[Daisen City, Akita Prefecture] What is the longest school song in Japan? Detailed explanation of the school song of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School

The school song of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School was featured as ``Japan's longest school song'' on Nippon Television's popular program ``Monday to Night Fukashi,'' which aired on October 11, 2021, and became a hot topic on Twitter.

In this article, we will explain in detail the school song of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School.

What is the title and lyrics of Japan's longest school song

The title of the school song of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School, which is said to be the longest school song in Japan, is ``Live well, young people.'' It was established in 1965, and was performed for the first time at a ceremony to coincide with the completion of the school building.

This school song, written by Takashi Hongo and composed by Chotaro Sato, has the school motto "Live well" sprinkled throughout, and is very long with a full chorus of 10 minutes and 15 seconds, and is played with piano accompaniment.

Since the playing method and time signature change with the flow of the song, I have summarized them in a table.

Current students will sing parts other than the solo chorus and narration, but new students may find it quite difficult as they must memorize this complex structure.

Also, because the time is so long, the school song is sung in full chorus at entrance ceremonies, graduation ceremonies, etc., but at other times, the first song is ``Omono no Kawabe ~ Omagari Junior High School Young People'' and the second song is `` They sing "One Point for a Piece - Young People from Omagari Junior High School."

Just reading all the lyrics is very moving, so if you are interested, we recommend checking out the homepage of Daisen City Omagari Junior High School.

Reference: Daisen City Omagari Junior High School “History”

Reference: Daisen City Omagari Junior High School “School song”

What are the characteristics of Japan's longest school

Japan's longest school song is characterized by a variety of changes in time signature and performance method, allowing people to sing it without getting tired of it, but one thing that may come as a surprise to those hearing it for the first time is the key change at the end of the song.

Specifically, the end of the first verse, ``Goodwill and beauty ~ Young people from Omagari Junior High School,'' and the end of the second verse, ``Smartness and will ~ Young people from Omagari Junior High School,'' are up to that point. suddenly changes from F major to D minor.

As a melody, it's a very abrupt change in key, but by suddenly changing the key to a minor key, the song conveys its seriousness until the end, and the ending makes me think that they wanted to end the song with a sense of tension. .

What graduates think about Japan's longest school song

On September 3, 2019, the Suihou school trip group of third-year students from Daisen City Omagari Junior High School sang Japan's longest school song, the longest school song, at the Ueno Onshi Park outdoor stage.

This event was planned for alumni living in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and was held to sing ``Live well, young people'' with current students.

The reason why events like this are planned is because the graduates have realized how great the school song is as they grow up and want to sing it again.

If I had participated in this event as a graduate, I am sure that I would not have been able to sing without crying.

Now that I can understand the feelings behind Japan's longest school song, I can only feel grateful that I was able to encounter this school song when I was a junior high school student.

lastly

Japan's longest school song has a complex performance and structure, making it very difficult for new students to memorize, but it turns out that it is a school song that they will never forget even after they become adults.

If you are interested, please listen to ``Live well, young people.''