Popularity ranking of composer Toru Takemitsu’s works—he was a contemporary musician renowned as “Takemitsu of the world.”
Toru Takemitsu was a contemporary composer who began studying music on his own after the end of the war and made his debut as an avant-garde composer in 1950.
In the 1960s, he composed numerous film scores, all of which received high acclaim, leaving a significant impact on the Japanese music scene.
Moreover, thanks to the international attention drawn—particularly in the United States and Canada—by November Steps, a work incorporating traditional Japanese instruments, he came to be recognized as a composer of global stature.
This time, we’ll introduce a ranking of Takemitsu’s popular pieces—so please enjoy his avant-garde music.
Ranking of Popular Songs (1–10) by Toru Takemitsu, the Contemporary Composer Known as “Takemitsu of the World”
November StepsTakemitsu Tōru1rank/position
The Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu’s November Steps.
Composed for biwa, shakuhachi, and orchestra, this work brought Takemitsu wide international recognition.
It opened a new frontier by fusing Western and traditional Japanese instruments.
The piece was initially titled Water Ring, but the title was changed to one meaning November due to comments that the original evoked a bathtub and because the premiere was to take place in November.
It’s apparently not intended as an autumnal piece, but doesn’t the shakuhachi’s breathy tone somehow sound like the rustling of fallen leaves?
Small skyTakemitsu Tōru2rank/position
Composer Toru Takemitsu, who helped lead Japan’s contemporary music scene.
“Small Sky” is widely loved as a masterpiece with an appealing, familiar melody, and it is often performed as a piano solo.
Composed in 1962 as the theme for a radio drama, the piece delicately depicts impressions and inner stirrings when looking up at the blue sky, the evening sky, and the night sky, centering on memories and emotions from childhood.
Its warm melody, which seems to awaken innocent and pure feelings, is soothing to the heart—highly recommended for adults who feel nostalgic for their childhood.
Requiem for StringsTakemitsu Tōru3rank/position
Known as Toru Takemitsu’s breakthrough work, Requiem for String Orchestra takes a three-part form, unlike a conventional requiem.
As Takemitsu himself said, “Rather than constructing sound, I want to pare away the excess and arrive at one assured tone,” and the carefully layered overtones convey even a sense of severity.
It is a celebrated piece said to have astonished Igor Stravinsky, one of the foremost composers of the 20th century.
AsterismTakemitsu Tōru4rank/position
Toru Takemitsu, a composer who epitomizes 20th-century contemporary music.
Asterism is a piano concerto counted among his signature works; as the orchestra surges to an intense crescendo, the piano closes the piece by weaving fragmented motifs.
Through Takemitsu’s distinctive approach, Western music and traditional Japanese music are exquisitely fused into a work of high artistry.
Valuing silence and drawing out the inherent resonance of each sound, his music penetrates the listener’s heart.
It is a gem I recommend not only to those familiar with contemporary music, but also to anyone encountering Takemitsu’s works for the first time.
November Steps, Tenth SectionTakemitsu Tōru5rank/position
This is a groundbreaking work by Toru Takemitsu, who brought contemporary Japanese music to worldwide attention.
Rather than fusing the Western orchestra with traditional Japanese instruments, he deliberately sets them in opposition, which accentuates the distinct beauty of each sound.
The timbre of the shakuhachi—described by Takemitsu as “rising vertically like a tree”—evokes a solitary spirituality, like a single bamboo standing upright in silence.
The piece premiered in November 1967 as a commission from the New York Philharmonic, and was also performed at Expo ’70.
Piano DistanceTakemitsu Tōru6rank/position
Toru Takemitsu is one of Japan’s foremost contemporary composers.
Fusing Western and Eastern philosophies and deftly incorporating sound and silence, his music pursues the beauty of stillness and ma (the expressive use of space).
Piano Distance is one of Takemitsu’s representative works for piano.
Stripped of tonality and regular rhythm, and built on its own structures of time and space, it offers listeners a uniquely distinctive auditory experience.
In Takemitsu’s words, music should not merely name things; it should resonate within the listener’s inner self.
If you’re interested in contemporary music or wish to experience the essence of the Takemitsu world, be sure to give it a listen!
Four AwayTakemitsu Tōru7rank/position
Toru Takemitsu is one of the foremost Japanese composers of the 20th century.
He established a unique worldview that fuses tradition and innovation and has received high international acclaim.
His piano piece For Away, composed in 1973, is a short, meditative work.
Inspired by Balinese landscapes and gamelan music, it holds a profound resonance within tranquil sonorities, cleansing the listener’s heart and beckoning them far away.
We hope to perform it with care, shaping each note meticulously to evoke a world of crystal-clear silence.
It is recommended not only for those interested in contemporary music, but also for anyone who wishes to experience the work of a composer Japan is proud of.
RomanceTakemitsu Tōru8rank/position
Romance, a piano piece left by Tōru Takemitsu, a master of contemporary Japanese music.
Composed in 1948, two years before his official debut as a composer, it is an étude dedicated to his teacher, Yasushi Kiyose.
This piece, with its alluring, distinctly Japanese folk-like atmosphere not found in his later works, has been highly acclaimed worldwide—for example, a revised edition by British pianist-composer Paul Crossley was published after Takemitsu’s death.
It’s also recommended to compare it with his late works and enjoy the shifts in his compositional approach.
Two MelodiesTakemitsu Tōru9rank/position
Toru Takemitsu, one of Japan’s leading composers who contributed to the development of contemporary music in the postwar era, left works spanning a wide range of genres, including songs, choral pieces, and symphonies, and he also wrote many pieces for piano.
Two Melodies is a work he composed in 1948, before he formally began studying composition, and it was discovered among his belongings after his death.
Marked by its poignantly melancholic melody, this piece is relatively accessible among his piano works, making it a good recommendation for those attempting Takemitsu’s music for the first time.
Two RentsTakemitsu Tōru10rank/position
Futari no Lento (Two Lentos) is an early work that Toru Takemitsu composed as a young composer.
Even in this piece, his distinctive meditative atmosphere and sensibility for fusing Eastern and Western musical traditions are already evident.
Its serene, poetic melodies evoke natural landscapes, gently guiding the listener into a realm of deep introspection.
Imbued with philosophical depth that suggests the new musical horizons Takemitsu explored in his youth, this work is recommended not only for classical music fans but also for those interested in contemporary music.
It is an ideal piece for experiencing the allure of Toru Takemitsu.