Yoshirō Irino


Yoshirō Vladimir Irino was a Japanese composer.

Biography

Irino was born in Soviet Vladivostok. He attended high school in Tokyo and went on to study economics at Tokyo Imperial University.
After World War II, Irino, along with colleagues Minao Shibata and Kunio Toda, studied the twelve-tone method of composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg. In 1951, Irino used the composition technique to compose his Concerto da Camera for Seven Instruments. This work is credited to be the first Japanese dodecaphonic composition. During the same time, the magazine Ongaku Geijutsu published two articles by Irino: "Schoenberg's Composing Technique" and "What is Twelve-Tone Music?" Subsequently, Irino used the twelve-tone technique in numerous compositions and wrote extensively about contemporary music. Working to introduce foreign contemporary music and music literature to Japan, he made Japanese translations of important books such as Die Komposition mit zwölf Tönen by Josef Rufer and Schoenberg and His School by René Leibowitz. Irino did not, however, compose serial music, a technique of the same period widely used with the Darmstadt School.
In 1973, the Asian Composers League was established by Irino and his colleagues. After his death, the Irino Award and the Yoshiro Irino Memorial Prize were established to promote young composers. Notable students include Kimi Sato.

Awards

Yoshirō Irino's music is mainly published by Zen-On Music Company Ltd, Ongaku No Tomo Sha, Japan Federation of Composers
Stage works
Orchestra
Jazz Band
Chamber music
Piano
Vocal
Film music
School songs