Toshirō Mayuzumi was born in Yokohama in 1929. From the time he was a junior high school student, he studied composition by himself. He studied with Kunihiko Hashimoto, Tomojirō Ikenouchi and Akira Ifukube at Tokyo music school (currently named Tokyo National University of Arts). At the same time, he studied the neoclassical style music of neoclassical composers such as Stravinsky, and also became familiar with non European music such as Jazz and Gamelan.
The piano solo music “Hors d’oeuvre” (1947), which Mayuzumi wrote as a student of the university, was influenced by jazz. His graduation thesis work “The Divertimento for Ten Instruments”, composed in 1948, attracted a lot of attention through outstanding composition techniques, which was recorded later. The influence of Gamelan music is remarkable in “Symphonic Mood”, commissioned by the NHK Symphony Orchestra in 1950. Also, a chamber music piece “Sphenogram” (1951), inspired
by Indian and Javanese music, was awarded at an international contemporary music festival. Mayuzumi’s name became known to not only domestic but also overseas audiences at his young age.
After completing his study at the university in 1951, he entered the Paris Conservatory of Music with scholarship from the French Government, and studied with Tony Aubin. But he dropped out after a year because he felt he fully understood the possibilities and limits of Western music. After returning home, he introduced his works one after another while incorporating the avant-garde technique that he studied in Paris. “X · Y · Z”, commissioned by Japan Culture Broadcasting and composed in 1953, attracted attention as the first work in Japan using the technique of musique concrète, and had a great influence on many composers such as Tōru Takemitsu. In 1956, electronic music “Variations on Numerical Principle of 7”, which was composed in cooperation with Makoto Moroi, was introduced. The following year, “Pieces, for prepared piano and string quartet” were announced. He became recognized as a leading composer of the times .
From 1953, he formed ‘Sannin no kai (Group of Three)’ with Yasushi Akutagawa and Ikuma Dan. They had several gorgeous orchestral concerts to announce their works, and became the leaders of the Japanese music world in the postwar era. After that, Mayuzumi began to gradually turn his interest to the Japanese traditions, and announced the “Nirvana Symphony for male chorus and orchestra” (1958), which used Buddhist temple bells and the chanting of Buddhist hymns. After that, he created an orchestral work, “BUGAKU” (1962) and the opera “Kinkakuji” (1976) and others which also had traditional Japanese styles in their musical concepts.
Mayuzumi became a socially popular composer through his music for film and as a host of a TV program, “Untitled Concert” for over 30 years. After 1970, he often spoke out on his political opinions, and also served as chairman of the National Conference to Protect Japan from 1991. He received the Medal with Purple Ribbon. He died at the age of 68 in 1997.
