equinox takemitsu.pdf

Abstract: This thesis serves as an analysis of Toru Takemitsu’s “Equinox.” This piece is one of a group of compositions for solo classical guitar that was written by a composer who was well established outside the world of classical guitar during the Twentieth Century, an idea that has led to an expansion of the instrument’s repertoire. “Equinox” in particular manages to sound cohesive even with untraditional uses of harmony and form. The purpose of this project is to determine why this is using analysis of pitch-content, contour, and form. Key Words: Takemtisu, Equinox, guitar

THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF MUSIC

A LOOK AT FORM AND PITCH CONTENT IN TORU TAKEMITSU’S “EQUINOX”

By

DAVID SETTLE

A Thesis submitted to the Department of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Honors in the Major

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The members of the Committee approve the thesis of David Settle defended on April 1, 2008.

______________________________ Evan Jones Thesis Director

______________________________ Bruce Holzman Outside Committee Member

______________________________ Clifton Callender Committee Member

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Table of Contents I. Introduction................................4-8 II. Themes and Form.....................9-19 III. Pitch Content...........................20-25 IV. Technical Aspects....................26-27 V. Conclusion................................28-29 VI. Bibliography............................30-31

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I. Introduction Twentieth-century music supplies an ample amount of challenges for analysis, such as defining form and tracing motives throughout pieces. It is also very diverse with many different styles and influences appearing and, in some cases, melding together. One important example of this is the influence of Eastern musical styles on Western music and vice versa. Toru Takemitsu is an extremely significant figure in this regard. His use of solo traditional Japanese instruments, the shakuhachi and the biwa, with a Western orchestra in November Steps (1967) garnered him much acclaim.1 Takemitsu manages to strike a balance between these instruments sounding like novelties and having them play in a Western style to blend in with the orchestra. He manages to create a juxtaposition between the Western and Eastern elements he utilizes. Takemitsu understood the compositional differences, especially with regards to temporal issues, between the two cultures, as exemplified in his article “My perception of time in traditional Japanese Music”: Looking at European buildings I am always struck by a physicality that asserts itself on a dimension that overcomes the flow of time. This is not only because they are large in comparison with Japanese buildings nor because they are usually constructed from stone, a material of great strength that is not easily worn away. It results rather from a difference between everyday life as a whole and its concepts, and is something that reveals itself most directly in architecture. In contrast to Western architecture, which occupies space in resistance to nature, Japanese architecture possesses a tendency to share space in common with nature.

For more information on Takemitsu’s use of traditional Japanese instruments with Western musical ideas, see: Yoko Narazaki with Masakata Kanazawa, “Takemitsu, Toru,” in Grove Music Online, edited by Laura Macy. http://www.grovemusic.com (accessed September 18, 2007). Toru Takemitsu, “One Sound,” Contemporary Music Review 8/2 (1994): 3-4. Yayoi Uno Everett, “Reflecting on two cultural ‘mirrors’: mode and signification of musical synthesis in Toru Takemitsu’s November Steps and Autumn,” in A Way A Lone: Writings on Toru Takemitsu, ed. Hugh de Ferranti and Yoko Narazaki (Tokyo: Academia Music Ltd., 2002): 125-154.

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The stone walls of Europe do not possess the lightness of wooden structures, and time seems to settle heavily on them. When one compares this with Japanese architecture, which changes its form (or space) in accordance with the shifts in the seasons, one is struck by the solid way in which the stone houses of Europe assert their existence. It is just as if time accumulates in a linear fashion from the points of these seemingly unbreakable buildings towards the depths of their centres.2

This analogy of European and Japanese architecture, and especially their reactions to the shifts in the seasons, can be observed in Equinox, written for classical guitar in 1993. Much like the Japanese architecture he references, different melodic ideas seem to change their form slightly as the piece develops. This creates the effect of hearing one motive subtly changing (like a Japanese structure) rather than a single motive repeated with no change (like “the stone walls of Europe” over time). As stated, Takemitsu was an important figure for twentieth-century music due to his blending of Eastern and Western musical styles. Ironically, he began his career eschewing traditional Japanese ideas in his music. He was exposed to Western art music while working at an American military base in Japan after World War II and decided shortly after that he wanted to compose. He started to gain popularity with Requiem (1957), which Igor Stravinsky called a masterpiece upon hearing. During this early period, he tried to avoid Japanese qualities in his music. It was not until he met John Cage in 1964 that he started to appreciate traditional Japanese musical styles.3

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Toru Takemitsu, “My Perception of Time in Traditional Japanese Music,” Contemporary Music Review 1/2 (January 1984): 10-11.

