Minoru Miki facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Minoru Miki
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| 三木 稔 | |
| Born | 16 March 1930 |
| Died | 8 December 2011 (aged 81) |
| Occupation | Composer |
Minoru Miki (Japanese: 三木 稔, March 16, 1930 – December 8, 2011) was a famous Japanese composer. He was especially known for helping to promote traditional Japanese musical instruments. He also supported musicians who played these instruments, as well as those from China and Korea.
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About Minoru Miki's Music
Minoru Miki wrote many different kinds of music. His works often featured traditional Japanese instruments. These instruments were used either by themselves or with Western instruments. His music included operas, stage music, and pieces for orchestras. He also wrote concertos, chamber music, and solo pieces. Miki was one of the most well-known Japanese composers outside of Japan.
He was a pioneer in creating new classical music for large groups of traditional Japanese musical instruments. In 1964, he started a group called the Nihon Ongaku Shūdan. This group is also known as Ensemble Nipponia. He wrote many pieces specifically for this ensemble.
Minoru Miki's Early Life and Career
Miki was born in Tokushima, Japan, on March 16, 1930. His first experiences with music were with the traditional music from his local area. He did not have formal music lessons until he went to high school in Okayama. There, he first discovered European classical music.
After high school, he moved to Tokyo. He graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1964. In that same year, Miki founded Pro Musica Nipponia (日本音楽集団). This was an orchestra made up of traditional Japanese instruments. He composed many works for this special group.
Miki also started working with koto virtuoso Keiko Nosaka. The koto is a traditional Japanese string instrument. Together, they helped develop the 20-string koto. They also brought back many old koto pieces and created new ones. This included five concertos for koto and orchestra.
Operas and International Work
Miki wrote his first opera, Shunkinsho, in 1975. It was based on a novel by Tanizaki. Later, the English Music Theatre Company became interested in Japanese traditional music. They asked Miki to compose an opera called Ada, An Actor's Revenge. This opera premiered in London in 1979.
During this time, Miki began working with director Colin Graham. Their friendship lasted until Graham's death in 2007. Their most famous collaboration was the opera Jōruri. Graham asked Miki to write it for the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. It premiered in 1985.
From 1992, with his opera Wakahime, Miki started to include music and instruments from other Asian countries. He worked with many artists from different parts of Asia. Some of his later operas, like Wakahime and Aien, explored Japan's history and its connections with neighboring Asian countries. These stories often featured traditional instruments from those countries.
Minoru Miki passed away in Mitaka, Tokyo, on December 8, 2011.
Minoru Miki's Compositions
Minoru Miki wrote a wide variety of musical pieces. Here are some of his most important works:
Operas
- Shunkinshō (春琴抄) (1975)
- Ada, An Actor's Revenge (あだ) (1979)
- Jōruri (じょうるり) (1985)
- Wakahime (ワカヒメ) (1991)
- Shizuka to Yoshitsune (静と義経) (1993)
- The River Sumida / Kusabira (隅田川／くさびら) (1995)
- Genji monogatari (The Tale of Genji; 源氏物語) (1999)
- Ai-en (愛 怨) (2005)
- The Happy Pagoda (幸せのパゴダ) (2010)
- The Monkey Poet (うたよみざる) (1983)
- Yomigaeru (よみがえる) (1986–1992)
- Terute and Oguri (照手と小栗) (1993)
Ballet
- From the Land of Light 光の国から
Orchestral Music
- Trinita sinfonica (1953)
- Symphony Joya (1960)
- Symphony from Life (1980)
- Beijing Requiem for string orchestra (1990)
- MAI 舞 (1992)
Concertos (Music for Solo Instrument and Orchestra)
- Marimba Concerto (1969)
- Eurasian Trilogy 鳳凰三連 (1969; 74; 81), for Japanese and Western instruments
- Koto Concerto No. 1 (1974)
- Koto Concerto No. 2 (1978)
- Koto Concerto No. 3 (1980); also known as Concerto Requiem
- Koto Concerto No. 4 (1984); also known as Pine Concerto 松の協奏曲
- Koto Concerto No. 5 (1985)
- Z Concerto (1992), for marimba and percussion soloists
- Pipa Concerto (1997)
- Requiem 99 (1998); for marimba solo and orchestra of Japanese traditional instruments
- Trio Concerto (2000), for shakuhachi, pipa, 21-koto soloists, and orchestra of Japanese instruments
- Shakuhachi Concerto (2002), also known as Lotus Concerto
Chamber Music (Music for Small Groups)
- Piano Sextet (1965), for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and piano
- Piano Trio (1986), for piano, violin, and cello
- String Quartet (1989)
- Marimba Spiritual (1983), for marimba solo with percussion trio
Solo Music
- Time for Marimba, (1968), for marimba
- Ballades for koto (I-Winter, 1969; II-Spring, 1976; III-Summer, 1983, ; IV-Autumn, 1990)
Film Music
- On the Road: A Document (ドキュメント路上 Dokyumento rojō) (1964); directed by Noriaki Tsuchimoto
Vocal Music
- Shirabe, 4 songs for tenor and harp (1979)
- Requiem (1963), for baritone solo, male chorus, and orchestra
- The Mole's Tale (1966), for male chorus and 2 percussionists
