Compositional Compositional Techniques of Toru Takemitsu JANUARY 23, 2014 BY ADMIN
Benjamin Sabey and Michael Hicks, Music Theory and Composition My object in researching the music of Japanese composer, Toru Takemitsu with support from the ORCA grant was to distill from it those concrete organiing principles upon which rest a phantasmagoric, spontaneous music that seems to float freely from silence to silence! This was a larger task than " had foreseen! #recious little of what " ha$e been taught about music theory seemed to appear in the music of Takemitsu Takemitsu and he is $ery ambiguous in his own writing about is music! %e has repeatedly $oiced his distrust of western analytical practices! " ne$ertheless sensed a rigor and craft in his music that " found difficult to e&plain! " was hopelessly limited by my own inade'uacies as a theorist and analyst! %owe$er, through the coarse of diligently studying his music, " felt that " began to absorb many man y of the principles of his techni'ue on an intuiti$e le$el! " realied that " was not 'ualified or prepared to write a definiti$e statement on Takemitsu(s Ta kemitsu(s compositional techni'ue but that, as a composer myself, " might be able ab le to display my understanding of his music best by emulating it in a piece of my own! An assignment from the Aspen Music )esti$al )esti$al and *chool to compose a piece p iece for flute and guitar seemed a perfect way to kill two birds with one piece! The resulting composition is titled, Tern! "n writing this piece " focused most especially on Takem akemitsu(s itsu(s Toward Toward the *ea, for flute and guitar, as a model! " shall out+line elements of Tern that seem to be deri$ed from or influenced by Toward Toward the *ea! The harmonic $ocabulary of Toward the *ea remains largely ambiguous to me, howe$er, it is clear that a loose usage of the whole tone scale per$ades the work! The whole+tone scale is composed of successi$e whole steps! -hile there are twel$e different major scales, one for each key, there are only two possible whole tone scales! They are often associated with the music of .ebussy! .ebussy!// "n Toward Toward the *ea, we usually encounter the whole+tone scale with one note n ote added! *ince this note belongs to the other scale it may be used to pi$ot between the two! *witching from one whole+tone scale to the other can occur $ery rapidly rapidl y in Toward Toward the *ea! Through being immersed in Takemitsu(s Takemitsu(s music for so long " felt comfortable in approaching the harmonic aspect of Tern Tern from a largely intuiti$e standpoint! " simply tried to write music that 0sounded
like1 Takemitsu while keeping the idea of the imperfect whole+tone scale e$er+present in the back of my mind! " belie$e that the difficulty in analying Takemitsu(s music comes from the fact that he stri$es to make it seem impro$ised and spontaneous! The western method of faithful reproduction of precisely notated music is uni'ue among the rest of the world, in which impro$isation plays a much larger role! -hile Takemitsu(s music is usually precisely notated he seems to ha$e written it largel y through intuition! This method of composition tends to create music with out form, a clear beginning, middle and end! This is probably what Takemitsu wants in order to create the illusion of time+ suspension a typical aim of eastern music/! There is, howe$er, one important organiing principle that Takemitsu uses in Toward the *ea to impart to it some semblance of form! A brief moti$e that recurs throughout the piece gi$es the listener a kind of 0mile+marker1 that emerges out of the fog to allow the listener to orient him or herself! My piece was also composed in an intuiti$e manner with little thought of form or structure e&cept for a brief moti$e that appears three times in the piece at the beginning, middle, and right at the end! Just as the moti$e in Toward the *ea comes near the end to signal eminent closure, my moti$e comes just before the last note! The rhythmic component of Toward the *ea typifies Takemitsu(s practice of employing a fluid rhythm that speeds and slows like the ebb and flow of wa$es! %e makes e&tensi$e use of ritardando and accelerando directing the player to gradually increase or decrease the tempo/! " wanted this same effect in Tern, but rather that using gradual tempo changes " simply notated the rhythms e&actly! This makes for some fairly tricky rhythms but " don(t ha$e to rely as much on the interpretation of the performer! "n other words, if they play it as written it will sound right! Other, subtle influences from Toward the *ea can be found in Tern which " belie$e will be apparent to the careful listener but which " ha$e neither the space nor the ability to enumerate! The interested reader may obtain a recording of Toward the *ea and Tern by emailing me at bensabey2byu!edu!
