Hiroaki Zakoji
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese composer
and pianist
.
from the age of 4 and lived there until he was 20 years old. He started learning to play the piano when he was 4 years old. From the age of 16, he studied composition under Masanobu Kimura.
In 1978, he entered the Music Department of Nihon University
in Tokyo. There he learned composition under Kiyohiko Kijima and piano under Midori Matsuya
(1943-1994). At the same time, he also studied composition under Roh Ogura
(1916-1990) in Kamakura
.
He graduated from university and entered the Music Institute of Nihon University
in 1982.
In the same year, he organised the Tokyo Shin-Wagaku Consort which regularly played his own and other contemporary composers' music.
In 1984, he performed Japanese contemporary works in Basel
, Switzerland. In 1985, he was invited by the IGNM - Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik - and performed his "Piano Piece I" (Op.28) in Basel. In April 1986, he returned to Switzerland where he composed and performed his "Piano Piece III" (Op.36) in Arlesheim near Basel. Also he travelled to Spain and Denmark and wrote an essay for a music journal. "Composition II" (Op.11) and "Composition" III (Op.13) were broadcast by a Spanish radio station.
In June 1986, he was one of the finalists in the Buddhist International Music Competition in Tokyo and his "Continuum" (Op.18) was given its first performance by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
under Hiroyuki Iwaki
(1932-2006).
He died just 9 days after his 29th birthday by acute cardiac failure on the 29th of January 1987 in Tokyo. He left 38 works in his short life of 29 years. All his scores and some music tapes are preserved in the Documentation Centre for Modern Japanese Music in Tokyo.
English composer, James Stevens wrote, "... His work was unique because, despite its essentially contemporary style, it owed nothing to any particular fad or fashion and thus was outside the mainstream of contemporary composers. His material was the product of an exquisite inner ear and it was treated with Mozartian integrity. It also embodied traditional Japanese concepts: hence he was able to compose with equal readiness for chamber group, synths, symphony orchestra or traditional instruments...."
Chamber Cello Concerto (Op. 29 a) was performed together with a work by Tōru Takemitsu
and a work by Isang Yun
in the concert, Orient Occident in Teatre Lliure
in Barcelona
in April and May in 1992.
In January 2008, some of Hiroaki's earlier works (Scherzo, Andante1, Adagio, Movement) were recorded by Catalan
composer Llibert López Pascual. Scherzo was broadcast by Radio Fermo
Uno in February 2008.
, north part of Japan where the climate was cold and hard, he seemed to have acquired a very tough and patient character. He loved the nature and snow. He was extremely hard working and he was a very special person, as well as his talent, he was very warm and loving.
He was interested in Buddhism
and the subject of "death" which was uncommon for a young man of his age. On the other hand, he was quite a sportsman who loved skiing. He had the 1st grade of Ski Association of Japan and he was working as a Ski instructor in Utsukushi-Gahara Mountain resort in Nagano in winter.
He was very advanced in his thought. He was only in his twenties, but he was talked as an equal with composers much older. He was very mature, but at the same time he was innocent and pure like a child. He was International, interested in travelling and performing abroad, yet he was patriotic and nationalist, loving his country and people. His interests in Japanese ancient mythology and history, Kojiki
and Nihon-shoki made him write a work, "Ame-no-Uzume" (Op.4). Also he was interested in Japanese traditional music, Gagaku
and he has written treaties, "Japanese Traditional Instruments" and "The research of Japanese traditional music and the conversion into my work".
The colour he loved was black. The town he loved was Kamakura
. The novelist he loved was Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
. He left a notebook in which he was composing his new work, Opera, "The Spider's Thread" by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
when he died. He was very tidy and organized. It was discovered that all his scores were kept tidy as if he could predict his sudden death.
He had love and compassion for other people and won many friends with his sense of humor and character. Almost 300 people arrived to pay their respect at his funeral. He was a tremendous prodigy. His sudden death was an incomparable tragedy. Many people have mourned the loss of this young, rare talent who was just reaching his zenith.
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 pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
.
Biography
He was born in Tokyo on the 20th of January 1958. He was brought up in HokkaidōHokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
from the age of 4 and lived there until he was 20 years old. He started learning to play the piano when he was 4 years old. From the age of 16, he studied composition under Masanobu Kimura.
In 1978, he entered the Music Department of Nihon University
Nihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
in Tokyo. There he learned composition under Kiyohiko Kijima and piano under Midori Matsuya
Midori Matsuya
Midori Matsuya, 松谷翠 was a Japanese pianist, graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, studied under Kichigoro Sato, Noboru Toyomasu, Naoya Fukai and Lay Lev....