3

Yoko Narazaki with Masakata Kanazawa, “Takemitsu, Toru,” in Grove Music Online, edited by Laura Macy. http://www.grovemusic.com (accessed September 18, 2007).

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Takemitsu’s musical style went through many shifts throughout his career. His earlier pieces are written using techniques that were popular at the time among contemporary composers, such as twelve-tone and aleatoric compositions. The pieces that were composed in the next period of his career started to show more of his own voice with the use of traditional Japanese instruments and aesthetics. The later period of his career consisted of pieces that tended to have more tonal characteristics than the previous periods. Throughout his career, Takemitsu has a few characteristics that help define his style. This includes precise control of timbre, interesting instrumental effects, and themes that run through his repertoire such as water, gardens, and space.4 Unlike most well-known Twentieth-century composers, Takemitsu wrote many pieces involving classical guitar and, in fact, played the instrument at an amateur level. According to Julian Bream, “With all his supreme mastery of orchestration, it came as a delightful surprise when one day he said to me that of all the instruments that he writes for, the guitar was the one he loved the most.”5 This is evident in the number of pieces involving the instrument, including solo, concerto, and small chamber pieces, as well as orchestral pieces with guitar (See Example 1.1 for a list of these pieces). Among these compositions, four major solo pieces stand out. Folios (1974) was commissioned by the Japanese guitarist Kiyoshi Shomura. It is in three movements that can be performed separately. After composing this as well as two important chamber pieces for guitar, Toward the Sea (1981) and Vers, l’arc-en-ciel, Palma (1984), he

For a much more in-depth look at Takemitsu’s different periods, see: Peter Burt, The Music of Toru Takemitsu (New York: Cambridge University, 2001).

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Julian Bream, “Toru Takemitsu: An Appreciation,” Guitar Review 105 (Spring 1996): 2-3.

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Pieces (In English) The Story of Panape’s Unexpected Victory piano, Ring Bad Boy Valeria

Date Instrumentation 1958 Tenor, baritone, clarinet, vibraphone, guitar, percussion 1961 Flute, terz guitar, lute 1961 Two guitars 1965 Two piccolos, violin, cello, guitar, electric organ Stanza I 1969 Female voice, guitar, piano and celesta, harp, vibraphone Crossing 1971 Piano, celesta, vibraphone, guitar, harp, female chorus, two orchestras Folios 1974 Solo guitar 12 Songs for Guitar 1977 Solo guitar Toward the Sea 1981 Alto flute, guitar To the Edge of Dream 1983 Guitar, orchestra Vers, l’arc-en-ciel, Palma 1984 Guitar, oboe d’amore, orchestra All in Twilight 1987 Solo guitar A Piece for Guitar 1991 Solo guitar Equinox 1994 Solo guitar In the Woods 1995 Solo guitar Spectral Canticle 1995 Violin, guitar, orchestra Alone on the Pacific 1996 Soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, harp, piano, electric organ, guitar, harmonium, ukulele, orchestra Dodes’ka Den 1996 Harp, celesta, recorder, guitar, harmonium, orchestra Ex. 1.1) List of works written by Takemitsu involving the guitar6 composed All In Twilight for the guitarist John Williams, a short piece written in four movements. Then, in 1994, Takemitsu composed Equinox, written for the 25th anniversary of Kiyoshi Shomura’s debut. This was followed by his last piece for solo guitar, and one of his last pieces in general. In the Woods, a collection of three short pieces, was composed in 1995 and dedicated to John Williams (the first piece, “Wainscot Pond”), Kiyoshi Shomura (the second piece, “Rosedale”), and Julian Bream (the final piece, “Muir Woods”). “Wainscot Pond”

This list is compiled from a full list of works from: Yoko Narazaki with Masakata Kanazawa, “Takemitsu, Toru,” in Grove Music Online, edited by Laura Macy. http://www.grovemusic.com (accessed September 18, 2007).

