the scores of toshi ichiyanagi

Toshi Ichiyanagi. Music for Electric Metronome1960

Toshi Ichiyanagi – Music for Electric Metronome (1960)

After his friend Toru Takemitsu, Toshi Ichiyanagi is one of the most famous Japanese composers of the 20th century. He was an early member of Fluxus and a student of both Aaron Copeland and John Cage, but unlike most of his contemporaries with similar pedigrees, he is largely unknown outside of the country of birth. His important contributions to Fluxus have been largely lost within the long shadow of historical revisionism. Like the efforts of many of his peers, they are somewhat obscured by the success of his first wife Yoko Ono.

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Toshi Ichiyanagi – Music for Electric Metronome (1960)

Beyond my overwhelming affection for the movement, I’ve been profiling the works of lesser recognized Fluxus artists as an intervention. It is my attempt to combat an altering of history I’ve witnessed over the twenty years since I first entered art school – particularly in the case of Ono. It’s entrenched within a wide reaching trend in contemporary art historical practice and criticism, and should be placed under our watchful eye. Internal agendas have been forced, and our understanding of the past is increasingly obscured. Ono was one of Fluxus’ more mediocre artists, but her work has worth and historical importance. When I first encountered her practice, this is was its critical and historical context. In the ensuing years her legacy has been inflated by institutional agendas (because of her role in popular culture), and no longer accurately represents its place within the movement. It now overshadows more significant contributors like George Maciunas, George Brecht, Allan Kaprow, Jonas Mekas, Charlotte Moorman, and Alison Knowles, among countless others. When institutions like MOMA choose to give her a retrospective while failing to invest equal stock in those mentioned above, something must be done to challenge these forces. To this end I give you a selection of the scores of Toshi Ichiyanagi.

Toshi Ichiyanagi – Music for Electric Metronome (1960)

Ichiyanagi lived in New York between 1954 and 1961. Early in that period, he encountered John Cage, Fluxus founder George Maciunas, and many of the other artists working with their ideas. When he returned to Japan in 1961, he is generally credited with introducing the conceits of Cage and Fluxus to that country, sparking a small cultural revolution. Though his entire career is marked by significant contributions to avant-garde music, his work has became slightly less adventurous as the years wear on. My favorite compositions are from the period during which Fluxus was most active. I adore the duality of graphic scores. They are beautiful objects in their own right, yet double as generators of sound. Ichiyanagi’s are among my favorite. They are stunning and embedded with countless layers of meaning. Here are four works – Music for Electric Metronome (1960), Stanzas for Kenji Kobayashu (1961), Music for Piano No. 7 (1961), and Kaiki [Recurrence] for Koto for John Cage (1960). Unfortunately, with the exception of Music for Electric Metronome, I haven’t been able to locate any of the music which grows from them (online). I hope you enjoy them all the same.

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