was a Japanese pianist and composer of the

Meiji era The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feu ...

. Taki was born in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, but moved to many places during his childhood owing to his father's job. He went to Tokyo Music School (now known as Tokyo University of the Arts) and was taught by Nobu Koda, graduating in 1901. One of his famous pieces is " Kōjō no Tsuki" (Moon Over the Ruined Castle), which was included in the songbook for junior high school students, along with the "Hakone-Hachiri" (箱根八里). "Hana" (花, "Flower") is also a well-known song. In the same year, Taki went to the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany for further studies, but fell seriously ill with pulmonary tuberculosis and therefore returned to Japan. He lived quietly in the country afterwards, but soon died at the age of 23. His posthumous work is a solo piano piece called "Urami" (憾, "Regret"), which he wrote four months before he died.

Recordings

*"Kōjō no Tsuki" performed by Jean-Pierre Rampal and Ensemble Lunaire, ''Japanese Folk Melodies''. transcribed by Akio Yashiro, CBS Records, 1978. *"Kōjō no Tsuki" performed by New Kyoto Ensemble, ''Distant Winds: The Music of Japan''. Intersound, 1992. (no composers are credited on this album)

References

External links

* – ''Kojo no Tsuki'' * – ''Kojo no Tsuki'' * – ''Urami (regret)'' * * 1879 births 1903 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century classical pianists 19th-century Japanese composers 19th-century Japanese male musicians 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis 20th-century Japanese classical composers 20th-century Japanese classical pianists 20th-century Japanese male musicians Composers from Tokyo Japanese male classical composers Japanese male classical pianists Japanese Romantic composers People of the Meiji era Tokyo Music School alumni Tuberculosis deaths in Japan {{Japan-musician-stub