METHOD NO. 38 "MIWA GOT THE AWARD" SEP 1, 2004 Email-Bulletin "METHOD" is a free monthly, being published by the three Methodicists in Japan, Nakazawa Hideki (artist), Matsui Shigeru (poet), Miwa Masahiro (composer). Manifestos of Methodicism: aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/ On the 29th of this August, Miwa Masahiro got the Akutagawa Award for Music Composition. This issue carries an urgent three-man talk by the three Methodicists held just after the commendation. cf. Akutagawa Award for Music Composition: www.suntory.co.jp/news/2004/8889.html (Japanese only) >>>THREE-MAN TALK: NAKAZAWA= Congratulations, Mr. Miwa, for the 14th Akutagawa Award for Music Composition! MATSUI= The competition concert was held some time ago, followed by the open selection and the commendation ceremony. Congratulations! MIWA= Thank you. This award, the most famous prize in the world of Japanese contemporary music, is to be given to a young and energetic composer for his/her orchestral work. NAKAZAWA= Admirably, you won at the oldest age among the past winners, having defeated the young. MATSUI= The award-winning piece is "Bolero by Muramatsu Gear Engine" for Orchestra, which is familiar to the readers of this bulletin, "METHOD." MIWA= This is my first orchestral piece, composed older than Bruckner's age when he had composed "Symphony No. 1." NAKAZAWA= Mr. Miwa's image for us is a composer from the field of computer music. MATSUI= Therefore, I think it has great meanings both for Mr. Miwa and for the world of composition that he got the award in the field of orchestral music. MIWA= The piece is also computer music because it is "Notated Reverse-Simulation Music." It represents the traditional music of an imaginary tribe, the Giyacks, being expressed in the language of Western orchestral music. NAKAZAWA= I think you are aware of various politics like colonialism, etc., which is already included in composing orchestral music itself. That is also Mr. Miwa's strong and attracting point, I believe. MATSUI= The liner note written as a nationalist composer is also a part of the piece, isn't it? The open selection looked like Mr. Miwa's perfect game whatever results followed, because the members of the jury did not notice of their being taken in. MIWA= I also intended to treat an orchestra, a group of specialized and well-trained physical bodies, as a machine of human power that generates minute sound. NAKAZAWA= I heard that absolute pitches are not designated in the string part-score, although an octave is divided into 18 equally spaced pitches. The outcome was the sound of funny and horrifying and violating. MATSUI= The lasting algorism of 17 beats was like techno sound and like local music as well. As a whole, the sound was marvelous. MIWA= I want to say thank you to the members of New Japan Philharmonic for today's performance. NAKAZAWA= I feel sorry to hear that some string players were not earnest enough at the premiere in Cairo last year. MATSUI= That means the piece is such a problem composition that even performers cannot understand it. Being awarded this time must be said brilliant in such meanings also. Today, I can feel that the world of Japanese contemporary music is not so bad. MIWA= I want to say thank you also to those who cheered me. NAKAZAWA= To tell the truth, those noisy people stringing banners at the seats of the upper floor were our friends including The Method Machine, familiar to the bulletin's readers. Both bravos and booings had been planned, but actually we could not hear so many boos. MATSUI= We have been bored for a long time at the concerts of Japanese contemporary music always accompanied by only kind and impassive handclaps. We decided to do at least such things, considering also the historical riot arisen at the premiere of "The Rite of Spring." MIWA= There was a period in fact when I was worried inwardly whether such a staged plot would be ungraceful, in spite of that I put it all into my friends' hands. NAKAZAWA= Mr. Nodaira Ichiro, a member of the jury, gave a precise rebuke to those who made bravos during the open selection. I think that was very nice. Our intention can be recognized only after having been criticized justifiably. MATSUI= Powerful handclaps approving that remark by Mr. Nodaira rose from the seats, especially from the direction of the guests. That was an unexpected fruit, so many people coming to the field we had prepared. MIWA= In addition to the prize money, I received a commission to compose a new orchestral piece as a side reward. It will be premiered two years later. NAKAZAWA, MATSUI= Congratulations again to you! Thank you for attending the three-man talk. cf. www.iamas.ac.jp/~mmiwa/rsm.html aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/method036/method036_e.html fubaisha.com/tanka-vs/top.cgi?mode=read&year=2004&month=8&day=31 >>>GRAVURE: - Attached file's name: method38_miwaaward.jpg Taken after "The 14th Competition of Akutagawa Award for Music Composition" on Aug 29, 2004. >>>A LETTER FROM THE METHOD MACHINE OF THIS MONTH: From Ikeda Takmi, software section http://method-machine.com/ Probably, Painting, Poem, Music, Meal, Retaining Wall, Carpenter's Ink Pad and Method are regarded as instances belonging to the same class. The body which observes and expresses (displays, indicates) an object is sometimes called The Method Machine. Between the object and expression, there is a crevasse which can be seen as infinity or infinitesimal, and Machine looks into it (By carelessness the head will get pinched). In order to approach the object, Machine sometimes makes machines. Some have already existed as practice software for PC. It seems that Machine learns from machines in order to display what the machines can display instantly with the body, but the operation like spine reflection is just a part of the result. The purpose is to search the viewpoint of observation. It likely happens that the acquired viewpoint makes Retaining Wall look like Method and Meal look like Probably. Then, Machine appears and displays that not by letters but by the body. (We are still inviting people to join us, The Method Machine. For more information, please check the above URL.) >>>METHODICISTS' WORD & INFO OF THIS MONTH: Nakazawa Hideki, artist: nakazawa@aloalo.co.jp http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/ - ICANOF Media Art Show 2004 Summer "SCALPLESS LLANDSSSCAPE" at Hachinohe City Museum of Art, Aomori, Sep 4-20, 2004. I will exhibit extra-large prints of "Sentence," et al. www.hi-net.ne.jp/icanof/ (Japanese only) - MMAC Festival in Tokyo 2004 members.jcom.home.ne.jp/mmac - I am writing a book "Contemporary Art History: Japan." Matsui Shigeru, poet: shigeru@td5.so-net.ne.jp http://www008.upp.so-net.ne.jp/methodpoem/ - I am writing serially on the webpage of the magazine "Tanka Versus" (Fubaisha). I wrote on Akutagawa Award for Music Composition on August 31, 2004. www.fubaisha.com/ - September 12, 2004. Performance at Kochi Literary Museum. kochi-bunkazaidan.or.jp/~bungaku/ - September 25, 2004. Marathon Reading. members.at.infoseek.co.jp/TRL2001/new.html Miwa Masahiro, composer: mmiwa@iamas.ac.jp http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~mmiwa/ - 9/1-7: After the successful first performance of "Bolero by Muramatsu Gear Engine" for Orchestra in Japan, I am flying to Linz, Austria, for the campus exhibition of IAMAS at Ars Electronica Festival for a week. Please visit our exhibition and related performance events! www.aec.at/en/festival/programm/overview_campus_2004.asp - 9/26: The first performance of a new piece called "ShiShiKuriKou" for organ(s) at the 11th regular concert of JSEM (Japanese Society of Electronic Music) in Tokyo. >>>POSTSCRIPT: - METHOD Website: http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/ - To read the back numbers, visit the above website. - To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: nakazawa@aloalo.co.jp - If you want to read in Japanese as well, let us know. - You can send on this bulletin to others freely, but corruption and appropriation are prohibited. Bulletin METHOD NO. 38 English Version Published on September 1, 2004 (C) Nakazawa Hideki, Matsui Shigeru, Miwa Masahiro, 2004