Karen Tanaka (b. 1961) is a Japanese composer based in Los Angeles, California. Highly versatile, Tanaka has composed in a wide variety of musical genres, including works for orchestra, piano and orchestra, solo piano, solo harpsichord, solo instruments, chamber music, choir, electroacoustics, and film music. She also served as the lead orchestrator in 2016 for the BBC television series Planet Earth II. Tanaka has received numerous awards for her compositions, including three Japanese prizes: the Muramatsu Prize, Keizo Saji Prize, and Bekku Prize, as well as the international Gaudeamus Prize that recognizes the excellence of young emerging composers. Tanaka’s exceptional merit allowed her to receive scholarships from the Japanese government, French government, and Nadia Boulanger Foundation to study with the composers Tristan Murail in Paris and Luciano Berio in Florence during the 1980s and 1990s. One of her most prolific compositional genres is her works for solo piano.

This document examines the stylistic features and pedagogical applications of Karen Tanaka’s intermediate piano collection Children of Light (1999). Containing twenty-five pieces, this collection emphasizes themes of nature, the environment, and endangered animals. Tanaka selected twenty animals from the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals to designate as piece titles, with the remaining five pieces inspired by various environments around the world. Children of Light is comprised of early to late intermediate piano pieces, ranging from Levels 3 through 8 in reference to Jane Magrath’s leveling system. A variety of musical styles are incorporated throughout the collection, including modernism, minimalism, neo-romanticism, French impressionism, and Japanese aesthetic influences.

Chapter One provides a biographical sketch of the composer, a brief overview of her compositional style and output, the purpose, need, procedures, and limitations of the study, and a review of related literature. Chapter Two presents a detailed discussion of Tanaka’s compositional style, influences, and output, surveys her standard and pedagogical piano works, and offers an introduction to Children of Light (1999). Chapters Three through Six offer compositional and pedagogical analyses for each of the twenty-five pieces in this collection, which are presented in increasing order of difficulty. The analysis of each piece begins with a compositional overview that addresses the musical elements of form, meter, rhythm, melody, harmony, and texture. A discussion of pedagogical applications follows, including guidance for introducing pieces, approaching musical and technical challenges, and suggestions for fingering, pedaling, and performance. Chapter Eight offers a summary of the study and recommendations for further research. By closely examining the intermediate piano collection Children of Light, the author seeks to advance the visibility and knowledge of Tanaka and her piano works so that her music can be more accessible to teach, study, and perform.