Kimigayo composer
Tomoyuki Tanaka
somehow i misremembered and thought it was an Englishman who
composed it. rather, it was harmonized by a German.
In article <9480sa$c8s7d$1...@ID-40185.news.dfncis.de>,
Steve Bildermann <m...@privacy.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Can someone please tell me or direct me to a site that tells me who
>wrote
>> > Kimigayo the unofficial national anthem.
>> >
--------------------------------------------------------------------
: http://www.japanorama.com/kimigayo.html
The Japanese National Anthem (Kimigayo)
The world's oldest national anthem, Kimigayo (The Emperor's Reign),
was adopted as the National Anthem of Japan in 1888.
The lugubrious music was composed in 1880 by Hiromori Hayashi, an
Imperial Court musician and was later harmonized according to the
Gregorian mode by Franz Eckert, a German bandmaster.
The lyrics are a tanka (5-line, 31-syllable poem) from the Kokinshu, a
10th-c. anthology of verse.
[...]
Kimi ga yo wa / Chiyo ni yachiyo ni / Sazare ishi no / Iwao to nari te
/ Koke no musu made.
(Verse by Ki no Tsurayuki, ca. 872-945)
[...]
Click here to hear Kimigayo (452 KB, 41 sec.).
Steve Bildermann
by an Englishman and I was trying to verify that.
You have been most helpful.
Steve B.
"Tomoyuki Tanaka" <tan...@web1.calweb.com> wrote in message
news:3a6800ff$1...@news3.calweb.com...
Tomoyuki Tanaka
>> Imperial Court musician and was later harmonized according to the
>> Gregorian mode by Franz Eckert, a German bandmaster.
i think to "harmonize" means to add 3 voices to the melody.
i still vaguely remember there was an Englishman involved.
maybe an Englishman composed the orchestration.
In article <94ahcr$cp2d5$1...@ID-40185.news.dfncis.de>,
Steve Bildermann
I contacted the Imperial household they would be compelled to claim it as a
pure Japanese composition. Perhaps contacting the Royal Music college in
London might be the way. What do you think?
Steve B.
"Tomoyuki Tanaka" <tan...@web1.calweb.com> wrote in message
news:3a691f65$1...@news3.calweb.com...
Jack Oatmon
>Well, now you have me curious. How can we dig into this matter? I expect if
>I contacted the Imperial household they would be compelled to claim it as a
>pure Japanese composition. Perhaps contacting the Royal Music college in
>London might be the way. What do you think?
According to what I've found over the net, the oldest national anthem
is supposed to be the "Wilhelmus van Nassouwe" of the Netherlands.
(Lyrics: 1568, Melody: 1626)
Concerning "Kimigayo"
The verse was chosen by Iwao Oyama (a cousin of Takamori Saigo)
from a song (biwa-uta) called "Hourai-san"
The "Hourai-san" was based upon one of the most commonly favored lyric
(tanka) in the "kokin wakashu" and the "shinsen wakashu"
A melody was composed for the verse in 1869 by John William Fenton (an
Englishman), but it didn't match. Still it was used (tolerated <g>)
until around 1880.
In 1876 the director of the Naval Band, Yuusuke Nakamura suggested for
a better suiting melody.
Thus in 1879, based upon a tune written by Yoshihisa Oku, Hiromori
Hayashi composed a fitting melody for the verse. Franz Eckert arranged
the melody so that it could be played with the -more modern-
instruments available to the Military Band. (Hayashi's melody was
originally made for the gagaku instruments)
It was first officially played on November 3, 1880 and has been the
tune we've known ever since.
References found on the web (note that most links are in Japanese):
http://www.indiana.edu/~japan/japan/mdnjapan/LS23.html
http://www.japan-emb.org.sg/JapanAccess/national.htm
http://www.infosnow.ne.jp/siis/koron/KOKKA.html
http://www.yasukuni.or.jp/side/kk.html
http://www.ffortune.net/social/seso/nihon-mei/kimigayo.htm
http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~jisso/
http://www.copsrus.com/anthems/holland.html
--
Taroh K. YGP Tokyo
'92 H-D FLSTF modified Trike
99%er :-) joa...@gol.com
Tomoyuki Tanaka
thanks for the input. impressive what can be found on the net.
is Jack Oatmon the name of Stern's sidekick?