Toward the "SEA" of Toru Takemitsu
Matthew 3ould
Composed in 4564 for 3reen #eace, Toru Takemitsu7s Toward the Sea is a series of three pieces, 8The 9ight8, 8Moby .ick8 and 8Cape Cod8 each title is taken from the Mel$ille epic/ for alto flute and guitar! As in many of his fluid mosaics, Takemistu7s use of octatonic pitch collections pro$ides an essential background from which a $ariety of other tonal and moti$ic colors and structures emerge! -hile the e&panding and contracting of pitch fields + from whole+tone to whole+tone:semitone octatonic/ cells to diminished, augmented and e$en 'uartal sonorities + may in some way represent the ebb and flow of the ocean, Toward the Sea also presents a rich combination of pitch and moti$ic metaphors which add a further dimension of symbolic significance to the work! The 8*;A8 of the title of the work is 8spelled8 in the pitches ; the 3erman 8*8/, ; natural and A! -hile its appearances in its e&act pitches are rare, its e&act contour ascending semitone, ascending fourth/ on $arious pitches is clear and distincti$e throughout the work and will be referred to as the 8*;A8 moti$e! Other less ob$iously related dispositions of the inter$als of the 8*;A8 moti$e are common and the unordered pitch+class set <,4,=/ which the moti$e defines is an integral background element in the fluctuating octatonic:whole+ tone harmonic fabric of the composition! Closely connected with the 8*;A8 moti$e is another apparent musical pun on the pitch 8C>8 in the prominent and numerous chromatic lines and figures rising 8toward the C>8! 4/ The last mo$ement of the work presents the most conspicuous de$elopment of these relationships in its opening motto of 3+3>+C> which is the actual 8*;A8 moti$e rising to C>! Other important figures emerge in Toward the Sea which can be seen in other works ?/ including an 8empty8 and 8falling8 minor third often C+A natural, away from the C>/, and the use of a referential sonority, in this work, a @ minor se$enth often associated with the C>:. goal of the ascending chromatic figures, and once more perhaps hinting at the 8*;A8 of title the since @ is 87si bmol8 in )rench note names! ;ach piece of the series relates to the central moti$ic metaphors and processes of the work, but also seems to ha$e its own particular story!
8The 9ight8 The opening establishes the fluctuating scalic framework B/ of the work! The symmetrical chord of the opening line of the score see )igure 4, first system/ in which the flute leaps from its unison A with the guitar to take the )> on the bottom of the structure gi$es way to a whole+tone color which harmonies the flute7s upward shift to @ + an initial embryonic step towards the goal which we will later see to be the C>! )ollowing a three+second pause, the other whole+tone collection is presented against which the $erbatim 8*;A8 moti$e rises in the lower tones of the guitar! -e find here the 8dissonance8 of the 8*;A8 moti$e7s ; natural with the whole+tone collection in the upper tones of the guitar/ and it7s 8consonance8 with the partial octatonic fragment @+A>+C>+3 the .>, howe$er, from the 8*;A8 moti$e does not belong to the octatonic structure! -hile the A natural of the 8*;A8 moti$e is clearly present in the guitar figuration, it is perhaps more significant in the return of the opening A natural of the flute and its 'ua$er with @ and ; see ;&le 4/! The ne&t gesture is e'ually significant as the alto flute sweeps to its high A a half+step below the central A natural but in the new register/ and falls in a dramatic descending minor third moti$e! An interchange ensues with the mid+register rising motion from A through @ and C to .:C>, end of first system, )igure 4/ and further falling thirds, in a descending upper+register chainD ;+C, C+A )igure 4 second system, note the momentary rising inflection from the A back toward the C through @and @ natural/, and 3+;! The harmonic de$elopments in this section are of conse'uence, in particular the initial appearance of the @ se$enth sonority which returns at key moments throughout the work! The octatonic comple& at this point e$ol$es 'uickly from the combination of the @ and ; minor se$enths the octatonic 8E8 collection, howe$er the flute7s ;+C is independent of this comple&/, through a . minor se$enth to an A diminshed+se$enth plus 3 natural/ disposition of the same collection, and into a passing whole+tone collection in the intensifying arabes'ues in the flute! The return to octatonic elements at the clima& of the second page: third system of the score )igure 4 middle of second system/ recaptures the intense low .+natural in the guitar beneath the return of the initial falling third the A+) in the upper tones of the guitar, from )igure 4 end of first system in the flute/ and at the cadence in the flute, produces a new, e&tended 8*;A8 moti$e C>+.+3:@+C>+) ;&le ? also )igure 4, toward the end of the second system/ which is e&plored more fully in the second mo$ement! The remainder of 8The 9ight8 the end of the second and all of the third system of )igure 4/ echo rising lines in the flute to the . or C>, in $arious octatonic harmoniations but importantly bring back the @ minor se$enth:; minor se$enth octatonic 8E8/ mi&ture before the flute rises once more from @ to C but une&pectedly closes in a falling third C+A! 9ote also the shift in the guitar sonorities at this point from the 3> whole+tone se$enth to the @ minor se$enth and finally an open 'uartal sonority on the low . natural!
