My first acknowledgment goes to the many individuals in Japan who welcomed me graciously—composers, composer-performers, per- formers, and the heads of agencies and companies as well as their numer- ous staff members. They are simply too many to list here. The consistent rapidity of the responses that came to telephone calls, faxes, and letters and the amount of time that individuals were willing to spend with me while I was in Japan for field research was amazing, and I am enormously grateful. The assistance of the staff at the International House of Japan in Roppongi, where I make my home in Tokyo, needs special mention; the number of faxes they sent and received for me every time I was there made them seem rather like part of the project, and they welcomed my visitors cordially.