattering) (1995), Kodama Tsuri-boshi (Echoing Hanging Stars) and Kiri no Kajitsu (Fruits of Mist) (1996), and Enka Nami-tsumi (Song of Demise, Wave Picking) (1998).
Furthermore, he actively engaged in the field of piano education, leaving behind widely beloved piano collections such as Oto no Mori (Forest of Sounds) (1978) and Umi no Nikki-cho (Sea Diary) (1981), and also dedicated efforts to developing piano methods for children and organizing the 'Akira Miyoshi Piano Competition'. He served in various capacities, including President of Toho Gakuen School of Music and Director of Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. He was a member of the Japan Art Academy and a Person of Cultural Merit. He received numerous awards, including the Otaka Prize (six times) and the Suntory Music Award.
Author : Sudoh, Eiko
Last Updated: April 1, 2006
[Open]
Author : Sudoh, Eiko
Born in Tokyo, he began playing piano in early childhood and, from elementary school onwards, studied composition under Kozaburo Hirai. While studying in the Department of French Literature at the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Letters, he won the Japan Music Competition and also received the Otaka Prize and the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival Encouragement Prize, instantly gaining significant attention. Subsequently, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris as a scholarship student, where he studied under Henri Challan and Raymond Gallois-Montbrun. He was also strongly influenced by Henri Dutilleux. From the conflict between Western academicism and Japanese formative principles, he established his own musical style, which is atonal yet possesses refined harmonies. He has actively engaged with piano works, and in recent years, has dedicated himself to piano education, including the development of piano methods for children and the establishment of the "Akira Miyoshi Piano Competition." He has served in various capacities, including President of Toho Gakuen School of Music and Director of Tokyo Bunka Kaikan. He is a member of the Japan Art Academy and a Person of Cultural Merit. He has received numerous awards, including the Otaka Prize (six times) and the Suntory Music Award.
Works(35)
Concerto
Works with orchestral accompaniment (1)
Piano Solo
pieces (6)
Various works (8)
Piano Ensemble
character pieces (2)
Various works (3)
Lied