|
|
Article: Books -- Confronting Silence by Toru Takemitsu
- Article from:
- American Music Teacher
- Article date:
- June 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Music Teachers National Association Jun 1996. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
Confronting Silence, by Toru Takemitsu. Fallen Leaf Press (P.O. Box 10034, Berkeley CA 94709), 1995. 155 pp.
Composers turn to the written word for a variety of reasons: to explain themselves and their music, place their music (and the music of their contemporaries) in a broader musical and cultural context, and assist (or befuddle) critics and analysts.
Toru Takemitsu is Japan's foremost composer of Western concert music. In the preface to this selection of essays, he is straightforward about why he writes: "...the principal reason I write prose is to gain insight into myself." It is important to Takemitsu that audiences, particularly Japanese audiences, understand why he chose composing ...