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received its premiere at Takemitsu’s funeral.7 In all of these pieces, it is evident that the guitar fits Takemitsu’s style very well. The composer considered silence to be an equal to sound, not an absence of it, and the resonance of the guitar suits this idea. The coloristic range of the instrument was also appealing to Takemitsu due to his interest in timbre and instrumental effects. Many of these aspects can be found in Equinox, a piece that, though only around five minutes long, contains interesting thematic evolution, formal ideas, and examples of the range of tone colors that the guitar can produce.

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James Siddons, Toru Takemitsu: A Bio-bibliography (Westport: Greenwood, 2001): 62.

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II. Themes and Form Almost everything in Equinox can be traced to three initial themes that later evolve into new motives. These themes appear in succession in the first ten measures of the piece and are shown in Example 2.1. The first theme is based on a rhythm of three eighth notes and six sixteenth notes, with the sixteenth notes repeating the last two eighth notes. The second theme, first heard in mm. 5-6, consists of four chords, usually Eb dominant seventh, C major, B dominant seventh, and a chord that differs in each restatement. The last theme, first heard in mm. 6-7, contains a sixteenth note scale leading to a three-sixteenth note descending arpeggio pattern.

Ex. 2.1a) First theme, m. 1

Ex. 2.1b) Second theme, mm. 5-6

Ex. 2.1c) Third theme, mm. 6-7

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The first theme frames the first section of this piece in which all of the themes are revealed (mm. 1-15). In each of these settings, a chord accompanies the theme, except for its first return in m. 11. In this case, the note A is bent on the guitar to create a falling chromatic line from Bb to A. The pitch content and the quality of these chords differ in almost each setting. The second half of this theme is heard again in mm. 17-18, marking the beginning of the next section of the piece. In this setting, the sixteenth notes still consist of a m6 interval as in the first section, but this time the notes are descending. The theme is heard one last time in mm. 70-71, beginning the last section of the piece. This occurrence is a repetition of mm. 3-4 pitch-wise, with the only difference being that the accompanying chord is only played once. The second theme to appear in the piece has a substantial amount of variations, eventually resulting in the final motive. The original setting of this in mm. 5-6 is a motive consisting of four chords: Eb dominant seventh, C major, B dominant seventh, and the Bb augmented/minor seventh chord that appears in different melodic and harmonic incarnations in other parts of the composition. The motive is heard in this four-chord version three more times in the piece, with a different fourth chord each time and all different chords the second time (mm. 29-30). However, the evolution of this motive deals more with the upper voice of the chord than the chords themselves. The pitches of the top voices vary in the chordal settings of the theme, though in the three main instances, it can be traced as Db5-C5-Eb5-A4. The pitches, though, do not always factor into the motive’s later transformations. The contour of this motive is the main idea that shapes much of the piece. This line is easily noticeable in mm. 19-21 and later in m. 31 as the dotted eighth note melody (shown in Example 2.2).

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Ex. 2.2a) mm. 19-21

Ex. 2.2b) m. 31 To discuss this motive, two different contour notations will be utilized. To name the motive, Michael Friedmann’s notation will be used.8 His method involves assigning a + or - to ascending and descending intervals, respectively. Therefore, as seen in Example 2.3a, this motive will now be referred to as the motive. To discuss the various transformations that this motive undergoes throughout the piece, Elizabeth West Marvin and Paul Laprade’s method will be used.9 They use a numerical system to describe the shape of a motive. The highest note in a given motive receives the highest number, while the lowest note is designated by 0. This results in the initial setting of the motive being described as having a contour, as seen in Example 2.3b.

Michael L. Friedmann, “A Methodology for the Discussion of Contour: Its Application to Schoenberg’s ‘Music’,” Journal of Music Theory 29/2 (1985): 223-248. 1

Paul A. Laprade and Elizabeth West Marvin, “Relating Musical Contours: Extensions of a Theory for Contour,” Journal of Music Theory 31/2 (1987): 225-267. 2

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(-)

(+)

(-)

Ex. 2.3a) motive 2 1 3 0

3:----------------------------2:----------------------------1:----------------------------0:----------------------------Ex. 2.3b) contour The other straight-forward appearances of this shape include a slightly altered contour of , though the general idea is the same. These appearances include a setting of the motive played on harmonics in mm. 17-18, a melodic setting of the Bb augmented/major chord in mm. 42-44 and mm. 66-67, and an eighth note setting in mm. 61-63. This is shown in Example 2.4. Looking deeper in the piece reveals other appearances of the motive in different forms. The one that is closest to the original setting is in mm. 75-76, though in this form the





