Toru Takemitsu and the Films of the Japanese New Wave

Mathieu Capel mathieucapel at gmail.com
Mon Apr 28 06:14:02 EDT 2008


Hello,

I'm jumping a little bit late into the conversation, but I wanted to
point some more references out about Takemitsu's works. Unfortunately,
I don't know the Takemitsu zenshu's box, and I assume that you may
find everything you need in there...

Anyway, I think Takemitsu Toru's works in the 60's shall not be
severed from Teshigahara's Sogetsu Art Center, what was the key place
for experimentations in music, with performances by other infamous
composers, Ichiyanagi Toshi, Takahashi Yûji and the likes (including
the jazz avant-garde).
The relationship between Teshigahara and Takemitsu are reported to
have been very close, and I wonder if the ideas (or ideals) Takemitsu
wanted to develop, his conceptions of a film score, were not achieved
when working with Teshigahara... For Takemitsu was considering film
score as a whole (or totality), beginning with the first image of the
film and ending with the end title = i.e. Takemitsu, of course, did
considered silent (w.o music) scenes as a part of the score, and I
think that his work as a composer for film was about editing as well.
When possible, he would decide himself where music was to be heard,
which scenes should be sustained or not by music, etc.
Teshigahara's White morning is kind of representative of this
tendancy, for the editing of this short movie seems to have been
conceived from the editing of several hours of Takemitsu's field
recordings itself...
One interesting example to the contrary may be the "failure" of the
collaboration between Yoshida Kijû and Takemitsu for 1964's Escape
from Japan, for Yoshida would not let him decide for editing music.
Anyway, Escape from Japan's score is very exciting - but was credited
to two people, Takemitsu and Yagi Masao... (In 1988, Yoshida and
Takemitsu finally worked together again for Arashigaoka/Wuthering
heights, and Yoshida even wrote in 1981 an interesting paper about
Takemitsu : "Mushirareta niwatori no umo to Takemitsu Toru no inner
sound")

Anyway, maybe should you take a look to 2003 catalogue for Sogetsu art
center, "Kagayake 60 nendai", where you can find many informations
about Takemitsu as well as Takemitsu's original contributions (I
assume that eveything can be read in the Takemitsu zenshû too... but
it may be interesting to compare with the works and writings of other
composers (?)...)
The japanese edition of Teshigahara's works also features an
interesting article about Takemitsu from "sound & visual writer"
Maejima Hidekuni (is it the good transcription for 前島秀国  ?)...

Everything's in Japanese, but if you find someone kind enough to...