In article <33gk6t4o498hq7juu...@4ax.com>,
Jack Oatmon <joa...@gol.com> wrote:
>"Steve Bildermann" wrote in response to TT's post:
>
>According to what I've found over the net, the oldest national anthem
>is supposed to be the "Wilhelmus van Nassouwe" of the Netherlands.
>(Lyrics: 1568, Melody: 1626)
maybe people who claim that kimigayo is the oldest are talking
about the lyrics. there may be a subltle difference in the
meaning of "kokka" vs. the meaning of "anthem".
(remember: uta is synonymous with tanka.)
one book i looked at said "Kimigayo... words by unknown author"
>
>A melody was composed for the verse in 1869 by John William Fenton (an
>Englishman), but it didn't match. Still it was used (tolerated <g>)
>until around 1880.
is that the Englishman we've been looking for? i still
think it may have been the composer of the current, definitive
orchestration.
>Franz Eckert arranged
>the melody so that it could be played with the -more modern-
>instruments available to the Military Band.
is this the same as the current, definitive orchestration?
i read in a book that Franz Eckert (a German) was born in
Siberia (?), lived in Japan, and died in Seoul, Korea around
1901 (?).
Steve Bildermann
evidence seems to be building that I am wrong.
I will email the Royal College of Music (London) and the Sheffield (UK)
Japanese language centre - both are regarded as authorities in their fields.
Steve B.
"Tomoyuki Tanaka" <tan...@web1.calweb.com> wrote in message
news:3a6b4f85$1...@news3.calweb.com...
Steve Sundberg
<m...@privacy.com> wrote:
>I, too believe that the current Kimigayo was written by a Englishman but
>evidence seems to be building that I am wrong.
Some confusion may occur because an Englishman, Basil Chamberlain,
provided the first English language *translation* of the Kimiyago in
the 19th century. In that sense, an Englishman did "write" a version
of the anthem:
"Thousands of years of happy reign be thine;
Rule on, my lord, till what are pebbles now
By age united to mighty rocks shall grow
Whose venerable sides the moss doth line."
_.,-*'`^`'*-,.__.,-*'`^`'*-,.__.,-*'`^`'*-,._
It's been Oolong time, my Darjeeling Jasmine, dee...@mm.com
since we've had some Tea together. nood...@noodleman.com
_.,-*'`^`'*-,.__.,-*'`^`'*-,.__.,-*'`^ http://www.sundberg.tc
http://www.straitscafe.com | Straits Cafe Virtual Restaurant
Affordable Website Design Services | http://www.noodleman.com
Tomoyuki Tanaka
In article <94g1u8$dm1og$1...@ID-40185.news.dfncis.de>,
Steve Bildermann <m...@privacy.com> wrote:
>
>I, too believe that the current Kimigayo was written by a Englishman but
>evidence seems to be building that I am wrong.
>
>I will email the Royal College of Music (London) and the Sheffield (UK)
>Japanese language centre - both are regarded as authorities in their fields.
>
>Steve B.
>
please report back interesting finds and responses.
another link:
http://www2.plala.or.jp/wani-san/ODka.htm
why is <Britannica.com> letting us see so much for free?
to get us hooked?
--------------------------------------------------------------------
: The music of Japan - Britannica.com
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/4/0,5716,117244+27,00.html
After Matthew C. Perry's arrival in 1853, every foreign
delegation to Japan did its best to impress the natives
with marching bands (Perry added a minstrel show).
[ minstrel show
-- quintessentially American entertainment,
before the days of politically-correct racism ]
The training of the many new ensembles was in the hands of
English, French, and German bandmasters, and new music was
created by them or by their Japanese students to match the
spirit of Meiji modernism. The most famous case is the
national anthem, "Kimi ga yo," which was one of the few
successful early attempts at combining Western and Japanese
traditions.
[ goes on to mention Fenton, Eckert, etc. ]
Jack Oatmon
<snippity snip snip>
> is Jack Oatmon the name of Stern's sidekick?
???
...Stern who? Please clarify.