Ex. 2.4a) mm. 17-18

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Ex. 2.4b) mm. 42-44





Ex. 2.4c) mm. 61-63

Ex. 2.4d) mm. 66-67

intervals between the notes are much smaller than those heard before, resulting in the motive beginning and ending on the same pitch (a contour). This contour, shown in Example 2.5, is one of the characteristics that leads to the eventual form of this motive at the end of the piece. The other characteristic is heard in mm. 35-39. In these measures, the contour is combined with part of the third theme. This is harder to hear due to the rhythm of this section,

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which employs two triplets in a duple meter. The accents, therefore, do not allow for the normal resolution of the motive on the fourth pitch. Rather, the fourth pitch is stressed as the beginning of the second triplet. This can be seen in Example 2.6.



Ex. 2.5) mm. 75-76









Ex 2.6) mm. 35-39 The end of the piece, and the final result of the evolution of this motive, comes from the two previously discussed motives in mm. 35-39 and 75-76. The motive is based on two repeating triplets. These share the same rhythmic shape as the first triplet in mm. 35-39. The first four pitches share the contour of 75-76. Example 2.7 traces the evolution that results in this final setting.

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mm. 5-6

m. 63





m. 17

m. 35



m. 42-44 (same notes as m. 66)



m. 75 mm. 83-84 Ex. 2.7) Evolution of motive The third theme consists of two parts: a sixteenth note ascending run and a three-note

descending arpeggiation. The ascending scale differs in each occurrence. The three-note motive, however, contains the intervals of a m3 followed by a m6, resulting in a [014] set-class. Also worth noting in the first occurrence of the theme is the bass melody’s contour, which is closely related to the inversion of the motive. This theme is heard again in the second section of this piece in mm. 32-34, and from there is developed and combined with the second theme in many ways, including inversion (mm. 50-51), combination of the first half with the second theme (mm. 60-61), and combination of the second half with the second theme (as described earlier).

First half

Second half

Ex. 2.8a) mm. 6-7

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Ex. 2.8b)mm. 32-34 - truncated third theme

Ex. 2.8b) mm. 32-34 - truncated third theme (cont.)

Ex. 2.8c) mm. 50-51 - inverted third theme in harmonics

Ex. 2.8d) mm. 60-61 - first half of third theme combined with contour from second theme Unlike the other two themes, the third theme’s occurrence in the final section of the piece does not recall the original setting of the theme. Instead, the setting heard in mm. 32-34 is repeated, including the combination of the ascending run with the contour that foreshadows the end of the piece in mm. 74-75.

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Understanding these themes and their various transformations is useful in trying to define the form of Equinox. The piece can be seen as having a three-section form (ABA’). The A section acts as an exposition of sorts by revealing the three prominent themes. The B section is larger, mostly consisting of the transformations of the second and third themes that were previously discussed. The A’ section is marked by a return of the first theme and contains all of the themes heard in the A section with some of their transformations. An outline of the form can be seen in Example 2.9. First Section Second Section Third Section A B C A’ A C’ B 1-3 5-6 6-10 11-15 16-69 70-71 72-74 75-77 80-81 81-85 Ex. 2.9 - Form of Equinox This outline shows the similarities between the first and third sections. Much like the appearances of the themes throughout the piece, the two sections are slightly altered, with the themes being heard in a different order the second time, and with some new material based on the motive. Their lengths are also nearly equal. The length of the second section, however, is much longer in comparison to the other two. Because of this, further discussion is needed. While it may seem desirable to break this section up to show a more even form, this whole second section flows together without the formal divisions heard between the other sections. Allusions to the first and third sections are heard throughout, as previously discussed. One new aspect is a two-chord idea that is never the same pitch-wise, but is reminiscent enough of each other to be considered a motive. This motive is actually alluded to in the first section in m. 4, with A5 resolving to Bb4 in harmonics. In the second section, this motive is usually presented in chords, sometimes resolving downwards, sometimes upwards, and sometimes both.

