Akira Ifukube

Akira Ifukube (May 31st 1914 - February 8th 2006) is a Japanese type-setter of classical music and film music, who was especially known for his work on the tape of films of Godzilla.

Akira Ifukube is born with Kushiro on the Japanese island from Hokkaido. He is the third child of a priest Shinto ist. The majority of its childhood proceed in an area inhabited by Japanese and Aïnus that his/her father attends, which is contrary for the use of the Japanese of the time.

Akira Ifukube is strongly influenced by the musical traditions of the two people and he studies the Violon and the Shamisen. Its first meeting with the classical music takes place at its entry at the secondary school with Sapporo, capital of Hokkaido. The legend wants that Akira Ifukube decided to compose at the 14 years age, after having heard a broadcasting of the Rite of Spring of Igor Stravinski (it will quote also Manuel of Falla like one of its inspirers.).

Akira Ifukube continues then studies of Sylviculture to the Université of Hokkaido and composes at its lost times. He will be then recognized like the first of a series of self-educated Japanese type-setters, such Toru Takemitsu and Takashi Yoshimatsu. Its first part, Continuation Good Odori , is for Piano solo and it bores in 1935 when its first composition for orchestra, Japanese Rhapsodie , gains the first price in an international contest of young type-setters organized by Alexandre Tcherepnine. The following year, he studies the modern Western compositions, while Tcherepnin visits Japan. In 1938, its Suite for Piano obtains a honourable mention with festival I.C.S.M. of Venice. At the end of the Years 1930, its music is often played in Europe, in particular the Japanese Rhapsodie .

After the end of its studies at the university, he works as officer of the forests where he manages the structural timber. Towards the end of the Second world war, it is used by the Japanese imperial army to study elasticity and resistance to the vibrations of wood. It will undergo there an exposure to radiation S by work without protection with x-rays (budgetary economies made at the end of the war). At this point in time it must give up work in forest and become a professional type-setter and teacher. It will spend some time to the hospital because of radiations which it underwent. Its surprise will undoubtedly be of size when it one of its steps is precisely diffused with the radio which will introduisira the arrival of the general Douglas MacArthur to ratify Japanese rendering.

Of 1946 with 1953, it teaches with the College of arts of the Université Nihon, at which time it composes its first Film music for The End off the Silver Mountains (1947). In the fifteen following years, it composes more than 250 film musics, of which the most noticed is undoubtedly that of Godzilla (1954) like King Kong against Godzilla (1962). Akira Ifukube creates also the howling of Godzilla - product by rubbing a leather glove covered with resin on the slackened cords of a Contrebasse - and its noises of step (by striking a case of amplifier).

In spite of its financial success with the film music, its first love remains the composition of classical music. In 1974, it turns over to teach with the Collège of Music of Tokyo and becomes president of the college the following year. In 1987, it resigns to become president of the College of the department of Ethnomusicologie.

It will publish Orchestration , an important work (1 000 pages) of musical theory.

The Japanese government decorated it with the Ordre of the Culture and the Ordre of the crowned (French) Treasury.

He died in Tokyo at the hospital Meguro-Ku of failure of multiple bodies () at the 91 years age.

External bonds

Information on its death in Japanese
virtual Museum in the honor of Akira Ifukube
Article of Randall D. Larson: In memory of Akira Ifukube
a homage to Akira Ifukube

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