was a Japanese composer and one of the first Japanese women to compose classical music in the Western tradition.

Biography

Kikuko Kawahira was born on the

Ryukyu The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

island of

Miyako-jima is the largest and the most populous island among the Miyako Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Miyako Island is administered as part of the City of Miyako Island, which includes not only Miyako Island, but also five other islands. Geogr ...

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

, and studied voice at the Nihon Music School and composition at

Tokyo Music School or is a school of art and music in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained artists in the fields of painting, sculpture, crafts, inter- ...

. She studied with teachers including with Taijiro Goh, Kanichi Shimofusa,

Hisatada Otaka Hisatada Otaka (Japanese: 尾高尚忠; 26 September 1911 – 16 February 1951) was a Japanese composer and conductor. He was the conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra from 1942 to 1951. Otaka was born in Japan and studied in musical arts ear ...

and Kishio Hirao. Working as a composer, she produced songs and orchestral music using the Ryukyuan

pentatonic A pentatonic scale is a Scale (music), musical scale with five Musical note, notes per octave, in contrast to heptatonic scales, which have seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale). Pentatonic scales were developed inde ...

scale. In 1954 she studied the

dodecaphonic The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition. The technique is a means of ensuring that all 12 notes of the chromatic scale ...

method in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

with

Hans-Joachim Koellreutter Hans-Joachim Koellreutter (2 September 1915 – 13 September 2005) was a Brazilian composer, teacher and musicologist. Koellreutter was born in Freiburg, Germany and lived in Brazil from 1937 onward, where he became one of the country's most infl ...

, and incorporated atonal composition into her work. She was awarded the Mainichi Prize for Cultural Publication in 1955, and a prize by the Okinawan government for her opera ''Okinawa monogatari'' in 1968. She died in Tokyo. The BBC describe her as "one of the first Japanese women to compose Western classical music".

Works

Selected works include: *''Ryūkyū no min’yō'' ('Folksongs of Ryūkyū') 1954 *''Okinawa monogatari'' opera *''Miyako-jima engi'' (Legend of Miyako Island) (ballet), 1949 *''Ryūkyū hiwa'' (A Hidden Story of Ryūkyū) (jazz ballet), 1951 *''Hiren Karafune'' (Love Tragedy on Tang Boat) (op, 4, Kanai and K. Yano), 1960 *''Okinawa monogatari'' (Tale of Okinawa), 1997 *''Symphony, no.1'', 1938 *''Okinawa buyō kumikyoku'' (Okinawan Dance Suite): no.1, 1940, no.2, 1946 *''Ryūkyū kyōsōkyoku'' (Ryūkyū Rhapsody) no.1, 1946 *''Symphony, no.2'', 1946 *''Uruma no shi'' (Poem on Uruma), 1952 *''Festival Overture 'Hishō, 1972 *''Ryūkyū kyōsōkyoku no.2'', pianoforte octet, 1950 *''Ryūkyū Ballade'', pianoforte, 1951 *''Sonata'', violin, pianoforte, 1952 *''Brazil Rhapsody'', pianoforte, 1955 *''Hamachidori hensōkyoku'' (Variations on Hamachidori), koto, Electone, percussion, 1970 *''Okinawa min'yō niyoru gasshōkyoku-shū'' (Choral Pieces on Okinawan Folksongs), 1953–60 *''Haha to ko no Okinawa no uta'' (Okinawan Songs for a Mother and Children), 1965 Her work has been recorded and issued on CD, including: *''Just For Me - Noriko Ogawa plays Japanese piano music'' (1997) BIS *''Bridges to Japan'' Audio CD (17 October 2000) Bis, ASIN: B0000508RU

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanai, Kikuko 1911 births 1986 deaths 20th-century Japanese classical composers 20th-century Japanese women composers Japanese women classical composers Japanese opera composers Musicians from Okinawa Prefecture Women opera composers