Highlighting Women Composers – Volume 2 – Nobu Koda

Recital Series
Written By Christina Knudson

A Violin Recital Series in Yokohama - Volume 2

Welcome back to my recital series at Okurayama Memorial Hall in Yokohama. Each recital will feature one or more female composers from the past and present alongside favorite classics. I hope to bring new interest in these strong women as well as excitement and appreciation to their works.

Volume 2: Nobu Koda 幸田延

Who was Nobu Koda?

Nobu Koda (1870 - 1946) was born in Tokyo, Japan during the Meji Restoration (1868 - 1912); a transitional time where Japanese society moved from isolated feudalism, to open industrialism. Being a samurai's daughter, Koda and her two siblings had the privilege and support to explore the arts. At age 7, she began studying the koto and shamisen, traditional Japanese instruments. Later her interests extended to Western classical music.  

Early Life and Education

Women of her time were encouraged to develop themselves intellectually, morally, and domestically in order to fulfill the goals of a government-sponsored campaign called “good wife, wise mother” (ryousai kenbo 良妻賢母). This campaign promoted the development of women with the purpose of educating their children and supporting their husbands for the benefit of Japan.

Through her personal ambition, Koda became a pioneer for women carving their own place in traditional society. In a time where most women did not receive college education, Koda furthered her musical studies at the Tokyo College of Music (now known as Tokyo University of the Arts 東京藝術大学). She continued studying koto as well as Western Music with Nakamura Sen, the assistant and translator to Luther Whiting Mason, an American composer hired by the government to introduce Western classical music to Japanese society. In 1885, Koda and two other women, Ichikawa Michiko and Toyama Koko, comprised the school’s entire first graduating class from the original 22 men and women who originally enrolled.

In 1889, Nobu became one of the first Japanese women to study music abroad. She first moved to Boston, MA, USA where she studied violin and piano at the New England Conservatory. While in Boston, she met Luther Whiting Mason who gifted her a violin made by Amati, and encouraged her to continue her music studies abroad in Europe. She went on to study violin, piano, composition, and singing at the Vienna Conservatory in Austria where she stayed until 1895. She studied violin with Joseph Hellmesburger II, the teacher of Fritz Kreisler. She also deepened her knowledge of music theory and counterpoint, with teacher Robert Fuchs, which can be heard in her later compositions, heavily influenced by German Romanticism.

Career

Upon her return to Japan in 1895, she joined the faculty at her alma mater, the Tokyo College of Music, where she brought her first hand expertise of Western music. She became the first Japanese composer to write the western style of composition, paving her way as the “authority of Western music” in Japan.

During her appointment she and her violinist sister, Sachi Ando (1878 - 1963) who also studied in Germany with Joseph Joachim, collaborated on the first performance of Nobu’s Violin Sonata No. 1 (1895). In addition to her teaching, Koda also enjoyed a career as a concert artist giving several Japanese premieres of major Western works including: the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, Concerto for Two Violins by J.S. Bach, and Beethoven String Quartets. Her concerts received rave reviews, hailing unprecedented technical feats and musical expression in the Western style.

Eventually the novelty wore off, and her expertise met criticism and discrimination from male colleagues who were threatened by her confidence, musicality, and her ability to speak German and English. The persistent bullying, name-calling, and attacks to her character she endured from both colleagues and the press, drove her to resign from her position at the Tokyo College of Music in 1909. She immediately embarked on a one-year sabbatical to Europe where she traveled through Berlin, Vienna, Paris and London. During her sabbatical she took lessons, observed music education in private institutions and public schools, studied school curriculums and graduation exams, as well as networked with other like-minded female musicians working towards improving women’s status in society.

Upon her return to Japan, Nobu founded her own private music school from her home and taught piano to upper-class girls and members of the royal family. She devoted her life to her students, constantly striving to improve herself and her music school. Koda also worked to secure performing opportunities for her students with orchestra.

Koda and her sister notably taught Shinichi Suzuki, the man famous for creating the Suzuki Teaching Method. She encouraged Suzuki to follow his dream to study abroad in Germany, where he deepened his knowledge of violin and pedagogy. This resulted in his development of the Suzuki Teaching Method, one of the most well-respected training systems in the world. In addition to Suzuki, Koda taught another famous composer, Taki Rentaro (1979-1903) who is noted for composing Japan’s National Anthem. Beyond her teaching career, she composed a symphony with chorus for Emperor Taisho’s ascension ceremony in 1912, and also founded and performed in Japan’s first string quartet.

Legacy

Koda cherished the connections she made in Europe and although she wrote enthusiastically about her experiences, Japanese society was not ready to make use of the outstanding knowledge she collected, nor the quality of her musicianship as a performer and educator.

The Taisho Period (1912-1925), saw an insurgence of a women’s movement in Japan, similar to the one Koda witnessed in Europe and America earlier in the century. During this movement, a women's literary journal called “Bluestocking” (青鞜) focusing on gender issues began circulating in Japan. Although it was eventually banned, its message reached women around the country, and undoubtedly inspired the next generation of female composers, and leaders in Japan.

Although her compositional output was limited, Nobu Koda’s life work paved the way for further generations of women in Japan to follow their passion through a career in music. Her impact and legacy lives on today. In May 2022, the number of women teaching at universities (all subjects) as well as female undergraduate students reached a record high 45.6% in Japan.

Last Updated: March 5, 2023

Did you enjoy this article? Are you interested in reading more about Nobu Koda? Leave a comment below and check out these links to more detailed articles! Subscribe to get these and future articles directly to your inbox!

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If you didn’t catch Female Composers Volume One, featuring Lili Boulanger, you can read it here!

Christina Knudson
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