Teizo Matsumura
Encyclopedia
Teizo Matsumura was a Japanese
composer
and poet
.
Orphaned and suffering from tuberculosis
, during his recovery in the early 1950s he began to write both haiku
and music. He studied with Tomojiro Ikenouchi
. He was influenced by Ravel
and Stravinsky
, but also Asian traditions. He was Professor Emeritus of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
.
Matsumura is best known for his opera Chinmoku (in English The Silence) based on a novel by Shusaku Endo
. This has been recorded.
Matsumura is the recipient of the 1974 UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers
and of the 1978 Suntory Music Award
.
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...
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 poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Orphaned and suffering from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, during his recovery in the early 1950s he began to write both haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
and music. He studied with Tomojiro Ikenouchi
Tomojiro Ikenouchi
was a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music and professor born in Tokyo, Japan. The son of a haiku poet, Ikenouchi traveled to Paris in 1927, where he studied composition with Henri Büsser and piano with Lazare Levy. His music is influenced by French Impressionist music...
. He was influenced by Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
and Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, but also Asian traditions. He was Professor Emeritus of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
or is one of the oldest and most prestigious art schools in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju, Adachi, Tokyo...
.
Matsumura is best known for his opera Chinmoku (in English The Silence) based on a novel by Shusaku Endo
Shusaku Endo
Shūsaku Endō was a 20th-century Japanese author who wrote from the unusual perspective of being both Japanese and Catholic...
. This has been recorded.
Matsumura is the recipient of the 1974 UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers
International Rostrum of Composers
The International Rostrum of Composers is an annual forum organized by the International Music Council that offers broadcasting representatives the opportunity to exchange and publicize pieces of contemporary classical music...
and of the 1978 Suntory Music Award
Suntory Music Award
The , previously known as the , designed to promote Western music in Japan, has been given by the Suntory Music Foundation since their establishment in 1969. The award is presented annually to individuals or groups for the greatest achievement in the development of Western or contemporary music in...
.
Major works
- Achime for soprano, percussion and 11 players (1957)
- Cryptogame for instrumental ensemble (1958)
- Musique pour quatuor à cordes et pianoforte (1962)
- Symphony (1965)
- Prélude pour orchestre (1968)
- Aprasas for female chorus with 2 harps, piano, harpsichord, celesta and string orchestra (1969)
- Totem Ritual for mixed chorus with 8 percussions, piano, harpsichord and orchestra (1969)
- Deux berceuses à la Grèce for piano (1969)
- Poème I for shakuhachi and koto (1969)
- Courtyard of Apsaras for flute, violin and piano (1971)
- Poème II for shakuhachi solo (1972)
- Two Poems by the Prince of Karu for soprano and piano (1973)
- Piano Concerto No. 1 (1973)
- Piano Concerto No. 2 (1978)
- Hymn to Aurora for mixed chorus with cello, harp, percussion, piano, organ and oboe d'amore (1978)
- Fantasy for thirteen-string koto solo (1980)
- Cello Concerto (Concerto per violoncello ed orchestra) (1984)
- Air of Prayer for seventeen-string koto solo (1984)
- Air of Prayer for cello solo (1985)
- Pneuma for strings (1986)
- Trio pour violon, violoncelle et piano (1986)
- Homage to Akira Ifukube for orchestra (1988)
- Opera "Silence" (1993)
- Nocturne for harp solo (1994)
- Quatuor à cordes (1996)
- Poor Faithful for voice and piano (1996)
- Symphony No. 2 (1998)
- Pilgrimage I - III for piano (1999-2000)
- To the Night of Gethsemane for orchestra (2002)
Film score
- 100 Gamblers (1969)
- Apart from Life (1970)
- Sea and Poison (1985)
- Pickpocket (2000)
- Darkness in the Light (2001)
- A Boy's Summer in 1945 (2002)
- The Face of Jizo (2004)
External links
- Biography
- Interview with Matsumura Teizo - Documentary Box (Interviewer: Kitakoji Takashi)