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Contemporary Japanese

ŌE, Hikari

Hikari Oe

Born June 13, 1963 

Name pronunciation: hee-KAH-ree oh-EH 

  • Hikari Ōe is a contemporary Japanese composer. He is the son of Nobel laureate novelist Kenzaburo Ōe.  
  • Hikari Ōe has autism, and a developmental disability which impedes his language and physical coordination skills, due to a severe brain hernia. However, around the age of 6 he displayed a strong recall of music and sound, starting with the ability to memorize birdsong. He has been composing original music since the age of 13. 
  • Hikari Ōe’s first album of compositions was released in 1992, and his second in 1994. His albums have been proven very popular both in Japan and abroad. 
  • Ōe’s compositions are influenced by the music of Mozart, Chopin, and Brahms.1

Sources

  1. Lindsley Cameron, “Kenzaburo Oe and His Son Hikari: A Story of Creative Rebellion,” (University of Oklahoma, 2002), The Free Library, accessed November 9, 2021, https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Kenzaburo+Oe+and+his+son+Hikari%3A+a+story+of+creative+rebellion.-a086170491. 

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