Art Encouragement Newcomer Award of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
1 appearances
-
Edition 59 (2009) award
Akio Okada
おかだ あけお
Okada Akio
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1960-01-01 （Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Kyoto (birthplace) → Munich (study) → Freiburg (study) → Osaka (study/work) → Kobe (work) → Kyoto (work/current)
Career
- Occupations
- musicologist, university professor, author
- Active Years
- 1982-
- Affiliations
- Osaka University, Faculty of Letters, Musicology Laboratory (assistant), Kobe University, School of Human Development and Environment (associate professor), Kyoto University, Institute for Research in Humanities (professor)
- Memberships
- The Musicological Society of Japan
- Influenced By
- Richard Strauss, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Theodor W. Adorno (philosophy and music theory)
- Influenced
- General readership's understanding of classical music, Younger musicologists and critics
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rakusei High School | — | — | — | 〜1978 | Japan |
| Osaka University | Faculty of Letters | — | — | — | Japan |
| Osaka University Graduate School of Human Sciences | — | Musicology Laboratory | 博士（文学） | 1982-1996 | Japan |
| Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich | — | — | — | 留学（〜1991） | Germany |
| Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg | — | — | — | 留学（〜1991） | Germany |
Rakusei High School
Period:
〜1978
Year of Graduation:
1978
Country:
Japan
Osaka University
Faculty of Letters
Year of Graduation:
1982
Country:
Japan
Undergraduate degree (graduated)
Osaka University Graduate School of Human Sciences
Musicology Laboratory
Degree:
博士（文学）
Period:
1982-1996
Year of Graduation:
1996
Country:
Japan
Withdrew after completing coursework; later awarded Ph.D. in Literature in 1996 (thesis)
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Period:
留学（〜1991）
Country:
Germany
Studied abroad
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Period:
留学（〜1991）
Country:
Germany
Studied abroad
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities | The Fate of Opera | — | Suntory Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2009 | Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists | I Want to Be a Pianist! | — | Awards from Japanese art institutions | 受賞 |
| 2009 | Yoshida Shūwa Award (19th) | How to Listen to Music | — | Yoshida Shūwa Award Committee | 受賞 |
| 2013 | Shijaku (Shijukasu) Prize | The Philosopher of Love: Mozart | — | Shijaku Prize Committee | 受賞 |
| 2021 | Kobayashi Hideo Prize (20th) | The Crisis of Music: The Day 'Beethoven's Ninth' Could No Longer Be Sung | — | Kobayashi Hideo Prize Committee | 受賞 |
Suntory Prize for Social Sciences and Humanities
2001
Work:
The Fate of Opera
Organization:
Suntory Foundation
Result:
受賞
Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists
2009
Work:
I Want to Be a Pianist!
Organization:
Awards from Japanese art institutions
Result:
受賞
Yoshida Shūwa Award (19th)
2009
Work:
How to Listen to Music
Organization:
Yoshida Shūwa Award Committee
Result:
受賞
Shijaku (Shijukasu) Prize
2013
Work:
The Philosopher of Love: Mozart
Organization:
Shijaku Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Kobayashi Hideo Prize (20th)
2021
Work:
The Crisis of Music: The Day 'Beethoven's Ninth' Could No Longer Be Sung
Organization:
Kobayashi Hideo Prize Committee
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Kobayashi Hideo Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 20 (2021) award
Works
Major Works
The Dream of 'Der Rosenkavalier' — Richard Strauss and the Transformation of Opera
1997 musicology / scholarly studyA scholarly study focusing on Richard Strauss's 'Der Rosenkavalier', discussing opera's expression and historical transformations.
Richard Straussopera studiesmodern music history
The Fate of Opera: The 'One Night's Dream' That Fascinated the 19th Century
2001 popular music book / criticismA cultural-historical examination of 19th-century opera presented in an accessible style for general readers.
19th-century musicopera historycultural history
The Philosopher of Love: Mozart
2008 criticism / Mozart studiesAn interpretation of Mozart's works and persona through the lens of 'love'.
Mozartloveopera
The Crisis of Music: The Day 'Beethoven's Ninth' Could No Longer Be Sung
2020 criticism / society and musicA book interrogating the relationship between society and music, discussing the significance and crisis of music in contemporary times.
publicnessmusic and societyBeethoven
Bibliography
- The Dream of 'Der Rosenkavalier' — Richard Strauss and the Transformation of Opera
- The Fate of Opera: The 'One Night's Dream' That Fascinated the 19th Century
- History of Western Music: The Twilight of 'Classical'
- The Philosopher of Love: Mozart
- I Want to Be a Pianist! Another 19th-Century Music History
- How to Listen to Music: Words to Discuss Listening Styles and Tastes
- The Crisis of Music: The Day 'Beethoven's Ninth' Could No Longer Be Sung
- Melodrama: The Heroines of Opera
- What Is Classical Music?
Translations by Author
- Czerny: Fundamentals of Piano Playing (translator)
- In the Form of a Fantasy: Adorno's Writings on Music (co-translator)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- clear and readable proseexplains specialist analysis in accessible terms for general readers
- Recurring Motifs
- operaWestern music historycomposer portraits (especially Mozart and R. Strauss)relationship between music and society
Legacy
Recognized as a musicologist who combines scholarly precision with accessibility for general readers. His works on opera and Western music history are widely read as introductions, and he has contributed to public understanding of classical music through teaching and public lectures.
Academic Societies
- The Musicological Society of Japan
Trivia
- His father is developmental biologist Setsuto Okada.
- His grandfather was the Japanese literature scholar Rihebei Okada; his uncle (maternal brother) is political scientist Keihei Waki.
- Known for books that explain classical music clearly to a general readership.