Tag: Shakuhachi

  • Loud Silence & Quiet Sound: The Illuminating Music of Toru Takemitsu

    Loud Silence & Quiet Sound: The Illuminating Music of Toru Takemitsu

    Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996) was arguably the most well-known and influential Japanese composer of the 20th century. In addition to composing prolifically for the orchestra, Takemitsu wrote many chamber works, solo guitar music, electro-acoustic pieces (incorporating the use of magnetic tape loops and found sounds), a number of pieces that feature soloists playing traditional Japanese instruments…

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  • What the Heck Is a Shakuhachi?

    What the Heck Is a Shakuhachi?

    Like many historically significant Japanese things (Zen Buddhism, character writing, the kimono, temple architecture), the shakuhachi originated in China. And while, like the parenthetically aforementioned items on this list, the shakuhachi can claim Chinese origin, over the course of its history, it has diverged and evolved quite differently from its Chinese relative, the xiao. The shakuhachi is an…

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