Minoru Miki
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese composer
and artistic director, particularly known for his promotional activities in favour of Japanese (as well as Chinese
and Korea
n) traditional instruments
and some of their performers.
His vast catalogue, where aforementioned traditional instruments figure profusely either solo or in various types of ensemble with or without Western instruments, demonstrates large stylistic and formal diversity. It includes opera
s and several types of stage music as well as orchestra
l, concerto
, chamber
and solo music, and music for film
s. Miki is probably the second best known Japanese composer overseas after Tōru Takemitsu
.
He is a pioneer in the composition of contemporary classical music
for large ensembles of traditional Japanese musical instruments
. In 1964 he founded the Nihon Ongaku Shūdan (Pro Musica Nipponia ensemble), also known as Ensemble Nipponia, for which he has composed extensively.
, graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1964.
In 1964 Miki founded Pro musica Nipponia (日本音楽集団), an orchestra of traditional Japanese instruments for which he composed a large number of works. He also began cooperation with koto
virtuoso Keiko Nosaka
, developing the 21-string koto and reviving the instrument's repertoire with many new works in a variety of genres and combinations, including five concertos for koto and orchestra.
Miki composed his first opera, Shunkinsho (based on Tanizaki's novel of the same title), in 1975. Interest by members of the English Music Theatre Company in Japanese traditional music led to contacts with Miki which resulted in the commission of Ada, An Actor's Revenge, to an English libretto by James Kirkup
, which premiered in London in 1979. During this period Miki developed a relationship with theatre and opera director Colin Graham
that was to last until the latter's death in 2007. The most notable result of this cooperation was the opera Jōruri, commissioned by Graham for the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
(where he had moved following the disbandment of the EMTC in 1980) and premiered there in 1985.
From 1992 with Wakahime, Miki turns to a pan-Asian perspective, incorporating music and instruments from a number of Asian countries in his compositions and collaborating with a number of Asian artists. Some of Miki's operas from here on - and notably Wakahime and Aien - also increasingly tend to deal with episodes of Japan's presence and interaction with its Asian neighbouring countries, often incorporating the use on stage ad within the plot of such countries' traditional instruments.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and artistic director, particularly known for his promotional activities in favour of Japanese (as well as Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n) traditional instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
and some of their performers.
His vast catalogue, where aforementioned traditional instruments figure profusely either solo or in various types of ensemble with or without Western instruments, demonstrates large stylistic and formal diversity. It includes opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s and several types of stage music as well as orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l, concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
, chamber
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
and solo music, and music for film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s. Miki is probably the second best known Japanese composer overseas after Tōru Takemitsu
Toru Takemitsu
was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre...
.
He is a pioneer in the composition of contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
for large ensembles of traditional Japanese musical instruments
Traditional Japanese musical instruments
Traditional Japanese musical instruments comprise a wide range of string, wind, and percussion instruments.-Plucked:*Biwa - pear-shaped lute*Ichigenkin - one-string zither*Koto - long zither*Junanagen - 17-stringed zither...
. In 1964 he founded the Nihon Ongaku Shūdan (Pro Musica Nipponia ensemble), also known as Ensemble Nipponia, for which he has composed extensively.
Biography
Miki was born in Tokushima in 1930, and his first musical experiences were connected with the traditional music of his region. He had no formal music education before he moved to Okayama for high school, where he first contacted with European classical music. From there he moved to TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1964.
In 1964 Miki founded Pro musica Nipponia (日本音楽集団), an orchestra of traditional Japanese instruments for which he composed a large number of works. He also began cooperation with koto
Koto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
virtuoso Keiko Nosaka
Keiko Nosaka
is a prominent Japanese koto player, specializing in contemporary music. She is known for her work with the 20-string and 25-string bass kotos, which she helped to develop. The Japanese composer Akira Ifukube composed for her....
, developing the 21-string koto and reviving the instrument's repertoire with many new works in a variety of genres and combinations, including five concertos for koto and orchestra.
Miki composed his first opera, Shunkinsho (based on Tanizaki's novel of the same title), in 1975. Interest by members of the English Music Theatre Company in Japanese traditional music led to contacts with Miki which resulted in the commission of Ada, An Actor's Revenge, to an English libretto by James Kirkup
James Kirkup
James Falconer Kirkup, FRSL was a prolific English poet, translator and travel writer. He was brought up in South Shields, and educated at South Shields Secondary School and Durham University. He wrote over 30 books, including autobiographies, novels and plays...
, which premiered in London in 1979. During this period Miki developed a relationship with theatre and opera director Colin Graham
Colin Graham
Colin Graham, OBE was a British-born stage director of opera, theater, and television.Graham was educated at Northaw School , Stowe School and RADA...
that was to last until the latter's death in 2007. The most notable result of this cooperation was the opera Jōruri, commissioned by Graham for the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is a summer opera festival held in St. Louis, Missouri. Typically four operas, all sung in English, are presented each season, which runs from late May to late June. Performances are accompanied by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, which is divided into two...
