Composer
Biography:
Pipe Takemitsu, born October 8, 1930 in Tokyo, attended Keika Junior High School from 1943; at the age of 16 he decided to become a composer. In the post-war period, he listened to Western music on the radio of the American occupying forces - in addition to jazz, above all classical music by Debussy and Copland, but also by Schönberg.
Even if Takemitsu's composition studies were mainly self-taught, he sought contact with outstanding teachers: Toshi Ichiyanagi introduced him to the European avant-garde of Messiaen, Nono and Stockhausen; Fumio Hayasaka introduced him to the world of film music and put him in touch with director Akira Kurosawa, for whom Takemitsu set several film plots to music. In addition to his musical studies, Takemitsu was also interested in other arts such as modern painting, theatre, film and literature (especially poetry). In addition to his own experiences, his cultural-philosophical knowledge was based on an intensive exchange of ideas with Yasuji Kiyose.
In 1951, Takemitsu, along with other composers and representatives from various art fields, formed the group Jikken kobo (experimental workshop), whose avant-garde multimedia activities attracted increasing attention. Takemitsu taught composition at Yale University and has received numerous guest professorships at universities in the USA, Canada and Australia. He died in Tokyo on February 20, 1996.
Albums:
