Ikuma Dan: String Trio in A minor (1944)

Ikuma Dan [團伊玖磨] (1924~2001, Japan)
弦楽三重奏曲 イ短調
String Trio in A minor
00:00 I. Allegro ma non troppo
08:29 II. Allegro
Shoubu String Trio:
Takashi Hamano, violin
Go Tomono, viola
Shinichi Eguchi, violincello
Recorded: May 4 & 5, 2009 at Radiant Hall of Ninomiya Town Lifelong Learning Center, Kanagawa Pref.
Ikuma Dan (1924-2001) studied at the Tokyo Music School with Kan'ichi Shimofusa, Qunihiko Hashimoto, and Midori Hosokawa, and outside the school with composer Kosaku Yamada, Saburo Moroi, and Hidemaro Konoye. He wrote 7 operas and 6 symphonies, as well as orchestral music, chamber music, brass band music, choral music, and film music. He was active in all genres. The familiar melodies of the opera "Yūzuru (Twilight Heron)" and "Zo-san (Dear Elephant)," and the light and cheerful rhythms of the "Grand March 'CELEBRATION' " and "Radio Exercise No. 2" are examples of the characteristics of Dan's music.
The "String Trio in A minor," composed in 1944 while he was still a student at the Tokyo Music School, consists of two movements: the first movement, Allegro ma non troppo, with its exquisite melody that could be written as a poem, and the second movement, Allegro, with its sturdy theme that lingers in the ear like a dormitory song.
According to the composer's own catalog of works, it was written in 1947 with three movements, but the score found in Dan's belongings was only the two-movement version. The first performance was thought that the 150th Concert of the Tokyo Music School Hokoku-Dan (student association) on June 10, 1944.
Although the 1947 version of the score could not be found, I compared it with the sound source of the remaining private SP and found that there were no major changes except for the addition of a new three-minute Andante second movement, and that the overall treatment was more counterpointed and complex.
The discovery of the two versions is a good example of the persistent teaching of Kan'ichi Shimofusa, whom Dan had studied under before he took the Tokyo Music School entrance examination and who was also his full-time instructor. Because of this, Dan did not compose any chamber music until the 1970s, after he graduated from Shimofusa's school in 1945.
by Koichi Nishi from MTWD-99042 "The World of Japanese String Trio - Ikuma Dan / Kan'ichi Shimofusa / Saburo Moroi" booklet
　團伊玖磨(1924-2001)は東京音楽学校で下總皖一、橋本國彦、細川碧らに、学外で山田耕筰、諸井三郎、近衛秀麿に学び、7つのオペラ、6つの交響曲をはじめ、管弦楽、室内楽、吹奏楽、合唱、映画音楽などあらゆるジャンルで活動した。オペラ《夕鶴》や《ぞうさん》の親しみやすいメロディー、《祝典行進曲》や《ラジオ体操第二》の軽快で晴れやかなリズムなどは團音楽の特徴が良く現れた例といえよう。そのまま詩をつけて歌に出来そうな精妙たるメロディーの第1楽章、寮歌の如き質実剛健たる主題が耳に残る第2楽章を持つ《弦楽三重奏曲 イ短調》。この曲は、團による作品リストでは1947年作で3楽章と記されていたのだが、團の遺品から発見された楽譜は2楽章版のみであった(1944年6月10日の東京音楽學校報國團第150回演奏会が初演と思われる)。1947年版の楽譜は見つからなかったが、残された私家版SPの音源と比較してみると新しく3分ほどのアンダンテの第2楽章を加えた以外の大きな変更はなく、全体的には、より対位法的で複雑な処理が施されていた。2つの版の発見は、東京音楽学校受験前から師事し、團の専任教官であった下總皖一の執拗なまでの指導を知る良い例になろう。團は下總門下を終えて1970年代まで室内楽を作曲しなかったほどなのだから。
（西耕一、MTWD-99042『日本弦楽三重奏曲の世界 ～團伊玖磨・下總皖一・諸井三郎～』解説書より）