​COMPARING TORU TAKEMITSU’S MUSICAL LANGUAGE TO MESSIAEN AND DEBUSSY

Abstract

This paper examines how Toru Takemitsu’s musical language in his piano music shows influence from Messiaen and Debussy. Takemitsu has acknowledged that Messiaen and Debussy have both influenced his music, but the full extent of his influence has not been examined in detail. Through analysis of pitch, rhythm, and texture, the author will explore how Takemitsu finds Japanese elements in the French music of Messiaen and Debussy. The author will compare Takemitsu and Messiaen’s music, focusing on Takemitsu’s Rain Tree Sketches I and II, dedicated to Messiaen, Messiaen’s “Première Communion de la Vièrge” from Vingt regards sur L’Enfant-Jésus, and Debussy’s “Ondine,” from Preludes, Book 2. Further, the author will examine these three composers’ musical language for use of the octatonic collection, rhythmic patterns and ostinatos, and contrasting textural patterns, and formal structure, to explore how Takemitsu absorbed Messiaen’s and Debussy’s musical styles. In conclusion, the study not only observes similarities in musical language between Messiaen and Debussy, but also shows how Takemitsu draws on the language of these composers to create his own style.

Keywords

• musical language
• analyses
• takemitsu
• debussy
• messiaen
• musical style