Figure 1: #itch *tructure *ynopsis of 8The 9ight8
Example 1: Opening Measures of Toward the Sea 9oteD the alto flute transposes a #F down from the written pitches!/ Takemitsu TO-AR. T%; *;A G 456? *chott Japan Company Htd! All Rights Reser$ed Ised by permission of ;uropean American Music .istributors HHC, sole I!*! and Canadian agent for *chott Japan Company Htd!
Example 2: #age Hine B of Toward the Sea 9oteD the alto flute transposes a #F down from the written pitches!/ Takemitsu TO-AR. T%; *;A G 456? *chott Japan Company Htd! All Rights Reser$ed Ised by permission of ;uropean American Music .istributors HHC, sole I!*! and Canadian agent for *chott Japan Company Htd!
8Moby .ick8 8Moby .ick8 focuses immediately on the <,?,=/ e&tension of the 8*;A8 moti$e, descending in the guitar C, @,;/ within a whole+tone comple& an inner $oice within the comple& also descends, but chromatically from the C> through C natural to @ natural see ;&le B/! )ollowing a long, F+ second resonance, the flute slowly begins the rising 8*;A8 moti$e on middle C against the falling third moti$e from middle C down to A natural in the guitar the guitar 'uickly echoes the rising 88*;A88 moti$e on @ natural @+C+)/ in its upper register and the 8$erbatim8 8*;A8 moti$e backwards ;+A+* ;/! Karious octatonic figurations ensue against the flute7s reiteration of the 88*;A88 moti$e accentuating the lower mid+register )> and a .> half+diminished se$enth! The latter supports a chain of descending minor thirds )> ; C A/ anticipating the emphatic, 8longing8 mid+register ascent A+C in the flute! .ownward echoes of the minor third emerge on A+) )igure ?, second system/ anticipating the slow upward shift in the harmonic background an A major se$enth chord to a @ major se$enth against the persistent low )>/ which produces once again the @ minor se$enth as the flute asserts the e&tended 8*;A8 moti$e on C> C> . 3 : @ )C>, see )igure ? part+way into the second system/! "ntense insistence on the ) natural, at first in tremolo with the C> but then fff and fluttertonque by itself, initiates an immense rising motion from the C> through ) natural which is completed by a descending and intensifying trilled arabes'ue from C natural to 3> see ;&le F, also )igure ?, middle of system ?/! As a polar opposite to the C>, 3> then dominates the melodic figuration of the flute through the end of the second page of the piece before dying out in the high register note the ascending minor thirds in parallel half+diminished sonorities in the guitar at this point + )igure ?, end of second system/! One further echo of the 3> is heard as a harmonic/ in the flute amid the embellished rising third A+C which anticipates the return of the opening figure of the mo$ement in the guitar )igure ?, toward the middle of the third system/! The descending A+C persists in augmentation o$er the following e&tended arabes'ues )igure ?, end of system B in the flute, indicated by beams/ e$oking once more the falling thirds A+) see )igure ? beginning of system F + this can also be seen as a re$ersal of the earlier ascending motion from ) to A through the second system of )igure ?/ + howe$er now without the earlier motion to the @ minor se$enth sonority! %ere the rising harmonic motion of the A major se$enth to the @ major se$enth against the low )> is merely suspended as the flute presents once more the e&tended 8*;A88 moti$e, echoing the @ + ) natural + C> against a chord se'uence in the guitar which recalls, in its upper tones, the central C>+)+3> de$elopment of the mo$ement but closes in an ascending arc, C>+A+@+., in the upper notes of half+diminished sonorities!
Figure 2: #itch *tructure *ynopsis of 8Moby .ick8
Example 3: Toward the Sea beginning of 8Moby .ick8 9oteD the alto flute transposes a #F down from the written pitches!/ Takemitsu TO-AR. T%; *;A G 456? *chott Japan Company Htd! All Rights Reser$ed Ised by permission of ;uropean American Music .istributors HHC, sole I!*! and Canadian agent for *chott Japan Company Htd!
Example 4: Toward the Sea #age 6 Hines ? and B 9oteD the alto flute transposes a #F down from the written pitches!/ Takemitsu TO-AR. T%; *;A G 456? *chott Japan Company Htd! All Rights Reser$ed Ised by permission of ;uropean American Music .istributors HHC, sole I!*! and Canadian agent for *chott Japan Company Htd!
8Cape Cod8 As the closing piece in the series, 8Cape Cod8 has as a fleeting rondo+like character with its distincti$e metric profile, it7s li$ely flow of ideas and its brief and simple binary design see )igure F/!
