Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996)

Introduction
Toru Takemitsu was born in Tokyo in 1930 and was largely self taught in music from a young age. At just 14 years old, he served in the military of his Japanese Nationalist government and it was during this time that he was first exposed to Western classical music. He dedicated the rest of his life after the war to the pursuit of musical creativity and innovation. Takemitsu wrote hundreds of independent works of music, scored for over 90 films, and published 20 books on aesthetics and music theory.

Work Analysis
Orion (1983-1984) - This piece was written for piano and cello and it explores some interesting musical territory. The first thing to notice when looking at the score is the mixing of odd meters. This makes for a very engaging creation and release of tension at unexpected times throughout the piece. The mixture of piano and cello allows for a distinct timbre and sound, especially with the various techniques that are used such as pizzicato and glissando in the cello. Harmonically, Takemitsu makes great use of sustained spread voicings to create an open sound and includes a mix of quartal and quintal harmonies in the piano. Dense harmonies are dispersed throughout the upper and lower registers and mictronal movement in the cello is another distinct characteristic of this work.

Comparisons
The combination of cello and piano are reminiscent of Ives' work with piano and solo vocals. The ominous and elongated tones from the cello reminded me of the vocal lines from The Indians by Ives. From an aesthetic perspective as well as an analytical perspective, Takemitsu's influence from Cage, Webern, Messiaen, and Debussy were also apparent in his music in several ways.

Observations
I was fascinated with how Takemitsu was able manipulate timbre in such expressive ways. As well as calculated and precise, I could describe his music as sensitive and tasteful. I certainly came to admire the ways in which he sought originality and freedom in sound.