Nobu Kōda
Nobu Kōda 幸田延 (1870–1946) was a Japanese composer, violinist, and music teacher. She was one of the first Japanese women to study music overseas.[1] She studied at the New England Conservatory. She later studied in Europe.[2] She was the sister of Kōda Rohan.
Nobu Koda | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 19, 1870 |
| Died | March 19, 1946 (aged 75) |
| Occupation(s) | pianist, violinist, composer |
| Relatives | brother: Rohan Koda (author), sister: Kou Ando (violinist) |
Early life
Nobu Kōda was born on April 19, 1870. Both her and her sister Andō Kōko studied at the Tokyo Music School. As a child she studied the koto and studied western music with Nakamura Sen.[3] She graduated from the Institute in 1885 as part of the first graduating class.[3]
Studies abroad
Kōda's studies abroad allowed her to become an authority on western music up on her return to Japan.
She went to Boston and studied at the New England Conservatory in 1889 at the age of 19.[2][3] She then returned to Japan for a short time before going to Europe. She studied in Vienna through 1895 before returning once again to Japan.[3]
In 1892 she went to Germany and studied there with Joseph Joachim.
Nobu Kōda would leave for Europe again in 1909,[1] though would once again return to Japan, where she lived until her death in 1946.[1]
Impact and works
Nobu Koda was considered an authority on western music in Japan, and was the first Japanese composer to write a violin sonata.[1]
She taught at the Tokyo Music School, gave piano lessons to upper class girls, and became the teacher of the royal family. Both Nobu Koda and her sister taught Shinichi Suzuki, who became famous for his method of music teaching.[3]
References
- Bonnie C. Wade (13 January 2014). Composing Japanese Musical Modernity. University of Chicago Press. pp. 60, 171. ISBN 978-0-226-08549-4.
- Evangelos Chrysagis; Panas Karampampas (30 March 2017). Collaborative Intimacies in Music and Dance: Anthropologies of Sound and Movement. Berghahn Books. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-78533-454-2.
- Howe, Sondra Weland (1995). "The Role of Women in the Introduction of Western Music in Japan". The Bulletin of Historical Research in Music Education. 16 (2): 81–97. doi:10.1177/153660069501600201. ISSN 0739-5639. JSTOR 40214860. S2CID 157827079.