Jacques lbert
(August 15, 1890 - February 2, 1962)
After studying drama at the Paris Conservatoire,
Ibert transferred to the music department
where he studied harmony under E.L.S. Pessard,
counterpoint and fugue under A. Gedalge and
composition under P. Vidal. The First World
War broke out when he was 24 and he became
an offrcer in the French Navy. In 1919 he
won the Prix de Rome in the first concours
held after the war. He gained recognition
of his great talent in the works he composed
while studying in Rome, especially the piano
pieces uHistoiresn and the orchestral work
"Escales." Until the end of his
life he enjoyed the respect and affection
of his fellow Frenchmen. At the age of 46
he was appointed director of the Academie
de France in Rome. In 1955 he was appointed
artistic director of the Paris Opera and
Opera Comique with the task of rebuilding
their repertoires, which led to his being
elected a member of the prestigious Institut
de France in 1956. His music belongs to the
modern classical school and is light, witty
and elegant in style, characterized by skillful
structure and orchestration, original techniques,
rich colour, variegated rhythms and fresh
sensibility. He asserted that "genius
is I % inspiration and 99% perspiration (hard
work)," but there is nothing laboured
about his music. His clear-headedness and
Parisian wit are elements that lend great
charm to his compositions.
Toru Takemitsu
(October 8, 1930 - February 20, 1996)
After studying composition under Yasuji
Kiyose, Takemitsu organized an "Experimental
Workshop" in 1951 together with Shuzo
Takiguchi, Kuniharu Akiyama, Joji Yuasa and
other composers, painters, poets and performers.
In 1957 he won wide recognition in Japan
with "Requiem for Strings" commissioned
by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. In 1958
his "Le Son Calligraphie I" won
first prize in the Competition for Contemporary
Music Composition at the 2nd Festival of
Contemporary Music at Karuizawa and also
earned him the French Ambassador's Prize.
At the 4th Tokyo Contemporary Music Festival
in 1961, his "Ring" received the
German Ambassador's Prize. In 1962 he was
awarded Best Music Prize at the 16th Mainichi
Motion Picture Concours for his music for
the films "Mozu (The Shrikes)"
and "Furyo Shonen (Bad Boys),"
and he subsequently won a variety of prizes
for his film scores. In 1963 "Coral
Island" won fifth prize of the International
Rostrum of Composers, UNESCO/IMC (International
Music Council), in Paris, and two years later
the IMC awarded his "Textures"
its Prize for Excellence in the Year 1965.
In 1967 "November Steps," a work
commissioned by the New York Philharmonic
for its 125th anniversary, was given its
first performance under the baton of Seiji
Ozawa. Takemitsu spent six months in New
York at the invitation of the Rockefeller
III Foundation. Subsequently he was active
as a composer of theme music for overseas
music festivals and as a judge at music concours.
His "Quatrain" won the Grand Prix
at the Japan Arts Festival in 1975 and the
Odaka Prize the following year. Other awards
include: Japan Arts Academy Prize, 1980;
Mobil Music Prize, 1981; Asahi Prize, 1985;
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French
Government, 1985; Kyoto Music Grand Prix,
1988; lst Hida-Furukawa Music Grand Prix,
1989; Le Prix International Maurice Ravel,
1990; Tokyo Citizenls Cultural Distinction
Award, Mainichi Arts Prize, Suntory Music
Prize, and IMC Music Prize, 1991; Japan Foundation
Award, 1993; NHK Cultural Award, 1994; Career
Achievement Award of the Society for the
Preservation of Film Music, Los Angeles,
1995. Takemitsu was an honorary member of
East Germany's Akademie de Kunste, the Academie
des Beaux-Arts (France), the American Academy
and Institute of Arts and Letters, the International
Contemporary Music Society, the Royal Academy
of Music (England) and the Asian Composers
Federation.