Mathieu Capel
Paris





2008/4/25, Angelo Masucci <amasucci at gmail.com>:
> Thanks again to everyone for your help.
>
> Angelo Masucci
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 8:14 PM, <Asako_Yoshida at umanitoba.ca> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Dear Prof. Hall,
> >
> > Thank you very much for this.  Here is the link to the WorldCat record:
> >
> >
> http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/53348108&referer=brief_results
> >
> >
> >
> > Asako
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > At Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:58:40 -0700, Jonathan M. Hall wrote:
> >
> > > WorldCat  lists the Zenshu in the following Libraries.
> > >
> > > UNIV OF ARIZONA
> > > LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
> > > UNIV OF CHICAGO
> > > HARVARD UNIV, LOEB MUSIC LIBR
> > > UNIV OF HONG KONG LIBR
> > >
> > > The University of California Irvine Library ordered this tremendous
> > > resource last year--thankfully before the drop in the dollar-- but
> > > we're still waiting for it to come in.
> > > This kind of purchase usually needs special approval, so please
> > > consider submitting it if your local university library has public
> > > calls for large-item acquisitions.
> > >
> > > JMH
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Apr 24, 2008, at 7:26 AM, Peter Grilli wrote:
> > >
> > >> Angelo & Asako:
> > >>
> > >> The 5-volume set called "The Complete Toru Takemitsu" (Takemitsu
> > >> Zenshu), referred to by Asako Yoshida, is a superb compilation of
> > >> music, books, letters, essays, film materials, and other
> > >> information about Takemitsu.
> > >> It's beautifully packaged in five boxes, published by Shogakkan,
> > >> and it includes 55 CDs of Takemitsu music and five books.
> > >>
> > >> Unfortunately, however, it's almost totally in Japanese.  (There
> > >> are some concert reviews and incidental writings in English -- but
> > >> everything else is in Japanese.)
> > >>
> > >> Angelo, if you read Japanese this is a gold mine!
> > >> If you don't, you should find someone who does read Japanese, first
> > >>  to help you select the material directly relevant to your
> > >> research.  Then, beg that person to translate that material for you.
> > >>
> > >> I can send you a catalogue describing the contents of the 5-volume
> > >> "Complete Takemitsu" -- but the catalogue itself is also completely
> > >>  in Japanese.   Here's a rough breakdown of the contents of the 5
> > >> boxed volumes:
> > >>
> > >> I.  Orchestral Works (includes 12 CDs)
> > >> II. Instrumental Works, Chamber Music, and Choral Music (includes  11
> CDs)
> > >> III. Music for the Movies, 1  (10 CDs) -- This box includes music
> > >> from about 60 films, composed between 1952 and 1969.  Since you're
> > >> working on Takemitsu's music for New Wave movies, this is the
> > >> material most relevant to your needs.)
> > >> IV. Music for the Movies, 2 (10 CDs) -- includes music from Toru's
> > >> last 39 film scores (1970-95)
> > >> V. Popular Music, Tape Music, Incidental Music for Theater Works,
> > >> TV, and Radio, Addenda. (12 CDs)
> > >>
> > >> I was a member of the editorial advisory group for this project,
> > >> and I lobbied hard for an English version -- or, at least, English
> > >> translations of some of the key written materials.  But
> > >> unfortunately I was overruled by budgetary considerations.
> > >> Still, this is an extremely valuable compilation of Takemitsu music
> > >>  and information about him and his work (both his musical works and
> > >>  his theoretical and philosophical writings).  It should be part of
> > >>  every serious academic music library.
> > >>
> > >> Good luck with your research!
> > >>
> > >> Peter Grilli
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> -----Original Message-----
> > >> From: owner-KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
> [mailto:owner-
> > >> KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu]On Behalf Of
> > >> Asako_Yoshida at Umanitoba.ca
> > >> Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 9:27 AM
> > >> To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
> > >> Subject: Re: Toru Takemitsu and the Films of the Japanese New Wave
> > >>
> > >> Hi Angelo,
> > >>
> > >> I'm a great fun of his music myself. When I Googled, I found an
> > >> interesting 5-volume publication about Takemitsu and his art which
> > >> came out in 2002: Takemitsu Toru Zenshu from Shogakkan (http://
> > >> www.shogakukan.co.jp/takemitsu/all/05.html).
> > >>
> > >> The publication tries to gather many unpublished or not well noted
> > >> among Japanese audiences in one collection. It, for example,
> > >> includes an essay by Shinoda, if you can read Japanese. The page
> > >> above includes Table of Contents and indicates that the materials
> > >> written by Donald Richie, Daniel Shmid, and Peter Grilli gathered
> > >> in the collection might be related to his movie music.
> > >> Unfortunately, worldcat does not include this publication, but you
> > >> can draw some hints from the page and search worldcat to see what
> > >> might be available and accessible here. For example, I found a
> > >> collection of interviews including Takemitsu himself in this DVD
> > >> through worldcat:
> > >>
> > >>
> http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/174128399&referer=brief_results,
> > >>
> > >> or VHS:
> > >>
> http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/222789680&referer=brief_results
