Date of Degree DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) Japan has been
influenced by Western culture since the end of the nineteenth
century when the country opened its doors to the outside world.
In 1873, the Japanese government adopted a policy of thorough
and rapid modernization and westernization, including its music.
Japanese composers of westernized music became active around
1900, and often worked in three idioms: 1) a Western-style
composition, which was influenced by German and French music, 2)
a Japanese-style, which blended traditional elements such as the
pentatonic major and minor scales from Japanese music with the
compositional constructs of Western music, and 3) a
globalization-style, which combines Western, Japanese and other
musical elements in a post-modern tradition. Their compositions
are unique, and make a significant contribution to the music
available to performers. However, after conducting a survey,
this author found that most American musicians have no knowledge
of Japanese composers and their