Ryoko Kihara (Often spelled as “Lioko Kihara” in her published works, 樹原涼子, ''Kihara Ryōko'') is a Japanese

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

, music educator, and author.

Biography

She was born in

Kumamoto City is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

Kumamoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to ...

and later pursued musical studies at the

Musashino Academia Musicae , located in Tokyo, Japan, is a music conservatory founded in 1929. After World War II, the music school expanded, becoming the Musashino College of Music. It now has educational sites in Nerima, Iruma, Saitama, and Tama, Tokyo. Concert halls ...

. She is best known for her ''Piano Land'' series of instructional books for the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

. First published in 1991, the series has had a major influence on music pedagogy in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and is regarded as one of the most standard textbooks in piano education in the country. Kihara is also a composer; she composes classical music and music for video games. Her works for piano are popular among Japanese pianists and students. Japanese pianists such as Izumi Tateno have incorporated her works into their repertoire. Almost all of her music is published by Ongaku No Tomo Corporation. Kihara's son Konosuke Kihara is also a composer and also composes music for video games.

Major works

Piano instruction books

Piano Land series

"''Piano Land'' (ピアノランド)" (In 5 Volumes, 1991~92) "''Piano Land; Techniques for Fun'' (ピアノランドたのしいテクニック)" (In 3 Volumes, 1993~94) "''Piano Land; For Concert'' (ピアノランドコンサート)" (In 3 Volumes, 2000) "''Preparatory; Piano Land'' (プレピアノランド)" (In 3 Volumes, 2002) "''Piano Land; Scale, Mode, and Arpeggio'' (ピアノランドスケール・モード・アルペジオ)" (2016) "''Piano Land; Scale Practice Book for Children'' (ピアノランドこどものスケールブック)" (2021)

Other

"''Opening Your Ears; How to Hear Chords'' (耳を開く聴きとり術コード編)" (2014) "''12 Doors for Improvisation'' (即興演奏12の扉)" (2019)

Music

Piano music

"''A Small Box in My Heart'' (こころの小箱, ''Kokoro no Kobako'')" (Suite for solo piano & piano four hands, 2011) "''Rhapsody No. 1'' (ラプソディ第1番)" (For piano four hands, 2012) "''A Dream in a Dream'' (夢の中の夢, ''Yume no Naka no Yume'')" (Suite for solo piano, 2012) "''A Gentle Look'' (やさしいまなざし, ''Yasashii Manazashi'')" (Suite for solo piano, 2013) "''Wind in the Sky'' (天空の風, ''Tenkuu no Kaze'')" (For piano left hand, dedicated to Izumi Tateno, 2017) "''The Trilogy of Seasons'' (季節の三部作, ''Kisetsu no Sanbusaku'')" (Suite for piano left hand, dedicated to Izumi Tateno, 2020) "''Rhapsody No. 2'' (ラプソディ第2番)" (For solo piano & piano four hands, 2020)

Vocal & choral music

"''Ballade for Children'' (子供達へのバラード, ''Kodomotachi eno Barado'')" (1993) "''Flower'' (花, ''Hana'')" (Main Theme Song of a Video Game "''Ore no Shikabane o Koeteike''", 1999) "''My Wish ~On the Day of Christmas~'' (願い～クリスマスの日に～, ''Negai ~Kurisumasu no Hi n''i~)" (2005) "''My Wish ~Getting Over the Great Earthquake~'' (願い～震災を乗り越えて～, ''Negai ~Shinsai o Norikoete~'')" (2013)

Game music

Momotaro Densetsu , also known by the abbreviated name ''Momoden'', is a role-playing video game series in Japan featuring the character from Japanese folklore, as well as other Japanese folklore characters such as Kintarō, Urashima Tarō, and Princess Kaguya (fr ...

'' (桃太郎伝説, 1987) ''

Momotaro Dentetsu (also known by the abbreviated name ''Momotetsu'') is a long-running board game-style video game series in Japan; in which players travel by rail, ship, and airplane; attempting to acquire wealth through business transactions buying properties; a ...

'' (桃太郎電鉄, 1988) '' Linda Cube'' (リンダキューブ, 1995~97) ''

Ore no Shikabane o Koeteike Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 April 2 ...

'' ( 俺の屍を越えてゆけ, 1999)

Writing

"''Want to Play the Piano?'' (ピアノを弾きたいあなたへ, ''Piano o Hikitai Anatae'')" (2009/2015, Kodansha)

ISBN The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency. An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition and ...

: 978-4062815857 "''Raising Children in the Kiharas ~Days of Piano Land & Smiling'' (樹原家の子育て～ピアノランドと笑顔の毎日, ''Kiharake no Kosodate ~Piano Land to Egao no Mainichi'')" (2010, Kadokawa Shoten)

: 978-4048850704

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kihara, Ryōko 21st-century Japanese composers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Kumamoto Video game composers 21st-century Japanese pianists Composers for piano