Integration and opposition of Western and Japanese traditional instruments in Takemitsu’s November Steps

Abstract

This article examines the combination of Japanese and Western musical traditional instruments in regards to Tōru Takemitsu’s November Steps. The composer brought into an yōgaku (Western music style) composition not only two traditional instruments but also their traditional music, with the intention of creating an opposition of Japanese and Western musical characteristics, and shaping them as irreconcilable forces. In order to give a fair consideration of the matter, it is necessary to know the circumstantial and historical factors that have contributed to the predicaments involved in this pioneer act of incorporation of traditional Japanese aesthetics and culture in the world of musical composition.