Abstract
Somei Sato’s Litania (1973) is a work characterized by rapid tremolo repetitions and tape delays. This so-called live electronic music piece has sounds that are electronically altered in real time on stage. Previous studies have pointed out that Litania was influenced by minimal music, which was introduced to Japan from America around 1970.
This paper will highlight elements from the beginning of the seventies that were potential precursors to Litania and which can be seen in the live electronic music style of the piece. First, I will look at the overall structure of Litania and point out its characteristics to build a basis for the discussion. Next, I will examine Sato’s activities in the early 1970s and highlight his strong interests in body and action to shed light on the “live” dimension of Litania. Then, I will shift my focus to the “electronic” element. Considering rock music, in which Japanese classical composers of the time showed a strong interest, I try to connect Sato’s practices in the early 1970s and Litania with this context. Through this examination of the relationship between these precursors and Litania, a more detailed picture of Japanese postwar music history will appear.
