Japanese Literary Awards

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Yoshitake Kobayashi

こばやし よしたけ

Kobayashi Yoshitake

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1942-06-10 （Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan）
Died
2013-01-26 age 70
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Muroran, Hokkaido → Vienna, Austria → Göttingen, (West) Germany → Kyoto (Doshisha Women's College) → Tokyo (Seijo University)

Career

Occupations
musicologist, professor, researcher
Active Years
1966-2013
Affiliations
Johann Sebastian Bach Institute (researcher), Doshisha Women's College (professor), Seijo University (professor)
Influenced By
Johann Sebastian Bach (subject of study), Alfred Dürr

Education

University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters
Aesthetics and Art History
Period: 〜1966
Year of Graduation: 1966
Country: Japan
Graduated in 1966
University of Vienna
Period: 1966（政府奨学金で留学）
Country: Austria
Studied as an Austrian government scholar
University of Göttingen (graduate school)
Degree: 学術博士
Period: 1967-1973
Year of Graduation: 1973
Country: Germany
Completed doctoral program in 1973 and earned a doctorate (Dr. phil.)

Awards

Tsuji Shoichi & Miura Anna Memorial Academic Encouragement Award
1996
Work: Bach: Pursuing the Mysteries of Tradition
Result: 受賞
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Art Encouragement Prize
2003
Work: Dialogue with Bach
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Arts Award)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Notation of Johann Sebastian Bach: Documentation of Its Development

1989 musicology / source studies

A detailed study of Bach's notation and the development of musical notation in his manuscripts (NBA Serie IX, Band 2).

Bach studiesmanuscript handwriting

Bach Revived: 19th-Century Bourgeois Musical Movements

1985 music history

Discusses the 19th-century revival of Bach and its social context in bourgeois society.

historical sociologyBach revival

Bach: Pursuing the Mysteries of Tradition

1995 musicology

Explores questions of transmission and copyists of Bach's works, attempting to clarify issues based on sources.

copyist studiestransmission studies

Dialogue with Bach: The Frontiers of Bach Research

2002 scholarly commentary

Presents forefront Bach research in an accessible way, explaining research findings for a broad readership.

research overviewBach studies

Bibliography

  • Die Notenschrift Johann Sebastian Bachs: Documentation of Its Development. (1989)
  • Bach Revived: 19th-Century Bourgeois Musical Movements (1985)
  • Bach: Pursuing the Mysteries of Tradition (1995)
  • Dialogue with Bach: The Frontiers of Bach Research (2002)
  • Co-edited: Catalogue of Watermarks in Bach's Original Manuscripts (etc.)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly, analytical, grounded in primary sources
Recurring Motifs
Bach studieshandwriting and copyist analysissource criticism

Health

  • illness
    2013年1月（死去）
    Died on 2013-01-26 due to illness

Legacy

Left internationally recognized achievements in Bach manuscript handwriting and source studies, leading research associated with the New Bach Edition. Considered a key figure in Bach studies in Japan.

Archives

  • National Diet Library (holdings / authority data)

Trivia

  • He was one of the leading Japanese scholars involved in research for the New Bach Edition (Japanese edition published by Shogakukan, 15 volumes).
  • His wife, Kirsten Beisswenger, was also a musicologist; they produced joint works and co-edited publications.