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It appears again in the final section almost as it did in the first, though this time a full chord resolves to Bb4. Example 2.10 shows this theme and some of its different appearances. Takemitsu, in discussions on his use of form, typically does not admit to using any strict formal constrictions. “My music is composed as if fragments were thrown together unstructured,

m. 4 m. 79 Ex. 2.10a) Allusions to the two chord motive in the first and third sections.

m. 26

m. 65

m. 64 Ex. 2.10b) Instances of the two chord motive resolving downwards (m. 26), upwards (m. 65), and both (m. 64). as in dreams. You go to a far place and suddenly find yourself back home without having noticed the return.”10 While this may seem to contradict any ideas of assigning form to a Josiah Fisk, ed., Composers on Music: Eight Centuries of Writings (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1997): 459. 3

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Takemitsu piece, his analogy to a dream fits the form of this piece very well. The piece starts off at home in the first section with a presentation of all the themes. The second section ‘goes to a far place’ with fragments thrown together unstructured, explaining the many alterations of the second and third themes. Then the piece suddenly finds itself back home in the last section, “without having noticed.”

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III. Pitch Content While the music of Equinox sounds remarkably unified, observing the pitch content and trying to understand the unity of the piece is a difficult task. This stems from the fact that while there are many scalar runs and many traditional harmonies, they do not conform to common scales or functional harmonic progressions. Instead, the many scales heard throughout the composition can be related by transformation and their abstract inclusion of two chords, the [036] and [037] trichords. The scalar runs heard in the piece are usually part of Theme C or its variations. While the scales seem easily relatable when heard, they never contain all the same pitches. Some of them can be related by transposition, inversion, or abstract complementation, however. Looking at the occurrences of this theme in three sections (in the beginning, middle, and end of the piece), relations can be found that link the scalar content together. This ascending scalar run can first be heard in m. 6 and m. 8. A similar sounding run is heard in m. 4 and a few more times in the piece, but it is used as a transition rather than part of Theme C. The two occurrences in this section share only one common tone. The prime form of the two scales, however, is the same ([013478]), with the second appearance being related to the first by I2. An important factor to observe in this prime form is the number of semitones it includes. This is utilized in the first appearance in m. 6 as well as some of the future variations of this motive.

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Ex. 3.1a) m. 6

Ex. 3.1b) m. 8 (scale involves down-stemmed notes) The first two occurrences relate to the next hearing of this theme in mm. 32-34 (as seen in Example 3.2). The first setting in m. 32 consists of the same pitches as m. 6, except for an E instead of an Eb. The second setting in m. 33 is the abstract complement of the original scale. The last scale, heard in m. 34, is new. While it does not relate to the previously heard scales, it can be seen as transitional material. It leads into the next motive by abstractly including its melody. This also happens in m. 60, as again the scale does not relate to the other scales of this theme but does abstractly include the melody of the next section (this relationship is shown in Example 3.3).

Nearly same pitches as m. 6

Abstract complement of original scale

Ex. 3.2a) Scales in mm. 32-33

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Pitches of m. 6

I6 of m. 6

Pitches of m. 33 in black, I6 of m. 6 in white Ex. 3.2b) Example of abstract complementation between m. 6 and m. 33

Ex. 3.3a) Scale used as a transition in mm. 34-35 by abstractly including the melody in following measures

Ex 3.3b) Scale used as transition in mm. 60-61 used as in Ex. 3.3a The last setting of Theme C (shown in Example 3.4) presents an interesting number of relationships. The first scale in m. 72, {2,3,6,9,10}, is one pitch away (by omission) from being either a transposition of the scale heard in m. 33, {1,2,5,6,7,10} or a repetition of the scale heard in m. 6, {2,3,6,7,9,10}. However, it is also one pitch away from being relatable to the scale heard in m. 74, {0,1,3,5,6,9}, which does not relate to any of the other occurrences. This is also true of the setting heard in m. 78, {1,2,6,7,10}, while the scale in m. 73, {2,3,6,7,8,11} is a transposition of the scale in m. 33. These relations are summarized in Figure 1.

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Same as m. 6 or T8 of m. 33 Ex. 3.4a) m. 72

T1 of m. 33 Ex. 3.4b) m. 73

T3 of m. 72 Ex. 3.4c) m. 74

T4 of m. 72 or same as m. 33 Ex. 3.4d) m. 78

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mm. Pitch-Class Set Prime Form Relationships 6) [013478] Abstract Complement of m.33 8) [014578] 32) [013468] I2 of m. 8 33) [012569] Abstract Complement of m. 6 34) [0123569] Transitional 60) [013479] Transitional 72) [01478] T8 of m. 33 73) [012569] T1 of m. 33 74) [013568] T3 of m. 72 78) [01478] T4 of m. 72 or T0 of m. 33 Figure 1: Relationships between settings of Theme C scale While these relationships help to connect some of the scales, one other relation is important to observe. All of the scales abstractly include at least one [037] and one [036] trichord. This effectively links all of the scales together, and it shows the importance of these two trichords to the piece. This can be seen in Example 3.5.

m. 6

m. 32

m. 8

m. 33

m. 34

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m. 60

m. 74

m. 72

m. 73

m. 78

Example 3.5 Up-stemmed notes show one possible [037] chord, down-stemmed notes show one possible [036] chord.

