Goh, Taijiro

Goh, Taijiro, Japanese composer; b. Dairen, Manchuria, Feb. 15, 1907; d. Shizuoka, July 1, 1970. He studied in Tokyo. He organized the Soc. of Japanese Composers and created the Japan Women’s Sym. Orch. (1963). His music follows the European academic type of harmonic and contrapuntal structure.

Works

DRAMATIC Opera : Madame Rosaria (1943); Tsubaki saku koro (When Camellias Blossom; 1949; unfinished); Tais (1959; unfinished). B a l l e t : Shimpi-shu (Mysteries), ballet suite (1942); Oni-Daiko (Devil Drummers; 1956). C h o r e o g r a p h i c P l a y s : Koku-sei-Ya (1954); Rashomon (1954). ORCH.: 8 syms.: No. 1 (1925), No. 2 (1930), No. 3, Kumo (Clouds; 1938), No. 4 (1938), No. 5, Nippon (1939), No. 6, Asia (1939), No. 7, Sokoku (Motherland; 1942), and No. 8, Chd jd Banri (The Long Wall; 1945; only the 1st movement was completed); 3 violin concertos (1935, 1937, 1962); 2 piano concertos (1936, 1940); Movement for Cello, Temple Blocks, and Orch. (1937); Theme and Variations (1938); 2 overtures: Otakebi (War Cry; 1939) and Over the Tan-Shan Southern Path (1941); 3 symphonic marches: Eiyu (Hero; 1940), Taiiku (Gymnastics; 1940), and Akeyuku Azia (Asia Dawning; 1942); Seija to Eiyu (The Saint and the Hero), symphonic dance piece (1961). CHAMBER: Theme and Variations for String Trio (1933); 2 string quartets (1935, 1938); Imayo for Cello and Piano (1954). Piano : 5 sonatas (1915, 1919, 1920, 1927, 1927); November in Manchuria, rhapsody (1926); Fantasy (1927); Variations (1931); 8 Chinese Dances (1941); Katyusha, choreographic poem (1954). VOCAL: Nemuri no Serenade (Serenade for Slumber) for Voice and Orch. (1944); The Flow of the River Dalny for Chorus and Orch. (1950); Brasil, symphonic poem for Narrator, Chorus, and Orch. (1967); other vocal works, including over 100 songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire