Japanese Literary Awards

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Jo Kondo

こんどう じょう

Kondo Jo

Pen Names: Jo Kondo（Used for international performances and publications）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1947-10-28 （Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English

Career

Occupations
composer, music critic, translator, educator
Active Years
1969-
Affiliations
Tokyo University of the Arts, Ochanomizu University, Showa University of Music, Ensemble Musica Practica, Ensemble Nomad
Memberships
American Academy of Arts and Letters (Foreign Honorary Member)
Influenced By
Yoshio Hasegawa, Hiroaki Minami, John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Paul Zukofsky
Influenced
Motoharu Kawashima, Peter Gahn

Education

Tokyo University of the Arts
Faculty of Music / Composition
Period: 1968-1972
Year of Graduation: 1972
Country: Japan
Received a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship (1977–1978) and has held other international residencies and visiting positions.

Awards

4th Japan–Germany Contemporary Music Composition Competition
1969
Organization: Japan–Germany Contemporary Music Composition Competition
Result: 第3位
Ongaku no Tomo 30th Anniversary Composition Prize
1971
Organization: Ongaku no Tomo Sha (publisher)
Result: 佳作
Music Today 10th Anniversary International Composition Prize
1982
Organization: Music Today
Result: ファイナリスト
Otaka Prize
1991
Organization: Otaka Prize
Result: 受賞
ISCM World Music Days — Selected
1995
Organization: International Society for Contemporary Music
Result: 入選
ISCM World Music Days — Selected
2001
Organization: International Society for Contemporary Music
Result: 入選（国際審査員として参加）
ISCM World Music Days — Selected
2002
Organization: International Society for Contemporary Music
Result: 入選
Nakajima Kenzō Music Prize
2005
Organization: Nakajima Kenzō Music Prize
Result: 受賞
American Academy of Arts and Letters — Foreign Honorary Lifetime Member
2012
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result: 名誉会員
Arts Council of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award
2018
Organization: Arts Award (MEXT)
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award (74th) — Special Prize
2020
Work: Monogatari: A History of Western Music
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 特別賞
Suntory Music Award
2024
Organization: Suntory Music Award
Result: 受賞
Person of Cultural Merit
2024
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Hagoromo

Chamber opera

A chamber opera inspired by the Noh tale; combines Kondo's linear and contrapuntal approach with vocal and theatrical elements.

tradition and modernityvoice and silencelinear structure
Adaptations
  • [Recording] Jo Kondo: Hagoromo (CP2 Recordings)

Mulberry

Orchestral

An orchestral piece contrasting layers of sonority with intricate contrapuntal progressions.

sonoritycounterpointtime
Adaptations
  • [Recording] Jo Kondo: Mulberry (CP2 Recordings) / Paul Zukofsky

In the Woods

Orchestral

An orchestral work based on natural imagery; emphasizes subtle relationships between sounds.

naturesilencerelationships of sound
Adaptations
  • [Recording] Jo Kondo: Mulberry, In the Woods and In Summer (CP2 Recordings) / Paul Zukofsky

Surface, Depth and Colour

Large ensemble

A large-ensemble piece exploring the surface and inner depth of sound, as suggested by its title.

surfacedepthtimbre

Sen no ongaku (The Music of Lines)

1979 Book (music theory/essays)

Published in 1979, this book outlines Kondo's aesthetics and compositional methods; the text (and its eponymous record) was widely discussed.

composition theorymethodologyminimalism and counterpoint

Yokohama

1991 Chamber music

A chamber-music work featuring urban imagery and delicate placement of sounds.

urbanitysilencecounterpoint
Adaptations
  • [Recording] Jo Kondo: Yokohama (ALM Records, 1991) (1991)

Bibliography

  • Sen no ongaku (The Music of Lines) (1979)
  • Seeds of Music (1983)
  • Thinking with the Ear: The Semantic Field of Contemporary Music (1985)
  • The Enigma Called 'Music' (2004)
  • Throwing Sound: The Scope of Compositional Thought (2006)
  • The Listening Person (homo audiens): On the Interpretation of Music (2013)
  • Monogatari: A History of Western Music (2019)

Adaptations

  • Jo Kondo Selected Works 'Nin冬' — Contemporary Japanese Composers Series 7 (Fontec, CD)
  • Jo Kondo: Mulberry, In the Woods and In Summer (CP2 Recordings, CD)
  • Jo Kondo: Surface, Depth and Colour (ALM Records, CD)
  • Jo Kondo: Sen no ongaku (ALM Records, CD reissue 2014)

Translations by Author

  • John Cage, 'The World of John Cage' (translation, 1980) — published in Japan as 『音楽の零度』
  • D. Hughes, 'History of European Music' (co-translation, 1986)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
line-based compositional methodcoexistence of minimalist elements and refined counterpointstatic and delicate sonic architecture
Recurring Motifs
lines (lineal progression)the procedure of waiting for the 'second note'silence (ma)seasonal and natural imagery

Legacy

Jo Kondo is one of Japan's leading contemporary composers; his works have been performed and recorded internationally. As an educator he trained many younger composers, and through translations and criticism he made significant contributions to contemporary music discourse in Japan. He has received numerous awards and was honored in 2024 with the Suntory Music Award and designation as a Person of Cultural Merit.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Letters (honorary)

Archives

  • York University Music Press (holds comprehensive list of Kondo's works)
  • Blue Sheet (artist agency, manages catalogue of works)

Quotes

  • When placing the second note, why do you think that note is good or appropriate?
    Source: Sen no ongaku (The Music of Lines) (1979)
  • It ends when one thinks 'this is the end.' There is not necessarily any significant meaning in that.
    Source: Lecture / Program notes (2006)

Trivia

  • Over 160 works have been published.
  • Has translated works by John Cage and others into Japanese.
  • Longtime commentator for NHK-FM programs on international contemporary music.
  • Selected as a foreign honorary lifetime member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2012.
  • Received the Suntory Music Award in 2024 and was named a Person of Cultural Merit.