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IV. Technical Aspects An analysis of Equinox cannot be complete without a look at the technical aspects of it. Takemitsu’s tendencies of precise notation for purposes of timbre and of using non-traditional instrumental effects are an important part of the piece. The composer uses a very unordinary tuning for the guitar. The standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-e, from lowest to highest) is altered by the tuning of the sixth and second strings down a semitone, resulting in an Eb-A-D-G-Bb-e tuning. This creates an interesting sound for the open strings, with semitones and tritones made easily accessible to the player. The notes of this tuning even makes an appearance in the piece, as a rasgueado is performed on the open strings in m. 13 (Example 4.1). Two measures before this, another interesting effect is heard: bending the third string at the second fret to create a falling chromatic Bb-to-A gesture (Example 4.2). Bending a string like this is common in popular guitar music, which Takemitsu was interested in (he released a set of twelve arrangements of popular songs for the classical guitar); in the classical guitar repertoire, however, this is an uncommon effect.

Ex. 4.1) Rasgueado on open strings, m. 13

Ex. 4.2) Bending of the third string, m. 11

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These two examples reveal another aspect of Takemitsu’s writing: his inclusion of precise playing instructions. Almost every gesture is marked with a note to play either sul ponticello, sul tasto, or ordinary. Tempo is also strictly notated, though with the many tempo changes and instructions to slow down or speed up, the piece feels very free rhythmically. One important instruction for performing this piece is to ‘let vibrate’. The composer uses this at the end of almost every gesture, along with slurs over rests so that these gestures resonate at every point. This ties in with Takemitsu’s common use of silence. The composer was interested in the Japanese philosophy of ma, in which silence is considered the interval between two sounds, rather than the Western idea of silence marking the end of sound.11

For more on Takemitsu’s interest in silence and ma, see: Steven Nuss, “Hearing ‘Japanese’, hearing Takemitsu,” Contemporary Music Review 21/4 (2002): 35-71. Roger Reynolds, “A Jostled Silence: Contemporary Musical Thought (Part One),” Perspectives of New Music 30/1 (Winter 1992): 22-35. Toru Takemitsu, “Mirrors,” Perspectives of New Music 30/1 (Winter 1992): 36-80.

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V. Conclusion Though not a widely discussed piece among Toru Takemitsu’s celebrated oeuvre, Equinox is a great example of the composer’s mastery of timbre, meter, and melody during his late period.12 The title serves as a great descriptor for the piece. It can be thought of as referring to the Spring and Fall Equinox, or more generally, the changing of the seasons. The evolution of the themes heard in this piece can be seen as an analogy to the affect of time on objects, like the Japanese structures that co-exist with nature discussed in the Introduction. These ideas, as well as others discussed in this paper, can be inferred from the writings of Takemitsu: For the Japanese, nature as well as man are entities that live and die within a world of time. Whereas the modern Western concept of time is linear in nature, that is, its continuance always maintains the same state, in Japan time is perceived as a circulating and repeating entity. [...]Nature is conceived in terms of the seasons, and this has given rise to a unique temporal sense, which has been further fostered by the influence of Zen and Buddhist teachings. This special temporal sense is strongly reflected in the time structures of the traditional music of Japan.13

Along with the allusions to seasonal change observed in the piece, another common idea that is used to describe Takemitsu’s music can be applied. This involves the influence of walking in Japanese gardens on his music. Takemitsu clearly describes this in a description for his piece Arc for piano, orchestra, and electronic sounds: “The solo piano assumes the role of an observer strolling through the garden. In the same way that plants and sand exist in a given space in their

In a memorial issue for the composer in Guitar Review, only Julian Bream mentions the piece, and even then only discusses the tuning. Peter Burt has little to say about the piece in his book The Music of Toru Takemitsu, as well. 12

13

Toru Takemitsu, “My Perception of Time in Traditional Japanese Music,” Contemporary Music Review 1/2 (January 1984): 10-11.

