Takemitsu, T :: Toward the Sea III

'Toward the Sea III' by composer Toru Takemitsu was composed in 1989 and is the third version of the piece. The work is divided into three sections The Night, Moby Dick, and Cape Cod. These titles are in reference to Melville's novel Moby Dick, or The Whale. The composer wished to emphasize the spiritual dimension of the book, quoting the passage, 'meditation and water are wedded together'. He also said that, 'The music is a homage to the sea which creates all things and a sketch for the sea of tonality'; Toward the Sea was written at a time when Takemitsu was increasingly returning to tonality after a period of experimental composition. Most of the work is written in free time, with no bar lines (except in the second version, to facilitate conducting). In each version, the flute has the primary melodic line, based in part on a motif spelling 'sea' in German musical notation: E flat E A. This motif reappeared in several of Takemitsu's later works.