Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


Titus_Document Nov11-1.pdf (2.07 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Japanese Contemporary Piano Music: Cultural Influence and Identity

Titus, Stephanie
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2798-1270
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1604259509513433

Abstract Details

2020, Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Bowling Green State University, Contemporary Music.
In an increasingly globalized community, a composer's cultural heritage may or may not manifest itself in their compositions. Conversely, manifest influences from different cultures may not coincide with the composer's identity. This document examines the piano works of three active Japanese composers, Dai Fujikura (b. 1977), Jo Kondo (b. 1947), and Joji Yuasa (b. 1929), through the lens of cultural influence. Analyses of representative pieces are contextualized in relation to the composers' opinions on the importance or relevance of writing music that embodies their own identity and cultural heritage. Examples of Japanese elements incorporated into Western-based composition include a circular rather than linear conception of time, ma as manifest through relationships and dualities, pulse-driven organization of rhythm, nature references, noise as an inseparable component of performance, and other extra-musical considerations. A brief overview of identity and globalization, along with an examination of numerous historical texts of both Western and Japanese origin, provide context for identifying these Japanese elements. Orientalism and musical exoticism provide additional grounding in scholarly work from Western sources about Eastern cultures, focusing specifically on music. These analyses offer insight into the differing ways cultural influences manifest in Japanese composers as a starting place. It is my hope that performers recognize the importance of seeking out the composer's intentions to align the performer's interpretation with the composer's artistic vision.
Nora Engebretsen-Broman, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Jeremy Wayne Wallach, Ph.D. (Other)
Mikel Kuehn, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Marilyn Shrude, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
167 p.
Fine Arts; Music
piano; contemporary music; Japan; Japanese composers; Culture studies; Exoticism

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Titus, S. (2020). Japanese Contemporary Piano Music: Cultural Influence and Identity [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1604259509513433

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Titus, Stephanie. Japanese Contemporary Piano Music: Cultural Influence and Identity. 2020. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1604259509513433.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Titus, Stephanie. "Japanese Contemporary Piano Music: Cultural Influence and Identity." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1604259509513433

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1604259509513433
1,367
© 2020, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.