Yoshida Takako
Yoshida Takako (1910–1956)
Ranging from modernist and bold to sensitive and lyrical, Yoshida’s works are filled with earnest emotion and thought-provoking messages. She was born in Tokyo and began studying the piano at age 12. She chose not to enter music school or university, but took composition lessons privately and at just 21 years old, her piano composition Canone was published in a magazine, marking the start of her career.
Against the backdrop of political upheaval and the rise of expansionist imperialism in the 1930s, Yoshida joined the Proletariat Composers Group and became involved in radical left-wing activities with her unmarried partner socialist playwright Kubo Sakae (1900–1958). Her political stance and refusal to write militaristic music meant she was frequently arrested between 1935 and 1940 and even jailed for 6 months. Her imprisonment aggravated an underlying health condition, but she managed to continue composing, writing a number of vocal, choral and instrumental pieces as well as music for stage and bunraku puppet theatre.
In the late 1940s, Yoshida composed a number of pieces with words by famous female poets such as Yosano Akiko (1878–1942) and О̄tsuka Kusuoko (1875–1910), whose feminist and anti-war message aligned perfectly with Yoshida’s philosophy. She also wrote, contributing pieces of criticism to a variety of magazines and publishing essays about sexual discrimination and the neglect of female composers.
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