Akira Miyoshi

Akira Miyoshi (三善　晃; January 10, 1933 – 4 October 2013^[1]) was a Japanese composer.

Miyoshi was born in Suginami, Tokyo. He was a child prodigy on the piano, studying with Kozaburo Hirai and Tomojiro Ikenouchi. He studied French literature at the University of Tokyo,^[2] and then at the Paris Conservatory with Henri Challan and Raymond Gallois-Montbrun from 1955 to 1957. He was very influenced by Henri Dutilleux.^[3] He returned to Japan in 1957 and continued studying French, graduating in 1960. In 1965, he became a professor at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. Miyoshi received the 31st Suntory Music Award (1999). He won four Otaka prizes for his compositions.^[4]

Works

Orchestral

• 1960 Trois mouvements symphoniques – (Kôkyô sanshô)
• 1962 Concerto for piano and orchestra
• 1964 Duel for soprano and orchestra
• 1964 Concerto for Orchestra
• 1965 Concerto for violin and orchestra
• 1969 Concerto for marimba and string ensemble
• 1969 Odes métamorphosées
• 1970 Festival Overture
• 1970 Requiem for mixed choir and orchestra
• 1974 Concerto for cello and orchestra
• 1978 Noesis
• 1979 Psaume for mixed choir and orchestra
• 1982 En-Soi Lointain
• 1984 Kyômon for children's choir and orchestra
• 1988 Litania pour Fuji
• 1991 Création sonore
• 1991 Etoiles à cordes
• 1995 Dispersion de l'été
• 1996 Étoile à échos for cello and orchestra
• 1997 Fruits de brume
• 1998 Chanson terminale: Effeuillage des Vagues

Works for wind orchestra

• 1972 Sapporo Olympic Fanfare
• 1987 Subliminal Festa – (Secret Rites)
• 1990 Stars Atlanpic '96
• 1991 Cross-By March
• 2000 Millennium Fanfare
• 2002 West Wind (timpani concerto)

Chamber music

• 1954 Violin Sonata
• 1955 Sonata for flute, cello and piano
• 1962 String Quartet No. 1
• 1967 String Quartet No. 2
• 1969 Huit poèmes for flute octet
• 1973 Nocturne for flute, clarinet, marimba, double bass and percussion
• 1975 Litania for double bass and percussion
• 1979 Hommage for flute, violin and piano
• 1980 Ixtacchihuatl for percussion ensemble
• 1982 Rêve colorie for two clarinets
• 1985 Message Sonore for flute, clarinet, marimba, double bass and percussion
• 1987 C6H for cello
• 1989 Ombre Scintillante for flute and harp
• 1989 Perspective en Spirale for clarinet and piano
• 1990 5 Esquisses for tuba and marimba
• 1992 String Quartet No. 3: Constellation Noire

Music for piano

• 1958 Piano Sonata
• 1960 Suite In Such Time
• 1973 Chaînes Prelude for piano
• 1980 En vers for piano
• 1981 A Diary of the Sea (28 pieces)
• 1984 Phenomene sonore I for two pianos
• 1985 Cahier sonore for four-hand piano
• 1995 Phenomene sonore II for two pianos
• 1998 Pour le piano – mouvement circulaire et croisé

Music for guitar

• 1974 Protase "de loin à rien" for two guitars
• 1975 Epitase
• 1985 5 Poèmes
• 1989 Constellation Noire for guitar and string quartet

Music for Percussion

• 1962 Conversation – Suite for marimba
  1. Tender Talk
  2. So Nice It Was...Repeatedly
  3. Lingering Chagrin
  4. Again The Hazy Answer!
  5. A Lame Excuse
• 1965 Torse III for marimba
  1. These
  2. Chant
  3. Commentaire
  4. Synthese
• 1977 Étude Concertante for 2 marimbas
• 1987 Rin-sai for marimba solo and six percussion players
• 1991 Ripple for marimba solo
• 2001 Prelude Etudes for marimba

Music for traditional Japanese instruments

• 1972 Torse IV for shakuhachi, 2 koto, 17-gen and string quartet
• 1986 Ryusho Kyoku Suifu for shakuhachi, 2 koto und 17-gen
• 1994 Gikyoku for Japanese instruments

Songs

• 1962 En blanc for soprano and piano
• 1962 Sei sanryoh hari for soprano and piano
• 1991 Koeru Kage ni for soprano and piano

Choral music

• 1962 Three Lyrics(Mittsu no Jojoh) for women's choir and piano
• 1962 To my married Daughter for mixed choir
• 1966 Four Seasons for mixed choir
• 1968 Five Pictures for Children for mixed choir and piano
  1. The weathercock
  2. The trumpet-shell
  3. "Yajiro-be" – A balancing toy
  4. The sand-glass
  5. A top of acorn
• 1970 Ohson fuki(Ohson didn't come back) for men's choir and piano
• 1971 Four Autumn Songs for women's choir and piano
• 1972 Odeko no koitsu for children's choir and piano
• 1973 5 Japanese Folksongs for mixed choir
  1. Awa odori
  2. Sado Okesa
  3. Kiso bushi
  4. Soran bushi
  5. Itsuki no komoriuta
• 1973 Otewanmiso no uta for mixed choir
• 1975 Hengetan'ei for mixed choir, shakuhachi, percussion instrument and 17-gen
• 1976 Kitsune-no-uta(Song of Fox) for children's choir, speaker, and piano
• 1978 Klee no ehon dai1shū(Klee's Picture book　No.1) for mixed choir and guitar
• 1979 Klee no ehon dai2shū(Klee's Picture book　No.2) for men's choir
• 1982 Norainu Doji for women's choir and piano
• 1983 Ballades to the Earth for mixed choir
• 1983 Poems of Animals for mixed choir and piano
• 1984 Poems of Animals for women's choir and piano
• 1984 Collection of songs "Died in the Country" for mixed choir and two pianos
• 1985 Letters To God for children's choir and marimba
• 1987 Umi(The Sea) for mixed choir and two pianos
• 1991 Yamagara Diary for children's choir, sanukite and marimba
• 1992 Asakura Sanka for speaker, mixed choir, Japanese flute and Taiko
• 1996 Kamuy no kaze (Wind of Kamuy) for mixed choir and piano
• 2007 The Day - August 6 for mixed choir and piano

Stage works

(very incomplete)

• 1959 "Ondine", opera
• 1999 Faraway Sail, opera

Anime music

• Anne of Green Gables

Books and writings

• Akira Miyoshi: The Silent Beat of Japanese Music, in Japanese Essences (Japan as I see it – 3) Shichi Yamamoto, Kenichi Fukui et al., Tokyo. 1985.
• Yoko Narasaki: Toru Takemitsu to Akira Miyoshi no Sakkyoku Yoshiki (The Style of Composition of Toru Takemitsu and Akira Miyoshi). Tokyo: Ongaku no Tomosha, 1994.

External links

• Akira Miyoshi at the Internet Movie Database
• Akira Miyoshi - List of Works
• Akira Miyoshi (TOKYO CONCERTS)

Sources

Oxford Music on Line, Yoko Narazaki, Miyoshi,Akira.

Notes