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Summery for Computer Music Jurnal Gala 20th Anniversary
= THE SYNTHESIS of TRADITION and TECHNOLOGY=1/4 |
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| Summery for Computer Music Jurnal Gala 20th Anniversary 1997 | ||||||||
= THE SYNTHESIS of TRADITION and TECHNOLOGY= |
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TAMAMI TONO
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| "Breathing in Music" Music is certainly "Breathing." I am facing the display of my computer right now. Beside me is a traditional Japanese instrument called "SHO," which has more than 1300-year history in Japan. As a performing musician, it is apparent to me that breathing is a primary action necessary to create sound in "SHO." Because the SHO makes sound when I breathe in and out, the sound itself is like breathing. In this way, life information is transformed into sound. On the other hand, creating computer music is also relevant to breathing. Just as all the creatures naturally breathe, computers absorb a variety of ideas and emit them as music. Computers, when they have the capability of making sound, need to be actually breathed into order to transform sound into music. This highlights the basic principle that natural breathing is crucial to the essence of music. "The Sound and Music of Takemitsu" It's a regret that Toru TAKEMITSU, a great composer of this century, passed away this winter. I am among the youngest generations of musicians who had a chance to work with him. For the last few years, I have been playing his composition "In an Autumn Garden", which was composed for Gagaku (Gagaku is a traditional Japanese orchestra that includes the SHO). As a matter of fact, he did not compose many pieces of music utilizing Japanese instruments. They say he set his position as a composer in European style. All the more because of that, I feel that he expressed a lot of respect for Gagaku through this music. Takemitsu loved sound itself, including music and natural sounds, and his ultimate purpose was to find new sounds. Actually, He formulated an original and new acoustic space. To orchestras of this century, he was a sensational successor to Stravinsky that has enabled him to achieve new and unique sound. Now we face a future full of possibility of producing new sounds through using the computers as an instrument. "The Computer Music Scene in Recent Japan" Before the computer music in Japan, there was a period in which many composers ardently produced electronic music. Some electronic music studios were established in the late 50's, and were the spawning grounds of composers the electronic age, such as Johji YUASA. After passing through the analog synthesizer age we have reached our "digital age." After MIDI was developed, the equipment for personal producing became widespread and Pop music artists began to make use of it. Then computer music by MIDI became popular. Presently in Japan, users are numerous. Nowadays, musicians, especially young generation, are interested in Max as more flexible authoring tool in MIDI field. The other hand, DSP technology has been popular as an Audio-Visual product, but there is a short history of "computer music" in professional research. In 1990, CCMMT(Center for Computer Music & Music Technology) is established in Kunitachi College of Music. The center enthusiastically introduces technical information, mainly from overseas. At the same time, musicians who studied in professional schools overseas have begun to act as computer musicians. They are pioneers of computer music and there is a wide variety of approaches. This situation is very interesting. The educational environment is developing day by day, too. In the 90's, some colleges of art formed research groups. Some universities also did so (Keio, Waseda, etc.). |
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