Hidemaro Konoye's Role in Dissemination of Japanese Culture and International Music Exchange in Prewar Japan

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K12508
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 03020:Japanese history-related
• Research Institution: Odawara Junior College
• Principal Investigator: SAEGUSA MARI 小田原短期大学, 保育学科, 准教授 (10584211)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 西洋音楽受容 / オーケストラ / 近代日本 / 国際文化交流 / 近代日本音楽史 / 指揮者

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The research is aimed to unveil the musical activities and international exchanges of Hidemaro Konoye (1898-1973), one of the first Japanese musicians to gain international acclaim, and to lay the groundwork for Konoye studies. To achieve this goal, I undertook the following tasks: 1) surveying and collecting overseas materials related to Hidemaro Konoye; 2) preserving and digitizing the materials; 3) releasing a catalog database of his compositions and arrangements in Japanese and English; 4) organizing exhibitions, lecture concerts, symposiums, etc.; 5) producing rental scores for performance; 6)publishing handoutlines book as records of his communication; 7) publishing his arrangement of “Kimigayo: Japanese national anthem”. These activities revealed that Konoye’s stay in Europe was crucial for his musical career, and that his experience greatly influenced his later conducting activities.

Free Research Field

音楽学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近衞秀麿は近代日本音楽史において重要な役割を果たしたが、海外の活動についての研究は相対的に立ち後れていた。本研究は、特にドイツ連邦公文書館に所蔵される1300点を越える近衞関連資料に焦点を当てたもので、近衞自身の活動の詳細のみならず、戦前・戦中期の日本とドイツの文化交流の実態や日本理解の様相の一端を明らかにした点は学術的・社会的に意義がある。また、ドイツのマンハイム歌劇場の楽譜書庫で、近衞秀麿編曲によるシベリウス作曲《交響曲第2番》の全パート譜とスコアを見つけることができたことは、海外に残る日本人資料の収集という点で、大きな成果であった。今後、演奏用貸し出し楽譜を作成して、一般に提供したい。