Toshiro Mayuzumi

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Toshiro Mayuzumi
黛 敏郎
Born	(1929-02-20)20 February 1929 Yokohama, Japan
Died	10 April 1997(1997-04-10) (aged 68) Kawasaki, Kanagawa
Alma mater	Tokyo University of the Arts Conservatoire de Paris
Spouse	Yōko Katsuragi ​ (m. 1953⁠–⁠1997)​
Children	1
Relatives	Yoshie Taira (daughter-in-law)
Musical career
Genres	avant-garde electronic Musique concrète contemporary classical film score opera
Occupation	Composer
Discography	See below
Years active	1948–1996
Musical artist

Toshiro Mayuzumi (黛 敏郎, Mayuzumi Toshirō, Japanese pronunciation: [majɯꜜzɯmi toɕiɾoː]; 20 February 1929 – 10 April 1997) was a Japanese composer. He was known for his implementation of avant-garde instrumentation alongside traditional Japanese musical techniques. His works drew inspiration from a variety of sources ranging from jazz to Balinese music, and he was considered a pioneer in the realm of musique concrète and electronic music,^[1][2] being the first artist in his country to explore these techniques.^[3]

Over the span of his career, he wrote symphonies, ballets, operas, and film scores.^[4] Mayuzumi was the first Japanese composer to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score, for the 1966 film The Bible: In the Beginning....^[2] He was the recipient of an Otaka prize by the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Purple Medal of Merit.^[5] John Huston called him a "modern Beethoven".^[6]