武満徹 (Takemitsu Tōru) | en

Tōru Takemitsu (武満 徹 Takemitsu Tōru, October 8, 1930–February 20, 1996) was a Japanese composer of music, who explored the compositional principles of Western classical music and his native Japanese tradition both in isolation and in combination. Born in Tokyo, Takemitsu first became interested in Western classical music around the time of World War II. He had heard Western music on American military radio while recuperating from a long illness. He also listened to jazz from his father's ample collection. Takemitsu was largely self-taught in music. He was greatly influenced by the music of Claude Debussy and Olivier Messiaen. In...