(1943-1994). At the same time, he also studied composition under Roh Ogura
Roh Ogura
Roh Ogura, 小倉 朗, was a Japanese composer and writer.He was born in Kitakyushu and lived in Tokyo and Kamakura. First he learned French Modern Music under Shiro Fukai and Tomojiro Ikenouchi...
(1916-1990) in Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
.
He graduated from university and entered the Music Institute of Nihon University
Nihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
in 1982.
In the same year, he organised the Tokyo Shin-Wagaku Consort which regularly played his own and other contemporary composers' music.
In 1984, he performed Japanese contemporary works in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland. In 1985, he was invited by the IGNM - Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik - and performed his "Piano Piece I" (Op.28) in Basel. In April 1986, he returned to Switzerland where he composed and performed his "Piano Piece III" (Op.36) in Arlesheim near Basel. Also he travelled to Spain and Denmark and wrote an essay for a music journal. "Composition II" (Op.11) and "Composition" III (Op.13) were broadcast by a Spanish radio station.
In June 1986, he was one of the finalists in the Buddhist International Music Competition in Tokyo and his "Continuum" (Op.18) was given its first performance by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
The , or TSO, was established in 1946 as the Toho Symphony Orchestra . It assumed its present name in 1951.Based in Kawasaki, the TSO performs in numerous concert halls and serves as the pit ensemble for some productions at New National Theatre, Tokyo, the city's leading opera house...
under Hiroyuki Iwaki
Hiroyuki Iwaki
was a Japanese conductor and percussionist.-Biography:Iwaki was born in Tokyo in 1932. Shortly after he entered an elementary school, he moved to Kyoto due to his father's transference. He came to play the xylophone at nine years old...
(1932-2006).
He died just 9 days after his 29th birthday by acute cardiac failure on the 29th of January 1987 in Tokyo. He left 38 works in his short life of 29 years. All his scores and some music tapes are preserved in the Documentation Centre for Modern Japanese Music in Tokyo.
English composer, James Stevens wrote, "... His work was unique because, despite its essentially contemporary style, it owed nothing to any particular fad or fashion and thus was outside the mainstream of contemporary composers. His material was the product of an exquisite inner ear and it was treated with Mozartian integrity. It also embodied traditional Japanese concepts: hence he was able to compose with equal readiness for chamber group, synths, symphony orchestra or traditional instruments...."
Chamber Cello Concerto (Op. 29 a) was performed together with a work by Tōru Takemitsu
Toru Takemitsu
was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre...
and a work by Isang Yun
Isang Yun
Isang Yun was a Korean-German composer originally from Korea. According to his official publisher's Boosey & Hawkes biography of him, he was granted political asylum by West Germany, eventually becoming a naturalised German citizen, following his abduction and torture in 1967 by the South Korean...
in the concert, Orient Occident in Teatre Lliure
Teatre Lliure
The Teatre Lliure is a theatre in Barcelona considered one of the most prestigious in Catalonia. It was created in 1976 in the neighborhood of Gràcia by a group of professionals from Barcelona's independent theater scene. It became distinguished for its practice of presenting theater in Catalan,...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in April and May in 1992.
In January 2008, some of Hiroaki's earlier works (Scherzo, Andante1, Adagio, Movement) were recorded by Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
composer Llibert López Pascual. Scherzo was broadcast by Radio Fermo
Fermo
Fermo is a town and comune of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo.Fermo is located on a hill, the Sabulo with a fine view, on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway....
Uno in February 2008.
Character
Since he was brought up in HokkaidōHokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, north part of Japan where the climate was cold and hard, he seemed to have acquired a very tough and patient character. He loved the nature and snow. He was extremely hard working and he was a very special person, as well as his talent, he was very warm and loving.
He was interested in Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and the subject of "death" which was uncommon for a young man of his age. On the other hand, he was quite a sportsman who loved skiing. He had the 1st grade of Ski Association of Japan and he was working as a Ski instructor in Utsukushi-Gahara Mountain resort in Nagano in winter.
He was very advanced in his thought. He was only in his twenties, but he was talked as an equal with composers much older. He was very mature, but at the same time he was innocent and pure like a child. He was International, interested in travelling and performing abroad, yet he was patriotic and nationalist, loving his country and people. His interests in Japanese ancient mythology and history, Kojiki
Kojiki
is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century and composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Gemmei. The Kojiki is a collection of myths concerning the origin of the four home islands of Japan, and the Kami...
and Nihon-shoki made him write a work, "Ame-no-Uzume" (Op.4). Also he was interested in Japanese traditional music, Gagaku
Gagaku
Gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial Court in Kyoto for several centuries. It consists of three primary repertoires:#Native Shinto religious music and folk songs and dance, called kuniburi no utamai...
and he has written treaties, "Japanese Traditional Instruments" and "The research of Japanese traditional music and the conversion into my work".
The colour he loved was black. The town he loved was Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
. The novelist he loved was Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Ryunosuke Akutagawa
was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "Father of the Japanese short story". He committed suicide at age of 35 through an overdose of barbital.-Early life:...
. He left a notebook in which he was composing his new work, Opera, "The Spider's Thread" by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Ryunosuke Akutagawa
was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "Father of the Japanese short story". He committed suicide at age of 35 through an overdose of barbital.-Early life:...
when he died. He was very tidy and organized. It was discovered that all his scores were kept tidy as if he could predict his sudden death.
He had love and compassion for other people and won many friends with his sense of humor and character. Almost 300 people arrived to pay their respect at his funeral. He was a tremendous prodigy. His sudden death was an incomparable tragedy. Many people have mourned the loss of this young, rare talent who was just reaching his zenith.
Orchestral music tunes
- Small Symphony for Strings, Op. 3 (1979)
- "Conversion" for Orchestra, Op. 7 (1980)
- "Meta Polyphony" for Orchestra, Op. 10 (1981)
- "Tied-Up Time" for Orchestra, Op. 32 (1982)
- "Time-Space Continuum", Op. 18 (1982) - 1st Performance: Buddhist Music International competition Tokyo 1986
Concertos
- Piano Concerto, Op. 21 (1983)
- Chamber Cello Concerto, Op. 29 a (1985)
- Chamber Cello Concerto, Op. 29 b (1985)
Chamber music
- Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 2 (1979)
- "Ame-no-Uzume", Music for Soprano Piano 3 Percussions and 7 Wind Instruments, Op. 4 (1980)
- Chamber Symphony, Op. 5 (1980)
- Composition I, "From the Inside of Silence" (Flute, Violin, Piano), Op. 8 (1981)
- String Quartet, Op. 9 (1981)
- String Quartet, Op. 12 a (1981)
- Prelude and Fugue for String Quartet, Op. 12 b (1981)
- Composition III, "KE" (ShakuhachiShakuhachiThe is a Japanese end-blown flute. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods. It was used by the monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism in the practice of...
, KotoKoto (musical instrument)The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
), Op. 13 (1981) - "Time in the Time", for two Marimbas, Op. 17 (1982)
- Prelude for Strings, Op. 20 (1982)
- Piano Trio, (Piano, Flute, Violin), Op. 23 (1983)
- Quintet, (Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Violoncello, Piano), Op. 24 (1983)
- Composition V, Op. 26 (1983)
- Monodia, (Flute, Piano), Op. 31 (1985)
- Suite for Traditional Instrument, (Traverso, Va.da.Gamba, Cembalo), Op. 34 (1986)
- Composition VI, (Shakuhachi, Koto, Piano), Op. 37(1986)
- Morphology for 2 pianos, Op.38 (1986)
Solo performance tunes
- Composition II, "MYO", (Shakuhachi edition /Fl edition), Op. 11 (1981)
- Composition IV, "Holy Dance", (Solo Percussion), Op. 14 (1982)
- Variations for Solo Cello, Op. 16 (1982)
- Mono-morphology I, "FUJYU", (Solo Flute / Solo Shakuhachi), Op. 22 (1983)
- Mono-morphology II, (Solo Guitar), Op. 27 (1983)
- Piano Piece I, Op. 28 (1985)
- Piano Piece II, Op. 30 (1985)
- "AYA", For Solo Koto, Op. 35 (1986)
- Mono-morphology III, For Solo Oboe, Op. 33 (1986)
- Piano Piece III, Op. 36 (1986)
Solo singing tunes
- Three Song, settings of poem by Chūya Nakahara (Soprano Piano), Op. 1 (1978)
- "Death and Smile" Poem by Makoto OokaMakoto Ookais a Japanese poet and literary critic.Ooka's poetry column was published without a break seven days a week for more than 20 years on the front page of Asahi Shimbun, which is Japan's leading national newspaper.-Notes:...
, (Baritone, Piano), Op. 6 (1980) - Two songs sung by Prince Karu, (Ten, Pf), Op. 15 (1982)
- "From the Abyss of Death" Poem by Jun TakamiJun Takamiwas the pen-name of a Japanese novelist and poet active in Shōwa period Japan. His real name was Takama Yoshio.-Early life:Jun Takami was born in Fukui city, Fukui Prefecture, as the illegitimate son of the prefecture's governor...
, (Vocal, Piano), Op.19 (1982)
External links
- Publication by JFC Japan Federation of Composers: Op.27 Mono-morphology II (1983)
- All his hand-written scores are preserved in Tokyo Nippon Kindai Ongakukan - Documentation Centre for Modern Japanese Music
- In memory of Hiroaki Zakoji
- Hiroaki Zakoji - Music downloads
- Japan Composer's Association or JACOMPA
- James Stevens