Teiji Ito
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese composer and performer. He is best known for his scores for the avant-garde films by Maya Deren
.
Ito was born in Tokyo
, Japan
into a theatrical family. His father, Yuji Itō, was a composer and costume designer, and his mother, Teiko Ono, was a dancer who worked in both traditional and classical genres. Ito moved with his family to New York
at the age of six. In 1952, at the age of seventeen, he began composing music for the films of Maya Deren. He traveled with her to Haiti
in 1955, learning ceremonial and secular drumming techniques from the Haitian musician Coyote
.
Ito had a long and productive career, composing music for Broadway
and Hollywood, drama, and dance. His works feature an innovative combination of sounds and often utilize musical instruments from many world cultures, which he played himself. His music is not as well known as that of many of his contemporaries because few recordings of his music were available until the late 20th century.
In 1961, he composed a score for a New York production of Alfred Jarry
's King Ubu
by The Living Theatre
, which was released on CD by Tzadik Records
in 1998. He won an Obie Award
for his theater music in the 1960-61 season. Ito composed music for dancer Jean Erdman
's musical play The Coach With the Six Insides (1962). He composed the score for the original Broadway production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
(1963) by Dale Wasserman
.
Ito was married four times. He married Maya Deren in the late 1950s. With his second wife Gail Ryan he had a daughter, Tavia. His third wife was a photographer named Ilene who also played instruments on a number of his recordings, and his fourth marriage was to Cherel Winett (1947-1999). Ito and Winett edited Deren's Haiti footage (1947-1954) into the documentary film
Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti (1985).
He died from a heart attack
while visiting Haiti. The Teiji Ito Collection, consisting of audio tapes, is held by the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the New York Public Library
for the Performing Arts in Manhattan
.
The Japanese American
actor Jerry Ito
(1927-2007) was Teiji Ito's first cousin.
Maya Deren
Maya Deren , born Eleanora Derenkowsky, was an American avant-garde filmmaker and film theorist of the 1940s and 1950s...
.
Ito was born in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
into a theatrical family. His father, Yuji Itō, was a composer and costume designer, and his mother, Teiko Ono, was a dancer who worked in both traditional and classical genres. Ito moved with his family to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at the age of six. In 1952, at the age of seventeen, he began composing music for the films of Maya Deren. He traveled with her to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
in 1955, learning ceremonial and secular drumming techniques from the Haitian musician Coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
.
Ito had a long and productive career, composing music for Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and Hollywood, drama, and dance. His works feature an innovative combination of sounds and often utilize musical instruments from many world cultures, which he played himself. His music is not as well known as that of many of his contemporaries because few recordings of his music were available until the late 20th century.
In 1961, he composed a score for a New York production of Alfred Jarry
Alfred Jarry
Alfred Jarry was a French writer born in Laval, Mayenne, France, not far from the border of Brittany; he was of Breton descent on his mother's side....
's King Ubu
Ubu Roi
Ubu Roi is a play by Alfred Jarry, premiered in 1896. It is a precursor of the Theatre of the Absurd and Surrealism. It is the first of three stylised burlesques in which Jarry satirises power, greed, and their evil practices — in particular the propensity of the complacent bourgeois to abuse the...
by The Living Theatre
The Living Theatre
The Living Theatre is an American theatre company founded in 1947 and based in New York City. It is the oldest experimental theatre group still existing in the U.S...
, which was released on CD by Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
in 1998. He won an Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for his theater music in the 1960-61 season. Ito composed music for dancer Jean Erdman
Jean Erdman
Jean Erdman is a dancer and choreographer of modern dance as well as an avant-garde theater director.-Early years:Erdman was born on February 20, 1916 in Honolulu, Hawaii...
's musical play The Coach With the Six Insides (1962). He composed the score for the original Broadway production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (play)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a play based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel of the same name. Dale Wasserman's stage adaptation, with music by Teiji Ito, made its Broadway preview on November 12, 1963, its premiere on November 13, and ran until January 25, 1964 for a total of one preview and 82...
(1963) by Dale Wasserman
Dale Wasserman
Dale Wasserman was an American playwright. -Early life:Dale Wasserman was born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and was orphaned at the age of nine. He lived in a state orphanage and with an older brother in South Dakota before he "hit the rails". He later said:-Career:Wasserman worked in various...
.
Ito was married four times. He married Maya Deren in the late 1950s. With his second wife Gail Ryan he had a daughter, Tavia. His third wife was a photographer named Ilene who also played instruments on a number of his recordings, and his fourth marriage was to Cherel Winett (1947-1999). Ito and Winett edited Deren's Haiti footage (1947-1954) into the documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti (1985).
He died from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
while visiting Haiti. The Teiji Ito Collection, consisting of audio tapes, is held by the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
for the Performing Arts in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
The Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
actor Jerry Ito
Jerry Ito
was a Japanese-American film and television actor, specializing in Japanese films throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.Born as Gerald Tamekichi Itō, he was bilingual and spoke both Japanese and English fluently....
(1927-2007) was Teiji Ito's first cousin.
Discography
- Meshes: Music For Films and Theater (O.O. Discs)
- Music For Maya: Early Film Music Of Teiji Ito (Tzadik RecordsTzadik RecordsTzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
, 2 CD set) - King Ubu (Tzadik)
- The Shamanic Principles (Tzadik)
- Tenno (Tzadik)
- Watermill (Tzadik)
External links
- Teiji Ito Myspace
- Teiji Ito Tzadik discs
- Teiji Ito page from O.O. Discs
- Teiji Ito page from New York City Ballet site
- Teiji Ito Collection from The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Teiji Ito Collection of noncommercial recordings from The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Teiji Itō page (Japanese)