Akiko Seki Explained

Akiko Seki
Native Name Lang:	ja
Birth Date:	8 September 1899
Birth Place:	Tokyo, Japan
Death Place:	Tokyo, Japan
Nationality:	Japanese
Occupation:	Singer
Years Active:	1921–1973

Akiko Seki (Japanese: 関鑑子) (September 8, 1899 in Tokyo – May 2, 1973 in Tokyo) was a Japanese soprano. She is commonly recognized as the founder of the movement of The Singing Voice of Japan (Japanese: 日本のうたごえ, Nihon no Utagoe / うたごえ運動, Utagoe-undō). In 1955 she was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize.

Life

• March 1921: She graduated in artistic singing at the Music School of Tokyo (Japanese: 東京音楽学校,Tōkyō Ongaku Gakkō).^[1]
• May 1, 1946: On the occasion of the first May Day post-war in Tokyo, she conducted L'internationale and a Japanese version of The Red Flag; this experience led her to the creation of a national musical movement of the working class.^[2]
• February 10, 1948: She created the Choir of the Communist Youth League of Japan (Japanese: 日本青年共産同盟 中央合唱団, Nihon-seinen-kyōsan-dōmei Chuō-gassyōdan) in Tokyo, as the core of national musical movement of the working class.^[1]
• December 20, 1955: She was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize.

Writings

• Collection of Songs for Youth (Japanese: 「青年歌集」, Seinen-kasyū) (Tokyo, Typography of the cultural section of the Communist Youth League of Japan, 1948).
• Bewiched by the singing voice (Japanese: 「歌ごえに魅せられて」, Utagoe ni miserarete) (Tokyo, 1971).^[3]

See also

• Japanese Communist Party
• Democratic Youth League of Japan (successor of the Communist Youth League of Japan)
• The Singing Voice of Japan

External links

• (ja) A real recorded voice of Akiko Seki, greeting the audience of the Festival of The Singing Voice of Japan (in Nippon Budokan, November 1968). 関鑑子の話声録音 - 1968年日本のうたごえ祭典・大音楽会での挨拶（日本武道館にて）
• (ja) Official website of the National Council of The Singing Voice of Japan 日本のうたごえ全国協議会ホームページ
• (ja) Journal of The Singing Voice of Japan うたごえ新聞ホームページ
• (en) Official website of Japanese Communist Party 日本共産党ホームページ（英語）
• (ja) Official website of the Democratic Youth League of Japan 日本民主青年同盟ホームページ

Notes and References

1. http://iss.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000002-I000001586832-00 NDL Search
2. Akiko Seki: Theory of The Singing Voice of Japan: What is the music (Tokyo, 1956), p.58. [関鑑子「うたごえ運動の理論－音楽とは何か－」（「知性」1956年増刊号［東京、河出書房］）58ページ]
3. http://iss.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000002-I000001278782-00 NDL Search