OSAWA, Hisato

Hisato Osawa was born in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture on August 1, 1906. After graduation from Kwansei Gakuin College of Commerce in 1930, he left for the United States. First, Osawa enrolled at Boston University School of Music and, later, at the New England Conservatory, where he studied under Frederic S. Converse.  Osawa composed symphonies, concertos, and chamber music while in Boston. In 1933, the year he graduated from Boston University, Osawa conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra in performing his Little Symphony. Osawa was the first Japanese ever to conduct this orchestra.
Osawa went to Paris in 1934 and studied under Paul Dukas and Nadia Boulanger. The next year, he conducted Orchestre de Pasdeloup to premiere his Second Symphony, Second Piano Concerto, and a song accompanied by orchestra, Une voix à ‘Sakura.’  His avant-garde style in composition and elaborate direction in conducting led to a great success. Osawa’s distinguished international musical career was rare for a Japanese of his period.
After returning to Japan in 1936, Osawa started teaching at Kobe College. He composed a wide variety of genres ranging from music for radio programs, stage plays, films, jazz-style concertos, to school songs. He acted not only as composer, arranger, and conductor, but also as radio producer during his days in Japan. After creating more than 800 composed and arranged pieces, Osawa passed away suddenly at the age of 47 on October 28, 1953.
The 2003 release of some of Osawa’s masterworks has triggered revaluation of his contribution. Osawa is again recognized as one of the most important composers and conductors in pre- and post-World War II Japan.

Major Works
Orchestral Works:
Little Symphony (1933), Piano Concerto No.1 (1933), Three Pastoral Movements ‘Sons of the Earth’ (1934), Symphony No. 1 (1934), Double Bass Concerto (1934), Piano Concerto No. 2 (1935), Symphony No. 2 (1935), Les fragments de la ruelle (1935), Violin Concertino ‘Chinese Poem’ (1936), Symphony No. 3 ‘Kenkoku’ (1937), Piano Concerto No. 3 ‘Kamikaze’ (1938), Sakura Fantasy (1946), Kappa Suite (1946), Jazz Variations (1947), Saxophone Concerto (1947), Pegasus Rhapsody (1949), Trumpet Concerto (1950). 

Chamber Music: 
Cello Sonata (1932), Piano Trio (1932), Piano Quintet (1933), Three Preludes (1933), Piano Sonatine (1933), Six Capricetti (1934), Small Sketches (1934), Patterns (1934), Three Pieces of Spring 'Teichu' (1937). 

Vocal Works: 
Une voix à ‘Sakura’ (1935), Chanson d’automne (1936), Prayers of Steel (1936), Western Earth ‘Seito’ (1937), Camp (1937), Lancer (1939), Song of a Mother upon a Swallow (1939), Dawn of the Sea (1940), Festive Music for the Nation (1940), Benedictus Fantasy (1944), Fantasy of the Clouds (1947), Ode for a Brand New May (1950), Festive Music Celebrating One Thousand Two Hundredth Year of the Great Buddha (1952).

Radio, Film and Incidental Music: 
Mountain Concerto (1936), A Whale’s Back (1939), Yumedono Kannon (1940), Children’s Folklore ‘Fudoki’ (1941), Monologue of a Soldier (1941), Magic Lantern Projection Deep in the Water (1944), A Model and a Young Master (1946), The Love of Sumako the Actress (1947), Women of the Night (1948), King of Revue (1949), Serenade for Water Nymphs (1950), Silver Image (1951), ABC Home Songs (1952-53), Handan (1953).