Japanese piano sonatas: a discussion and performance guide

Japan has been influenced by Western culture since the end of the nineteenth century when the country opened its doors to the outside world. In 1873, the Japanese government adopted a policy of thorough and rapid modernization and westernization, including its music. Japanese composers of westernized music became active around 1900, and often worked in three idioms: 1) a Western-style composition, which was influenced by German and French music, 2) a Japanese-style, which blended traditional elements such as the pentatonic major and minor scales from Japanese music with the compositional constructs of Western music, and 3) a globalization-style, which combines Western, Japanese and other musical elements in a post-modern tradition. Their compositions are unique, and make a significant contribution to the music available to performers. However, after conducting a survey, this author found that most American musicians have no knowledge of Japanese composers and their piano works. This essay will specifically examine Sonata pour piano (1958) by Akira Miyoshi (b. 1933) and Sonata pour piano (1961) by Akio Yashiro (1929-1976).