(where he had moved following the disbandment of the EMTC in 1980) and premiered there in 1985.
From 1992 with Wakahime, Miki turns to a pan-Asian perspective, incorporating music and instruments from a number of Asian countries in his compositions and collaborating with a number of Asian artists. Some of Miki's operas from here on - and notably Wakahime and Aien - also increasingly tend to deal with episodes of Japan's presence and interaction with its Asian neighbouring countries, often incorporating the use on stage ad within the plot of such countries' traditional instruments.
Operatic cycle on Japanese history (日本史オペラ連作)
- ShunkinshōShunkinsho (opera), "A Portrait of Shunkin", is an opera by Minoru Miki, with Japanese libretto by .It premiered in Tokyo on 24 November 1975. It was composed earlier that year...
(春琴抄) - Ada, An Actor's Revenge (あだ; piano score by Geoffrey TozerGeoffrey TozerGeoffrey Tozer was an Australian classical pianist and composer. As a child prodigy, he composed an opera at the age of eight, and became the youngest recipient of a Churchill Fellowship award at 13...
) - Jōruri (じょうるり)
- Wakahime (ワカヒメ)
- Shizuka to Yoshitsune (静と義経)
- Sumidagawa/Kusabira (隅田川／くさびら)
- Genji monogatariGenji monogatari (opera)Genji monogatari is an opera by the Japanese composer Minoru Miki, with the libretto by Colin Graham, based on the eponymous masterpiece of 11th-century classical Japanese literature by Murasaki Shikibu. The opera was composed in 1999 and premiered in June 2000 at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis ...
(源氏物語) - Aien (愛怨)
Other stage works
- The Monkey Poet (1983)
- Yomigaeru 読み蛙(1992)
- From the Land of Light 光の国から (Ballet)
Film music
- On the Road: A DocumentOn the Road: A Documentis a Japanese documentary from 1964 directed by Noriaki Tsuchimoto.-Film content:The film focuses on the taxi drivers of Tokyo in the year before the Tokyo Olympics and the difficulties they face: construction obstructing traffic, poor working conditions, numerous accidents, and bad pay...
(ドキュメント路上 Dokyumento rojō) (1964), directed by Noriaki TsuchimotoNoriaki Tsuchimotowas a Japanese documentary film director known for his films on Minamata disease and examinations of the effects of modernization on Asia. Tsuchimoto and Shinsuke Ogawa have been called the "two figures [that] tower over the landscape of Japanese documentary."-Early years:Tsuchimoto was born in... - In the Realm of the SensesIn the Realm of the Sensesis a 1976 Franco-Japanese romantic drama film directed by Nagisa Oshima. It is a fictionalised and sexually explicit treatment of an incident from 1930s Japan, that of Sada Abe...
愛のコリーダ (1976), Nagisa OshimaNagisa Oshimais a Japanese film director and screenwriter. After graduating from Kyoto University he was hired by Shochiku Ltd. and quickly progressed to directing his own movies, making his debut feature A Town of Love and Hope in 1959....
(dir.)
Orchestral
- Trinita sinfonica (1953)
- Symphony Joya (1960)
- Symphony from Life (1980)
- Beijing Requiem (1990), string orch
- MAI 舞 (1992)
Orchestral with soloist(s)
- Marimba Concerto (1969)
- Eurasian Trilogy 鳳凰三連 (1969; 74; 81), Japanese and Western instruments
- Koto Concerto N. 1 (1974); this piece is also the second movement of Eurasian Trilogy
- Koto Concerto N. 2 (1978)
- Koto Concerto N. 3 (1980); aka Concerto Requiem
- Koto Concerto N. 4 (1984); aka Pine Concerto 松の協奏曲
- Koto Concerto N. 5 (1985)
- Z Concerto (1992), marimba and percussion soli
- Pipa Concerto (1997)
- Requiem 99 (1998); marimba solo, orchestra of Japanese traditional instruments
- Trio Concerto (2000), shakuhati, pipa, 21-koto soli, orchestra of Japanese instruments
- Shakuhati Concerto (2002), aka Lotus Concerto
Chamber
- Piano Sextet (1965), fl, ob, cl, bn, hn, pf
- Piano Trio (1986), pf, vn, vc
- String Quartet (1989)
- Marimba Spiritual (1983) marimba solo with percussion trio
Solo
- Time for Marimba, (1968), marimba
- Ballades for koto (I-Winter, 1969; II-Spring, 1976; III-Summer, 1983, ; IV-Autumn, 1990)
External links
- Minoru Miki's Homepage
- Composing for Japanese Instruments Minoru Miki's classic work on using Japanese, Chinese and Korean traditional instruments in concert music, translated by one of his former pupils, Marty Regan, and edited by Philip Flavin (University of Rochester Press 2008). The book includes two CDs.