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.

Playlist

Popularity ranking of composer Toru Takemitsu’s works—he was a contemporary musician renowned as “Takemitsu of the world.”
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	November StepsTakemitsu Tōru		Toru Takemitsu’s fusion works for biwa, shakuhachi, and orchestra
2	Requiem for StringsTakemitsu Tōru		Toru Takemitsu’s masterpiece, the triptych Requiem that strips away superfluous sound.
3	AsterismTakemitsu Tōru		Introducing Toru Takemitsu’s masterpiece “Asterism.”
4	November Steps, Tenth SectionTakemitsu Tōru		Toru Takemitsu’s Music: The Beauty and Spirituality of the Shakuhachi
5	Piano DistanceTakemitsu Tōru		Toru Takemitsu’s East-West Fusion Music and the Beauty of Silence
6	Four AwayTakemitsu Tōru		Introduction to Tōru Takemitsu’s piano piece, For Away
7	RomanceTakemitsu Tōru		Introduction to Toru Takemitsu’s piano piece “Romance”
8	Two MelodiesTakemitsu Tōru		Introducing Tōru Takemitsu’s early piano works
9	Two RentsTakemitsu Tōru		Toru Takemitsu’s early works, a fusion of East and West.
10	Small skyTakemitsu Tōru		The Allure of Toru Takemitsu’s Masterpiece “Small Sky”
11	Rain Tree Sketch II – In Memoriam Olivier Messiaen –Takemitsu Tōru		A piano piece that Tōru Takemitsu dedicated to Messiaen
12	Rain Tree Sketch II — In Memoriam Olivier MessiaenTakemitsu Tōru		Toru Takemitsu established a unique musical world that fused Japanese and Western music.
13	Ghost StoryTakemitsu Tōru		Toru Takemitsu composed the music for the film Kwaidan.
14	What the dead man left behindSakushi: Tanikawa Shuntarō / Sakkyoku: Takemitsu Tōru		The a cappella piece with lyrics by Shuntaro Tanikawa and music by Toru Takemitsu…
15	Just singTakemitsu Tōru		Introduction to Toru Takemitsu’s representative work “Just Singing”
16	Piano Miniature for Children No. 1 “Breeze”Takemitsu Tōru		A piece from Tōru Takemitsu’s collection of short piano pieces for children
17	FoliosTakemitsu Tōru		The innovative style of Toru Takemitsu’s guitar music
18	Litany — In Memory of Michael VynerTakemitsu Tōru		Requiem Piano Piece “Litany” for Tōru Takemitsu
19	Quotation of a Dream —Say sea, take me!—Takemitsu Tōru		Toru Takemitsu’s fantastic work for two pianos and orchestra
20	Minamoto no YoshitsuneTakemitsu Tōru		Toru Takemitsu’s theme song for the Taiga drama ‘Minamoto no Yoshitsune’
21	Uninterrupted restTakemitsu Tōru		A piano piece that makes use of Toru Takemitsu’s silence and resonance
22	Closed Eyes 2Takemitsu Tōru		Explanation of Toru Takemitsu's representative piano piece
23	Closed Eyes — In Memory of Shuzo TakiguchiTakemitsu Tōru		Toru Takemitsu’s East–West fusion music and exquisite piano pieces