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own time, changing with the climate and seasons...so do musical aspects change in this piece.”14 While this was in reference to a garden consisting of musical ideas strewn throughout the orchestra in different instruments, an analogy can be made to the themes in Equinox. Each theme acts as an object in a garden. The listener’s role is that of the observer, watching the objects change as their perspective changes and as the objects are altered by the seasons.

14

Toru Takemitsu, Confronting Silence: Selected Writings (Berkeley: Fallen Leaf, 1995): 95.

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Bibliography Bream, Julian. “Toru Takemitsu: An Appreciation.” Guitar Review 105 (Spring 1996): 2-3. Burt, Peter. The Music of Toru Takemitsu. New York: Cambridge University, 2001. Cronin, Tania and Hilary Tann. “Afterword.” Perspectives of New Music 27/2 (Summer 1989): 205-214. Everett, Yayoi Uno. “Reflecting on two cultural ‘mirrors’: mode and signification of musical synthesis in Toru Takemitsu’s November Steps and Autumn.” In A Way A Lone: Writings on Toru Takemitsu, ed. Hugh de Ferranti and Yoko Narazaki, 125-154. Tokyo: Academia Music Ltd., 2002. Fisk, Josiah, ed. Composers on Music: Eight Centuries of Writings. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1997. Friedmann, Michael L. “A Methodology for the Discussion of Contour: Its Application to Schoenberg’s ‘Music’.” Journal of Music Theory 29.2 (1985): 223-248. Koozin, Timothy. “Octatonicism in Recent Solo Piano Works of Toru Takemitsu.” Perspectives of New Music 29/1 (Winter 1991): 124-140. Koozin, Timothy. “Spiritual-temporal Imagery in Music of Oliver Messiaen and Toru Takemitsu.” Contemporary Music Review 7/2 (1993): 185-202. Koozin, Timothy. “Traversing distances: pitch organization, gesture and imagery in the late works of Toru Takemitsu.” Contemporary Music Review 21/4 (2002): 17-34. Laprade, Paul A. and Elizabeth West Marvin. “Relating Musical Contours: Extensions of a Theory for Contour.” Journal of Music Theory 31/2 (1987): 225-267. Narazaki, Yoko with Masakata Kanazawa. “Takemitsu, Toru.” In Grove Music Online. Edited by Laura Macy. http://www.grovemusic.com (accessed September 18, 2007). Nuss, Steven. “Hearing ‘Japanese’, hearing Takemitsu.” Contemporary Music Review 21/4 (2002) 35-71. Reynolds, Roger. “A Jostled Silence: Contemporary Japanese Musical Thought (Part One).” Perspectives of New Music 30/1 (Winter 1992): 22-35. Reynolds, Roger and Toru Takemitsu. “Roger Reynolds and Toru Takemitsu: A Conversation.” The Musical Quarterly 80/1 (Spring 1996): 61-76.

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Siddons, James. Toru Takemitsu: A Bio-bibliography. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2001. Siddons, James. “Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996).” In Music of the Twentieth-Century Avant-Garde: A Biocritical Sourcebook, ed. Larry Sitsky, 508-524. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2002. Takemitsu, Toru. Confronting Silence: Selected Writings. Berkeley: Fallen Leaf, 1995. Takemitsu, Toru. “Contemporary Music in Japan.” Perspectives of New Music 27/2 (Summer 1989): 22-35. Takemitsu, Toru. Equinox. Tokyo: Schott, 1995 Takemitsu, Toru. All In Twilight: Complete Music for Solo Guitar. Franz Halasz. BIS BIS-CD-1075. 2000. Takemitsu, Toru. “Mirrors.” Perspectives of New Music 30/1 (Winter 1992): 36-80. Takemitsu, Toru. “My Perception of Time in Traditional Japanese Music.” Contemporary Music Review 1/2 (1984): 9-13. Takemitsu, Toru. “One Sound.” Contemporary Music Review 8/2 (1994): 3-4. Tanenbaum, David. “A Brief Takemitsu Memorial in Three Parts.” Guitar Review 105 (Spring 1996): 6-7. Wilkins, BM. “The Percussion Music of Toru Takemitsu.” Percussive Notes 44/4 (2006): 66-75.