FOLK SONGS OF JAPANESE CHILDREN
FOLK SONGS
OF
JAPANESE CHILDREN
Compiled, arranged, & annotated by Donald Paul Berger
illustrations by Yoshie Noguchi
CHARLES E. TUTTLE COMPANY
Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo, Japan
Representatives
For Continental Europe:
BOXERBOOKS, INC., Zurich
For the British Isles:
PRENTICE-HALL INTERNATIONAL, INC., London
For Australasia:
PAUL FLESCH & CO., PTY. LTD., Melbourne
For Canada:
M. G. HURTIG, LTD., Edmonton
Published by the Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc.
of Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo, Japan
with editorial offices at
Osaki Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-0032
Copyright in Japan, 1969
by Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc.
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 69-11087
ISBN: 978-1-4629-1266-7 (ebook)
First printing, 1969
PRINTED IN JAPAN
This Look is dedicated
to all who love to sing
and especially
to Eva and Hannah
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
CHILDREN'S SONGS have a wide range of appeal: for the young as well as for those of all ages. The songs of Japan are no exception. The selections in this book have been arranged with this in mind. This collection can therefore serve a variety of interests. As the melody has been placed in the soprano line in most instances, preschool and lower elementary school children can derive pleasure from unison singing and playing the song games. Upper elementary school children can perform the songs as written, in two parts. The melodic ranges of the songs are well suited to the limited range of changing voices, making them ideal for junior high school students. High school choral directors could present these songs in concert form for female voices, as they can easily be performed by mature voices.
Wherever it seemed logical to do so, various kinds of information concerning Japan have been included so that the commentary might serve not only to explain the texts, but to interest and inform all those who wish to learn about Japanese culture.
Additionally it is hoped that this brief encounter with Japanese folk music will stimulate desire and interest on the part of those who have sung the songs and read the comments to explore the vast amount and variety of the world's music. Music, for the majority of us in the West, has meant only Western music. We have remained largely ignorant of the music world around us.
The piano accompaniments have been arranged simply in accord with the nature of the songs. As far as possible, when a piano is added to this type of music, the arranger has endeavored to keep a Japanese flavor. The harmonies have also been conceived along these lines.
Approximately