Figure 4: )ormal *cheme of 8Cape Cod8
The upper line of the chords of the introduction ;&le / traces the 8*;A8 moti$e in retrograde in$ersion )+;+@, then fills in the ;+@ tritone with two descending whole steps and two half steps, returning to the initial descending )+; natural! The <,4,=/ inter$allic element figures prominently as a $ertical component in the colorful accompanying succession of se$en sonoritiesD in the three <,4,F,L/ sonorities the second, si&th and se$enth in the series + see ;&le / and the one <,4,B,L/!sonority the third of the series/! @oth half+diminished <,?,,6/ sonorities are appogiaturas to respecti$e <,4,F,L/ sonorities and the middle <,?,F,L/ and final whole+tone/ sonorities of the se'uence are distinguished by their concentrations of major seconds! The @ minor se$enth persists in a non+octatonic alternation with a .> half+diminished against the thematic fragment 3>+C> tossed between registers in the flute but re$erts page 44, ?nd line, see )igure first system/ to a completely octatonic 8E8/ scalic figuration against a symmetrical harmony composed of o$erlapping <,4,=/ elements! The ensuing se'uence of 'uasi+diatonic 8*;A8 moti$es <,4, figures instead of <,4,=/ gra$itates harmonically back to the @ minor se$enth but deflects through a d half+ diminished to a 'uick pause on a 'uartal:diatonic sonority )igure , end of first system/! Arabes'ues settling around the mid+register @)igure , beginning of third system/ surge upward through the mid+register in a clear, directed scalic motion, through diatonic and half+diminished colorations to a trilled cadence on . + a gesture which is then abbre$iated down an octa$e and fades to a punctuation of the opening 8*;A8+to+C>8 3+3>+C>/ motto! The central episode of the form e&pands the first phrase based on the flute7s thematic 3>+ C> in a colorful layering of against a @ minor diatonic ostinato filling in 3 in the @ minor se$enth sonority + see ;&le =a, also )igure , third system/ against a resonant harmonic underpinning of 3 major! The episode is brief and enticingly transient )> pentatonic figurations in the flute are reflected in the guitar the ; and @ amid the persisting .+)> dominant/ rising to an intense octatonic flourish and descent to the empty mid+register minor third, C+A! %ere the turning motion around @ ;&le =b/ returns from the end of the opening section of the mo$ement, pursuing the identical scalic culmination on a trilled . which is repeated e&actly howe$er as at the end of 89ight8, more intensely in the upper register! The closing intonations to the 3+3>+C> no longer echo the parallel <,4,B,L/ sonorities of the opening but, instead, a more reflecti$e . minor se$enth, . pentatonic mo$ing to the @ minor se$enth/ and .> half+diminished sonorities, the A natural of which rises to @ forming lower and upper leading tones to the closing @ minor se$enth ;&le L/!
Figure 5: #itch *tructure *ynopsis of 8Cape Cod8
Example 5: Toward the Sea , Opening of 8Cade Cod8 9oteD the alto flute transposes a #F down from the written pitches!/ Takemitsu TO-AR. T%; *;A G 456? *chott Japan Company Htd! All Rights Reser$ed Ised by permission of ;uropean American Music .istributors HHC, sole I!*! and Canadian agent for *chott Japan Company Htd!
Example : Toward the Sea #age 4B Hines 4 and F 9oteD the alto flute transposes a #F down from the written pitches!/ Takemitsu TO-AR. T%; *;A G 456? *chott Japan Company Htd! All Rights Reser$ed Ised by permission of ;uropean American Music .istributors HHC, sole I!*! and Canadian agent for *chott Japan Company Htd!
Example !: Toward the Sea Closing Measures 9oteD the alto flute transposes a #F down from the written pitches!/ Takemitsu TO-AR. T%; *;A G 456? *chott Japan Company Htd! All Rights Reser$ed Ised by permission of ;uropean American Music .istributors HHC, sole I!*! and Canadian agent for *chott Japan Company Htd!
4! The 3erman note+name 8Cis8 for C> may also be related to the significance of this pitch
?! The reader is referred to @ruce Reiprich7s online article 8Toru Takemitsu7s Garden Rain for @rass ;nsemble8 at httpD::home!sprintmail!com:emrichards:reiprich!html and also Timothy ooin7s 8*piritual:Temporal "magery in the Music of Oli$ier Messiaen and Toru Takemitsu,8Contemporapry Music Review L 455B/! B! The arbitrary octatonic designations of 8N8,88, or 8E8 in )igures 4, ?, and B refer respecti$ely/ to the scales C+.+;+;+)>+3+A+@, C+.+;+)+)> +A+A +@ and .+;+)+3+A+@+@+ C>! "n )igures 4, ?, and B indi$idual systems summarie the pitch relations in single pages of the score which itself has no measure numbers, thus a passage in the middle of page three of a mo$ement would be found in the middle of the third line of the corresponding figure!
