Shinpei Nakayama
Shimpei Nakayama (中山 晋平, Nakayama Shimpei, March 22, 1887 – December 30, 1952) was a Japanese songwriter, famous for his many children's songs and popular songs (ryūkōka) that have become deeply embedded in Japanese popular culture. Nakayama was born in Nagano Prefecture, Nakano City, in 1887. His father died while he was very young, and his mother Zō raised Shimpei, his older brother and other siblings alone. She often took in washing and sewing to make ends meet. Shimpei was interested in music from the time he attended Nakano Elementary School, where he and his classmates would sing to the accompaniment of a small organ (what he called a "baby organ"). The songs they sang included popular military marches from the Sino-Japanese War (1894–95). At one point a small brass band sponsored by the Salvation Army came to town to play, and Nakayama remembers being smitten by the sound. His classmates remember him as an accomplished player of the Japanese transverse flute who would often play during Obon and other festivals at the local Shinto shrines and Buddhist temple. When Shimpei graduated from elementary school he took the required examinations and became a substitute elementary school teacher. His dream was to become a music teacher. For that, he had to go to school in Tokyo. So in 1905 he moved to Japan's capital city and became a household servant for Waseda University English Literature professor Shimamura Hōgetsu. In 1914, Nakayama composed the song "Katyusha's song" for a dramatization of Tolstoy's Resurrection. The song, sung by actress Sumako Matsui, was a massive hit and Nakayama became famous almost overnight. Today this song is considered one of the earliest examples of modern Japanese popular music. Another of his most famous songs is "Tokyo ondo", which was a great countrywide hit in the 1930s. Today it is also known as the theme song of the baseball team Tokyo Yakult Swallows. His most famous children's songs are "Shabondama", "Teru teru bozu", "Amefuri", "Ano machi kono machi" and "Sekurabe", among others. Nakayama's song "Gondola no Uta" features prominently in Akira Kurosawa's film Ikiru. |
Birth and Death Data: Born March 22, 1887 (Nagano Prefecture), Died December 30, 1952 (International University Of Health And Welfare Atami Hospital)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1927 - 1937
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BVE-37650 | 10-in. | 1/28/1927 | Defune (出船) | Yoshie Fujiwara | Tenor vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | PBVE-42052 | 10-in. | 3/3/1928 | Hoko o osamete (鉾ををさめて) | Yoshie Fujiwara | Tenor vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | PBVE-42055 | 10-in. | 3/4/1928 | Habu no minato (はぶのみなと) | Yoshie Fujiwara | Tenor vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | PBS-79497 | 10-in. | 12/23/1934 | Aoi su sumki | Miyashi Sugimachi | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
Victor | BS-07918 | 10-in. | 4/22/1937 | Hoko o osamete | Yoshie Fujiwara ; Vincent Lopez Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Nakayama, Shinpei," accessed September 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116325.
Nakayama, Shinpei. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/116325.
"Nakayama, Shinpei." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 September 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: 中山晋平
Discogs: Shinpei Nakayama
IMSLP: Shinpei Nakayama
RISM: Shinpei Nakayama
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Nakayama, Shinpei, 1887-1952 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr88000533
Wikidata: 中山晋平 - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q764161
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/66311368
MusicBrainz: 中山晋平 - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5c5f74f6-4d28-4ce0-9a12-fae660aa578e
ISNI: 0000 0000 8254 0860 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000082540860
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