> > >>
> > >> Cheers,
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Asako
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> At Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:19:49 -0400, Angelo Masucci wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> Hi, my name is Angelo Masucci and I just signed on. I'm a  graduate
> student
> > >>> at the New School University here in New York City and am now
> > >> taking a class
> > >>> on Japanese New Wave Film.
> > >>>
> > >>> I'm about to begin a research paper on the role of Toru  Takemitsu's
> > >> music in
> > >>> a few of the films of the Japanese New Wave (Crazed Fruit, Double
> Suicide,
> > >>> and probably Woman in the Dunes). Unfortunately, in doing my  research
> I'm
> > >>> discovering that there is little out there on Takemitsu's film  work.
> The
> > >>> majority of the books and articles I cam across focus primarily  on
> his
> > >>> orchestra pieces which are outside the scope of what I'm looking  to
> do. I
> > >>> know there's a short documentary on his film work which is  useful,
> but I'm
> > >>> very much in need of some deeper material.
> > >>>
> > >>> I'm wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of some
> materials
> > >>> that might be useful.
> > >>>
> > >>> Thank you in advance,
> > >>>
> > >>> Angelo Masucci
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Asako Yoshida
> > >> Reference Services
> > >> Elizabeth Dafoe Library
> > >> University of Manitoba
> > >> Asako_Yoshida at Umanitoba.ca
> > >> (204) 474-6591
> > >>
> > >> "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
> > >> -- William Butler Yeats
> > >>
> > >> "Banking education treats students as objects of assistance;
> problem-posing
> > >> education makes them critical thinkers."
> > >> --Paulo Freire
> > >>
> > >> "He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and
> > >> walk and run
> > >> and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying."
> > >> "Necessity is not an established fact, but an interpretation."
> > >> -- Frederich Nietzsche
> > >>
> > >> "What strikes me is the fact that in our society, art has become
> something
> > >> which is only related to objects, and not to individuals, or to life."
> > >> -- Michel Foucault
> > >>
> > >> "The idea that we can manage our world is uniquely twentieth- century
> and
> > >> chiefly American."
> > >> -- David Weinberger
> > >>
> > >> "Creators here and everywhere are always and at all times building
> upon the
> > >> creativity that went before and that surrounds them now."
> > >> -- Lawrence Lessig
> > >>
> > >> "...in a network, the knowledge is emergent. The knowledge is not
> > >> in any given
> > >> individual, but it's a property of the network as a whole.
> > >> Consequently, it's a
> > >> knowledge that cannot, does not, exist in any individual, but only  in
> the
> > >> network as a whole. It's emergent."
> > >> -- Stephen Downes
> > >>
> > >> "When they develop a design, 'We capture a concrete individual
> perspective
> > >> rather than focusing on an average target image drawn from
> > >> marketing data'...
> > >> The design hint resides in specific individuals' perspectives."
> > >> -- "Design matters,because it's all about me," December 18, 2007,
> > >> Nikkei Design.
> > >>
> > >> About learning and "information overload": "It's a river, not a
> > >> reservoir......
> > >> filter, sift, select, and organize...."
> > >>
> > >>
> >
> >
> > Asako Yoshida
> > Reference Services
> > Elizabeth Dafoe Library
> > University of Manitoba
> > Asako_Yoshida at Umanitoba.ca
> > (204) 474-6591
> >
> > "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
> > -- William Butler Yeats
> >
> > "Banking education treats students as objects of assistance;
> problem-posing
> > education makes them critical thinkers."
> > --Paulo Freire
> >
> > "He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and
> run
> > and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying."
> > "Necessity is not an established fact, but an interpretation."
> > -- Frederich Nietzsche
> >
> > "What strikes me is the fact that in our society, art has become something
> > which is only related to objects, and not to individuals, or to life."
> > -- Michel Foucault
> >
> > "The idea that we can manage our world is uniquely twentieth-century and
> > chiefly American."
> > -- David Weinberger
> >
> > "Creators here and everywhere are always and at all times building upon
> the
> > creativity that went before and that surrounds them now."
> > -- Lawrence Lessig
> >
> > "...in a network, the knowledge is emergent. The knowledge is not in any
> given
> > individual, but it's a property of the network as a whole. Consequently,
> it's a
> > knowledge that cannot, does not, exist in any individual, but only in the
> > network as a whole. It's emergent."
> > -- Stephen Downes
> >
> > "When they develop a design, 'We capture a concrete individual perspective
> > rather than focusing on an average target image drawn from marketing
> data'...
> > The design hint resides in specific individuals' perspectives."
> > -- "Design matters,because it's all about me," December 18, 2007, Nikkei
> Design.
> >
> > About learning and "information overload": "It's a river, not a
> reservoir......
> > filter, sift, select, and organize...."
> >
> >
>
>


-- 
Mathieu Capel
67 rue de la Roquette
75011 Paris
06 50 32 45 00 / 01 43 79 19 19
mathieucapel at gmail.com


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