Teizo Matsumura

Teizo Matsumura (松村禎三 Matsumura Teizō, born Kyoto, 15 January 1929 - 6 August 2007) was a Japanese composer and poet.

Orphaned and suffering from tuberculosis, during his recovery in the early 1950s he began to write both haiku and music. He studied with Tomojiro Ikenouchi. He was influenced by Ravel and Stravinsky, but also Asian traditions. He was Professor Emeritus of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.

Matsumura is best known for his opera Chinmoku (in English Silence) based on the novel of the same name by Shusaku Endo. This has been recorded.

Matsumura is the recipient of the 1974 UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers and of the 1978 Suntory Music Award.