Yoshinao Nakada (1923–2000) was a Japanese composer. Born in Tokyo, Nakada sensei was the son of an organist. He studied at Tokyo Music School. This WWII vet has composed piano music, choral works, songs for TV and radio and children’s songs. His compositional style is extremely lyrical. After the war, upon returning from his military duties, Nakada began a career as a professional composer. In 1947, he composed his first major work, Six Children’s Songs premiering during the same year. This set of art songs, which is based on the poems from the Saijo Yaso Doyo Zenshu (Collection of children’s songs by Yaso Saijo), which was described by Nakada as “the most significant book in my life,” became his most representative work. It has been performed frequently not only in Japan but also in the United States and Europe.
Nakada is a well-known composer in Japan, not only among professional musicians and music enthusiasts, but also by the general public. The average Japanese person would recognize at least a few songs of Nakada’s, even without knowing who actually composed them. Although his main output was vocal music, Nakada also made a significant contribution to piano pedagogy, as his primary instrument was piano. The greatest contribution that Nakada made to piano pedagogy is his Collection of Piano Pieces for Children. Published in 1956, it is widely used in Japan.
Although the typical Japanese piano curriculum utilizes European pedagogical materials, this collection has been considered standard supplemental repertoire for piano study in Japan since its publication.